Models at the Office?

[Agent G]

I rotate my cop car builds periodically. My Chief and one Deputy Chief keep models on display in their offices as well so I'm in good company. The chief was a helicopter pilot in a past life and the DC was a cop in California. 

Lots of the guys and gals are retired from other police departments and keep models or diecasts of their cars at their desks. 

G

[Rob Hall]

In the past, I've had diecast in my cubicles at various places...but never really brought in anything of value...wouldn't want a model to disappear like my red Swingline stapler did from one company.    At my current client (I've been there 2 years this month, and just re-upped for another 6 months), I keep very few personal items in my cubicle (besides my Dilbert calendar and coffee mug), as I want to be able to pack up and sprint away in 30 seconds should the need arise.. 

Edited August 20, 2016 by Rob Hall

[Joe Handley]

So far, only one persone has picked it up, and that was after doing a slight, Homer Simpson type" .........Ooooohhhhhhh.............", then asking permission.  We had been sitting next to each other in sales and worked up a pretty decent friendship with each other, so I trusted him enough to say yes.  He was wondering where to find them, since he thought it might be something his girlfriend would be interested in doing. I did warn him that it came in plain, white plastic, so she would have to paint it and showed him the blue Revell Drop Top PT Cruiser that was in the box with the Challenger that I'd just detail painted and foiled some (that will start changing this weekend), he thinks she'd like that she could paint it herself.

[Tom Geiger]

Really?? As you said, folks have NO CLUE the amount of time and effort that will go into each build. My response is I don't build for anyone else because then it automatically turns into work, and I already have a job!

A long while back we had relatives at our house.  My wife's brother got a tour of the model room. He's the kind of couch potato who complains how tired he is from driving 30 minutes to your house. After showing him my showcase of detailed finished projects. He gazed into my unbuilt model closet and asked, "Can we build one of these before dinner and give it to Sean? (his six year old)" .  He obviously thought it was all pre painted and we'd simply pop a few pieces together in no time.

So I pulled my '59 Chevy wreck out of the showcase and grabbed the same kit off the shelf.  It's an award winner with opened doors and trunk.. loads of scratch building.  Then I put the body and chassis from the unbuilt kit next to it to show the difference.   He looked amazed and said,  "This is like.... WORK!"   There is no way he'd ever understand that this is the way we relax!

[dragcarz]

You just happened to catch me in my cubicle. The Ferrari and Chevy are diecasts and the Ford is my lone model that I keep at work. The Ford was a quick build that if something happens to it, I won't be heartbroken. I wouldn't trust that one of my nicer builds wouldn't go missing.

looking at your certificate, you must be a rocket scientist?

[Joe Handley]

 

A long while back we had relatives at our house.  My wife's brother got a tour of the model room. He's the kind of couch potato who complains how tired he is from driving 30 minutes to your house. After showing him my showcase of detailed finished projects. He gazed into my unbuilt model closet and asked, "Can we build one of these before dinner and give it to Sean? (his six year old)" .  He obviously thought it was all pre painted and we'd simply pop a few pieces together in no time.

So I pulled my '59 Chevy wreck out of the showcase and grabbed the same kit off the shelf.  It's an award winner with opened doors and trunk.. loads of scratch building.  Then I put the body and chassis from the unbuilt kit next to it to show the difference.   He looked amazed and said,  "This is like.... WORK!"   There is no way he'd ever understand that this is the way we relax!

No offence, but I have to ask, did he have a job?  Sounds like he probably wouldn't like what I'm about to start training for (which involves sitting and talking to unhappy people), let alone the field sales job I had been doing or any of the retail stuff I did over the last 24 years.

[Tom Geiger]

No offence, but I have to ask, did he have a job?  Sounds like he probably wouldn't like what I'm about to start training for (which involves sitting and talking to unhappy people), let alone the field sales job I had been doing or any of the retail stuff I did over the last 24 years.

Yes he has an office job.  He just doesn't do much else. 

[Joe Handley]

Yes he has an office job.  He just doesn't do much else. 

Wow, I'm kinda amazed then.

[Jantrix]

looking at your certificate, you must be a rocket scientist?

Negative. I'm an engineering test technician for Honeywell Aerospace. I receive computer boards for aerospace vehicles, (rockets and satellites) and test them for functionality in a variety of environments. Then we combine the boards into a complete unit and do all the testing again. End users are NASA, Northrup Grummon and Lockheed and others.

[Dragline]

For years at my Baltimore NAPA I had a case in front of where I worked at the counter with a model in it. In the process of doing that at the NAPA I'm at now.

[Foxer]

You could always just tell them you would sell the model for $150. That is probably a good average cost when you factor in time and materials. If they buy it, great. If you scare them away, great.

I've always quoted $500, which usually shuts them up.

[MeatMan]

I haven't, but I plan to put a couple on display, maybe in a case. One of the guys in the office across they way has a NASCAR curbside in his office so it's not a new idea there. One of the models I plan to display was given to me by one of the truck drivers and I'd like him to see I appreciate the gift as well.

