April 14th, 2025
A Letter from Our General Manager:
Standing Strong Together in difficult and unpredictable times
We hope this visit to our site finds you well.
As a proud manufacturer of handcrafted wooden aircraft display models made in the Philippines, we’ve always stood by our commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and the aviation heritage that connects us all. In business for the last 23 years our website may give the impression that we are a large-scale manufacturer whilst in fact we are a small family-owned business employing 45 people who in turn support their own families in an impoverished part of the country with an already very high unemployment rate.
As we are sure that you will agree, the recent USA Tariffs situation has left the world confused and confounded. Whilst our business will be impacted, the positive news is that not all of our customers will be affected. As of 14 April 2025, all orders below US $800.00 will incur no change at all to the import procedures and costs that have existed for the past several years. The new tariffs only take effect on orders from $801.00 upwards, where there is now a baseline tariff of 10%. Fortunately for you, all single items on our website fall well below this amount. However, for orders totaling more than $801.00 the “Baseline Universal Tariff” now at 10%, will add an additional 10% to what you would have paid before the new scheme came into effect.
You may be interested to read a snip below from article published on the 8th April by International Trade Advisory & Enforcement Lawyers as below (please click on the following link to read the whole article)
“As of April 2025, the United States has not eliminated the de minimis import exemption for shipments from the Philippines. The de minimis exemption allows goods valued at $800 or less to enter the U.S. duty-free under Section 321(a)(2)(C) of the Tariff Act of 1930. While recent executive orders have removed this exemption for imports from China and Hong Kong, effective May 2, 2025, the exemption remains in place for other countries, including the Philippines”
Immediate Impacts, Risks, and Uncertain Future of President Trump’s Unprecedented Worldwide Tariffs
Today, as a former colony and close ally to the USA we still face an unprecedented challenge due to the possible future implications and further developments of tariff impositions. Rather than pass these burdensome costs on to you and despite the harsh treatment inflicted upon us, we’ve made the difficult but determined decision in the interim period to cut our prices to the USA for those orders of $801.00 and above. As such from today and until further notice there will be a………
7.5% DISCOUNT ON U.S. ORDERS ABOVE $801.00 meaning you only pay an additional 2.5% and we absorb the balance.
(models only — freight not affected by tariff.)
Discounts (until further notice) will be refunded to your PayPal or Credit Card after placing your order.
Why? Because we believe in long-term relationships over short-term profits. Because we want to stand by the collectors, aviation fans, and industry professionals who have supported us through the years. And because, quite frankly, this is a fight for survival without anywhere else to go!
By reducing prices on orders above $801.00 (basically and honestly by cutting all our salaries), we aim to soften the blow of these unfair tariffs—not just for us, but for you too. We hope this decision helps us weather the storm together and ensures our small but passionate team can continue crafting the models you love.
Without wanting to sound like we are asking for charity we would be very pleased if you would look at the below table which is based on the production hours of a 17.00-inch model (selling price normally US dollar $259.50. That means in production salaries alone (26 full man hours) and before any overheads, income taxes, rent, profits etc. (and not including management salaries) the cost to us is about US $ 83.00 but if it were to be made in the USA the same model would have a production labor cost alone of US $895.00. So, for example if you were to order 4 models of this approximate size the production labor cost alone would be $332.00 but if they were to be made in the USA the labor cost alone would be $3580. That’s the beauty or absolute necessity of global trade when it comes to 100% handmade items such as ours or even the shirt that you may now have on your back!
For our equally important “rest of the world” customers please do not be offended by our actions towards the USA as to be really honest you will be the ones to carry us through these difficult times and where your countries have and will continue to be fair and sensibly minded in the furtherance of Global Trade.
We sincerely thank you for your continued support. Every order, referral, and kind word make a difference—now more than ever
With gratitude and resilience,
Joanna Marie E. Carolino,
General Manager
April 14th, 2025