Five models I did not buy on Black Friday

This is something of a companion piece to an article I wrote four years ago, “Five kits I did not buy at the Nats.” I often see conversations about the kits that we buy, so I think it’s interesting to talk about what we did not buy and why.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, and quite a few online shops offered a variety of discounts and deals. Some were lackluster (7 percent off -- really?) and others were more enticing (offer me 20 percent and I start looking for my wallet). The traditional highlight of the season, Squadron’s 40 percent sale, no longer excites me now that the threshold for the maximum discount is $500, though in fairness it’s a no-brainer f you and a few friends can compile an order together.

Nonetheless, there were a few sales that prompted me to browse for bargains. I found a few, but I fell short and spent literally nothing over the weekend.

Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4C - Try as I might, I couldn’t find a vendor here in the US that has these in stock, so this one was a non-starter.

Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4S - Found this at Sprue Brothers. Could have scored one for $60, but it was out of stock.

Trumpeter 1/48 T-38A - I’ve always appreciate the sleek lines of the T-38 and would like to build on in an old school, 1970s white scheme. MegaHobby has it in stock, but I just couldn’t quite pull the trigger knowing that I have too many 1/48 scale models in the stash while my focus has been largely on 1/72 scale. I also learned that the Wolfpack model is slightly more accurate, so there's that, too.

Trumpeter 1/35 BREM-1 - I’ve always had an affinity for Soviet/Russian engineering vehicles. I was thrilled when Trumpeter released their BTM-3 last year, so I've been eager for them to leverage their molds of the BMP-1, T-72, and T-80 to produce respective examples. I was excited to find Trumpeter’s BREM-1 at Squadron, but lo! It was out of stock. So this shall have to wait for another sale or an order from a seller in China or Japan.

Italeri 1/12 Fiat Mefistofele 21706cc - If you’ve seen photos of this model on web sites or Facebook groups, you know it’s an outstanding model. I’m continually tempted to get one, despite it’s heft price tag (around $200), so Black Friday seemed to be a good opportunity to get one at discount. But after a good deal of thought, I decided to wait. I’m not a car modeler, so I’m not sure I can do the kit justice, and, frankly I have many other models in the stash that excite me more. Who knows; maybe I’ll come back to it some day.

I hope you had more luck than me. Happy hunting!

Q&A with the CEO of Squadron Mail Order

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Gwynne Gorr, CEO at Squadron Mail Order. She's been on the job now for almost a year and has some interesting thoughts on trends, promoting the hobby, and a look into Squadron's product line.

Scale Model Soup: Jerry Campbell, the founder of Squadron, passed away about a month ago. You’re now the CEO of the company he founded. What is his legacy in the hobby?

Gwynne Gorr: I believe the greatest legacy Jerry left behind was making the tools of this hobby broadly available to everyone. From his first retail location in Detroit to our distribution facility in Carrollton, Texas, it is easy to see that he worked very hard making sure that every person who had an interest in modeling had access to not only interesting subjects to build, but the tools and accessories to make those builds the best they could  be.

SMS: Tell us about yourself. How did you come to join Squadron as CEO?

GG: I spent a large part of my career leading the precision model business for The Franklin Mint, a role I truly loved. I learned a tremendous amount about what collectors look for in excellent models and bring that with me as I work with the team at MMD in the world of model building. The Franklin Mint was all about quality, integrity, and creativity. It is these key tenets that I am focused on now at MMD to help make it the greatest modeling company in the industry.

SMS: When you look at your own sales and other industry information, what trends do you see within the scale modeling hobby today?

There are lots of interesting things we see evolving from “the numbers” these days.

While aviation subjects are still number one, there has been a pretty dramatic growth in armor subjects. This has been driven, I believe, by an improvement in the quality of these kits thus making them more interesting to build. Improvement in track design has also been a contributor.

Availability of higher quality, more sophisticated kits is on the rise. Companies like Trumpeter, Kitty Hawk, and Panda have really been bringing up their game, and newer companies like Meng are adding pressure for excellence into the competition. All this is great news for modelers.

The age of the average modeler continues to grow higher. The need to invigorate younger people to give the hobby a try is paramount to its health and well-being in the very near future. Everyone in this industry needs to do what it can to change this trend and grow the number of hobbyists. This is a focus of MMD and you will see a number of new categories of programs from us soon designed to attract new people to our hobby.

SMS: How can Squadron, the manufacturers, and organizations like IPMS promote scale modeling?