[Snake45]

I've always quoted $500, which usually shuts them up.

I usually quote them $20/hour, "and I'll probably have at least 40 hours in it, plus materials."  Yup, they change the subject.

[highway]

Right now this is my office, not very safe for a completed build! 

I'm currently trying to get an office job as a dispatcher at the DC I operate out of currently, and I found these just a couple weeks ago in the HO train section of a hobby shop I visited. 

It's currently on my desk at home, and if I do get the office promotion at work, it will be in my cubicle.  I'm also planning a 1/25 version of a Walmart reefer (since they have DC location codes on them) for displaying in the office in general regardless if I get the office position or not.

[Petetrucker07]

The one time I had an office, I did have my diecast transporter collection on display, with some of diecast heavy equipment. I wasn't building models at that time, so there weren't any builds on display. The funny thing is, I worked in a machine shop, department leadman. The main comment was, it looks like someone wants to be a truck driver. I quit that job to become a truck driver. So now, I cannot display in my "office". I do bring a large tool bag along from time to time so I work on a build at the hotel, when I have some extra time.

[highway]

 I do bring a large tool bag along from time to time so I work on a build at the hotel, when I have some extra time.

I used to do that too when I was still driving long haul. I have a partially built Italeri Freightliner FLD120 like one I used to drive way back when that has probably close to a million miles on it!   

[Mike C]

I see some people have some diecasts in their cubicles. I've brought models in to show to some people but don't keep any at work.

[Jantrix]

I've always quoted $500, which usually shuts them up.

 

I usually quote them $20/hour, "and I'll probably have at least 40 hours in it, plus materials."  Yup, they change the subject.

 

Amazing how that works isn't it? When they gripe about it, my reply is, "If you want me to put aside my own projects, it becomes work. $__ is my hourly rate at work."

 

Edited August 23, 2016 by Jantrix

[Snake45]

 

 

 

Amazing how that works isn't it? When they gripe about it, my reply is, "If you want me to put aside my own projects, it becomes work. $__ is my hourly rate at work."

 

Exactly so!

[Tom Geiger]

I could not build models for a living.  Even if they paid me my work billing rate.   One rather grueling year I had vacation  time I needed to use, so I took off Thanksgiving week. I told my wife I was going to work on models the whole week.   Well, by mid-second day I had enough.  I'm much better off a few hours at a time. When I feel like it. No eight hour shifts for me!

 

 

[highway]

I could not build models for a living.  Even if they paid me my work billing rate.   One rather grueling year I had vacation  time I needed to use, so I took off Thanksgiving week. I told my wife I was going to work on models the whole week.   Well, by mid-second day I had enough.  I'm much better off a few hours at a time. When I feel like it. No eight hour shifts for me!

 

 

BUT.......you wouldn't have to work eight hour shifts, you could work on them whenever you felt like it and just at a few hours at a time. I've had my "weekend" the past two days, and nothing planned, and I have spent most of it in my model room working on a couple projects, and I spent probably eight hours total yesterday and probably four or five today so far, but I'm currently on "break". 

[DanielG]

I run my own shop so I have my own stuff and pictures of other peoples stuff all over the place!

[Tom Geiger]

BUT.......you wouldn't have to work eight hour shifts, you could work on them whenever you felt like it and just at a few hours at a time. I've had my "weekend" the past two days, and nothing planned, and I have spent most of it in my model room working on a couple projects, and I spent probably eight hours total yesterday and probably four or five today so far, but I'm currently on "break". 

If you've taken on work and have promised deadlines, you certainly would work more than eight hour shifts!  Working "whenever you felt like it and just a few hours at a time" would not pay the bills.

Back in the day I was a big stamp collector.  That led to being involved in the stamp business.  I burned out on it to the point that I didn't look at stamps for over 20 years. I've only recently started collecting again.  I decided I'd never do that to a hobby again!

[Joe Handley]

If you've taken on work and have promised deadlines, you certainly would work more than eight hour shifts!  Working "whenever you felt like it and just a few hours at a time" would not pay the bills.

Back in the day I was a big stamp collector.  That led to being involved in the stamp business.  I burned out on it to the point that I didn't look at stamps for over 20 years. I've only recently started collecting again.  I decided I'd never do that to a hobby again!

To b3 honest, I got to the point that I had spent more time wrenching on customers' r/c cars than I spent working on any of mine, plastic, r/c, or 1/1!

[highway]

If you've taken on work and have promised deadlines, you certainly would work more than eight hour shifts!  Working "whenever you felt like it and just a few hours at a time" would not pay the bills.

Back in the day I was a big stamp collector.  That led to being involved in the stamp business.  I burned out on it to the point that I didn't look at stamps for over 20 years. I've only recently started collecting again.  I decided I'd never do that to a hobby again!

I think you misunderstood my statement, and I'm just going to leave it at that.