Kickstarter would have been an awesome idea for this. Kickstarter doesn't get people the product, it helps them fund the project so they can buy the product in the future. Set a goal of $5000, to get it started, that way you don't have to pass it on to the buyers. People donate and then you can have it in the $200-300 range.
Set little silly goals, $10 gets you a thank you on the blog(no limit)... $25 gets you a silly decal/sticker of an A-10(no limit)... then the better goals... $50 donation gets you a Decal and a mini cast resin A-10(no limit)... $100 gets you a Tshirt with the project on it, a decal and a mini a-10(limit of 10)... $250 gets you your name on the decal sheet for the pilots name, the whole decal sheet, Tshirt and a mini-A-10(limit of 5)... $500 gets the first pulled kits that are numbered, the name on the decal sheet, shirt and mini A-10(limit 3)... $1000 gets you a fully built kit, name and decal sheet, mini A-10 and Shirt(limit 2).
With it done that way, people have a way of investing and funding the project, they get a little something in return to make them feel like they were part of it, a couple people with deep pockets get actual kits, etc... You'd want to set your price higher than the price you want/need, as kickstarter/amazon gets a cut of the final price... I forget the amount.
It also gives you a chance to have a breathing room incase prices for certain things go up.
Sorry if you knew all that, I started responding and then saw that it was a thread from over a year ago when you said you didn't know what kickstarter was, then saw there were 5 pages of stuff, lol. But still, would be something to look into.
Here's a good example of a game a local guy made:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1243534184/tasnia?ref=home_location
It was fully funded in 8 days, lol. You can also have stretch goals added, so anything over the goal amount, you can pass onto the people funding it, in extra tidbits, parts, shirts, upgraded pieces that you thought you might not be able to afford originally, etc.
Anyway, this seems like a cool project, just nothing I'd ever be able to afford.