"I have two StuG III assault guns, one out of commission, an F-type, and a common G-type, as well as a StuG IV that can run and fire, but none of them have any ammunition."
Igor said he held up one finger, and he liked the straightforwardness of assault guns and tank destroyers.
The Type 3 G, as the final mass-produced model of the three bald men, had several thousand units produced and is indeed commonly seen in various museums.
The same was true on Xia Yu's side. In addition to the three Type 3 G tanks from the early, middle and later periods, there was even a Type 3 D tank equipped with a sand-filtering device, which served in the North Philippine Army.
“I recently bought a Jagdpanzer ATV from England. Although it only cost £500,000, its condition is obviously not as good as your three.”
Igor looked enviously at the flamethrower Jagdpanzer that Koron drove off. It seems that only 20 of these vehicles were ever produced, the most famous being the destroyed S14.
The museum houses several types of flamethrower tanks, including Soviet, German, American, and British models, and performs a flame-spraying show once a day.
The visual effects are fantastic, but safety is a concern.
"boom"
"Wow! Holy crap! Oh!..."
Soon, various wails and howls came from outside; they were excited, not from being burned.
"You bought the post-war version for 500,000, didn't you?"
Xia Yu, who is familiar with the market, said, "It shouldn't be this cheap. It should cost at least 1 million yuan a car!"
"Yes, it's the version that was produced by Johannesburg after the war and exported to Switzerland. I only realized it after I got my hands on it."
Igor felt he had bought a fake, even if it was an original product manufactured after 1945, it just didn't have the same feel to it.
"A post-war version would be fine too, then I wouldn't feel bad fighting it."
Xia Yu comforted the old man.
"That's why I came here. I need 50 rounds of each type of shell for the first four tanks, and 100 rounds for the Jagdpanzer."
Igor began placing orders for goods.
This was just an appetizer; for the main course, he set his sights on another tank destroyer from Xia Yu.
Ferdinand
No, there aren't even 100 of these cars. Xia Yu himself hasn't even saved up enough yet, so he can't conjure them up even if he wanted to.
Moreover, he was also thinking of modifying Ferdinand's electric drive chassis into a Porsche Tiger, but he would never actually sell it.
"Mr. Huangyou, could you transfer your Cheetah fighter jet to me?"
Igor pointed to the Cheetah, which was prominently displayed in the museum's tank destroyer exhibition hall, and said.
This guy is quite picky. Even without a rotating turret, the Jagdpanther tank destroyer, which uses a 71-caliber PAK43/3 88mm anti-tank gun, costs about the same as the Tiger (US$100,000).
The Jagdtiger destroyer that Xia Yu has been saving up for so long is still nowhere to be found. It costs $50,000 more than the Tiger II (in 1940s dollars), which explains why its production volume was so low.
“Mr. Igor, the Cheetah tank destroyer is not as expensive as the Tiger, but it is not cheap either.”
The cost at the time can only be used as a reference. The value of a commodity depends on its scarcity. There are only three drivable Cheetah tank destroyers in the world, as well as about a dozen model Cheetahs, which are displayed statically in major museums and private collections.
So it is available for sale and can be bought with US dollars, unlike the old king who had to exchange it for active-duty tanks.
"12 million, I'll offer 12 million US dollars!"
Igor quoted a price directly.
I'm happy when you say you're selling, but I'm not happy when you say it's not cheap.
With his total assets of $4.3 billion, he can't even afford a Cheetah. He has collected 1,200 kinds of antique firearms from the 12th century to the present. Only after he had collected almost all of them did he switch his interest to assault guns and vehicle destroyers.
He can afford to invest tens or hundreds of millions in his hobbies, but those museums are unwilling to sell.
"make a deal!"
Xia Yu was also decisive; if the price was right, they made the deal immediately.
It would be a lie for Alexei, who was standing next to him, not to be envious. He had sold four fighter jets for only 2 million, while Xia Yu sold a car for 12 million. It's true what they say, comparison is the thief of joy.
But you can't compare things like that. None of Alexei's fighter jets could fly. He was lucky if he could make enough to buy a model. They were worthless if they stayed in the aircraft graveyard.
But if it's properly maintained like that Su-24, it could sell for several million to ten million.
The tanks and destroyers on Xiayu were only able to fetch their current high prices after they were repaired and their driving and firing capabilities were restored.
Furthermore, and more importantly, he supplies customers with matching ammunition and provides paid repair services when it breaks down. Only by doing this can he have a core competitive advantage.
"Okay, 50 rounds of Sprgr.43 grenade, 50 rounds of Pzgr.39/43 armor-piercing rounds, and 50 rounds of gr.39/3hl high-explosive anti-tank rounds."
