Is Money the most important tool in hobby building?

I believe the most important tool in modeling is imagination. With that, you can save a lot of money. My two cents.

Richard

There are lots of cheaper options for tools
• steal them from your dentist or surgeon
• shop the hardware stores rather than Hooby Shops
• "borrow" them from hobbist friends ;-)

Absolutely not!

Oh, it can make modeling easier and obviously allows a modeler to purchase whatever kits and supplies they need, but it does NOT build the models.

I agree with Richard, 100%! The most important tool in model building is imagination!

Enjoy your modeling...

It would be nice to know some techniques that you guys used to save money, mixing paints watever.... yah know like the blood guts of your teniques, if you guys don't mind sharing....

Depends....

Look over at the group build forums... there's a GB now that is called "Budget Modelling"... some of us are in it... build the best kit you can for $25.00. That has to include paint, brushes, glue, etc....

Browse through the techniques forums as well... or search for the specific technique you're looking for. I pay close to $1000 a month for child support, so I am definitely not one of the "affluent" modellers, if there is such a term. I agree with Rich also, in that your imagination can save you $$... If you have a local hobby shop (LHS) nearby, look for closeouts and clearance items. Just because a kit is a few years old, doesn't mean that it's bad....

Anyways, that's my suggestions. I just got back into this a couple of months ago after being out for about 15 years, so it's taking some time to learn the ropes again. One thing I will echo from previous replies - look at the hardware store or Radio Shack for tools instead of the LHS. I found a $4 pair of sprue cutters that work just as well as the $10-$15 ones...

ouch.........
money's a necesary evil.......
a means to an end........
a convenience.....

the most important modelling tools are all of us, albiet casual or comitted,
who are not so easily contented by the last project.....

I like that saying... I don't know if you just made it up but that was nice cirikilli

"the most important modelling tools are all of us, albiet casual or comitted,
who are not so easily contented by the last project....."

I will have to remember that=)

Heheheh I am in the middle of pulling all my carpet up in the middle of a 12x10 room, one part of which is going to hold my model trainset , and the other my little model workshop..... but its a room all to myself.. I am even thinking about getting an apartment sized refrigerator ..... heheheh

I say the most important "tool" is patience!

Mike

The hobby can get expensive, especially if you buy all the latest kit releases, but most hobbies are. I think the most important tool in hobby building is that roundish thing sitting on top of your neck .

Regards, Rick

heheh, I think the underlying factor no matter what you do is money, you need a house to display your product....

I would say time, which is very important, and patience.

I'd say that a desire to improve and try new things is an important tool in this hobby. There's no such thing as too much money, but time, patience and a love for what you're doing will make up for any shortfalls you may encounter on the financial side.

Of course, your mileage may vary...

I believe that TAG_LK said it first ... but, my thoughts on this thread ... my works out to be: ... TIME ... time is the most important tool in hobby building ... without the time to build at your own pace ... your own comfort level ... the results just aren't going to be there ...

QUOTE: Originally posted by RustyFord It would be nice to know some techniques that you guys used to save money, mixing paints watever.... yah know like the blood guts of your teniques, if you guys don't mind sharing....

Hmmmm....well I scratchbuild a lot and I get my styrene and acrylic stock for free. I've spent, maybe a nickle on my current project.
You can buy a quart of MEK at Home Depot for about $4 and it is a great glue. The same active ingredient as Tenax-7.
Bondo putty from the auto dept of Walmart is dirt cheap and makes a great filler for modeling.
Go to dollar stores and discount stores like Big Lots on a regular basis. You never know what great modeling tool you'll run across. Last time I was at Big Lots I found a Dremel style circular saw and manderal set for........a dollar!
Yes I know Woody is a cheap skate!

Another good filler is Elmers Wood filler. Search garage sales, flea markets and the like for all sorts of "stuff" (including trash - people throw away the most amazing array of stuff that can be useful)

Shop in places that are not normally considered "normal" for hobbiests ie: discount stores, salvation army (or similar), hardware store, super markets and art stores.

Paints: Paint by number kits are good for 1 or 2 projects.
Acrylics and oils: Buy the tubes, learn to mix out of a basic pallette of color and thin accordingly for brush or A/B with the appropriate thinning agaent. Tubes will last a heck of alot longer than bottles.

Most importantly (as previously mentioned): Time, patience, and imagination are your most important tools. Skill and everything else comes with practice.

I would also have to say if ya spent a bit more up front on the core tools you have to do this with, everything else will be cheaper. Spend your money on your ab, compressor and essentials like glue putty knives and core paints. Everything else after that is in smaller does and easier to manage. It's always the most expensive when you are starting out and have nothing. Thats what I had, a month later and 400 bucks I had all my core equipment, and good stuff to didnt chince out on it, I was up and running. Everything else now is resupply which is always cheaper and upgrading as I see fit and can afford. Its good when you use your head from the beginning.
-Jeff

There's no question that this can be an expensive hobby.
But it doesn't necessarily need to be.
Scratchbuilding skills WILL improve (for most people) with a good set of precision tools.
But that's not always the case. I know a guy with a garage full of Snap-On tools, and he doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to hold onto. Go figure.
Imagination, tenacity, physical skill, and creativity are the four most important ingredients for a quality build - and the whole mess is helped along nicely with a good set of tools. Ask any engineer.
You don't need to go and spend twice as much as the purchase price of a kit for all the aftermarket goodies to make a nice model that you can be proud of - sure, it's nice to have all that stuff, but it's also nice to do it yourself.

