MrObsessive Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 I was surfing around on eBay and decided to check out some past auctions on my favorite sellers list. I was amazed to see what this really sharp resin Ford Wagon went for that was built by Paul Hettick (Robbbbbb57). Click on the pic below which'll take you to the auction to see what this beauty went for! Hmmm..............Let's see......I could build beautiful models, sell them at a great price, no dealing with numbskulls at work who won't do what they're told, no dealing with traffic, peace and quiet at home..............hmmmmm... Congratulations Paul! You've certainly earned it!
Jantrix Posted July 12, 2008 Posted July 12, 2008 It might be a great way to offset your pension, but I don't think you could make a living at it. Great looking car though.
Modelmartin Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Beautiful model! Paul is good. Detail level not near yours though, Bill! Models like your 58 Impala and 57 Corvette could easily fetch several thousand dollars from the right buyer, but how many hours do you have in them? Take it from me because I have tried and making it in the model car business is not easy. The paydays are erratic and sometimes far apart. I would say that if you don't have good business and marketing skills do not even try. If you want to supplement your income or pay for your hobby then dive right in but keep the day(or night) job. It's a great ego boost to have someone buy one of your models for a goodly sum and see them treasure it. It's a great way to meet people all over the country and the world. Andy Martin
Jairus Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Paul has a strong following! Most of the bidders are the same every time he puts something up. The prices are all over the board and he does not make a killing on all his sales. But that said... his builds are always first rate... for curb side models. Not because they are curb-side, but because he does his research and gets them right each and every time. They are very nice!!!! However, If one of his models were entered at GSL... it might take a good strong box stock award but that is pretty much it. I am with Andy on this one... Bill, you could take him!!!! I applaud Paul for his success as it is not a lot of us who can make $ at their hobby... what ever that may be.
george 53 Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Bill, you could take this guy in your sleep,BUT how long will the economy sustain these fools with more money than brains?With gas close to 5 bucks a gallon, I really don't see too many people willing to pay close to a grand for a static model car!These are the fools who probably put the present administration in office!I got no pity for fools, BUT if you could move a few of your builds for a couple grand, I'd say you should go for it! why should someone as talented as yourself not enjoy the fruits of your labors?Hey, THEY got the money to throw away, why not be the lucky fellow to pick it up? your builds ARE certainly worth what the market will bear.BUT my freind, DO NOT quit your evening job.Just my personal opinion.
lordairgtar Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Bill, if someone knew what actually went into the builds you do, I am sure the bids would be in the thousands. I do like the wagon though, but I thing I may have to just build one myself as I don't have the extra $800 plus lying around.
MrObsessive Posted July 13, 2008 Author Posted July 13, 2008 I've considered it to try for maybe every once in a loooooong while. My biggest fear though if I would get into something like that full time is just that-------it's now turned into a job and now no longer a hobby! Jairus, you're right about Paul having a following. I notice on his station wagon builds for instance, the same bidder usually snags it. The economy can't be too bad if they can drop $600+ for a single model consistently. I had heard from someone at one of the NNL's that it takes Paul roughly 20 hours to do each model. I find that a little hard to believe, 'cuz he's got a different car up every week. But then that could be the case if he's at it every day, and does his builds on kind of an assembly line setup.
MrObsessive Posted July 13, 2008 Author Posted July 13, 2008 george 53 said: Bill, you could take this guy in your sleep,BUT how long will the economy sustain these fools with more money than brains?With gas close to 5 bucks a gallon, I really don't see too many people willing to pay close to a grand for a static model car!These are the fools who probably put the present administration in office!I got no pity for fools, BUT if you could move a few of your builds for a couple grand, I'd say you should go for it! why should someone as talented as yourself not enjoy the fruits of your labors?Hey, THEY got the money to throw away, why not be the lucky fellow to pick it up? your builds ARE certainly worth what the market will bear.BUT my freind, DO NOT quit your evening job.Just my personal opinion. Thanks for the vote of confidence George and the rest! I'd have a hard time parting with one of my builds for another reason.........the amount of time and effort I try to put into each build..............well it's kinda like giving one of your pets away that you've had for so long! True, you'd get paid------but it's still tough to do. The financial angle I see a problem down the road too for a huge number of folks. How much longer are people gonna be able to pay $200-$300 for a sealed unbuilt kit as high as basic things are getting?? Answer= They won't.
