clovis

I am happy for you, Tom! I am disappointed though...I was hoping to order a kit and some paint from you!

Tom, I think you've got a great plan. I like the idea very much. Don't forget, ebay can possibly be a source for vintage kits, but that is going to eat up a ton of time looking for the killer deals. One side note that I would like to point out: Sometimes, the weather can be a killer to business. I don't own a store, but our small business is off about $1,000 so far this year. We had a bad snow storm that caused the roads to be closed for 2 days, but we lost 2 good days of sales before the storm due to the TV "doom and gloom" forecasts. People still haven't completely dug out of their homes, and gotten back to the routine of shopping. Let me promise that while being $1,000 down for the month might not sound like much to the guy pulling a weekly paycheck, it is a KILLER for us. I strongly doubt that we'll make it up before the month ends. Your numbers might be different, and you might be rich, but that $1,000 will hurt us bad...and I'm pretty down about it. Aside from that, NFL football can be a killer to business. Sales and foot traffic when the Colts are playing are generally HORRENDOUS. I am probably the only guy in Indiana that is happy that the Colts lost over the weekend. Snow and ice, as well as extreme summer heat can be very, very bad for business. Be advised, even though we might only be talking about 2 weeks out of the year.

Thank you, Art. I always enjoy reading your interesting posts! Yes, I understand the 'true pro hobby shop' versus the 'collectibles shop', At most, in my mind, these buys would only make up a tiny portion of any professional shop, and may only amount to having a card table in the back stacked with these kits, and only on an occasional basis. I know one train shop that refuses to allow any used stuff in his shop because "a used train is a new train that I can't sell." But at the same time, he buys used trains of all types, and sells them off at the local train shows. And of course, the woman showing up with a van load of vintage kits doesn't happen very often, but it is going to occur, I would guess. As an interesting side note, I have two friends who have extensive experience in the retail gun business, and another that worked at a LHS for 12 years. They all contend, generally speaking, that buying from walk-ins, like I described in the above post "is fun, and where the good stuff comes from." They all also say "we can make some serious money on the side from these buys." Again, thank you for your post, Art. It is an interesting conversation.

Art and Tom, I'd like to know how you will handle used stuff when it comes up for sale. I've met some shop owners that refuse to sell anything pre-owned, and others that welcome the stuff with open arms and sell it in their shop. I'm not talking about the guy with three opened and started kits. I'm talking about the person who shows up at your shop with a van load of sealed kits that were part of someone's collection. They are settling an estate, or trying to clear out the collection, and not trying to get top retail prices. They just want it gone, and might take $3 per kit for all 100 to 200 kits. Let's assume that it is a nice collection with all good kits. So, since it is the deal of the century, do you buy it, or send them on their merry way? If you don't buy it, do you refer them to someone who does? Do you put it on your shop floor, with a decent mark up, or in a back "bargain basement" area, possibly with a low mark up, so your customers can get a deal? Do you buy it, and dump the kits on ebay? I am just curious what your philosophy is, and how you would handle it.

I agree. On one hand, I'd love to have some great builders constructively criticize my work, and tell me how to make it better. I'd like for them to share real and very specific information, and not general statements like "the paint could be better." But on the other hand, the real world works under deadline, and money is paid for the results. And the world, generally speaking pays and rewards those producing the best work, and work that is completed within a set time frame. All in all, I don't think that those are bad lessons for a kid to learn.

I think the kit was $32 on ebay, plus $10 to ship.

Wow...your work is impressive!!!!

LOL, Krazyglu! It was as much about the kit, which I recommended at the time. I hadn't built a model in twenty something years, so when she called and asked me for my help with the build, I was excited. "Let's get a vintage kit, but make sure it is sealed" I quipped, without thinking about it much. I was shocked when she called a few weeks later, and said, "It's here. I found one that he liked on ebay, so I pulled the trigger." I'm guessing she had about $40 in the kit, and she bought another $20 in supplies. It would have been a fun build, except: 1. The nephews and the adult babysitter decided that they should open the kit, including the sealed bags, when UPS delivered it. Yeah, they did, and lost a few critical parts, like the hub that holds the prop to the radial engine. 2. About 40% into the build, I discovered that someone at Revell, back in 1987, decided that it would be okay to box and ship a sprue that hadn't filled 100%. We had about 1/3 of the landing gear, and the rest was missing. I'm a decent builder, but have no fab skills whatsoever! 3. Once I had fabricated some new landing gear, they got smashed...and smashed bad. 4. We got it into it's final paint, ready for decals, and both wings fell off where they fold, as they did on an aircraft carrier. The model was due the very next morning. Man, I am getting sick all over again, just thinking about that build, LOL.

