new 1/48 resin company

[fitterpete]

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=272411

I saw these on ebay when I searched for "1/48 tank" then saw this TMP post.The pics look good and from what this guy says they cast for other companies too.Bout time someone did some for the 1/48 crowd.The 1/56 guys are spoiled for choice so I think its a smart move to get some of a untouched market in 1/48.
Pete

[Marine0846]

Finally, someone doing 1/48.
And no I don't want to argue which size is better.
What ever makes you happy.
Am really interested in the Cromwell.
Good job guys.

[fitterpete]

I really want to try some of these out but I really don't need anything they make right now or even the July releases he mentions.

[carlos marighela]

Purely coincidence no doubt but they do seem to producing all the kits currently produced by Tamiya and when you add in postage costs vs buying them locally at a hobby shop there's no price advantage.  On the other hand there's less construction time.

[Solins]

Don't forget Frontline game for 1/48 resin kit.

http://frontline-games.com/store/index.php?cPath=24&osCsid=d1a59ec93eb4263dde0e2b38aa01baff

There is choice in this range.

Hum 1/48 elefant 

[King Tiger]

Purely coincidence no doubt but they do seem to producing all the kits currently produced by Tamiya and when you add in postage costs vs buying them locally at a hobby shop there's no price advantage.  On the other hand there's less construction time.

But the famous 1/48 series is a dream to build, you can slap them together in no time.

[fitterpete]

@Solins
I have some of the Percision Models Design tanks.They are ok but a little crude(no detail on the inside of the track part,not a biggie except for the part that sticks out in the front and back) and they are 1/50(also ok as a lot of my tanks a Corgi 1/50)

@King Tiger
Except for the Tamiya tracks! I can paint 20 Tamiya tanks in a day but it takes me 4 hours to build 1 kit!
Nice resin kits would be soooo much easier.Besides Tamiyas 1/48 armor release schedule is almost non existent.

I hope theses guys do some early war stuff.

[CompanyB]

Nice models...

But Tamiya and Hobby boss sherman kits are $9.  Tamiya also just released their Matilda kit and will be doing more Desert war gear soon.  They could of started with more of the stuff that gamers seem to want, such as 1/48 German SdKfz 250/251 halftracks.

Also, as a 1/56 manufacturer, I feel we are still the small guy. 1/56 offerings don't even come close to 1/3 of what's available in 1/48.  I can't think of any 1/48 model that I can't get or is not available.

Wespe models makes 296 1:48 scale kits. http://www.wespemodels.ro/index.php?route=product/category&path=59_65
If you order many kits, you can get a discount or import them wholesale.
Land rovers galore http://www.landrovermodels.co.uk/
Every Softskin you can think of: http://www.asam.co.uk/
The Hartsmith line: http://www.asam.co.uk/indexmil.html

I'd estimate that there are about 400 or more different armor and soft skin kits available in 1/48.  That's a lot.  I think I own 300 of them  

What is it that folks think are missing?  Maybe I can point you to who makes it.
-Brent

[Weird WWII]

Brent this is for ya,

Need the following in 1/48:

German Kitten APC 
US Armored Jeeps
US M4 tractor

Know of any out?

Let me know,
Brian

[CompanyB]

Kitten- that's us.  I handed off the 1/48 master for that and the UHU to JTFM.

Armored Jeeps: there is a brass armor set by Minor models, as well as a snow plow.  I think aber also make a PE set.  Track48.com is your friend. 

Alternately, hobby boss makes painted and assembled armored Jeeps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobby-Master-1-48-Willys-Jeep-US-Army-82nd-Airborne-Div-w-Armour-Shields-HG1602-/120904722746?pt=Diecast_Vehicles&hash=item1c267ba93a

Wespe models offers a version of the US tractor from WW2.  quarter-kit/Gas.oline also offer one. http://www.wespemodels.ro/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_65&product_id=492

[fitterpete]

Brent
I think the key here is affordable 1/48 kits and in resin.Yeah I have lots of Tamiya kits,and you can get them at good prices, but building models gives me the s@#$ts.Wespe do have a lot of kits but at 1/3 more $$ than most of the 1/56 manfacturers they can keep them.Same same Gasoline.
I have a few of your kits for the smaller vehicles(Chaffees,Jap tanks,and that awesome Lancia 90/53).
I'm not sure what I would be looking for to tell you the truth.I have the basic stuff all covered by model kits and Corgis. The last tanks I really wanted were the Matilda II(out by tamiya next month) and British cruisers(which I ordered the A13s from Ken Swenson last nite).
Not to say if something cool came out I wouldn't get some of course.I'm a vehicleaholic too having about 240 at last count

I do plan on getting a couple Katchen when you get them ready

[carlos marighela]

What is it that folks think are missing?  Maybe I can point you to who makes it.
-Brent

Catch 22, I know as presumably the market is much smaller but the thing that's really missing in 1/48 are modern kits or at least post war kits. What's out there? A handful of old Aurora kits which command silly prices as collectors items. Four, fairly useless, Tamiya models and that's about it for plastic kits. Of course there are diecast 1/50 models from Solido/Verem but limited range, mostly French subject matter and most need conversion work.  The excellent Quarterkit resin models, are again, mostly French in terms of their subject matter.

