Pre-orders are for items listed before they physically reach us. The idea earns its keep mainly with limited editions and with tied detail sets, which come out as a single series and may never be repeated in that form.
What we know about timing is stated with each item, and the conditions of a pre-order are set out in the terms and conditions. The section turns over continuously: as soon as an item is filed into its own category, it leaves pre-orders. Think of it as a way of reserving a plan rather than a shelf to shop from.
Most often kits from announced series, and the sets that go with them: decals carrying specific markings, etched parts for an interior, masks cut for one particular canopy, resin conversions. These are tied to a single type of machine and a single scale, which is the whole reason to reserve them. A generic bottle of paint can wait; a mask cut for one canopy cannot be substituted.
Go through it before you plan your next project rather than after. The kit is one thing; the sets without which the build stalls are another. Anybody who already knows they want an open interior saves themselves a search later. Timing information on individual items is adjusted as we learn more, so it is worth coming back to an entry rather than reading it once.
What has already entered the catalogue is summarised week by week in new releases, and items returning to the catalogue or extending it are collected in back in stock.