Guest Gramps-xrds Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Pauls models usually only sell for 2 to 3 hundred dollars. That one was a rare exception for some reason.
george 53 Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Bill, If some nut is willing to pay $800.00 bucks for a model that just sits on a shelf and does absolutely NOTHING, what would this same fool be willing to pay for a car like the 56 vette, or the Charger Daytona? At least your cars are worth ALOT more simply because they FUNCTION! A static model that does nothing but sit there, well, I guess, as the old saying goes, "theres one born every minute" I guess he's found his.And lets not forget the 58 Impala, Easy worth a grand or more! At least it could supplement your income a little! You DO have a GOD given gift, you should do whatever motivates you and brings YOU pleasure, but if you could make a coupla bucks off your talent,why be shy about it?I think I would be givin it ALOT of thought myself.Whats wrong with enjoying your hobby AND makin a coupla bucks? Paul Hettick seems to be doin a good job of makin money at it, but is it still fun?Only YOU can decide if its the right road for you and your talents.Whatever you decide, you are my freind and I will give you ALL the support I possibly can,in any way I can.
Jairus Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Guys, my take on Paul is that he is Retired, able to spend 20 to 30 hours on the buildups per week and doesn't care what they sell for as long as one or two out of 5 hit a good total. All seem to require the same amount of work and there seems to be NO scratch building that I have seen thus far. (Seem to remember a camping trailer a while ago... but cannot remember if it was a resin or scratch.) He builds beautifully but it is a business/love for him. Not so much a hobby anymore. Bill... I would not quit your day job as I like what you do right now! (Incidentally, I have considered it too....)
JamesW Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 HOLY ######!!!!!! And I thought I paid alot for a piece of PLASTIC. Very nice looking build though, just not my cup of tea.
Nick F40 Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 MrObsessive said: Hmmm..............Let's see......I could build beautiful models, sell them at a great price, no dealing with numbskulls at work who won't do what they're told, no dealing with traffic, peace and quiet at home..............hmmmmm... I thought you'd said you'd never do that?
RodBurNeR Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Paul's models are magnificent! He has sold some for more than that wagon. I have a lot of his models archived on my fotki if anyone wants to see them. http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc...y-paul-hettick/
Modellpularn Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 I got a letter from some collector in the US, and he somehow got my address. He was interested in buying my Corvette Summer model. It's a few years ago, but I've never considered selling it, since it involved so much work. Not sure if I'm up to that challenge again. Right now I don't seem to get any modeling done......
Eshaver Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 I'm going to jump in here with my take. I go to mostly 1-1 car shows as I enjoy DRIVING my 53 Ford Panel Delivery. I'll remind you that the truck has been back and forth between Dallas Texas and Richmond Virginia an hour south of D C five times. Besides the fact that transmissions on those trucks are junk the rest of the truck and the trip are fine. Meanwhile I always am asking the prices at these "Swap-Meets" on models . I gotta tell you. A Boss Nova from A M T going for 100.00 sorry, put it in yer plastic museum . I got one of the re-issues not realizing that the tool had been desicrated to make a LAUGHABLE car! I told some one here a while back , sell it right, gain a customer, sell it high, you will never get the customer back. Ed Shaver
Peter Lombardo Posted July 13, 2008 Posted July 13, 2008 Bill, I am sure you were only asking yourself a rhetorical question about giving up your day job, or night job as your case may be, to build models full time. I read a story in Automobile Magazine back in the early 1990’s about a guy named Miller, I forget his first name and don’t have the desire to try and dig out the magazine from one of the many stacks of mags I have. Anyway, this guy built only race cars, mostly Tamiya F1’s and Group C cars. He built them in groups of 6 or 7 at a time, of the same car, and added no detail, strictly out of the box builds. His builds were perfect, spotless and super clean. He had some small scale success selling them, in fact I even saw one of this Jordan F1’s at the NNL East show about 12 or so years ago. The point is, and I know you know it, unless you win the lottery, don’t quit your day (or night) job to look for “plastic†pastures.
m408 Posted July 14, 2008 Posted July 14, 2008 Gramps-xrds said: Pauls models usually only sell for 2 to 3 hundred dollars. That one was a rare exception for some reason. Huuum.. Lets do a little math. Assuming that you could get an average of $250.00 per build, could produce one in 20 hours, which I doubt, and had a guarenteed buyer for every model, you would gross $500.00 per week. All of the kits and supplies are donated free. A 52 week schedule, no vacation time, would get you $26,000.00 per year. Of course you could up that by working seven days a week. Not for me, even if I could.
abedooley Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Sounds to me like someones just too lazy to build their own beautiful masterpiece..... or just not talented enough to build it themselves!! Bill, this guy aint got sh@$ on ya!!!! Edited July 22, 2008 by abedooley
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now