What does the future hold for Scaleworld?
That depends pretty much on y'all, dear readers. The idea right now
is to start ranging over a wider area, both subject-wise and time-wise.
Exactly where and when we go is up to you. Whether or not you like some
of the things you'll be seeing…or the approach…take the time
to send me an email via the above link. Do keep one thing in mind; anything
you mention in an email may end up published in Scaleworld. This includes
your name…unless you specifically request that the email and/or your
name not be used.
Remember when kits were simpler…and cheaper?
 If
you've only been building models for the last 10 or 15 years, that may
sound like a strange question. We've all (well, some of us have) gotten
used to paying anything from $20 - $50 and more for a single kit. Many
kits at that price level are well worth the money, but it ain't always
been that way. I've still got an Airfix 1/72 scale Me-262 kit sitting
on the shelf (it's probably been there since the late 1960s) that's pre-priced
on the box for the spectacular sum of $.39. That's 39 cents! Does it compare
to the kits we have today? Heck, no. But I've got news for you…if
you wanted to spend the  time
necessary to do all the scratchbuilt superdetailing required, you could
still wind up with a prize winner.
Now just because prices used to be a lot cheaper, that doesn't mean the
kits were necessarily lacking in detail. For example: In 1970, I did an
article for Model Car Science on the new Tamiya/MRC 1/25th scale Tiger
I tank. Besides being large, it was fully detailed to the point of a detailed
crew compartment, functional torsion bar suspension and tracks made up
of individual links that you had to assemble one at a time. You even had
real rubber hoses that formed part of the Feifel air cleaners. Basically,
it was  state-of-the-art-and-then-some
for it's time. And the price? Are you sitting down? Believe it or not,
it carried a normal retail price of $13.98, BUT it was being offered by
The Squadron Shop (when they were in Hazel Park, Michigan) at the discounted
price of $10.00!!!
In the September/October 1982 issue of Airbrush Digest, I wrote an article
on another 1/25th scale tank kit from Tamiya. This one was the Panzer
V Ausf A Panther. Over the intervening 12 years a few things had changed.
Externally there was no difference in quality when compared to the Tiger
I, even retaining the individual track links. However, there was no interior
and  the
price had escalated to $37.98. Just about three times the MSRP of the
Tiger I. The price was going up and the amount of included detail was
going down. Does this sound suspiciously like a familiar pattern? . Today
it's even worse. The same kits now carry a price of around $75.00 each.
And that, folks, is about it for the first installment to the revised
and still under construction Scaleworld. Since my model building experience
goes all the way back to around 1949, the question is this: Just how far
down memory lane do we go. What about discussions of materials and supplies
before the aftermarket started doing it for us? Since model building isn't
just memories and old kits, you'll also find discussions on current kits
and books mixed in as well. Exactly what the final mix will be is entirely
up to you. Well, don't just sit there. Let me know your thoughts.
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