'Pro-built' from France...

[JTalmage]

It's easy.

A lot of people have very low standards.

This. This this this a thousand times over this. 

 

On an unrelated note.... I need to start selling on ebay!

[StevenGuthmiller]

I can't be the only guy asking this question.....what is this supposed to represent?

Some sort of messed up cross between an Olds & a Monte Carlo?

At least it doesn't look like an 8 year old did the paint.

Sorry, I didn't intend to insult the 8 year olds!

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

That one was billed as a '75 Buick Regal and apparently sold for 450 

 

mike

I need to find out who the guy is who's laying down this kind of money for these stinkers.

I'll build whatever he would like me to for $450.00!

Especially with expectations this low!

Although, the Chrysler doesn't look horrible.

Probably got lucky!

 

Steve

[mk11]

Yeah, lucky for 850 bucks

[StevenGuthmiller]

Yeah, lucky for 850 bucks

Maybe he is a professional!

If I could find fools dumb enough to give me $850.00 for boogers like these, I'd quit my job & just build models!

 

Steve

[Dragline]

I do a LOT of one off and commission work and I'm here to tell you that if I tried to pass this stuff off to clients I'd be out of them in short order. Now, what I do is very different from slapping something together and putting it on eBay. I sit with people and get expectations, time tables and specifics. Some folks want their first car warts and all. Some want em as they envisioned them had they the wherewithal back when they owned the vehicle. Some want a fantasy car they wish they could own but cannot either find it or swing it in 1:1. I've built replica's of race cars, motorcycles, scooters, trucks.... You name it.

I thought about trying eBay last year. I did some research when this type of thing was posted here as long as two years ago. Paul H and another guy were getting good money for their pretty resin one offs and I thought that what they were getting was fair and in some cases a bargain. They both started blowing up and getting a fanbase and it really took off. I looked at finished auctions and the prices were really on the rise. Thing is, these guys [the other guy disappeared at least a year ago] are building resin as we know. Unusual subjects just not available in styrene. So it goes that interest is higher in subjects that are just not common. Couple that with very clean building styles and excellent photography and it follows that folks with deeper pockets than most are in. Lots of what those guys present is not available in diecast either. 

It's been stated that the lack of a drive train rankles a few here. I see that point as well. I have to represent drive trains in nearly every build I tackle and while I get fairly compensated I'd certainly love to eschew the motor and just concentrate on paint and accuracy. That would cut my turnaround times in half i wager. 

As for the amateur stuff I see on eBay I usually end up chuckling a bit when I see it. When I see some of the stuff people are trying to pass of as "Pro Built" I wonder who is on the other end of the Internet that apparently agrees and then buys the usually blotchy poorly done replica. But there is an overwhelming percentage of people that are simply not informed about what can be done with glue, paint and plastic when properly applied with patience and persistence. In the end it comes down to ignorance, willful or otherwise. 

 

Here is a project I've been working on.

 

My ultimate boss is a guy named Joe Wheelock. He loves racing and owns 11 NAPA store in RI and Mass. He sponsors local guys and even had Ron Capps at the Middleboro store grand opening. That must have cost quite a bit and is a testament to his commitment to racing. Joe is also a great guy so I took it upon myself to honor him with a phantom funny car in Wheelock's livery. I designed the paint scheme and had Chuck Naylor [ratnasty] do the decals. Chuck was very talented and his passing last year was something I felt very personally. I talked to Chuck for hours on the phone about models and real cars as well as life in general. Chuck made me scores of decals and as you can see [and some can testify to] his were WELL above average.

So I'm building this 1/16 Phantom AA/FC as a way of saying thanks to Joe. Not just for his hiring me or paying me right, but for his enthusiasm for racing. Joe holds a large Christmas party every year and he spares no expense. There is an open bar all night and a large dinner. All he asks is that we enjoy each others company and celebrate the special time of year that it is. We may have to endure the odd speech which generally degenerates as the night wears on, but it's a small price to pay and no one complains.

 

Here are a few pics of the progress I've made in between what I do during the day and what I do when commissions call me to the bench.

 

The true flames were done using a handmade stencil. The decals are Chuck's. The proof is what he sent you to approve his art so he can go to print.

 

 

Thanks for staying this far.

 

 

Bob

[Dragline]

So I'll present this car to Joe at the party and I hope he'll be thrilled. His office has 2 large cabinets full of large scale diecast cars and it's my wish this finds a place among them. 

I hope I can make the December deadline!

[Greg Myers]

I am a pro modeler. I am from France! 

"Sacrebleu ! "

[Greg Myers]

I am a pro modeler. I am from France! 

"Sacrebleu ! "

[Bernard Kron]

I do a LOT of one off and commission work...I sit with people and get expectations, time tables and specifics. Some folks want their first car warts and all. Some want em as they envisioned them had they the wherewithal back when they owned the vehicle. Some want a fantasy car they wish they could own but cannot either find it or swing it in 1:1. I've built replica's of race cars, motorcycles, scooters, trucks.... You name it.

...