Xia Yu scribbled notes in her notebook.
The Cheetah ammunition is compatible with the Tiger II, but it contains twice as much propellant as the Tiger II with the same caliber but different propellant lengths, which is why it sells for $10,000 per round.
The wholesale price for Lao Yi was 8,000 yuan, so even considering only the price of ammunition, he paid more than Lao Bao.
That's how it is with real guns. If you're short on cash, you just want to hear a bang. Many players will stuff black powder into old cannon cartridge cases and fire them. The effect is the same as the three-eyed gun from the late Ming Dynasty. It has some killing power at close range, but it's just for show at a distance.
Xia Yu never expected that selling a single old artillery shell wholesale would yield a higher profit than selling 122mm rockets.
Indeed, it's necessary to appropriately switch tracks and seize blue ocean markets with less competition.
Competing in the wrong direction is ineffective competition, and Xia Yu doesn't do that.
After finishing the business negotiations, he directly invited the three of them to have dinner in Bogo Village.
He also indicated that there were too many tourists at the museum today, and if any of them had a particular vehicle they wanted to experience, he could send someone to tow it to the field training grounds of the Anka Armored Infantry Camp, where they could fly over and have a good time.
This is the treatment afforded to VVVIP customers who have spent tens of millions of dollars. They don't have to compete with ordinary tourists for space, and in addition to the older vehicles, they can also experience the new vehicles from Jihuo Defense.
Several people expressed great interest in the weasel, since they were tired of shooting Soviet-made cars.
No problem, S30 and S3 will be transported away in one trip, and he will reimburse us for today's ammunition.
"Knock knock knock"
With Xia Yu's assistance, Boris, having completed writing the target data, finally fired a burst of airburst bombs.
"The Ahead munitions are indeed highly effective; I've also heard they can be used for air defense."
Looking at the mannequins wearing helmets and bulletproof vests a hundred meters away, riddled with bullets, Lao Bao said with emotion.
"Yes, we shot down a helicopter, but for professional air defense, you still need self-propelled anti-aircraft guns."
The Marder S30's main gun has an elevation range of +45° to -10°, while the Gepard anti-aircraft vehicle's has an elevation range of +85° to -5°. Due to their different design purposes, the difference is quite significant.
"We are also developing programmable technology, but the design concept is quite unique. We use a laser emission source component and an antenna to replace the programming coil, which means that the laser is emitted and then written."
Old Bao couldn't help but complain, because it looked exactly like a road-based version of a laser-guided bomb.
The only difference is that it has been changed from illuminating the target to illuminating the munitions being fired. I don't know when it will be put into service.
"So it uses a Zak-57 anti-aircraft gun."
Hearing from Boris that the cannon's caliber was 57mm, Xia Yu asked curiously.
"Yes, it comes from the C-60 anti-aircraft gun of the ZSU-57-2, but for precision air defense, one gun was removed."
Old Bao nodded and said.
Xia Yu can now confirm that the former Su Lian's C-60 is derived from the S60 anti-aircraft gun, and shares the same origin as that KB-3 single-barrel light naval gun.
"I modified a PT-76-57. Anyone interested in firing a couple of shots?"
"Blnh! You like this too? I went through so much trouble to get the prototype, and you modified it yourself."
Boris was pleasantly surprised to find someone who shared his interests.
Who doesn't like anti-aircraft guns? He always felt that his museum should have a PT-76-57, but this thing was never mass-produced, so he could only set his sights on the prototype. Who knew that Xia Yu was so hardcore that he actually modified one himself.
That makes sense, considering they can integrate a platform like the Weasel S30, let alone a PT-76.
"Knock knock knock"
Once the truck arrived, each person received six or seven rounds, and the 20-round ammunition storage tray was quickly emptied.
This cannon is really fun to fire, but its only downside is its small magazine capacity, which explains why it doesn't sell well. However, if you treat it as a toy, the small magazine capacity isn't a drawback.
Several people expressed their desire to buy it, but Xia Yu suggested that they simply place an order at the Volgagra tractor factory.
"You're kidding, that factory was acquired by Kurgan a long time ago, and now it produces BMD-4 and BTR-D, so it doesn't lack orders."
Money makes the world go round, but since they've already latched onto a powerful figure, they don't care about your small order of three or five vehicles at all.
Boris was content with getting the prototype, but when he got to Xia Yu, he became itchy again.
He keeps that car as a collection; playing with it once would result in a hundred or two hundred rounds of damage, which would definitely break his heart.
Why not spend money to modify one? At least it's more exciting than the BMP-2's 2A42.
"But the chassis and engine of this vehicle are spoils of war; only the cannon and ammunition feeder were purchased."
Xia Yu said helplessly.