GG: I think there are lots of things that can be done. Get involved with organizations involving children to expose them to the hobby with programs like model building clubs, sponsoring activities with groups like Scouting, working with veterans groups communicating the benefits of modeling, and more editorial in broad based publications designed to show people how far the hobby has come since “the old days” to attract adult modelers that enjoyed the hobby as a child but have since abandoned it.

This is a major focus of MMD, and hopefully of all the manufacturers and organizations in the industry. It represents the future lifeblood of our business and is of highest importance.

SMS: Why are models so expensive, particularly those coming out of Asia?

GG: There are two significant dynamics affecting the price of models these days. First of all, manufacturing numbers are down. There are many more models coming out than there used to be and many fewer modelers to purchase them. This leads to much smaller production quantities which in turn reduces economies of scale in manufacturing. This all adds up to higher cost. Add to that increasing labor rates in China coupled with higher raw material costs and it leads to higher pricing across the board.

Additionally, the bar has been raised with regard to what the modeler expects. We want more detail, more parts, more interesting subjects, more photo etch, etc. These things all add up to higher cost as well. Again, if we had a larger base of builders, it would help to mitigate costs as costs could be spread out better across production.

SMS: Some of my readers have asked about Squadron’s not carrying the latest Airfix kits. Will we see a re-stock?

GG: I am happy to say that we should see Airfix back in our warehouse in late August or early September.

SMS: Tell us more about Squadron's new lowest price guarantee.

GG: It is our desire to build trust with our customers that we will bring them the best of everything in modeling. We have worked hard to increase the number of products we offer over the past several months. We have been very busy developing new tools and accessories such as the Squadron Plastic Weld to make the hobby enjoyable. We are implementing a new computer system to improve overall service to our customers. We are creating a vast library of videos, available on our website, to help modelers learn new tips and techniques to assist with their builds.

In addition to all of this, we want our customers to know that they can count on us to be fair on price. If a customer can show us one of our kits is higher in price, we will match that price, period. We are committed to bringing the very best possible experience to anyone who buys from Squadron. Not only the best price, but the best service, the best resources, and the best selection as well.

SMS: What is the biggest challenge facing Squadron?

GG: I think the greatest challenge is making sure the merchandising reflects the desires of what the builders want to build. There are tens of thousands of  modeling products out there and carrying them all would be impossible. Sorting through what is good, what is compelling, what is most interesting to the ultimate consumer is certainly not an easy thing!

Our team at Squadron is built largely of modelers themselves, so you can imagine the intensity of debate as we evaluate new products as well as old ones to determine what and how many to buy.

SMS: What can we look forward to in the latter half of 2015 and into 2016?

There are lots of exciting things ahead from Squadron. We have two new Encore kits coming soon; one in August and one in November. The first two issues of these limited edition kits this year sold out in a matter of a couple of weeks, so we encourage customers to act quickly when the new ones are offered. They won’t last for long!

We are working hard on building our video library of tips, techniques and reviews from Jef Verswyvel, our Chief Modeler. These videos are designed to help people improve their building skills and share the latest and greatest industry releases...all while having a little bit of fun at the same time. Be sure to tune check them out at Squadron.com.

We are thrilled to announce that we will be going ahead with the 25th anniversary EagleQuest event in Dallas next summer. EagleQuest is a celebration of all that is model making; competition, camaraderie, and an opportunity to visit our warehouse operation are just a few reasons to attend. Watch for more information coming soon and we hope you can attend.

Squadron is proud to also be a sponsor of Happy Joe, a veteran’s organization whose purpose is to help service men and women find employment in the digital world when their service to our nation is complete. We will have several new programs launched over the next year in support of their good work and spreading the word to others about this wonderful effort.

Lots more top secret projects are underway as well. Stay tuned and keep modeling!

SMS: Thank you for your time, Gwynne.

Me and Squadron's Black Friday sale

Another Squadron Black Friday sale has come and gone, but the echo of complaints will echo well into the week. I thought it might be useful to take a step back, take a deep cleansing breath, and consider the place that Squadron's annual sale has acquired within the hobby and to share my thoughts about their sale, which I did not take advantage of this year.

After reading several discussions on the forums this weekend, I came to a big realization: we're spoiled. Simple as that. We expect epic sales. We expect to buy a lot of models with very little money.

It began several years ago with Squadron's first Black Friday sale. If I recall correctly, they offered 50 percent off if you spent $300...with free shipping. Friends, a sale doesn't get much better than that. That said, if the wholesale value is generally 40 percent of retail, I honestly don't know how Squadron made money that year, particularly when you factor in the cost of mailing what, for most of us, were large parcels.

