How much did kits cost in 80's

[ngbee]

I remember buying a lot of new kits first time around in the mid eighties but my memory is a not that good.

Can anyone remeber how much the Frog and Hotshot would have cost (in uK) when they were first released.

[Tipsy]

In the July/August 1986 RRC Windsor Model shop had them at £79 for the Frog and £110 for the Hotshot. Im sure the Hotshot was about £125 when I got mine just after it came out

[terry.sc]

For a start, try here in the Vintage Reviews section for a price list from 1983.

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/article.asp?id=80

In 1985 these were the RRPs

Grasshopper £49.00

Hornet £62.00

Frog £79.99

Hotshot £109.00

[ngbee]

Thanks for that guys.

I dont know where I got all the money from back then, I only had a paper round.

[theshopkeeper]

Interesting ad that - difference between a kit and a deal was about £50 back then, same as it is now - so the radio, battery and chargers have come down massively in real terms but the kits have gone up a lot in cash terms.

Overall though, it's definitely cheaper now than in was then if you compare it against what you earn.

[fatboyslim]

I got my first Tamiya in 1983 for a sort of B'day present, it was a Sand Scorcher I'd managed to scrimp together £85 and my parents put the rest too!!

[kontemax]

Hi,

I remember my friend payed 139.000 ITL for the Grasshopper2

Another friend 136.000 ITL for Grasshopper

His friend payed 285.000 ITL for Thunder Dragon and I payed 285.000 ITL for the Boomerang.

Vanquish was a dream and costed 450.000 ITL, Egress was impossible, 850.000 ITL like Dyna Storm. Terra Scorcher was 385.000 ITL.

Top Force was 600.000 and the Evolution was 900.000. Now there's the Euro so need to convert. Let me do it.....

Grasshopper 2 71.79 Euros

Grasshopper 70.24

Thunder Dragon 147.19

Boomerang 147.19

Vanquish 232.41

Terra Scorcher 198.84

Egress 438.99

Dyna Storm 438.99

Top Force 309.87

Top Force Evo 464.81

Yes people, Tamiya in italy is very very expensive!!!!

Max

[RichieRich]

For the uS guys:

Grasshopper $63

Hornet $84

Frog $115

Fox $135

Boomerang $135

Supershot $235

Bruiser $280

Wow, that Supershot was expensive. These are prices from 1987.

[DCLXVI]

You have to compare the prices to the fact that money was worth more at the time...I'd say that both the kit prices and prices for radio gear has come down a whole lot...

[J3cubfan]

I remember the Holiday Buggy costing me $75 uSD in 1982.

[RA1028]

quote:Originally posted by RichieRich

For the uS guys:

Grasshopper $63

Hornet $84

Frog $115

Fox $135

Boomerang $135

Supershot $235

Bruiser $280

Wow, that Supershot was expensive. These are prices from 1987.

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I think we Tamiya lovers in Hong Kong are very lucky because we pay only about 60% of what you pay for them. Even now. For example I can go to a shop and get a re-release LunchBox or Hornet with ESC for uS$64 only. Grasshopper for uS$58.

[Jabba1]

I bought my celica gt-4 in hong-kong on holiday for £50(1992),it was £125 in the uk!

[scoobs]

I bought my first Hornet deal for £160 I think, inlcuding car, radio gear, charger, batteries etc... This was late 80's I guess, '88-ish?

[theshopkeeper]

My first car - Midnight Pumpkin - was £129 as a deal with a quick charger back in 89, not a lot different to the price of a reissue Lunchbox today.

[Lunchbox Mike]

I bought a new grasshopper and hornet re-re from rocousa.com for 74 and 90. So include inflation, I think the new kits are a steal. I have all the re-re so far. Keep em coming.

[Dephcon5]

Back in 1981 My Countach 58005 cost me $79 and in 1982 my Sand Scorcher cost me $108 from Americas Hobby in NY City not including tax. My dad took me to pick them up both times to save on the shiping and take the day to roam about NYC. It took me a full year delivering news papers to save the money to buy my SS. $108 back then was a boat load of money. Todays kits at $90 and up are a bargain in my opinion.

[sgt.barnes]

I think my hornet was £69 85/1986circa at beatties and later on my pumpkin was £79 and the falcon was about £85 that was 1987/1988ish as for the egress and stuff like that I could only lick the shop window glass and dribble[] as I never had that kind of money at 9/10 years old[] my most expensinve car was my thunderdragon which was 200 quid with a deal[] I was ROBBED! but still had fun with it.

[sgt.barnes]

quote:Originally posted by terry.sc

For a start, try here in the Vintage Reviews section for a price list from 1983.

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/article.asp?id=80

In 1985 these were the RRPs

Grasshopper £49.00

Hornet £62.00

Frog £79.99

Hotshot £109.00

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[] wish they were still this price [] blazer brand new £103 delivered[][][]