A question about the Eaglemoss Delorean model kit.

[Ron]

Well, actually a few questions for all the model vets here. In searching for quality models of the Delorean time machine, I of course came across the Eaglemoss kit which seems to be the most detailed model at the moment (though not 100% accurate as I understand). Anyway as you all know the kit is available through a subscription service...that is two and a half years long!!! And ends up costing about $2500. I had to obtain the price and number of issues from articles about the kit. The Eaglemoss website is surprisingly scarce with info.

As someone who is a neophyte when it comes to building models, I'm wondering:

1. What is the attraction of subscription service model kits? Other than spreading out your payments over time, is there something desirable about receiving your kit parts gradually than all at once? And for almost 3 years?! I could see a year at the most. But maybe this is a normal thing in the model world?
2. Than there's the cost. Is $2500 justified for this kit? I wouldn't expect it to be cheap of course but that seems rather high. Am I wrong? Also consider the additional price for mod parts/stickers to add accuracy.
3. What's the deal with Eaglemoss' lack of information in regard to final cost and time-frame? Why is their website so cryptic?

Sorry if this is old ground for you guys. There isn't much discussion of this kit to be found online. I did see some of the build threads here but couldn't find much info about Eaglemoss itself.

Thanks for any perspective you could offer here.
Ron

 

[Dedalus5550]

I am only really familiar with the DeAgostini Millennium Falcon. It comes over about 2 years in monthly (in the US) installments. It's about $1500. They offer (still, I think) a full kit after they have gone through the initial 2 year process and have the whole thing done, and it's been on sale for as little as $1200, or so. I'm assuming that somewhere you can see samples of what you get in a sample installment. When I look at a typical $60 installment for the MF, it doesn't measure up to what you normally get in a typical (quality) $60 kit. My guestimate is that it should cost about half of what it does. But then you get to the important details. The licensing fee MAY be impacting the price, but also the issue of not being able to sell as kits and the company even having to worry about getting enough subscribers to finish the product. With DeAgo, too, they are kinda stuck on a certain price, so to justify it for the X-wing means the kit is twice the size of SS ship, something like 4-feet long. Never mind the price or the time investment. You have to be okay with a model that is that big so that they can charge the price they want. (There are other issues with that kit, too, but never mind that.)
Still, if you want something really detailed, of that size, and won't go through that for all your kits, it's (sorta, SORTA) worth it, I bet. I did get the DeAgo MF (two, actually), but that was a very rare exception in my model collecting habit. No regrets, even though I may wait until my son gets older so we can build them together.
Mike Todd

 

[Rogviler]

It's for sure a total scam. By spacing it out they're hoping you won't notice the finished price, and they are extremely cryptic about it. It's like trying to figure out how many calories there are in a bag of microwave popcorn. I'm not crazy about Eaglemoss at all, and I think they constantly read like a street corner huckster selling fake watches.

Having said that, I am currently subscribed to the Delorean kit and plan to see it through to the end. Is it worth the price? Eh, hard to say. But you do get en excruciating level of detail with a healthy aftermarket for upgrade parts as well. It's fully lit, it's almost all metal parts, there are cool magnetic wheels that you can fold down, plus reactor parts for either movie version... It's very nice and it's fun to have something to look forward to every 20 days or so. Even though the authorization -> charge -> authorization -> charge on the ole credit card seems a bit relentless.

My main criticism is in some of the assembly. Like you get two hub/shock assemblies in a row and they are an absolute bear to get the screws in. After stripping most of them, I ended up using a sacrificial screw held with pliers to pre-tap the holes. Thankfully they always give extra screws (as well as extra stickers, cause we all know how tiny stickers can be).

So I guess the appeal is in spacing out the monstrous cost, plus having something to look forward to. Also, not immediately losing a bunch of pieces, since you only get what you need for that one section. Eaglemoss capitalizes on the fact that it makes sense in order to charge a lot. And it is a lot. But probably in line with Hot Toys stuff, particularly on the secondary market. The lack of information from Eaglemoss? It's because they know what they're doing. They know you'll see the shiny watch and want it and hey, it's only $1.99 for your first taste...

 

[Ron]

Thanks for the replies, guys. What I don't get is if all sections have been issued, why isn't there at least the option now to purchase the kit as a whole? Is it simply to nail you on the monthly shipping since a lot of the cost is eaten up there?

The length of subscription is another issue but then again the way time flies these days...

 

[Rogviler]

That's a good question. Especially because some of the fine print when you sign up is that they may stop producing the parts at any time and then you're SOL if that's in the middle of your subscription. Which would be infuriating.

One guess is that they make the parts in batches so it's not like they have lots of full kits sitting around at any given time. But probably the cost is a big factor. Since they're so quiet about the total, I'm sure they assume (probably correctly) that a huge outlay would be a non-starter for most people.

 

[jcoffman99]

I did this kit. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Probably. It was something to look forward to once a month. I might go with the Ecto 1 next. I wish there were more Star Wars options out there.

 

[Rogviler]

Oh yeah, I can think of a lot of models that would be popular. The 1989 Batmobile would be one for me. I'd subscribe instantly. A 1/8 X-wing would be something. Before anyone scoffs at the size that would be, remember the Ecto 1 model is too big to fit through a door sideways.

 

[sztriki]

There's some problems with certain issues being on back order from time to time based on what I saw in the FB build group. I ended up buying a complete but bit run down one for half the cost of the whole thing, currently taking it apart to refurb and upgrade.
It is massive, heavy and beautiful though.

 

[jcoffman99]

There were a few times they were out of an issue so they’d send a different one. I never had to wait too long for it to arrive.

 

[xeno]

Watch Ebay, sometimes a complete set 1-130, become available for a lot lower in price,
sometimes partially build, but that should not be a problem.
damaged parts can be reordered, and on facebook groups parts also get sold.

I bough my set complete, unbuild 1-130 for little over $1000,-

The kit lends itself very good to add more accurate detail, and you can go very far in detailing

 

[Real Scooby]

I didn't subscribe, I bought bigger bulks ( between 10 -20 issues at once, depending what was left of my monthly colletors budget ) every month from the UK shop, when it was close to the end over there.
And I had no troubles. There only was one issue with damaged parts, but after contacting customer service, replacement was sent in no time. I stopped after the 130 issues, scraping the Part III front circuits, railroad track and wheels, as I wanted to display the "first appearance" car from the start.
Sure under the line, it WAS a expansive kit, considering I also included some great upgrades from third party. I would NEVER have bought it as a full kit or already assembled at the full price. The building process was part of the fun and I really enjoyed the ride.
My WIP thread is floating around here somewhere, if you need any decition help
I am soooo tempted to jump on the ECTO build, only the lack of display space for this monster is holding me back

 

[3Dsf]

The amount of money and effort people have put into accurizing the Eaglemoss DeLorean kit are amazing! Check out this one Facebook group:

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It's interesting to me how varied the buyer response is to these things. For example, the De Agostini/Fanhome R2-D2 is hopelessly riddled with errors, but nobody seems interested in accurizing details to fix them!

 

[Rogviler]

Okay, one annoyance: I thought they jacked the price up $10 per block of issues, but looking at my shipment detail they charged me $10 for another one of those POS binders that only hold a few booklets, despite being MASSIVE. It's going to be like 12 binders by the end of it.

So if you buy just the parts on eBay with no binders or hokey "free gift" knickknacks then I have no doubt it's half the price.