Over the following years Squadron has progressively increased the minimum order to enjoy the maximum discount while decreasing the discount. It's easy to see why so many modelers have had strong reactions. They've come to feel entitled to deep discounts, but the truth is, Squadron is running a business and seeking to make money, so they have the right to offer promotions that they believe will drive sales and maximize profits. It's a bummer that we don't enjoy half-off pricing, but that's life. Accept it or continue to work yourself into a collective frenzy.

As I said up-front, I didn't order from Squadron this weekend. I could have. I had a list of models that exceeded the $500 threshold, due in part to three 1/32 scale jets (which coincidentally were out of stock during last year's sale), but I decided not to pull the trigger. As enticing as the sale was (even one that's less than 50 percent), I had to a personal sanity check and realized:

• I have more models than I can build in my lifetime. Never mind how many, but I pretty much have everything that I "need," more than enough to make me happy. Most of what I could have bought this weekend would've been impulse purchases made for no other reason than to take advantage of a good sale.

• I really don't need to start building 1/32 models. I'm a 1/72 scale guy who's intrigued by large-scale models, but after reading a post from Jon of The Combat Workshop -- about how much time his current 1/32 F-16 building is consuming compared to his usual 1/48 scale kits -- I realized that the Trumpeter 1/32 F-105 in my stash will satisfy my need to explore a large scale project when the time comes.

• I have lots of stuff in my eBay watch list awaiting purchase. Sixty items to be precise, and most of it is aftermarket for models that I already own. I should probably buy those before bringing new projects into the stash.

This is the first time that I didn't take advantage of Squadron's sale, and guess what? I'm alive and well. I don't regret not purchasing anything. I'm not angry at Squadron because a few models that I wanted were out of stock. I remembered that I don't have to buy. I can choose to spend my money in productive ways, in ways that advance my enjoyment of the hobby, and not in response to an enticing offer. I think that makes me a smart consumer.

Squadron's new flyer

By now you've probably heard that Squadron is moving to a paid subscription for their monthly flyer, and you've also probably heard -- and contributed to -- the subsequent chatter about the value of the flyer. Is it worth $10 per year?

I just received my first issue (received unexpectedly, without having subscribed) and thought I'd do a quick review of sorts, for those of you who haven't received one, and offer my thoughts on its value.

At first glance it looks like Squadron's old flyer, with 64 pages, all color. It differs in several respects:

• A three page feature by Jef Verswyvel show's his build of the Encore 1/32 Blue Max Pfalz. It's a very good article, as good as anything you'd see in FineScale Modeler, and includes 16 in-progress photos and three of the completed model.

• A one-page Customer Showcase gives us five pages of Diego Quijano's Eduard 1/48 MiG-21. You may have seen it on one of the forums or directly on Diego's blog, DQ Scaleworks. If I were inclined to worship multiple dieties, Diego would come in at number two!

• Magazines are now prominently featured right inside the flyer, which makes sense given that magazines generally contain time-sensitive information. Well, such as it is with the internet at our fingertips. A wise move, though, because many of us still buy magazines despite daily visits to Hyperscale, Armorama, etc.

• There are several prominent, full-page ads that feature new or upcoming releases, presumably to entice us and drive future purchases. This April edition includes these types of ads for Meng's upcoming 1/24 Ford F-350, ICM's 1/35 ZiL-131, and several of Trumpeter's newest 1/35 releases.

• Six pages feature new aircraft releases using photos that are about twice as large as what we're used to seeing. Other new releases, accessories, and sale items are featured using the regular-sized images and descriptions.

• Ditto for armor, but with only three pages featuring the larger images. New ship releases are featured on two pages (Hobby Boss 1/350 Kursk!) One page is used for cars and one for space/sci-fi. The remainder of the flyer shows books and supplies using the old format.

• The flyer closes with a one-page feature showing Squadron's very first flyer, though oddly the editor doesn't give us a date.

At the end of the day (to use an annoying cliche) is Squadron's new flyer worth it? It's hard for me to be objective because I've been a customer for nearly 30 years and I'm fond of the company. Squadron is a leader in the industry and many years ago set a standard that other mail order shops have sought to meet and exceed (and some would argue that others have done that). Would I pay 84 cents for the flyer? Probably not, but I don't think we'll have to. I have a feeling that Squadron will continue to send it to those who order regularly from them. The gods know my money has played a significant role in the Carrollton, Texas economy for quite a long time!