Heres my . The most important tool is the love of the game


James

Welp, I just got my Silentaire Scorpion2 compressor(189$) beautiful compressor..
Got my Paasche VLS airbrush (95$)
Another 50$ on, pastel chalks, paints, thinner, brushes, a couple of little tools and a model of an Tamiya M4 Walker Bulldog tank.
All together 334$, really not that bad, I was able to find an old coffee table out in my garage that I am using as a table, stripped the carpet out of my 1 spare bedroom, got an old desk to use for storing stuff in as it has shelving on the sides, and also has a nother seperate building table..
My trainset will cost a HELL OF a lot more than modelling when you add up everything else. Considering the facts modelling is a LOT cheaper than hobby trains.

All you really need is passion, vision, and skill. Probably in that order.

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV I say the most important "tool" is patience!

I'll second that!
Paul

well, lets face it, ya gotta have money to model no doubt, so i'd say that money is way up the priority list for this hobby to function. if money didn't exchange hands, who would mold kits into existance? who would manufacture tools and gadgets to make this hobby easier to access? who would form clubs and contests? even with your imagination, the majority of people couldn't build a kit if they had no money to purchase one. i know i certainly couldn't scratch build an airplane from what i have lying around my home with the limited knowlege that i have. to do research to find out if i could, i'd need the internet, which costs money to have, or gas for my vehicle to travel to a library, which involves money. we like to say things that tickle our ears when it comes to this subject, but without money, this hobby wouldn't exist. so my vote is that yes, money is the most important tool of this hobby. as i look over at the workbench, i just dont see how i could've gotten to this point in my hobby career without it. some of my tools were given to me, some were purchased, but money exchanged hands somewhere down the line for that tool or kit to come into existance. later.

QUOTE: Originally posted by saltydog well, lets face it, ya gotta have money to model no doubt, so i'd say that money is way up the priority list for this hobby to function.

I guess you didn't see that diorama posted here last month or so of Private Jessica's rescue in Iraq, complete with figures and a CH-46 (or 47?), made by a guy in prison out of nothing but toilet paper, toilet paper rolls, and other commonly (well, in prison) available materials. It looked pretty darn good.

So as I mentioned before, all you really need is passion, vision, and skill.
You do not need money.

Me, personally, yeah, I need money, 'cuz I'm lacking in one or more of those three criteria!

i saw that J-Hulk and yes, that was extraordinary friend. however, money had to exchange hands somewhere down the line to manufacture the toilet paper, and the prison had to purchase it. i may be getting too technical with this, but i'm just trying to say that most everything we touch today, money was involved somewhere to be able to do the given task. i mean, if i went out into my yard and broke off a limb from a tree and carved it into a beautiful representation of a given subject, i'd most likely used a purchased pocket knife in order to carve it with. somewhere, money is being exchanged. i'm sorry fellows, i didn't mean to screw up this whole thread with the technical BS, just ignore me and carry on, i'll go away. later.

QUOTE: Originally posted by saltydog i saw that J-Hulk and yes, that was extraordinary friend. however, money had to exchange hands somewhere down the line to manufacture the toilet paper, and the prison had to purchase it. i may be getting too technical with this, but i'm just trying to say that most everything we touch today, money was involved somewhere to be able to do the given task. i mean, if i went out into my yard and broke off a limb from a tree and carved it into a beautiful representation of a given subject, i'd most likely used a purchased pocket knife in order to carve it with. somewhere, money is being exchanged. i'm sorry fellows, i didn't mean to screw up this whole thread with the technical BS, just ignore me and carry on, i'll go away. later.

I agree that money is the primary "factor" in modeling. In fact money is the most important factor in just about everything in the world...except nature.

However, when I think of the most important "tool" in modeling, I don't think of money. Oh, it's important in getting materials and kits, but then you just have materials and kits - you don't have models. It takes knowledge, skill, creativity, imagination, talent, dexterity, and patience to turn these "raw materials" into a model to be proud of. Money can't buy any of these things.

Enjoy your modeling...

well said robert, i guess i was on a different page. sorry fellows. later.

My point was that the modeler (aka prisoner) of that Iraqi rescue diorama personally didn't spend any money at all on his creation.
He had the passion, vision, and skill to create what he wanted simply with what was on hand. He didn't actively spend any money on his hobby, in this case.

But I know what you mean. Essentially, nothing happens in this world without money being exchanged.

But as an answer to this topic: "Is Money the most important tool in hobby building?"

Oh, noooo, no no no no no!

But I guess you could argue that money is the most important "tool" in life!!

i stand corrected fellows. model on!! later.