Propaganada Kompany make some nice resin kits but these really are modellers kits and they are bloody expensive and that's when they are actually in production. Most of their line seems to be OOP at any given time.

Now when it comes to WW2 well all of the basic gear is already there. Between Tamiya and Hobby Boss, pretty much every variant of Sherman, T-34, Panther etc is covered. If you add in Fuman, Bandai and all the resin manufacturers there's already a pretty good representation. If I was starting up a company making 1/48 resin, I'd be looking at what the competition is making.

Frankly, the situation improves only marginally when you move to 1/50 or 1/56. Despite the wonderful work of Company B, FoA, Imprint, HLBS and co there are still huge gaps.

Let's try the post war, Sherman, T-34, Panther comparison. If you assess the three most common post war types in service you'd probably end up with M-48, T-54 and Centurion.

There is precisely one plastic M-48 in 1/48. It's by Monogram, about thirty years old, so rare and consequentially expensive. It's also an unusual type (M48-A2) so it needs conversion for most purposes.

There's one plastic injection Centurion out there. Aurora produced one about forty years ago. It's an early model with considerable faults and being old and rare, if and when you find one, it's bloody expensive. The cheapest I've seen was around $100.

Plastic T-54? Don't know of any produced.

Fortunately there are other sources but they are all in other scales and other media. If I was interested in selling 1/48 resin tanks and I wanted to hit both the gaming and modelling crowds, the those are the three tanks I'd start with.

[CompanyB]

Yep, Carlos is correct.  Modern models are not very well represented in 1/48, or 1/56 for that matter.  It's actually my current push at the moment    i just got back the digital masters for the German Wiesel I !  not to mention our forays into 1050's Soviet armor.

But back on track, the majority of 1/48 modern kit is out of production.  I had a deal sour years ago on getting a 1/32 ontos master made for a client, and I was paid with several cases of 1/48 M1 Abrams and T-55 tanks (assembled and painted resin/polystone)  I still have the damn things...as I am not even able to sell them at cons for $20.  And they retailed for $110 when they first came out!

Quarter-kit was in the process of creating a line of figures and vehicles that were much cheaper, specifically for wargamers, but it sort of fizzeled out, due to lack on interest.

My main point with this new company, was that the models look great, But I know that the investment is so much, and the actual profit on these endeavors is so slim, that expanding the line with only mediocre sales means a quick end to the venture. Focusing on some of the more existing but expensive or hard to find kits would of given them a good niche.  Pretty much anything from the Wespe website, I'd buy just to paint and build for fun and to sell to clients.

People may have forgot that Company B started off by making 1/48 kits 7 years ago.  And we did kits that were not available from anyone else.  Panzer II luchs, M3A1 Stuart, M3 Honey, T-28, ISU-152, JS-2, LVTA-1, etc, all in 1/48.  So I've been there, done that.

[fitterpete]

Yep Brent your right.They should have started with something unique.You know what old Bandai kit usually brings the most outrageous price on ebay? The frickin Daimler AC.Second would be the Opelblitz.The normal tanks(Sherman,Panther,Tiger, the Jagds) usually bring decent money,25-40, but the off the wall stuff(Valentines,Matildas,Nashorn) go for $40 plus but I've never seen the Daimler go for less than $50.

Valentines was a good choice as the only model kit is the bandai one(I have 3 ) and MK IIIs though.I hope they sell enough to keep going with some less usual vehicles.

 You made 1/48 7 years ago?Thats when 28mm WW2 wasn't cool yet.
Seriously most people would have been laughed at for suggesting doing larger scale battles in 28mm just a few years ago even.Now its all the rage.I think the abundance of 1/56 manufacturers is responsible for it.So now us 1/48 guys can come out of the closet

[CompanyB]

The Daimler AC, Marmon AC and other early war british kit from Wespe are all actually great easy to assemble kits.  I bet if Blitzkrieg did them as assembled resin for under $30 they'd fly off the mold to be replaced with money.

Shoot, no one makes the Nashorn of Hummel anymore either.  Great Bandai kit, but expensive.  The Gas.oline ones are great too, but I bet those would sell if simplified.

The coolest 1/48 model I have is the Moser Karl.  Huge kit in 1:48!


Also missing is the early war Panzer I series.  WSW makes a great 1/48 Panzer I  and IB kit, but it's hard to get more than one of them.

-Brent