Is scale 1;500 now defunct ?

[Brusselsairlines]

Guys, Again, I didn't wanted be be rude and apologies if I did but I just want to tell and clarify you that 1:500 scale models are still selling like hot cakes!

[fleetlordatvar]

Please remeber that Aviation Megastore also sells a LOT of 1:500 models and GSE ( ARD also sells a few). However shops like Modelutions, Aviation Center Berlin sells a LOT of (and almost ONLY!!) 1:500 models. Kindly accept my following comment: This forum has NOTHING to offer to a 1:500 collector! That's probably the reason why no 1:500 collectors ate around here! Please shearch somewhere else before making that kind of post! 1:500 is still very present and will probably always be!!!! Apologies for being rude

cool, an more educated guess from a retailer, than emotional response from a collector. I took the advice of Brusselsairlines & contacted those business to see how large the 1/500 model sales are in Europe. Modelutions website does not support the opinion as there are more models available in both of the other scales than the 1/500. If 1/500 sales are so large why would a store keep so much dead weight inventory of the other scales especially when both of them outnumber the 1/500s?

[fleetlordatvar]

I'm confused, Geoff is being sarcastic?

[DiecastAirplane]

I would say that in the US 1:500 scale is not as big as 1:400 scale, but we still have plenty of dedicated customers in 1:500 scale and with 100's of new Herpa release each year this category stays up to date.

It is a shame that Starjets and InFlight 500 got out of the market, no doubt about it though.

[Geoff]

I must remember not to say a word to any of you. I appear to be rude, ignorant, and thick.

[fleetlordatvar]

w/ the super high taxes in EU I'm not surprised by this, but your 1/500 centric view of the world skews your reality. Why don't you bring all your 1/500 collectors to an actual functioning forum instead of putting up w/ the degradation at the main forum

[Brusselsairlines]

Please remeber that Aviation Megastore also sells a LOT of 1:500 models and GSE ( ARD also sells a few). However shops like Modelutions, Aviation Center Berlin sells a LOT of (and almost ONLY!!) 1:500 models. Kindly accept my following comment: This forum has NOTHING to offer to a 1:500 collector! That's probably the reason why no 1:500 collectors ate around here! Please shearch somewhere else before making that kind of post! 1:500 is still very present and will probably always be!!!! Apologies for being rude

[fleetlordatvar]

... In Europe, 1:500 is almost the only scale sold there! ...

I think you got a little over excited when claiming this. What would explain ARD & aviationmegastore success

[Geoff]

Thank you for your message. I feel much happier for your suggestion that I rotate my displays. It never entered my head to do that. A change is as good as a rest I'm told. Kind regards, and thanks.

[Brusselsairlines]

1:500 is still selling very good, you know. Herpa relaeses a lot of models each two months (+/- 20 models) which sells usually like hot cakes! Sky500 releases two or three models also every three months ąd Aero500/Aerolclassics releases a few models once in a while. In Europe, 1:500 is almost the only scale sold there! 1/500 models are also being more and more detailled with better and better moulds! Herpa also sells a lot more airport GSE than in 1:400!! Conclusion: 1/500 IS NOT(!!!!!!!) DEFUNCT!!!!!!!!

[fleetlordatvar]

If it is the case that the scale 1;500 is on it's way out then I've wasted a great deal of money. I have in my collection 78 models and am looking for one more in particular,...please start doing 1;500 again. Here's hoping.

IF they stopped producing all of them right now, it's not a waste of money as long as you enjoy having / viewing them. If they go away, it's the market driving this. I''ve seen posts of 1/400 collectors complaining about several 'veterans' switching over to 1/200. I'm sure even crownvic (in the hundreds of models), assuming he has a mansion, that he still doesn't have enough room to display all his models. He'll do as many do & rotate them out of displaying them in his area.

[FireAngelZero]

Herpa is probably the only 1:500 scale builder I've seen, but not to sound cliche if the question has been asked but why not try 1:400? I have space restrictions as well and 1:400 scale Geminijets have been more than enough for me. The models offer slightly more realistic detail than most of the 1:500 scale models I've seen, and it's not really that huge of a jump to go from 1:500 to 1:400. Heck I've even heard that the Herpa Airports that are made in 1:500 scale will fit the 1:400 scales perfectly fine. Maybe Inflight 500 stopped because there's really not that much demand to go for that scale. I know you must be pretty upset, to me there's nothing worse than to collect from a manf. and to find out that manf. is no longer selling models anymore. I've been exclusively Gemini 400 for a while so I'm not sure what the quality difference is between Inflight and Herpa 1:500 scale. To me detail and realism are very big and I feel like 1:500 is too small to provide that. Again this is my opinion and it's not the expressed opinion of this website or other users.

[Geoff]

If it is the case that the scale 1;500 is on it's way out then I've wasted a great deal of money. I have in my collection 78 models and am looking for one more in particular, namely a Lockheed Tristar L1011-500 of Aer Lingus, but with a British registration. It would now seem that it'll be like looking for hens teeth. I see that INFLIGHT 500 no longer appears on any lists on this site, so must assume that they've even given up. I wonder if any manufacturers think that we all have acres of room in our homes in which to keep our collections? I don't for one, and think there are thousands more like me. Come on you makers of these airplanes, please start doing 1;500 again. Here's hoping.