There are in fact now no longer any American companies. Monogram got bought by Revell 30 years ago, then Revell's German branch bought all when there was a bankruptcy 8 years ago. The old Revell molds and some others have been bought by a company called "Atlantis" and are produced in China - there's a big "nostalgia market" for the old k…
There are in fact now no longer any American companies. Monogram got bought by Revell 30 years ago, then Revell's German branch bought all when there was a bankruptcy 8 years ago. The old Revell molds and some others have been bought by a company called "Atlantis" and are produced in China - there's a big "nostalgia market" for the old kits (guys like you reliving childhood joy). Lindberg got bought and now re-releases old kits for that market too. The Japanese kits became really good in the 70s and then better, so now Tamiya is considered the best kits for kit design and "buildability." The Eastern Europeans started making their own kits during the Cold War, then afterwards they pioneered "limited run" kits that allowed them to do :odd ball" items that a mass market might not support. Then they upped their technology about 20 years ago and now they are the world leaders for quality and detail. All that improvement comes at a price - that P-38 has an MSRP of $80 - I got it at a discount inernet hobby shop for $68 and $14 for shipping (thank you Louis DeNoJoy). There are very very few neighborhood shops left - I'm lucky to have access to one here in the SFV, and it isn't stocked like it used to be but it's good for paint and materials. If you want to see what people are doing with the hobby, look up iModeler.com or Modeling Madness.
There are in fact now no longer any American companies. Monogram got bought by Revell 30 years ago, then Revell's German branch bought all when there was a bankruptcy 8 years ago. The old Revell molds and some others have been bought by a company called "Atlantis" and are produced in China - there's a big "nostalgia market" for the old kits (guys like you reliving childhood joy). Lindberg got bought and now re-releases old kits for that market too. The Japanese kits became really good in the 70s and then better, so now Tamiya is considered the best kits for kit design and "buildability." The Eastern Europeans started making their own kits during the Cold War, then afterwards they pioneered "limited run" kits that allowed them to do :odd ball" items that a mass market might not support. Then they upped their technology about 20 years ago and now they are the world leaders for quality and detail. All that improvement comes at a price - that P-38 has an MSRP of $80 - I got it at a discount inernet hobby shop for $68 and $14 for shipping (thank you Louis DeNoJoy). There are very very few neighborhood shops left - I'm lucky to have access to one here in the SFV, and it isn't stocked like it used to be but it's good for paint and materials. If you want to see what people are doing with the hobby, look up iModeler.com or Modeling Madness.