razorwyre1 said:
tay666, im curious, why are recasts of styrene kits ok to you, and the others not?
Mostly, I am ok with replacement parts. Missing nameplates (like the one for the bellringer), bases (like the missing ones from the prehistoric scenes reissues), or other parts that were in the original version but left out, or changed in future releases.
These do not bother me in the least, and I see them as a boon to the modeling comunity. They allow modelers to buy cheaper reissues and build them as they originally appeared. While leaving the rare sealed mint versions for the collectors that want them on their shelves as sealed specimines.
Now on the question of complete kits, it gets a bit murkier.
Most styrene kits are produced in the thousands. Most resin kits are lucky to hit around a hundred. Also, the cost of the resin version would be higher than any reissue price from original producer. So from the standpoint of the recast hurting the original producer, I think that is a non-issue. There wouldn't be enough resin versions produced to hurt any planned reissue of the kit, and they would cost a lot more than a styrene release. (unlike a recast of a resin or vinyl kit. Where the recasts eat up a huge chunk of the market for the original producer. As well as under-cut the original producer on price)
Also, a resin copy of a styrene kit, is obviously not an original. Completely different materials. It cannot be confused as an original. Where a lot of recasts are mistaken for originals in the resin kit market. Since most recasts are of inferior quality, they give original producers a bad rep too.
EXAMPLE: Someone buys a recast of a kit by "company x". The recast has lousy mold lines and a bunch of pinholes, and soft details. The buyer, thinking he got an original looks at it, and thinks "company x" has really poor castings and decides not to buy any more kits from them.
This has hurt "company x" since they have now lost a customer.
Even with all that, I still tend to shy away from recasts of styrene kits. Part of the charm of those kits is the nostalgia, which is lost with resin. Also, a lot depends on the who is producing it. If they are recasting styrene, are they recasting anything else?
Basically I go for the recasts of unproduced items. I do not see copies of prototypes as recasts, others do.
These are my personal beliefs. Your mileage may vary.
