Maybe I'm flogging a dead horse here, but Great Models has a price reduction on the Nagato. It is now at $125. I thought I had gotten a super deal at $141. Trust me guys, this is a mantlepiece quality ship. GMM is planning to make a PE set for it and Loren has promised it will be top notch and typically priced ($42). I just have a feeling that this kit is getting dumped because of low purchases. They probably will deplete most if not all of their inventory and then the kit will eventually become a hard to get one with prices accordingly. Get it now and put it in your stash if you must. Forego the new Tiger or Abrams kit from Dragon, do as I did and save your pennies up. As a bulder of 350 with the kits to prove it, this and the Nimitz to me are absolutely must have show quality kits with just a little xtra work.

Thats a great point Steve... I have a 'stash" big enough for 5-8 years of modelling... and wonder, do I "let pass" that sale or kit I want? Or do I snatch it now? Do I wait 5 years and then buy the retooled and "Premium" version instead? Or will it be 50% off? Or will it be OOP and 200% markup in ebay? The SOYA and Nagato are in that category for me.... buy and stash for many years, or wait?

I have struggled for years with money, carefully picking and choosing my kits. This is one that I just had to have. When I got it and opened the box, I knew I had made a very wise decision. Luckily around the same time I got employed again at a job making decent money. I found the Kongo at a great pre-order price, so I've ordered that too. Adding those to the mix, I currently have 7 350 scale BB's, 2 AC's, 2 HC's and 1DD, oh yea a sub and one of thse Liberty ships. That is probably 8 or 9 years of building. But as I got each one on super sale or ebay or using a half off coupon at Hobby Lobby, I feel vindicated. I won't go into all the tank kits I have. I still also have a bunch of airplane and car kits left even though I gave a stack away to my Boy Scouts last month. But at this point, there is so little new stuff coming out I want. I have a pile of WW2 German tanks, plenty of modern day armor. The stuff they keep popping out of rare German stuff has absolutely no interest to me, so I am excited about the large scale ships. Of course these are initially released with expensive price tags. I am finding that after a while, the hobby shops aren't getting a quick turnaround in inventory so they are doing what Great Models is probably doing, dumping the price to clear out most of it's stock. I am willing to bet we won't get so lucky with the Akagi. I think the companies here have learned their lesson with the Nagato, and won't order up a ton of the $300 Akagi's.

As the Nagato's price has dropped into the realm of the current Trumpeter price tags for their BB's it may get Hasegawa's attention and they may drop the Akagi price to a reasonable level which is below $200. We will see.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I erally think this is one golden opportunity to buy a really fantastic kit.

Steve, not long winded at all! I really appreciate the information and opinions. I am very tempted, maybe once I finish my taxes later this weekend I will get a nice surprise. I was also looking at Dragon USA Online, they are offering the 1/350 Fujimi Kongo for $210. Great models also has it on sale for 180$. But the Dragon Online "special" also includes the two PE sets (about 30$ each), the metal gun barrel set and the new Navy seamen we "spoke" about in another thread. Freetime hobbies will have it for 170$, no PE, yes to gun barrels and "men". And I looked around other web sites, Great models has the Nagato the cheapest, by 40-50$. Decisions Decisions! Do my taxes first.. lol cheers and thanks again for the info!

It is hard finding the ships you want for parices you deem fair. I looked high and low for the best price on the Saratoga. I thought I got the best price I could, then Lucky Model was $35.00 cheaper and even with shipping was still cheaper.

Oh well, I am stuck at on AC, one DD, and one DDG in 350. But, I will get more, just need to keep looking and digging. This Nagato is looking hard to pass on as is the Kongo James mentioned. I hate decisions like this.....

For the Kongo I ordered mine from hobbybuy.com at the presale price of $140 (they are one of our sponsors with the big green and yellow ad). This also said it had the gun barrels and figure sprue. That was a few weeks ago, I don't know if they raised the price since then . Hard to say which is best to buy. Looking at the pictures, I think the Nagato appears to be the better kit, of course the figures and barrels make the other exciting. If you can only get one, go for the best price you can get which I think is the Nagato. Everyone else is selling the Kongo at a much higher price. Give it 6 or so months and you might get a bargain on it too.

The Kongo is still at the same preorder price.

I guess the issue is, can the hobby support the "behemoths" coming down the pike, that is, the 100-200$ USD 1:350 ships. Wonder how the Mikasa did? I hope these are not "flash in the pans". never to be attempted again.

I would take a look at how many "players " there are now. 15 years ago here was only 1 Tamiya, 7 years ago Trumpeter entered the market and jumped into it hard. In the past 3 years we have seen Hasegawa, Aoshima and Fujimi. So, right now I think we are in a great time. Of ourse Tamiya isn't playing anymore, and the other 3 are just making WW-2 IJN subjests. Trumpeter is showing initiative by venturing out and doing nothing but American and just recently is entering the non German international stuff. Revell of Germay may become a player. They did an updated Bismarck, maybe they'll hit us with a Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen or a Graf Spee in upcoming months. Of course as you mentioned. the high dollar tags on these beauties. That is why I am scouping them all up at the best prices I can get and stashing them. The well does tend to run dry frequently. If not enough folks buy them, what is available will evetually be absorbed and the "players" may not be too keen on producing any more.

If Revell puts out Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen or a Graf Spee, I am in trouble. Especially if they do the Prinz Eugen. The new 350 ships coming out are so nice and they make great targets to build.

Well, after confirming I am getting money back from taxes, I put an order in Great Models for the Nagato at sale price... it will be the "cap" (literally and figuratively) on my stash. Probably wont built it for 5 years or so, once I get the skill set to do it justice.

Maybe i can make it a yearly tax time tradition, get a refund, buy a 350 scaler

The Revell Bismarck was only 80 bucks and it blows the tamaya kit out of the water a Scharnhorst and Gneisnau and Hipper class would be great.

I'm not much into IJN ships but I might buy the Kongo and Nagato basic kits just for the hell of it.

I talked with Loren at Gold Medal Models. He said he plans to do a set (all the major goodies) for the Nagato at his usual price of $42. Fujimi is co-releasing 2 sets for their Kongo, one has just the railings the other all the other major goodies. Both are reasonably priced at $32 each.

42$ from GMM? Im sold. Lion Roar's just too expensive....

You do get the kitchen sink though with lions roar. I picked up their set for the NC when it was real cheap and was amazed at all that was in that box. I spent $10 for their main gun upgrade for the Yamato. It had the tubes and all sorts of railings and ladders, so you do get twice as much stuff. The question is do you want it. A lot of it requires you to cut off pieces of the original kit and replace, something I don't really care to do as the improvement isn't all that great. I too shall patiently wait for Loren to release his Nagato set.

Revell should do a 1/350 Graf Spee,it would probably be a great seller.

Well, I got the Nagato in the mail today... jeez that thing is (a) Big (b) Gorgeous. Maybe in the summer once I have time and clear out some space I can do a "in box" review. In the meantime, if you get the Nagato and take some stuff out to look at, make sure you know where it goes or the box wont close

and yes, those hull "lines' are really REALLY noticible... again, in the summer I can take pics of sprues, etc. I wont build that baby for a few years, need to get some skills first! Cheers

Id like to see a proper 1:350 scale HMS Ajax to go along with that Graf Spee

I also plunked down $300.00 for the ISW 350 resin Scharnhorst, hugh chunk of resin nice detail my first resin model.