If you follow my Instagram you’ll have seen I recently picked up one of the incredible kits from Bandai, in this case an excellent 1:72 scale Y-Wing. These kits are so good there has been huge worldwide demand for them. It was originally expected that such kits would be for the Japanese domestic market only but as we live in the time of the global economy naturally word got out and people from other countries started buying them. Why wouldn’t they when they’re the best kits they can get?
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| No that's not Coruscant... |
Disney appear to have realised that this would probably have an impact on sales in other markets for which they have different, (and in my opinion, substandard), ranges and different agreements and so they’ve come down hard on Bandai and ordered them to ensure their distributors and re-sellers don’t offer them for sale outside of Japan. I'm sure they're completely within their legal rights to do so but the fact it's been allowed to go on for some time before they've pulled the plug is somewhat frustrating. Sadly this seems to be the way with some large corporations, especially American ones. They’re the first to want a free world market but when things don’t go their way they end up crying off to regulators, lawyers etc…
So what does that leave those us outside of Japan with? Well we get Revell’s frankly uninspiring offerings (although they may only be available in the US).
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| Disappointing... |
At this point I should mention that Revell have made a statement that they had no involvement in Disney's decision. Interesting though that they mention they have no license to sell in Japan, it took me a minute to find their items for sale in Japan, but we'll overlook that for now...
The starter kits are well and good for those that are new to the hobby, something I've championed before. However the so called “Masters” range is actually a case of Revell doing what they do best, buying up old moulds and re-boxing them. In this case it’s the Fine Molds kits (one of which I once awarded 5 out of 5). Most of us would have been happy with that if something better hadn’t come along in the meantime. Plus they'll cost more than the Fine Molds kits ever did, for what is essentially old stock, the rumoured price of the "Masters" (Fine Molds) Falcon is in excess of $300!
However there are ways for us model builders to get hold of the Bandai kits, in the short term at least. First of all most Japanese sellers have been very good at communicating how (slowly) they’ll be taking stuff off their websites, so if you want something be quick (one informed me that I have until the 20th of September to buy any remaining stock or get any pre-orders in, which they’ll honour). Second, market sellers such as those on Amazon, eBay etc. will be selling them independently, although I expect prices will rise sharply one sellers realise they can profit. Once that happens there’s the third option, kit hunters based in Japan. In this case individuals living in Japan will buy kits and mail them to you, usually for a percentage fee (there’s a list here of some, but I can’t personally recommend any as I’ve not used them yet) which may turn out to be a better option than paying a premium on those for sale in option 2.
In my case my remaining hobby budget for the year has mostly been spent and I need to inform Iana that lots of parcels will be arriving in the mail from Japan in the near future (and my poor postman who has to carry them all)!
The sad part is this all seems so unnecessary, I was looking forward to seeing the new film in December but now there's a bitter taste about it all
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