When I started making kits about ten years ago, I saw that the industry was in decline then and thought that the only way forward was to make kits that offered the modeller the chance to build a museum standard model from a kit without the need for special skills since these were (and still are) disappearing fast. As it turns out, many of my kits have been built by some excellent modellers so it’s hard to know if I was right and as many of you will remind me, they aint cheap.
I thought that pre-cut parts and lots of detail may bridge the gap and introduce new people to the hobby and I think thats right but my big lifeboat kits were too expensive for a first project so I guess I ran off the rails there.
Still, I think that if 'kits' have a future, they have to offer the enthusiast, with limited craft skills and perhaps only a shallow knowledge of the art of model boating), something that is achievable (as a first time kit perhaps) and of which they can be proud to have built. But now perhaps its no good offering a kit where you have to align the propshafts and glass them in, make your own motor mounts, solder up the railings and (worse of all) fit it out with all the motors, speed controllers, in-runners, out-runners, Lipo's, NMH thingies and all that radio stuff to figure out.
Best perhaps if it's all in a box.
Is the China way the answer, ready to runs?
Well, for less than the price of a Raboesch bow thruster, I can buy a fully built, ready to run, 1/16th scale halftrack, fully working, even weathered a little, with all functions working and the radio is in the box too!
Makes you think?
I'm 64 so should be retiring but no, I have just bought a factory unit and will soon be doing Speedline full time! With more skilled people than ever working on new kits we are still concentrating on kits of interesting subjects that offer great detail and finish but are relatively straightforward to build and are much more affordable.
I'll still do big lifeboats because thats 'what I do' and there is a limited market.
A 1/16 scale landing craft aligns well with the model tank enthusiast market and a 1/8th scale, jet powered Bluebird K7 will offer lots of fun and excitement (and of course, Bluebird will always be Bluebird) so both should sell well. Bluebird K7 is being mastered by Phil Edwards, probably the best modeller of Bluebird subjects on the planet so it will offer superb levels of detail, as good as any resin model and it will run top.
The LCM3, now much delayed for a variety of reasons has been redesigned and will now have a GRP hull with that lovely ‘starved dog’ and ‘worn’ look built in, once again modelled using the masterful skills of Phil Edwards. That's my way forward.
Will it work? Of course it will. (Didn’t want to be rich anyway).