Thanks!!! It is an Estes Gemini DC kit, number 2136. Again, thank you!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

My sister is a very good person. I helped her other boy build an airplane, which possibly may have been the worst disaster build that anyone could ever expect in the world. It all took place during crunch time just a week before it was due at the fair, Because of the high humidity and heat, we moved the build from her garage, to her kitchen and dining room. There was a mess in three rooms, and if anything could go wrong with a build it did. I've built quite a bit in my life, but I almost pitched that kit into the trash, literally. I would have trashed it, had it been my own project, no questions. We still eked out a Reserve Grand Champion at the fair for that model. So the next year, her oldest boy, full of pride, decided he didn't need my help, not one iota, in order to win. The results, and the build, I am told, were not so good. And he earned a red ribbon, which is kind of like getting a "You may be the biggest loser in the world" award, LOL. After that, my sister banned all models to be built in her home. And in a way, I kind of don't blame her...she dropped $60+ for the Hellcat model, not including the supplies I came with, and no one had a good time building it. In fact, it was quite miserable!!!

And I think you are right about HL too. The kit selection is not very good at our closest HL. They were very thin on paint selection and supplies too, but they seem to be picking up the pace a little.

Very good points, Art. The largest majority of customers...real customers who enjoy the hobby, won't think twice about paying the prices. They will know what they want, when they will want it, and be happy to support the business in their home town. Of course, there will be a few that are loud mouthed, rude and will run their mouth about finding the same exact kit for $7 on ebay (but never mention that it was crushed kit, and missing 40% of the parts). There are a few out there that will stomp into any business, and act this way.

Thanks, Dale! I was hoping to salvage this kit. My sister is a great person, and well healed, but last year she adamantly told me, in frustration, "No kit will ever be assembled in my home, ever again. Not one dime will be spent on any model, paint or glue...at least not in my lifetime." Money isn't growing on trees around here. This is one of Estes' better kits. Sure, only about $30, but in my world $30 is $30. I'd like to have an extra $30 to blow on another kit for myself...

My nephew is 10, and was mesmerized by the hundreds of rockets on display in the 4-H building at the State Fair. I swear, we could have walked off without him, and come back 5 hours later, and he would have still been looking at the rockets, not knowing that we had ever left. I recently found a sealed Estes rocket at a thrift store, but I found that the cardboard tube/body has had something heavy lay on it at one point during it's life. The tube is not crushed, but is out of round, and may have a flat spot on it. Is there any way we can fix this? (Please forgive me for asking such a dumb question. I've only built one single rocket in my life, back in the 7th grade, for a mandatory shop class project, and that didn't go well. Not at all. In fact, it was a total disaster.) Thoughts? Ideas? Solutions? Thanks in advance!!!!!

Wow!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! I have never seen the original, nor have I seen this new kit. It certainly looks like a winner, and a great build. Again, thank you for sharing!!!!!!!! I do appreciate it!!!!

Tom, How do you plan on handling sales objections and pricing in your store? I'm sure that you are going to hear more than once "I can get that same __________ on ebay/internet for $39." Or better yet, if you have a HL nearby, how will you deal with their 40% off coupon? I know how I would work it, but am curious how you might.

Tom, With your attitude about customer service, this store is a no-brainer for you if the numbers work. I think you are going to have to drill the customer service into some employee's heads, though. The local coin shop is a great shop, but sometimes he hires a guy to watch the counter so he can get some lunch. Sometimes, that occasional employee acts like he owns the whole town, is not friendly, and can be very off-putting. Please, please, please be very careful of this type of employee. Just sharing my opinion, but I wouldn't bet the farm on this hobby shop. I'd start small, with decent inventory. and grow it from there. I see a ton of businesses "attempt a moon shot" when they should be focusing on trying to get off the ground. I've been to hundreds of business foreclosure auctions, where the owners tried to go too deep with inventory, or because they spent way too much money on hard assets. A very months ago, I went to an auction were they sold a custom made desk that someone paid $7,000 for, and $2,800 each for new office desks. What were they thinking? I was at another auction where the owners paid $21,000 for walk in coolers, and they had 4 of them. At the same sale, they sold 300 cases of wine because the owner wanted to be known as a top place to buy wine. Yeah, I agree, go figure!

I should be working right now, but just as an interesting side note that supports my belief in treating customers well: Had the arrogant LHS been friendly to me, and 9 others customers, and assuming that all 10 of us started spending $50 a month in his LHS, it would have produced $500 in additional revenue per month. Let's say that the owner took the $500 a month, and invested it for 10 years, let's say between 1980 and 1990, at a 5% return, in an investment. Total contributions would have been $60,000. But, that amount, still invested 30 years later, the investment would be worth $210,000. For fun, let's triple those numbers: 30 customers, all being treated friendly, spending $50 a month on average. That is $1,500 per month in additional revenue, and $18,000 a year, with a total of $180,000 in 10 years. 30 years later, that investment would be worth $630,000. Think about that one for a while...

