I guess it's cool if that is what a person wants. He probably wouldn't be charging what he does if someone wasn't willing to pay. I mean, I'm sure he didn't pull those prices out of his butt. There has to be some bench-mark I would think. The customer base has to be non-modellers.

Having said that, I would rather have my own builds on display no matter what they look like. I haven't tossed a single one. It helps me to see how far I have come in our hobby.

I guess a lot of it comes down to people who have a sense of nostalgia, I.E. "My dad, grandpa, uncle, brother, etc drove that tank, flew that plane" sort of thing.

Or maybe I'm drinking a bunch of beer and watching football...

Just my

Reagarsd,

Jeff

It was 1/35th scale, no precious metals involved. The base also had a custom built case for it, a friend who does that sort or thing did it for me for a couple of kits.  I think some of you are selling yourselves short.  If you look at the prices that talented craftsmen charge for their services, be it furniture, plumbing, electrical, or jewlery, why shouldn't artists who work in plastic or resin get a fair price for their time and talent?  I've seen lots of artists on these sites.  Most people don't have the time to learn these skills.  Just last week we had to lay down a considerable sum for a new water heater,(Merry Christmas), some can do it, I can't, so we paid the man.  He worked maybe 3 hours. Almost $500/hr. including heater.  No gold or platium at all.  Is spending 20 or 40 hours building a kit for $250 or more any worse.  Like I say, there are folks out there where this much cash is lunch money, or used to be, the economy was better then. 

So guys, some of you have amazing skills, you worked years to get where you are!  If you have the chance to sell a model, don't undersell yourselves.   Also, they don't have to be contest winners, (although maybe they could be, I did sell several that had won and were retired), that is not what the customer is buying them for.  Usually it's something they have a personal interest in, and they just want it for themselves, not unlike a water heater! In my profession as a surveyor, we charge for our sevices, (not cheap either, accuracy has it price.)

 I have no connection to the above mentioned SAL (?)  It looks like more of a company than a single modeler.  I have no desire to build profesionally.  It takes all the fun out of the hobby for me.  If I screw up, no biggie, if I'm building for a client, back to the drawing board.  Also the work isn't steady and no benifits.  And the profit margin is low.

Carry on guys

Doug  

tankboy51 wrote:

I've done many commision pieces, not anymore however.  Sort of a hassle.  However, when I did it was usually OTB and for an average tank kit, $250 and up was my price.  Considering the time spent, any less wouldn't be worth my time.  Of course my clients were not modelers, far from it. They wanted built kits and some folks have money to spend.  I had one gentleman who didn't care what the subject was, just as long as I did it.  I guess he liked my work.  Heck, I did a Dragon Wagon with a M-4 on it with a base for 2 Grand.  After this, I don't care if I win at contests, mostly just bring in models to help fill up the categories and support the club putting on the show.  And to hang out with friends of course. I would always offer a money back guantee, never had anyone take me up on it.  Always had satisfied customers.  Main hassle was shipping. Had a couple of pieces sent back for free repairs, mostly just small things. You all have a Happy New Year, with lots of plastic Doug

Geez, a Dragon Wagon with a M-4, with a base for $2,000!?! What scale was it, was the base made of silver or gold?

I've done many commision pieces, not anymore however.  Sort of a hassle.  However, when I did it was usually OTB and for an average tank kit, $250 and up was my price.  Considering the time spent, any less wouldn't be worth my time.  Of course my clients were not modelers, far from it. They wanted built kits and some folks have money to spend.  I had one gentleman who didn't care what the subject was, just as long as I did it.  I guess he liked my work.  Heck, I did a Dragon Wagon with a M-4 on it with a base for 2 Grand.  After this, I don't care if I win at contests, mostly just bring in models to help fill up the categories and support the club putting on the show.  And to hang out with friends of course.

I would always offer a money back guantee, never had anyone take me up on it.  Always had satisfied customers.  Main hassle was shipping. Had a couple of pieces sent back for free repairs, mostly just small things.

You all have a Happy New Year, with lots of plastic

Doug

ajlafleche wrote:

He claims international awards. Not unless the competition was very thin. These are decent 6 foot shelf models but most had basic errors that would have eliminated them early on on any competition. Some of the things that I asw were seams on tires, floating tracks, mis-aligned wheels, silvering on decals, kinked tracks, inconsistent seams on canopies, inconsitent pa\nel lines on individual panels. The automotive subjects seem to have a better overall quality. I found it interesting that he claimed resin and PE enhancements to the motoocycles, but didn't sow any of these inthe in progress shots.

Its like sports and music, the only thing that distinquishes amature from pro is not talent, but the amount of money that is made.

Scott

the doog wrote:

The thing that kills me though is the asking prices--I'm sure that they are on the "low end" of professionally-built models, but I just couldn't ask even that much for a model.

His builds are nice from what I can tell, but those are extreme prices. I mean come on, $198.88 for a Tiger I. Unless it was built by doog or Manstein, I'm not gonna pay that much.

Some very nice work there. It ain't Swanny, but there's lots of great stuff! Agree with Doog about prices, though!

To a non-discerning, non-modeling (oxymoron?) customer....the end product is probably all they care about.

As George Carlin once said: "If somebody glues one thing to another thing.....some schmuck will buy it!"

ajlafleche wrote:

He claims international awards. Not unless the competition was very thin.

Seriously, I think the guy has some sincerely awesome finishes! He really has a "style", for sure.

The thing that kills me though is the asking prices--I'm sure that they are on the "low end" of professionally-built models, but I just couldn't ask even that much for a model.

He claims international awards. Not unless the competition was very thin. These are decent 6 foot shelf models but most had basic errors that would have eliminated them early on on any competition. Some of the things that I asw were seams on tires, floating tracks, mis-aligned wheels, silvering on decals, kinked tracks, inconsistent seams on canopies, inconsitent pa\nel lines on individual panels.

The automotive subjects seem to have a better overall quality. I found it interesting that he claimed resin and PE enhancements to the motoocycles, but didn't sow any of these inthe in progress shots.