Weren't Revell-DE the last ones to have rights - and weren't they in fact the ones who last repopped - the angled-deck 540-scale SCB-125 Essex? And now you say there's suddenly a new Revell-DE "budget-brand"...?

I don't usually go in for "What-Ifs", but:

- What If all that about the SCB-125 molds being "damaged beyond repair" was a load of bunk?

- What If it was spread around by a (bunch of) guy(s) with old kits in stock, wanting to unload them at hyped-up, peak prices, before any new release(s) suddenly came along to drop the price? (Which kind of manipulation has been a hallmark of eBay, over the past decade.)

- What If the thing that was actually "damaged beyond repair" was the negotiation between Revell USA and Revell-DE - the latter retaining the rights to the mold - and going on to strike a new deal to repop it with a new "budget brand", they named "Gallery"?

- What If we are about to see brand-new, repopped 540-scale angled-deck Essexes - for cheap-cheap, as international currency wars devalue the Euro vs the Dollar - become widely available in the near future?

That would explain quite a bit of what's been going around recently, wouldn't it? (And I know when I smell something "rat-like"...)

Whyn't we just make a note of my "wild flight of fancy", above, and then just see how far from reality it ends up turning out to be?

Just musing with some "What-Ifs", mind you...

Cheers,

-Matty