Within the span of less than five days, 6000 units (or so presumed) sets of the uniquely-Singapore HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.SG50 have been snapped up, smashing every single sales record in the history of the Gundam Docks exhibition.
That is the happy part.
The sad part is that many of the model kits sold have been purchased by individuals or groups that only have vested financial interest in the hobby, thereby depriving true fans of the franchise their only chance of obtaining a truly Singapore model kit.
This SG50 Gundam is a one-off happenstance that is unlikely to happen again in my lifetime, that is why it is so coveted by many builders, especially this year when it is the 50th year of our nation's independence.
Anticipating the scalping that will undoubtedly occur as evidenced from past events (Hello Kitty, SNSD concert tickets), I was one of the first 50 people to line up for the kits on day one, when the limit per person was 10 units. On hindsight, the organisers could have limited that number to the current two right from the start, in order to deter the scalpers looking only to gain financially. I personally saw (and captured on photo) someone carting away five full cartons of the kits. I will let that sink in for a bit.
Personally, I bought the maximum of 10 sets, but apart from keeping two for myself, the other eight sets were resold to true fans at cost price - I made no profit whatsoever from this exercise. All I want is for true fans to own a piece of Gunpla history. Too bad the others aren't so altruistic.
It really saddens me to see the amount of scalpers turning my beloved hobby into a goddamned MapleStory free market.
Who know , maybe wait for the next sg100 lol, I have to admit it a great kit for Singaporean gunplers to collect, but was destroy by those reseller which sell them for profits gain, I have to queue up from 8 plus on the last batch of the stocks so I was able to get two of it, and end up many disappointed people who fail to get as there is only 300 stocks left .
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