Is this really worth 3,600 euros (over £3,000)?

[43rdRecceReg]

I'm referring to the Aero-mate Tiger 1 full option model; an object of metallic beauty. Here:

Just drool over those precision lines..

Aero-mate Tiger 1- pic 3.jpg (98.55 KiB) Viewed 2644 times

As lovely as this machine is, I just wonder how long it would be until the novelty wore off, and the heavy cost kicked in? If you love it, I suppose it doesn't matter; but where do you draw the line ?(or who draws it for you ?)
What I didn't know is that the designer and builder is/was a member of this forum, and here's his original build thread from 2010. It makes a good read. Here it is:-
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5697

[jackalope]

No.

Well not to me anyway.

[RobW]

Should it cost that much - yes. Would I buy it - no. The former is down to materials & effort; the latter personal opinion.

[PainlessWolf]

Good afternoon,
I love the tank but for the cost, I would be looking at a 1/6 or 1/4 scale Tiger. I will be perfectly happy with a Tamiya Tiger dressed up with metal bits.
Regards,
Painless

[Rad_Schuhart]

Is really worth 800 euros for a fragile plastic Tamiya with outdated electronics?

Is really worth 150 euros for a heng long?

Is really worth the price we pay for a flat, for food, for everything?


Don`t think so, but we pay it.

But yeah, I agree with Mr Painless. That tank is on the 1/6-1/4 scale price range.

Sometime ago I saw somedoby selling a 1/4 king tiger for 2.000 pounds there in the UK.

[43rdRecceReg]

Some interesting thoughts and observations. Yes, 'worth' is a relative term. Lately, for example, a £20 pair of NHS aluminium crutches proved to be invaluable to me when learning how to walk again (I'd begun walking like a duck, or a limping Charlie Chaplin..post-surgery ). Then there's my old cheapo multimeter- still going strong after twenty years-
one of the most useful tools I've ever owned. It's resolved many potentially expensive problems. Along with some 'Snap-on' spanners, and my 'Snap-on" pivoting torch. (Love good torches and practical tools.. ) I've acquired over the years.. such purchases have intrinsic value in the way they have made life easier. But, good experiences (world travel- for instance)..where you can get them..will last a lifetime. Whatever they cost is probably money well spent. Contrary to the song: the best things in life are not (always) free!
As for the Aero-mate- 8th wonder of the modern world though it may be- I'd rather see the Andes, or the Himalayas instead. I Bathed in the 'Blue Lagoon' in Iceland once: it was worth every penny spent getting there. Sacrilege, maybe, but if it were to be spent on a tank..it would have to be in buying and restoring the real 1/1 mccoy. It would be a Daimler Dingo, or a Cromwell..something British, anyway. if the bits can be found or engineered. My own gate guardian.
I agree with Rad that the Tamiya is dated and too expensive. In fact, I don't think it will be too long before Taigen/HL make products of similar quality, judging by their latest T34s and Shermans.
As for feeding the addiction..well I do.. but I'm drawing a few lines, there. After the Cromwell kit I've just ordered from Chris, that's it. I think. Hmm, but have you seen Chris' own build thread for
the Aero-mate. Take a look. I did, and it's weakening my resistance.. Nah, I can resist that Do check this thread out though.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7729&start=20&hilit=aero+mate

[AlwynTurner]

I don't know about worth, but we've just calculated the nett cost of our 15 week trip to Spain in the motorhome and it works out at £3500 excluding what it would have cost us just to stay at home buying food and burning gas and electric, so...... you make your value judgements and decide. Personally I could never justify to myself or the domestic management spending that amount of money on A tank, even a fantastic piece of work like the Tiger.

Alwyn

[Tiggr]

Its your hobby.
Are you worth it ?
I had a forty year career as a racing cyclist. I spent £3,000 each on racing bikes. (You can send £10,000 per bike if you wish, but its not a better bike)
I have spent £2,000 on a loco for my garden railway, You could easily spend £6,000.

So £3,000 for a state of the art all metal Tiger 1 ?
Its your money.

I get all I want out of a Torro Tiger 1 with TK24 sound board, smoke etc at around £600, But
Never say never, you only get one life.

[43rdRecceReg]

Its your hobby.
Are you worth it ?
I had a forty year career as a racing cyclist. I spent £3,000 each on racing bikes. (You can send £10,000 per bike if you wish, but its not a better bike)
I have spent £2,000 on a loco for my garden railway, You could easily spend £6,000.

So £3,000 for a state of the art all metal Tiger 1 ?
Its your money.

I get all I want out of a Torro Tiger 1 with TK24 sound board, smoke etc at around £600, But
Never say never, you only get one life.

Am I worth it?? What sort of question is that?? Certainly not ethical or existential....and not appropriate here, either.

[HERMAN BIX]

Easy mate , I feel it was a reference to an individuals perception of what a self expense is worth in sanity and enjoyment!
I don't believe Mr Tiggr was having a crack.

Safe to say that an individuals level of justification for recreational expenditure is one of hugely different criteria!
Ask your wife, she will quickly outline the parameters of justification quick smart !!