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Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 1:34 AM   
Mustangman40


 

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Status: offline 		Just wondering If I am the only one who thinks they have gotten goofy with the price.....

I know, supply and demand. heard it 1000's times. But i remember what they used to charge for the 1/5 scale arf's and it's a fare cry from what they charge now...


I would love to know the numbers, are folks buying as many as they used to? I know I'm not, not at those prices.. Are they selling half as many planes at twice the price, or would they be better off with better prices and sell more planes.. Just wondering what others thought....

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 1:43 AM   
Warbird Man



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Status: offline 		The price and demand for balsa is getting ridiculously high. Along with gas, food, insurance, cost of living, etc, etc....

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 1:44 AM  1 votes
91zulu



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Status: offline 		LOL now you are asking for it. You do know folks going to come on and ask what it is you griping about. They are going to preach to you about how you CAN`T build a plane for the cost of an ARF and how great a deal the prices are. Boy are you going to get it...LOL

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 1:52 AM   
G4guy


 

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Status: offline 		No matter how many times you have heard it, It will always be supply and demand.

< Message edited by G4guy -- 10/8/2012 2:58 AM >

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 6:31 AM   
Ram-bro


 

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 7:23 AM   
Chris Nicastro


 

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Status: offline 		The prices change by season also, the Large P-40 just jumped up in price and so did some others I noticed. Its all a game, just hold off until next March when sales are slow and the prices come down again. The other choice is to buy with a big discount coupon and make several small purchases with coupons.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 11:48 AM   
Lifer


 

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Status: offline 		Get ready for the annual Tower pre-Christmas price increases! They raise the prices now, so they can show a "sale" price in time for Christmas. Works every time!

Every once in a while they do an inventory dump. The big P-40 dropped to about $400 for a few days. That was the time to buy. It's back to $650 now.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 3:09 PM   
Mustangman40


 

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Status: offline 		There is no doubt about it, if they charge $750.00 for a MonoKote ARF and folks buy them, the price will stay the same if not go higher.....

But my whole point to this thread is how much $$$ are they making on a plane charging that kind of money? Could they make more money on the same plane if they dropped the price and sold more units????

Lets face it, there are plenty of folks that won't pay that for the plane.. I know there is plenty of folks that will and do, but I bet for every one that does, there is 4 that won't.....

Lets just say they are making $400.00 per unit and they sell 1,000 units for a return of 40K.. What if they dropped it to a $200.00 dollar profit per unit and sold 3,000 units for a return of 60K...

I know my numbers are just numbers and i am sure TF has done the math to get the best bang for their buck...

But with the price we are paying for an arf now, I see no reason we can't bring the manufacturing back to the USA.. Think about it and i think you will agree... Most of use to say, " I can't build the plane for that"...
Well I know I could and if anyone is thinking they couldn't, they haven't built many planes....

Lets take the TF corsair, the ARF is $750.00 and the kit is $350.00.. Even if you went that way and built the kit, you can buy a lot of monokote and glue with $400.00.....

No one went Pee Pee in my cereal this morning, i just been thinking is all... I think the price of some of these ARF'S has got out of hand... I know what some are thinking, if you don't like it, don't buy one.. And that is great advice, because I won't......

Jimbo





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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 4:19 PM   
redbiscuits



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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mustangman40



Lets take the TF corsair, the ARF is $750.00 and the kit is $350.00.. Even if you went that way and built the kit, you can buy a lot of monokote and glue with $400.00.....

Jimbo



Hey Jimbo,

I know you're following along in my P47 thread, and I'm with you, I won't buy one of these ARF's at those prices. I will probably have well over a grand in just the construction of my jug, but at least when I show up at the field:
1) I will have a plane that nobody else has
2) I know how well it is built
3) My jug will get more attention than a Tarheel Hal ARF with shiny plastic covering
4) I will have a plane that nobody else has

Building is the other half of this hobby for me anyway, so they can raise the prices all they want.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 4:41 PM   
Mustangman40


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: redbiscuits


quote:

ORIGINAL: Mustangman40



Lets take the TF corsair, the ARF is $750.00 and the kit is $350.00.. Even if you went that way and built the kit, you can buy a lot of monokote and glue with $400.00.....

Jimbo



Hey Jimbo,

I know you're following along in my P47 thread, and I'm with you, I won't buy one of these ARF's at those prices. I will probably have well over a grand in just the construction of my jug, but at least when I show up at the field:
1) I will have a plane that nobody else has
2) I know how well it is built
3) My jug will get more attention than a Tarheel Hal ARF with shiny plastic covering
4) I will have a plane that nobody else has

Building is the other half of this hobby for me anyway, so they can raise the prices all they want.



I here ya bud and your Jug is coming out great by the way..... I am building the same plane right now and have been saving all the receipts as I go, just for my own records, but i will post the actual cost once it's done...

It's funny, i was just down in the shop and seen the price tag on a TF 1/5 scale mustang box I have and it was $249.00, inside the box was the old Robart retract box and it's marked $199.00.. This stuff was from about 9 years ago, I will have to see if I have an old pay stub from the same time and see if my wages have gone up the same amount....

I heard talk about Top Gun being down in numbers over the years and folks saying that their just aren't that many builders left. Well some of that is true, but what else is true is the price of the planes that folks are competing with.. Man they are just amazing, but so are the price tags.. There is no way I could justify dishing out well over 5 figures while I have two kids who will be going to college, one in 4yr and the other in 6yr.. My wife would string me up by my #### and she would be right in doing so.. And for the newbie looking at getting into that, man what a shock that must be....

