Die-cast Airplanes – As the world’s power in the air becomes more advanced through technology, so do the tiny replicas which grace the shelves of collectors – favoring the set of modern die-cast aircraft models of today.
Die-cast aircraft models have been around for at least 80 years. While World War II models have ruled this business with an iron fist for many years, modern war birds are finally making their way to the forefront of prized collections, along with the long-time classic ones.
Corgi, the leader in die-cast models, has noticed the trend toward modern aircraft. Richard Walker, the company’s director of product development and sales, says that the company decided to push from their current rate of 10% of their products’ base being modern equipment to a target of between 20-25%.
Fellow retailer Steven Howland, the owner of Die-cast Airplane, has also noticed an increase in modern aircraft. “Part of what drives sales of collectible airplane models is a feeling of nostalgia,” Howland says. “There is more of that for WWII still. Certainly, the men and women serving in the military now are buying models of the planes they fly and work on. Modern jet fighters and helicopters will continue to grow in importance as these people retire and these planes become a part of their past.”
The die-cast airplane toy industry is increasingly a niche on demand. With more people getting assigned to wars and aviation, there are bigger chances of “saleability” in aircraft models. Now that collectors are leaning towards the modern die-cast airplanes and those that are classic and ‘long-standing’, this is the best time for airplane toy retailers to source out the newer, and in-trend die-cast airplanes to sell.
Check out the line of Actionjetz’ line of active and classic die-cast airplane toys.