Great story, LordAirgtar. I will spend the rest of my life wondering why any person in business uses "qualifiers" when dealing with potential customers. I will spend an equal amount of time wondering why everyone in business doesn't act like an ambassador for their products. Going back to the LHS in the big city, I went in by myself for the first time to buy balsa wood. I must have been about 12 at the time, and had a whopping $1.60 to spend. The arrogant guy who owned the place spent the entire time talking it up with another kid, who appeared to be well heeled. The rich kid left without buying anything at all, and yet, they treated me awful for trying to buy something. What he missed is that I was trying to make a wish list of the hundreds of Athearn HO kits they had in stock while I was shopping for balsa wood. I was "qualified" as being a lesser individual, and dismissed as not being able to afford those $5-$8 kits. Just think, if the owner would have spent 5 minutes with me showing me the wide variety of HO kits, and teaching me about all the road names...or even if he would have been 1% as friendly as he was to the rich kid, I would have been a sucker for life. When you consider that business is about flipping your product and money as many times as you can in a year's time, it is important to treat every sale with importance, even if it is just a 1.59 bottle of Testors. It is equally important to groom your customer for future business, and encourage them whenever possible. I didn't have but a pocket of change that day in that LHS, but I did grow into having disposable cash as a teenager, and more so after college. I wanted to buy trains, but that single incident ruined it forever for me with that LHS. And often, when I see an Athearn kit today, I think of that day, back in 198-, in the LHS. I kept going in that LHS on occasion over the years, to day dream, but I never really bought anything, ever again. That first incident happened over 30 years ago, but I remember it like it happened yesterday. One of us is still buying trains to this day, and the other "retired" and had a bankruptcy sale.

Tom, I think you are on the right track. Customer service is everything. The nearest HTUSA...they have a guy working there that is simply, umm...a jerk. When he found out that I wasn't going to buy, or even look at a RC model on my first visit to the store, he turned to being a total jerk. We even had words on a subsequent visit, and I walked out leaving $21 worth of Testors on the counter. I have no idea what this dudes deal is, and why he would treat any customer this way, ever. Out of desperation, and not knowing that HL carried paints and supplies, I went back to HTUSA. They had the nicest, most helpful college kid working there, who patiently answered every question I had, and went to great lengths to be of assistance. Since I am rambling, there used to be a LHS in the big city. I was in that shop maybe 40 times in my life, and the feeling I always got was: If you look like you have money, drove up in a super nice car, or your dad was a big shot, the welcoming into the store was quite unbelievable, and the service and friendly attitude would make Ward Cleaver, himself, gag at the situation. But, if you were an out of towner, or maybe didn't wear the nicest of clothes, or pulled up in a lesser car, they treated you like you were the plague, and an extreme bother to their operation, even though the place was dead most of the time. In all my life, I'm not sure that I ever saw more than 6 people in the store at one time. The owner was arrogant, and truthfully, I always got the feeling that he ONLY wanted to sell to the rich, and didn't want anyone else in the store, unless you could prove that you belonged to a country club and owned a vacation home. I have no idea why anyone in business would treat customers as poorly as those two places did. I really don't. I have a very tiny retail business, and I make it a practice to treat everyone the same. I don't care if you are black, white, Republican, gay, Jewish, fat, skinny, old, young, smart, stupid, well dressed, rich, poor, or have purple hair. I don't give a hoot who your daddy is, what kind of car you drive, where you live, whether it is a mansion or a van down by the river, where you went to school, who your married to, what education you have, whether it is a PHD or if you are a 6th grade drop out. I've found that being nice, polite, and sincere is the only way to go, and I also try to be an encouragement to others without any put downs or snide remarks, ever. I've seen it time and time again in successful businesses...treat everyone like they are your best customer ever, and it will pay off in spades. if you are truly sincere in your helpfulness, encouragement and service to others, your shop will be standing room only.

Thank you for the additional pics!! It is very interesting to see a 'foreign' S-10. Awesome truck!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!

This truck seriously knock my socks off. Awesome build, sir!!! It needs to be posted as "is it real or fake?" Again, nice job!!!!

I have sworn myself not to buy a kit until the current one is finished. Atypical for a modeler, I know. Right now, I have a kit in primer, but I don't know what to do with it. I keep pulling it out, ready to work on it, study it for a while, and then put it back in the box. I'd really like to kit bash this and make it a hot rod, but, In order to do it right, I'm afraid I'd be above my skill level. I can learn, but I am going to screw up some material, and maybe the kit too. I thought I might make a rusty beater out of it too, but I am not sure what color to paint it, or how I want to improve my rusting abilities. So, I've shelved this project because I am still pondering...

We need to get started on a new model for my daughter's 4-H project due in July. I'd love to get started now, so we don't have the last minute crunch like we do most years. While I'd love to help her build a rusty junker, I keep seeing the MPC '57 Corvette in 1/16 at attractive prices. Maybe we could build a rusty chassis and a weathered, barn kept body. Overall, we enjoyed the AMT '64 Mustang 1/16. Is the MPC '57 Vette a decent kit? Is it comparable in quality to the AMT Mustang?

Very cool! I have a US built S-10 of that vintage, but mine is just an old worn out truck. Any chance you could post a picture of the back of the truck? What size of engine does your truck have?