02-04-2012, 04:42 PM
Your analysis is very good; however, I forsee other problems with the possibilities that you have mentioned.
First, the garage craftsmen need to bring in a certain income to offset their expenses and make a profit sufficient to keep them working, cover insurance, shipping, etc. The more advanced the items being constructed, the greater the cost. Working in brass requires a mini-machine shop. Working in resin or plastic requires high quality molds. Making laser cut kits requires a laser, which isn't cheap.
Second, the people have to advertise, and that is a decent expense that must also be covered by revenue, and yet these backroom manufacturers do not have the advantages of large scale production runs to hold down unit costs.
Lastly, with the shrinkage of the Chinese factories, the magazines will lose their primary sources of advertising income, and will be forced to raise their rates to the backroom outfits to maintain themselves viably, and this inflationary spiral will boost the entire range of costs to the modelers.
First, the garage craftsmen need to bring in a certain income to offset their expenses and make a profit sufficient to keep them working, cover insurance, shipping, etc. The more advanced the items being constructed, the greater the cost. Working in brass requires a mini-machine shop. Working in resin or plastic requires high quality molds. Making laser cut kits requires a laser, which isn't cheap.
Second, the people have to advertise, and that is a decent expense that must also be covered by revenue, and yet these backroom manufacturers do not have the advantages of large scale production runs to hold down unit costs.
Lastly, with the shrinkage of the Chinese factories, the magazines will lose their primary sources of advertising income, and will be forced to raise their rates to the backroom outfits to maintain themselves viably, and this inflationary spiral will boost the entire range of costs to the modelers.