Eduard marketing

[Scimitar]

OK, my choice is made: I've bought a Dragon Fokker DrI on eBay. 12.50€, very cheap compared to Eduard's actually available boxages...

[Downwind]

I cannot see how any manufacturer wants to charge an excessive price for a plastic airplane kit. Yes I know there is the admiration factor---"gee I've got to have one of those..." True those etched parts do make a wonderful addition to the model's value and appearance, but frankly I think $20 would be my personal upper limit right now. Deep down we are all in the same game you know..."who dies with the most toys wins...". But when a company starts to get too big for it's britches and sends a reply to an honest question....which is a "tough $--t", that's the way it is. Whoever they are, they certainly are not cognizant of the old adage of Caveat Venditor. I am sure if there were a plan to "boycott" Eduard it would have a great effect---if (we) follow through. But, they are banking on the Sam Gotbucks who says---" I don't care what it costs I have to have one....". Quite frankly Roden products , with all their "warts" is quite all right with me---ignorance is bliss----- Doc

[MerlinV]

... and it is this.
50% of customers purchasing the Big Red Box really do have no intention of ever builing the kits and will keep it in a cupboard for a couple of years and then whack it on ebay to see what it is worth.
The other 50%, the serious modellers, have already purchased the BRB and have discovered that it is a fraud.

How many are still available on Eduards website? I am not even going to go and look on principle.
Say 20 Units. I would hazard a guess that sales are gunna slow right down this week, now that the news is out. Those last 20 or so will eventually be sold off at a discount (or with the missing etch and masks included)... Thereby p*ssing off the customers who paid full whack at the beginning even more.

I might be quite wrong of course.

Cheers,

Hugh

There is a saying in marketing and advertising.

"You can't polish a t*rd, but you can roll it in glitter!"

[THE GREAT WALDO]

Hi All
First things first. I would have been gratefull if Stephen had followed protocol and asked me before listing a message I sent to him as a private message. Minor gripe over. Merlins´ theory seems a bit far fetched. I have been in touch with the people at Eduard and must say that they have been very responsive and ready to communicate. I suspect that they have realized the sensitivities of some of their customers and will be responding accordingly in the future, no one gets everything right all of the time (although that might not apply to Wojtek Fajga) I must admit that I was a bit cheesed off thinking that the photo etch was missing in my box,but as it officially was´nt and I only bought the kit to collect i´m not to worried, although people that bought the kits to make would be understandably dissaponted. Over the years I have bought many of Eduards models and any issues with missing /damaged parts/box tops etc. have always been dealt with promptly and at their cost. So as far as service is concerned Eduard have always been first class. I think the current hoohah and baying for blood is a bit over the top, however it´s possibly usefull that Eduard has seen the reaction over this matter and will hopefully adjust their marketing accordingly. As a producer in a free market place Eduard can price their products as they wish and the customers can decide what to buy or not. Pesonally I thought that the model was overpriced but I wanted it, had the money and bought it. I think if we looked at our models piled up and took away all the Eduard kits the shelves would be somewhat empty. There are always 2 sides to a coin. I look forward to the future !!!

Cheers All
Andrew

[StephenLawson]

My apologies Andrew I dropped the names from all the entries to keep it anon.

[SteveS]

Originally Posted by Familyman

"Who needs another Albatros kit?" is fair criticism for the box, but you can't really say, that you are not getting enough stuff for your money, can you?

Mikko

Your absolutely right! You can't...

...except you have no say over what stuff you get for your money. To get the Tripe that many have been waiting and praying YEARS for, you are forced to spend more for something that you might not necessarily want. It would be a totally different story if it was a completely new previously unreleased kit issued with the Fokker, but the Albatros has been around for a while.

"I've never been told that I had to buy last years model stove in order to purchase a new refrigerator".

If they would have left out the Albatros with its accompanying parts, I'm sure they would have been able to get 50-55 bucks no problem, and not so many gripes.

Just my opinion of course,

Salute,
Steve

[StephenLawson]

On the subject of Eduard's marketing it is good to let them know our feelings. I don't mind paying for a kit but even in the combos the extra plastic was followed by PE and masks at and extra cost of about $10 -14 USD. Grant that these Sopwith Camel kits were released individually at first and not new when put into Combos.

This is not a gripe about the costs of a kit so much as it is a heads up on Eduard's marketing ploys. Like the times "they are a changin". They did not hide it, as mentioned earlier they had it on their website in plain text. If your going to spend a large amount of money on a kit we need to know what to expect. The past practice of Eduard's kit issues have definately changed. And yes they are trying to get more money out of your pockets. First the hint that they are getting out of doing WWI kits then they hit us with the new marketing techniques. I am starting to feel like one of Pavlov's dogs, ring that bell. Now they tell us that when we buy a kit they think we won't build it.

We all will purchase what we want. But the experience of crackin open a new kit should not be an experience of disappointment at least not at this price tag.

[RAGIII]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

We all will purchase what we want. But the experience of crackin open a new kit should not be an experience of disappointment at least not at this price tag.

Agreed wholeheartedly! Eduard once had the WW1 market to itself, perhaps it hasn't registered that they have serious competition? Or perhaps they do not care? If Roden were to release a scaled down version of their 1/32nd kit it would sell big time,even with its faults! I have finally sold enough Jet aicraft kits out of my stash to be able to afford the 1 triplane/ albatros/figure release of this kit. Squadron has it listed at$67.00 and change,plus shipping. Now I find myself wondering how many DML kits I could pick up,fix up for the same price?
RAGIII

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by MerlinV

". . . How many are still available on Eduards website? I am not even going to go and look on principle. . ."

Zero - they sold out of 100 units. For an average total of $15,900.00 in less than 2 weeks just for the Red Box kit. Man I am in the wrong business.

[Familyman]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

Zero - they sold out of 100 units. For an average total of $15,900.00 in less than 2 weeks just for the Red Box kit. Man I am in the wrong business.

So Eduard did it again! They release an item which is so ridiculously over priced that no one is going to buy it but purchase Roden stuff instead. And then they go and sell it out before I get mine!! the same thing happened with their D.VII OAW release, remember?



Mikko