Jimbo

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 6:22 PM   
kwik



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Status: offline 		The ARC version of a TF Corsair, or P-40, that would be nice.

But a warbird covered with monocote? Never.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 6:29 PM   
YAT-28E



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Status: offline 		Redbisquits,

waddaya trying to do here, do something that was done back in the olden days and think you can still do it now??

Thats why I do not own an ARF...I like the way you think....

You wont see many or any like my last build....see attached

Attachments
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Click for fullsize 		Click to see fullsize image.
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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 6:47 PM   
Scott Douglas



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Status: online 		It aint just TopFlite.. check out the Hanger 9's "new" P47 and Tiger Moth ( a couple of models I'd have liked to add to my hanger)... a gloss Moth for £640 UK pounds?.. dont think so! A re-vamped P47 that now comes with no retracts for a greater price? ( my P51 had them for half the price and they work fine! ).

I know the Scots are notorious for being tight over a pound ( or as Mr Connery said "why stretch it to a pound" ) but its getting silly now.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 7:18 PM   
eagle1945


 

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Status: offline 		When I was much younger I could build and fly for about $300 a year. Now I cant afford to do much of either. I have not seen all that much improvement in products, but know thay are made much cheeper. So, what is it exactly we are paying for. 

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 7:39 PM   
Ramstein44



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Status: offline 		The hobby is now thriving on those that either don't have the time or skills to build a kit or those that are in a rush to get airborne. For me, the thrill has and always will be the build. I personally love kits and like most, prefer to have something unique then factory made. But with the cost of kits on the rise and ARF's nearly as much as some kits, I'm finding myself flipping the few quality ARF's available.

I recently purchased the TF190A giant scale. I also have several FW190 kits that cost just as much as the ARF of the same scale.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:08 PM   
Mustangman40


 

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Status: offline 		Lets look at the whole package price for a TF corsair or FW190...

Arf= $750.00
Retracts= $650.00
Tires=?? $75.00 (on the cheap side)
Motor= $370.00 and say $90.00 for exhaust for a DLE55, could save a few bucks and go with a DLE-RE 55..
Servos x 9 I guess= $300.00 on the cheaper side

Lets say another $350.00 for things like props, spinner, kill switches, RX, batteries, switches and other little things we would buy and this is on the cheap side as well...

Total $2585,00 and this is on the cheap side..

So if you buy higher end stuff it is close to $3000.00 to have a flying TF monoKote covered warbird....

I am kind of lost for words after adding that up........... 

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:35 PM   
Ramstein44



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Status: offline 		My Dave Platt fw190 1/5th scale kit.

Kit=650, kit, plans and glass parts.

Retracts= Sierra gear mains and tail, $680

Engine= Zenoah G62, $300 off eBay.

Tires= Williams brothers, $60

Electronics, $600 rounded up.

Custom pilot figure=$100

Misc, parts to complete the kit=$400

Grand total $2790 and I'm sure I missed something.

Topflite FW190

700 for the kit with tower discount

427 for the retracts with extras like connections, air tanks and so on.

389 off eBay for the DLE 55RA

Wheels=60

pilot=100

electronics around $600

Misc=300 because ARF's come with most to get the build of the plane completed.

Grand total $2536 and Ill have it built in about three months in comparison to the Platt taking three years... Granted I like to build, the ARF is just cheaper, faster and ultimately a better deal unless you have the time and want to spend more.

Most kit have been high priced already. TF is just catching up to them.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:49 PM   
acdii


 

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Status: offline 		Tower is the one selling the kits, Topflite already made the money on it.  Then again, isnt Topflite a Tower company now?  Well then they havent made the money on it yet. 

Heres something to consider, kit vs arf, You know how well built the kit is, the ARF is questionable. How much in misc will be spent on fixing what isnt done correctly on the arf?  You just know something wont be right. 

Also that Monokote looks great, until the first repair.  


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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:53 PM   
Ramstein44



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Status: offline 		Like they say, if you want it done right... do it yourself! The last ARF I purchased (ESM FW190D9) I spent a lot of time fixing mistakes like improperly glued or not glued at all formers.

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:55 PM   
acdii


 

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Status: offline 		yeah, not going to go there with my last ARF catastrophe. At least I have examples of how NOT to build the kit version!

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 8:58 PM   
acerc



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Status: online 		Seeing how their price increases have inflated in line with everything else over the last couple year's maybe one should think real hard about what else is coming before November. I deal with healthcare and if you all only knew what is in store come January 1st. Just sayin.


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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 9:01 PM   
acerc



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Status: online 		If it's ok I will give one example for food for thought. If not they can yank it off here. Every doctor I have talked with, and it's a lot, have either already dropped or are planning on dropping medicare as of Dec. 30th.


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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 9:48 PM   
rgburrill



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quote:

ORIGINAL: G4guy

No matter how many times you have heard it, It will always be supply and demand.


Nope, supply and demand is an economist's dream.  It always boils down to what the market will bear.  And no, that is not the same thing - that is demand side economics.

FYI, supply side economics went out a long time ago.  It is especially useless with the Internet because their will always be someone willing to supply, even if it is crap.  And there will always be someone dumb enough to buy, even if it is crap.  But I ain't touching politics

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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 9:49 PM   
scale only 4 me



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RE: Has TopFlite gone nuts with the price?? - 10/8/2012 9:52 PM   
D_wilbur


 

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Status: offline 		I don't like paying full price so I just watch scratch and dent list. I picked up F4U corsair for $400.00 wrinkled covering and some dings. I spent a couple of hours shrinking out the wrinkls. good to go

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