| Re: 1:100 scale
This has become one of my favorite scales for size reasons. I've got quite a few, not enough to give a more detailed inventory aside from what I posted in the FM/A thread. Still, Armour came out with quite a few airframes and liveries. I agree with PappyBs assertion that their QC is all over the place, but most of mine are just fine. Their P-51 isn't all that great, and wouldn't be worth the original list price, but since they have declined in price, they aren't all that expensive. Not all the WW-2 planes have turning props, in particular my Spit, P-40, FW-190 and BF-109 all have fixed ones. Still, left in the plastic case they look good, and are in Flight, which is my favorite display mode. I particularly enjoy the fact that Armour put out a group of adversaries, whose colors really do please the eye.
As for value, I've seen and bought armours for as low as 6.00, but the typical average is 10-25, with 30 being my absolute ceiling (though I paid more than that for my Death Rattlers Corsair and Gray Ghosts phantom.) I agree that this scale got swamped under the 1/72 and 1/48 craze, so they got let go at fire sale prices. Now that Armour isn't making them anymore in the original plastic cases, their value has in some cases skyrocketed. I've seen one Ebay seller who has a buy it now price of in excess of 100, in some cases up to over 200. Foreign liveries seem to be the most valuable, with the Israeli Air Force commanding the highest prices. The price for the IAF F-4, F-15 and 16 are obscene, being in the 200 range.
I have a feeling that the reason this line commands such high prices for certain liveries is the fact that it is more popular as a scale internationally. Remember that most people living in Europe and Asia don't have American size houses. Therefore space is at a premium (something I can appreciate since I live on an island). 1/100 armour allows one to amass a collection to scale that goes from ww2 to the present. That's just Armour. Another good 1/100 company is GE Fabbri, which put out a fine line of fighters and Helos. They are also the only line that has an F-8 Crusader in diecast. Fabbri also has the most accurate Mirage III in 1/100, a silver Israeli Air Force example that has become almost impossible to find.
I like the fact that the models can be displayed while still in its original packaging, which allows one to appreciate them without taking them in and out of the box. Franklin Mint lost this when they re-released their 1/100 line with new packaging. Now you have to unwind wires to get the models out of the box, which makes it easier to mess them up taking them in and out. Still, their Mig Killer F-4E is a nice model, and is much more accurate than the original armour release. It is most likely my only Franklin Mint 1/100 as I have most of Armour's original types.
Hope this helps,
Skysurfer808 |