1/72 Beagle Basset – Arrived!

[Marto]

if these kits were put on general release would they not sell given the amount of interest shown for both though ? perhaps with additional decals for commercial application .-)

Kitstarter illustrates that this is most unlikely. A normal production run would be many times more than the limited quantity of this run, yet it struggled to meet the minimum order level. The Manufacturers and Retailers want product that will move quickly off the shelves and not sit around for years gathering dust. We all have much sought after kits that we'd love to be reissued, but this project has demonstrated that there is little widespread support. If there had been we'd be seeing more kits offered.

I'm not convinced by your arguments for a number of reasons,  even a kitstarter production run would have to be economic and  make a reasonable return on the investment for Airfix to even consider it,  and I would expect this to be included in Any minimum requirement... that is surely the point of it... no... the main difference here is every kit produced is a garanteed sale as opposed to taking a chance on the market...

when you compare these with other old tools that have been recently released by airfix some of which appear quite poor in comparison with the Beagle and Beaver the question begs why produce those and not these...

I'm sure that there are many considerations and no point in speculation, but my own feeling is as long as there were substantial additional costs for non UK buyers the project was doomed from the start, because it cuts out all but the diehards.. something that may well not have occured had the kits been on general release... just my thoughts not written in stone or anything 😉

 

I completely agree Ironides.  I've had my conformation email and paid less then £15 for it living in the UK.  There is no way I would have ordered (backed) any of them if I still lived in NZ.

[Ratch]

 You've missed my point chaps. I was not referring to the price but the quantity required for a viable production run. I worked in the Toy Trade for 15 years, becoming Production Planning Manager. A run of 5000 was considered a minimum requirement for our products. Airfix's milage may vary, but the principal remains the same. You must exceed the break-even point to make a profit whether thats 500, 5000 or 50000 pieces.

Now the price will have an effect on potential sales, and with the kitstarter prices about three times normal RRP I'd expect the threashold to be fairly low (compared to a usual production run). But those kits on offer have struggled to met the threashold, indicating that while there are passionate modellers for certain old kits there are not the numbers to justify short runs let alone a more substantial run that would lower the price.

[ironsides]

Ratch ,Thanks for clarification on your experiences its appreciated, though I still stand by my comments..

The price for the Basset and Beaver is clearly stated as 15ps with additional costs for international customers, the actual price is 10.02 plus 4.98 UK p+p, so with all due respect I dont know where your figure of 3x RRP comes from..... this is clearly stated in the threads on the Beagle and Beaver.

[Ratch]

Sorry, I was thinking that the Bassett was a series 1 kit at £5.99 rather than the £8.99 for a seies 2. I think the Beaver at £15.00 was good value rather than the RRP £16.99 for a series 4 kit. Even at this value price there were not enough takers. I sympathise with you guys who have to pay postage to get your kits to the other side of the world, but that is a different problem - who bears the cost? The P&P you have quoted is Hornby's charge, not what the GPO charge. When I sent out Review Kits for the ATF the charge was usually £2.80. On top of that Hornby will have the cost of the additional packaging and an employee's time.

[david_fleming]

My Bassets arrive dthis morning, moulding looks in great shape so hopefully the stories of it's imminent demise arew rong

[Modd]

Hi guys,

 

Apologies it went a bit quiet but I had been waiting on confirmation that the kits had arrived. I’m happy to say that has now happened and you should be receiving your confirmation emails shortly (if you haven’t already!).

 

Many thanks for your patience and I’m sure you’ll be enjoying your Beagle Bassets very soon.

 

I know there’s a lot of interest in what we might be adding next to KitStarter but unfortunately, it has been decided to put the project on hold at this time so we will be retiring the section shortly. It’s been a very interesting trial for us and garnered a lot of interest and suggestions. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back to it in the future – you’ll be the first to hear if we do! Thanks to all those who have contributed.

Hi, I pre-ordered a kit but haven't received any emails or information and there doesn't appear to be anywhere on the website to check on the order confirmation. How can I check whether my kit is indeed coming?

[ModellerAntP]

Well I received my Basset kit today, and it only has 1 fuselage half included, I'll be putting in a request for a replacement so I sincerely hope Airfix have made a few spares.

[Jonno65]

  Just opened mine (received 17th) and lo and behold have no clear parts. Have emailed customer care - so hopefully be getting the spares.

[graham_walker1]

 got mine all ok thanks airfix now what about a two car set sunbeam and morris

[douglas j smith]

Would love to build a new Beagle Basset as my original got broken many years ago

[Robert Fletcher1707819887]

Congrats  to all  Beagle Basset Fans,  but I hope I am a good loser Boop Hoo poor old Beaver, but well done although I have never built it, " sure looks a worthy winner.  mumble  mumble ☹️ ☹️ 😳