"Don't worry, we have plenty of power packs for PT-76s and BMP-2s. We'll send them to you along with the AU-220M (57mm gun + ammunition supply system). How about 500,000 per unit?"
Alexei guaranteed.
Because he frequently needs to refurbish old equipment, he has a good relationship with those armor repair shops. So he can't help with integration, but he can still scavenge raw materials.
Another reason is that because the quantity is relatively small, the labor cost will be much higher, and this quote is directly twice as high as that for weasels.
"So, send three more PT-76-57s."
Xia Yu took out his notebook again, flipped directly to the last page, and added a few more strokes.
Business has been booming lately; his notebooks were filled up in just a few days, but his production capacity remains ample.
Operating at full capacity means 365x24, or 8760 man-hours a year. Xia Yu's biggest expense was the nearly 500 man-hours spent preparing the tunnel boring machine.
The next step of preparing the aircraft carrier will likely require at least 1,000 man-hours.
After all, he had obtained the logbook of the São Paulo from the other party, which recorded that from the pipeline failure to the boiler failure, and then from the boiler failure to the catapult, two fires had occurred in succession, and the situation could not have been worse.
Without a system, even demolition would be considered polluting, and only the ocean cannot resist human intervention.
We're almost there!
It's almost here, but the shipment sent by Alexei arrived first.
Xia Yu did not expect that the number of customers on the second and third days of opening would be even higher than on the first day.
Many tourists who couldn't even book hostels or hotels in the city simply pitched tents at the museum.
So busy was Xia Yu that he didn't have time to spend with his VVVIPs, nor did he have time to pick up the goods; he simply had them unloaded in the warehouse.
After settling the final payment for Alexei, his own sales figures were also released.
On the first day of opening, it earned $2.6412 million, which grew to $3.7164 million on the second day, and exceeded $4 million on the third day, reaching $4.1477 million, for a total of $10.5053 million.
A daily turnover of 3.5 million is a terrifying number. If this level can be maintained, that would be 1.2 billion a year.
It's all in the imagination, but reality is often more appealing. Once the spending potential of the first wave of enthusiasts is fully realized, museum visitor numbers will definitely drop significantly.
The return of service prices from 20% to the original price and ticket revenue can offset some of the losses. In addition, the occasional release of new vehicles can generate a surge in visitors, and the final revenue should be around 600 to 800 million yuan.
This is a reasonable figure. The potential of the first phase of the project is limited, which is why the second and third phases are needed to continuously stimulate it.
As a businessman, you need to learn to squeeze toothpaste – you need to keep your target customers constantly interested.
What if everyone leaves after you've had your fun?
Taking the midpoint of the valuation of 700 million, Xia Yu's book profit is around 100 million.
The initial investment, vehicle depreciation, bullets, shells, fuel... plus labor costs, all of which eat up profits, so that's all that's on the books.
It's much better off in private; Xia Yu's hidden income is probably around 300 million.
If vehicle depreciation is halved, bullets and shells only have material costs, and fuel can be self-sufficient, then the company could easily grow to 350 million or 400 million.
This is the truth, and he knows it himself. The figures on the books will reach 1 billion, and some gray-area income will also become his profit on paper.
After shutting down the computer, Xia Yu took the handbag from the cashier, then left the office on the second floor of the museum and went down to the first floor.
After a day of business, the employees drove the tanks back to their original positions one by one. Those that had been used heavily were immediately inspected and maintained, while those that were in better condition had their gun barrels wiped clean and the machine guns maintained before being put away.
Many tourists who choose to ride in tanks are too lazy to go to the shooting range again, so they just load up a coaxial machine gun with 500 or 1,000 rounds and have a good time. But this means the machine gun has to be disassembled and maintained every day.
Let them demolish it; no work is done for nothing.
"Slap slap slap"
Xia Yu clapped her hands, interrupting their serious work.
"Thanks to our joint efforts over these three days, the museum has successfully opened and achieved consecutive breakthroughs in revenue. I am not a stingy boss and am willing to share our success with everyone present: $500 each!"
Without much talk, they just handed out the money.
His actions instantly won cheers from everyone.
$500 per person, $50,000 for 100 people. A small investment can bring greater passion for work. And as he said, the joy of success needs to be shared.
Putting down what they were doing, the black men happily lined up to receive red envelopes from the boss.
After distributing the money at the main building, Xia Yu went to Wani Village, the shooting range, the artillery firing range, and the gas station, distributing the money to everyone.
Of course, there are also the guys from the concentrated fire defense team.
"cheers!"
Countless beer bottles collided, and another batch of Kuhn Beer was ready, perfect for a celebratory feast.
Today's efficiency was low; many figures required careful consideration.
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