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Model
Kits for the Computer Generation
By Paul
A. Paterson
April 1, 2003
"More
people are getting back into the hobby," he explained. "I
did it until I was 14, then got back into it in 1988. You've got
the son and the dad. If the dad is into it, he gets a little Gravedigger
snap kit for his son. Dad's got the big toy and the son has his
little toy."
Those in the
industry hope Wessel is right.
"The
20-year-old who gave it up is getting back into it at 40 or 45,"
agreed Bob Adie, owner of Modelcraft, a model company
based in British Columbia, Canada. "The second part is a possibility.
You've got to look at the average 10 year old, and you know what
they're into--the Internet. And if they're not, you have to ask,
why not? That's their future."
Modelcraft Texan T-6g
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Specializing
in kits for model planes, ships and military vehicles, Adie says
he's noticed news events often boost sales of certain product lines.
"When the
Titanic movie was out, everybody wanted to build the Titanic,"
he said. "It's morbid, I know, but when the first Challenger
tragedy hit, everybody was trying to buy Challenger kits. If there's
a conflict [in Iraq], there should be a renewed interest in jets."
Generally, however,
the company has had to adjust its strategy slightly in the face
of slumping interest in models.
"We
try, where possible, to support the hobby shop," Adie explained.
"The retailer is being hard on himself because he is being
very specific on what he will carry. We do sell to some mail-order
companies, but it's on a very strict pay-before-we-ship basis.”
"I
don't publicize it, but if someone calls and says they can't find
one of my kits in Timbuktu, I'm not going to call all the hobby
shops in Timbuktu and say, ‘Hey, you should be carrying this
kit.’ If he wants it, I'm going to sell it to him, but he's
going to pay full retail."
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