Hi Bob-O

Well said. In this business, keeping sufficient inventory for 50+ different type of jets, 5+ paint schemes per jet, 5+ different installation options on each jet, is a daunting task for small niche hobby factories. Murphy's law applies well here. Once we have some inventory in hand, we will get calls for the one that we don't have. It's a managerial challenge more so than my other business. In fact, I will rotate managers from my other business to this hobby business just to give them some complicated trainings and customer service trainings. Many of them wanted to go back to their original positions.

Each jet factory is relatively small comparing to other prop/electric kit factories. Normally they have a group of 30-40 workers rotating around building 20 different types of jets. Painting might take up to 1 month from primer stage due to job shuffling. During holidays, especially Chinese New Year, and their October Independence day, then factories are normally down for 1-2 months until their workers have no hang overs. Some of them also take OEM projects where a few containers of jet kits are produced for other brands. If your order (special order) is placed in the wrong timing, then you will get pushed back to 2 to 3 months.

Occasionally we have the same problems passed on by our factories during peak season. Normally we quote 1 month to paint, 1 month to deliver by boat. For RTF we will quote 3 to 4 months depending on the complexity of works. We also try to keep popular models in stock but they are moving as fast as we can stock them. People's taste changes too, so we have to avoid getting stuck with unsold inventory.

Anyway, if the market is 10 times bigger, then it's easier for the factory to get a critical mass in their production lines so that many jets can be made faster and delivered faster.

I am glad that this is my passion to run a jet company so I am considering this as a great challenge. I still have about 5 to 6 new kits that need to be added to our collections. Our website is out of date. I expect a 3 to 4 months wait to get it done, or I will have to kick our IT contractor out.

I am thinking about getting this Fighter jet grill in our collection if I can find the factory who makes that. It's a scale jet and I am expecting 6 months of wait time to get one like that.

Mike