I don't know if you noticed, but many of the diecast aircraft manufacturers have jacked up their prices considerably.  I know the economy is still depressed, but there should be some deals out there!  Some of my favorite distributors have litterally gone over my private limit of $50 for diecast aircraft.  That means there are some manufacturers who will not get my business. 

Getting into diecast aircraft has never been cheap.  Diecast cars are always less expensive than planes by far.  Franklin Mint used to be one of the best sources of high quality 1/48 scale aircraft and cars.  I can say this though, when Franklin Mint (Formerly Armor) began to close stores nationwide in the early 2000's, the store in Las Vegas remained open.  That store had plenty of deals on their diecast vehicles including planes and many other items.  I remember going down there and finding stacks of 1/48 scale Ju-52s for $9.95 each, a fraction of their retail value!  The Jolly Roger F-14 you see as my indentity picture is an old "Armor" version. 

I see occasional times when some distributors advertise diecast planes on sale.  That is when I get involved.  Recently, I was able to get a couple new aircraft types.  The most unique is an 1/72 "Hobby Master" F-102A painted in Alaskan Air Defense colors.  That one broke my limit ceiling.  Well, the latest I recieved is a 1/72 "Hobby Master" Republic of Korea F-5E.  One of my favorites is a "Falcon Models" T-33A with markings of Osan Airbase, Korea in 1953.  For you history buffs, that was during the Korean War.  I really love the new castings coming out monthly now.  New manufacturers have found that casting rare aircraft is more lucrative in the long run.  No other manufacturer has ever cast a T-33 in 1/72 Scale before "Falcon Models."  What are some of the newer planes you've picked up?  I hope you're getting deals!  Next time I'll talk about my 14 rules of collecting  developed over time as a collector.  These rule may be applied to any area of collecting,  Take care and have a good summer!

Tags: Aviation, Vehicles, 1.72 Scale