SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

how much do you spend on a model

7404 views
39 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Sunday, October 23, 2005 10:29 AM
Been thinking about this question and have decided it is something of a trick question. Very rarely do I buy something other than the model because I have most of the additional items (Paint, decals, photo-etch etc). In most cases, I buy a bottle of paint (cement, thinner etc) because the bottle I have is getting low. And just because you bought a bottle of paint or cement specifically for that model, do you use the entire bottle of paint on that model? Or does it get used on two or three more models after you've finished the particular model you origionally purchased the paint for?

Perhaps a more apropo question would have been, How much have you invested in your hobby? Try this - take a paper and pencil and sit down at your hobby area and look around. If your house burned down tonight (God forbid!) what would it cost you to replace everything you have that you use in your hobby. The tools, the decals, the paints, the kits you have in your stash, your finished kits, the paints and glues, the scratch building materials, the after market items and the reference materials. Write down each item and then what you figure it would cost to replace them. Then add them all up. The final figure will either amaze or scare you (or both). And then think about those items you have to replace from time to time during any given year (Exacto blades, paint, thinner, cement etc) but aren't for a given project.
What I'm trying to say I guess is that this is a hobby and like any hobby there are expenses we don't think about when we participate in it. As long as you can afford it, then do it. But if you ever get to the situation that you have only enough money to buy the baby some food and Pampers or buy the latest Tamigawa release and the new PE for it and you buy the model, then it's time to step back and take a look at your priorities. And like my wife says, "I don't mind him spending money and working on models. At least I know where he is and the money isn't being spent on booze and broads." (I overheard her tell that to my mother)
Quincy
  • Member since
    July 2005
  • From: Vancouver,Canada
Posted by clairnet_person on Thursday, October 20, 2005 2:10 PM
all my academy kits i got for $10 at Lewiscraft(a craft store) the kits are awesome and for such a low price too!!!
Current builds: Monogram P-40B Revell F-15E
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 8:01 PM
i'm about to spend $180 ++ on a millenium falcon for x-mas..Katching!$$ and ouch!
  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Utereg
Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 4:23 PM
It's not often that I pay more then €5 for a 1/72 kit or € 10 for a 1/48 kit. But I only buy at swap meets and shows. And I seldomly buy Tamiya, hasegawa or any new kit for that matter. So my 80+ stash has probably cost me less then € 500 (and al my expensive kits were presents!)

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 3:59 PM
Really depends on the kit and the finish I try to achieve.
But as a rule I try to keep the AM parts as few and low as possible.
  • Member since
    July 2005
  • From: Vancouver,Canada
Posted by clairnet_person on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 3:52 PM
for my latest project

testors f4 phantom $15
paint $5 ( i had most of the paints already)
Total $20
Current builds: Monogram P-40B Revell F-15E
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:36 PM
The most I spent on a model is $34.95 for my Tamiya Me 262, but going by MSRP, I spent $86 on a Bandai MG 1/100 Zeong, which I paid only $33 for including shipping. I don't spend much on AM details unless absolutely neccessary. My paint costs vary per project due to the paints I have, and the paints I need. The tools are used over and over again.
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:27 PM
I tend to build mostly OOTB, with scratched improvements, if any, so that, plus paints and glue, runs to about $50 on average. That's Canadian dollars. However, some kits I bought for very cheap, and some kits have cost me more than $100.
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Pensacola, FL
Posted by Foster7155 on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 1:49 PM
I have to agree. While a modeler can give an average cost - X total cost divided by Y models - the number derived is just that...a number. For example, I have a Polish armored car on the shelf that cost me $7.00 total since I built it OOTB. Right next to it is an M4A3 Sherman that probably cost $63.00 with all the aftermarket parts on it. Can we say that I average $35.00 on a model based on these two examples? Sure, in the strict sense of the word "average". The range of costs (for me) is just WAY too wide to try and quantify with a single figure. I have $10.00 kits in my "waiting to build" stash with no aftermarket parts. I also have $120.00 kits in my stash with over $100.00 in aftermarket parts waiting to be built. I really depends on the kit.

Robert Foster

Pensacola Modeleers

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
Posted by Lufbery on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 1:14 PM
Durr,

It really depends on the kit. Big Smile [:D]

My current kit, a Glencoe MB-2, was $5 at a show (retail is around $12).

Two Aeroclub white metal Lewis guns: appox. $5

Paint: $10

Needle nose tweezers (a must for rigging a biplane): approx. $4

Invisible thread: $2

Wedding tulle (a fine mesh fabric): $3

Sanding sticks: $7.50

Orion Pilots of WWI figure set (24 figures, of which I've used three): $11

Testors Decal Making System: $5

Various strip and rod styrene packs: $8

Total: $60.50

That's not too shabby considering that I'll use the remaining paint, the tools, the thread, the tulle, and the figures for other projects.

Regards,

-Drew

Build what you like; like what you build.

  • Member since
    July 2013
how much do you spend on a model
Posted by DURR on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:41 PM
how much start to finish on avg
example:
model tank $30.00
resin details $23.00
p/e details $18.00
xtra paint $4.00
aftermarket tracks $16.00
aftermarket decals $7.00
total $98.00
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.