RAT-T Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 5 minutes ago, Mr mopar said: would like to see more 1/16 rail dragster parts . like zoomies, 392 Hemi engine ect.... X2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 My only advice would be to make a very few limited items to start of modest time requirements. Time is money of course and unless he's doing CNC stuff it's going to be difficult to attain any reasonable value proposition for either you or the end-user. You might be able to charge a "premium" as noted in some of the earlier comments but you should define what "premium" is..........you might be disappointed in what you feel is a fair price v. what the buyer is describing as premium. Your request for which parts to possibly offer initially is a good question to ask but deliverables, price and quality all must be part of your considerations as well before kicking it off. I give you credit for considering bringing such products to market and hope you succeed as nothing beats real metal. In sum, walk before you run is all I'm saying to avoid disappointment for you and or your buyer. Good luck too! cheers, tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou s Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 Yes I agree with you I’ve been advising him on crawling before he walks let alone run. That’s why he’s starting out with just turned parts. All his machines are computer driven ( cnc ) lathes and mills .but he’s still only going to have about 10 different pieces to take to kirkwood show. I have told him that the 1/16 scale turned aluminum market is wide open. I don’t build 1/16 th scale but I’ve never seen aluminum parts. I’ve also told him and he agrees that if another company is doing a part there is no need to add it to his parts. There’s enough parts not being done to have your hands full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Do a cost analysis of time and materials prior to offering any product for sale! The curse of the aftermarket is people who have not done so and sooner or later realized they were selling product at cost or a loss. Note that in this market with everything being produced by hand, there is the time factor. The downfall of a lot of producers is that they have attracted many more orders than they can fulfill in a reasonable time frame. And customers are unforgiving. They will hold you to eBay instant turnaround and will scream bloody murder on the internet if you are slow to deliver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimaxion Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I build Factory Stock . I don't stray often . Very seldom . Nice products . Alas , I am not a consumer . The best to you . Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Cohen Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Modellers always want more parts, different parts, etc. and they want them instantly or sooner. As others have said, do your research and cost analysis carefully. Make sure you sell for more than cost and don't give credit. Grow slowly. I seldom see any modeller use all the parts they buy right away, so don't rush. Most important, don't kill yourself or make yourself ill making parts. In addition to the companies mentioned here that use 'S&S' in their name, there was also a company based in Ohio that used something similar in the 80s. A bit of research sounds like a good idea. FYI...there are hundreds of wheel companies and only one S/S . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 On 9.8.2018 at 7:34 AM, Alan said: Some later style wheels for Stock and Super Stock cars are need badly . Also a good turned air cleaner base, cool cans, sheet metal valve covers I agree 100% with this. Modern front wheels are not very well available for these cars. Some spindle mounts are there, but not much of the "regular" ones. And especially for Stockers with maximum slicks of 9" wide, it's hard to find modern racing wheels. There are some out there that are very wide, so they don't work here. Also the air cleaner base and those valve covers would be good, at least I'd buy them if they were available. Depending on the price of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
American 185 Heavy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 No one will come close to the folks at Modelhaus. Both people were great to deal with, went out of their way to help and also at times even redid a part for you if the outcome was questionable. However they focused primarily on dealer promo merchandise and on factory stock. You seem to want to go in another direction which is drag and pro-stock, nothing that would interest me at all. Two important suggestions for you...One set accurate and reasonable delivery times. Don't promise 7-10 days when that turns into 30 or more. And if something goes awry, notify the customer IMMEDIATELY if not sooner. Nothing worse than being treated like a second class citizen, and having to wonder and guess what is going on. If you are going to do wheels, some factory style wire wheel caps or factory accurate wheel covers in chrome 1/25 scale would be really nice. A lot, but not all like me take high performance model kits like an Olds 442 and turn it into a full blown Cutlass Supreme. Having accurate wheel covers or wire caps of the era would be really nice as it would complete the model perfectly. And two and probably most important, don't price yourself out of the club. Modelhaus was price positioned perfectly for what you got and what they did. I have only seen one other resin company come close to Modelhaus quality and they too are a pleasure to deal with. The flip side is that there are a lot of fly by night castors out there with extremely questionable quality, and even worse business ethics. Just some thoughts but who I am to criticize !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I think your friend needs to first determine what he does best, or most efficiently, then ask for input on that area. Wheels vs. engine parts, etc. Myself, I'd like to see wheels available in 1/25 & 1/24 scale 18" to 20", but you'd need to survey to see which sizes make sense businesswise. i love the suspension parts idea (think R-B Motion), but it has to be cost effective. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasser59 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 On 8/11/2018 at 8:33 AM, Mr mopar said: would like to see more 1/16 rail dragster parts . like zoomies, 392 Hemi engine etc.... X3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 A competent machinist working with a mill and lathe in his back shed can easily command $100 per hour making real stuff, and depending on your market, being able to do one-off, non-CNC work, you can just about name any price you want. If you aren't going to be making a pretty fair chunk of money for HIGHLY SKILLED WORK (that probably only one in 10,000 people...literally...can do) using EXPENSIVE TOOLS, why bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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