As for the amateur stuff I see on eBay I usually end up chuckling a bit when I see it. When I see some of the stuff people are trying to pass of as "Pro Built" I wonder who is on the other end of the Internet that apparently agrees and then buys the usually blotchy poorly done replica. But there is an overwhelming percentage of people that are simply not informed about what can be done with glue, paint and plastic when properly applied with patience and persistence. In the end it comes down to ignorance, willful or otherwise. 

 

Here is a project I've been working on.

My ultimate boss is a guy named Joe Wheelock. He loves racing and owns 11 NAPA store in RI and Mass. He sponsors local guys and even had Ron Capps at the Middleboro store grand opening. That must have cost quite a bit and is a testament to his commitment to racing. Joe is also a great guy so I took it upon myself to honor him with a phantom funny car in Wheelock's livery. ... I'm building this 1/16 Phantom AA/FC as a way of saying thanks to Joe. Not just for his hiring me or paying me right, but for his enthusiasm for racing. Joe holds a large Christmas party every year and he spares no expense. There is an open bar all night and a large dinner. All he asks is that we enjoy each others company and celebrate the special time of year that it is. We may have to endure the odd speech which generally degenerates as the night wears on, but it's a small price to pay and no one complains....

Bob,

Thanks for the beautifully written and moving reminder of what this endeavor can mean, hobby or profession or otherwise. It's far more important than piling on the to poor devil whose e-Bay posting happens to have caught our mischievous eyes. Joe Wheelock will no doubt be thrilled by this finely turned out model and the commitment that I'm sure he already knows comes with it.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Bernard Kron

[Ace-Garageguy]

Bob,

Thanks for the beautifully written and moving reminder of what this endeavor can mean, hobby or profession or otherwise. It's far more important than piling on the to poor devil whose e-Bay posting happens to have caught our mischievous eyes. 

I don't think anyone here is "piling on" the guy because of the quality of his work. It's quite adequate for many folks as a "shelf" model, and exhibits about average skills.

What IS irritating is his self-labeling of barely average work as "pro".

I can plink out a recognizable song on the piano, but I'd hardly ever call myself any kind of "musician".

Same thing, no?

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I don't think anyone here is "piling on" the guy because of the quality of his work. It's quite adequate for many folks as a "shelf" model, and exhibits about average skills.

What IS irritating is his self-labeling of barely average work as "pro".

I can plink out a recognizable song on the piano, but I'd hardly ever call myself any kind of "musician".

Same thing, no?

 

Exactly!

I don't begrudge the guy for getting he kind of money he gets for these models.

More power to him.

What I object to is the pro-built statement.

I guess we shouldn't pick on this individual so much.

He's not the only one.

I see this pro-built trash on ebay all of the time & it's always irritated me.

So when this thread came up, I just had to voice my opinion on the matter.

Obviously, truth in advertising doesn't apply on ebay.

 

Steve

[Daddyfink]

If you claim to be a Chef, but can not even boil water, then get ready to catch some flak. And if you buy that boiled water as soup, well, that is on you. 

I am pretty sure this guy knows what a Pro Build is compared to what he is claiming. I have not sympathy or pity for him when people are calling him on it. 

[Dragline]

I don't personally feel like Bernard was calling out the "piling on" so much as these guys have taken a fairly good beating around here. And while they don't seem to be rebutting here i think Bernard makes a case for them. If you "threw up" [sic] something on eBay and it got bids and was what we would call either junk or at best "shelf fodder" I think I might privately commend you.

I know that I have. Privately I have thought 'If you can get that much for that hunka Carp so be it". The rest of us [I mean builders of our ilk] can piss up a rope. Help yourself to the crying while I kinda cash in. There was a saying years ago. it went something like "No one has ever gone broke underestimating the American public".. I find that it rings true..

 

The current state of affairs in this country is such that a match might seem overkill to set things off. While personal politics are out of place let's all remind ourselves we have our personal tastes, and that for the most part there are those who don't agree. "One man's junk" applies...... Just playing devil's advocate a bit.

 

Edited October 9, 2016 by Dragline

[Bob Ellis]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1973-Chevrolet-Chevelle-Malibu-coupe-Pro-Built-1-25-/162220679368?hash=item25c51b20c8:g:HdgAAOSwPCVX7Anq&autorefresh=true

175 bucks bid and still not meeting reserve...  hmmmm

 

 

mike

 

It's the subject matter, though waiting for a Missing-Link 1973 Chevelle would be a wiser bet.

[Skip]

There's no shortage of delusional people in every field who truly believe their substandard work is exceptional, or "pro" quality.

Almost every day I see something like this  

The perpetrators without exception apparently think it looks like this.   

I see carp passed off as "professional" and paid for (very often lotsa money) constantly in bodywork, paint work, engine tuning, upholstery and interior work, electrical work, carpentry, illustration, mechanical design...the list is endless.

I don't understand. I probably never will.  

As an AWS Level 3, I don't think I'd even bother looking at that bird poop weld!

[ChrisBcritter]

Relisted and sold with a Buy It Now price of $280.00.

[Skip]

Yuk, just looked at that "weld" on a bigger screen, there seems to be more defect than weld! The "welder" didn't even clean or prep the "joints" one can only imagine what is included in that mess.  That's not even a sound stick weld, seen better welds on a muffler job!!!