Long lost FSM issue

Yeah, I read that letter too... Buncha hooey, although I admire the guy for bein' a "half-full" type and  tryin' to rationalize and justify the high cost of new kits, much the same as those that try and compare modeling to a round of golf or the like... It's apples & oranges... Try building a round of golf and then setting it in a display case...  (Although, I'll admit to using much the same language during both past-times...)

I think there is something to the concept.  I am much happier paying more money for a very complex model that will involve many hours of building than I am paying a lot for a simple model that shakes itself together and doesn't show off my craftsmanship. To take many hours of building, I would assume the kit has a lot of detail and a lot of parts, not a simple model like a snap-kit of something.

I am talking hours of actual building, not calender hours, of course.

I don't care what I spend on my hobby.  It's money I earn from work.  After bills, food, a bit in savings, etc, it's cash to spend however I wish.  Why even try to justify it?   It makes me happy to buy them.  Nothing wrong with a little personal satisfaction.  It's same thing with spending on vacations my wife and I take.  We've spend a lot more on cruises and trips to CanCun and Hawaii and eating out than I spend on my hobby.  A new Dragon "smart" kit is still cheaper than a good dinner out and a movie.  It's just recreation of another type is all.   All the complaining about the cost of the hobby is growing tiresome to me.  If it's too expensive, do something else, or as some do,  make it less costly  by building cheaper, older kits from other sources than the local LHS.   And it would be nice if after that, I hear less complaining about the closing of so many LHSs.  I know, it'll never happen.

Our vet bill for our dog this year would have bought a LOT of kits.  Even full retail.  (the dog is fine now).

Doug

tankboy51

I don't care what I spend on my hobby.  It's money I earn from work.  After bills, food, a bit in savings, etc, it's cash to spend however I wish.  Why even try to justify it?   It makes me happy to buy them.  Nothing wrong with a little personal satisfaction.  It's same thing with spending on vacations my wife and I take.  We've spend a lot more on cruises and trips to CanCun and Hawaii and eating out than I spend on my hobby.  A new Dragon "smart" kit is still cheaper than a good dinner out and a movie.  It's just recreation of another type is all.   All the complaining about the cost of the hobby is growing tiresome to me.  If it's too expensive, do something else, or as some do,  make it less costly  by building cheaper, older kits from other sources than the local LHS.   And it would be nice if after that, I hear less complaining about the closing of so many LHSs.  I know, it'll never happen.

Our vet bill for our dog this year would have bought a LOT of kits.  Even full retail.  (the dog is fine now).

Doug

If you don't care about how much money you spend on the hobby, I respect that. I for one as Don above like more high end kits. But it is the cost of stashing them what we are talking here. I travel to Puerto Rico quite frequently and dine out, but I don't buy 50+ airline tickets or table for 2 to be stashed and be used who knows when. Keep buying high end kits, and even with 50% off, they are no savings at all if they are to be stashed in a closet 'till who knows when it will be built. At that rate, is it really cheaper to stash a Dragon Smart Kit than going out to a nice dinner? Heck, no. You totally missed the point.

My take on this is , if I can get a kit at a lower price then retail, then goshdarnit, I'll do it. I don't have a single kit in my stash at retail. I buy at bargain off of ebay, online supersales or at shows. I realize that I'll more then likely never finish my purchases, but the wife can always make a buck off of my kits on the secondary market. Win, win.

A simple solution is don't buy so many kits then have a large, expensive stash just sitting there. Try spending your money on good quality kits and then build them. When you are done, but another and build it. I could not see paying $70 for a kit and just letting it sit on a shelf unbuilt for months or years.

iraqiwildman

A simple solution is don't buy so many kits then have a large, expensive stash just sitting there. Try spending your money on good quality kits and then build them. When you are done, but another and build it. I could not see paying $70 for a kit and just letting it sit on a shelf unbuilt for months or years.

Exactly my thoughts since the beginning. And although these are long term investments within the hobby, air compressors, airbrushes and other tools comes to mind as a side expense on the hobby. Because I say since post one 1 *myself included*, when I open my closet and among within dozens of kits, you can see a Tamiya 1/32 F-15, 1/32 F-16 CJ (x2), 1/350 Trumpy USS Nimits with PE accs including 1/350 PE crew, etc, etc, etc.

At this point, getting another kit with a substantial discount wont be real savings for a long time if at all. Kits are more expensive nowadays, but they have more to offer in terms of accuracy, detail and accessories (there are exceptions). The problem with most folks saying that the hobby is getting to expensive (myself included since the beginning), is usually because we go to out LHS for a jar of paint without leaving with another high ticket kit. So that $4 bottle of paint for which we went to the HS suddenly became a $50+ paint and the model? most likely will go to the closet and then we beach about  the hobby getting expensive.

I share with you my sentiment to HVS.

Cheers!