Where do all my Models go when I'm gone?

[89AKurt]

Reminds me, write a proper Will!   Advanced Directive is another thing to write out, include having a respirator hooked up to the glue and paint thinner. ?  I'm in a model club, and we have touched on the subject when someone contacted the Chairman about his deceased dad's kit collection, I got some old kits for a steal, and the Chair got a collection to sell through their online store.  Join or start a model club, helps to have local people in the loop.  A model builder recently passed, some of the members helped out and are finishing up WIP too.  I've thought about having some of my finished models that won awards at GSL shows go to their museum in Salt Lake City.  My kids might want some of my models, but not the kits.  One of the model club members wants a model.  So it would be a good idea to have a list.

Might also be a good idea to leave a note, saying "some of the kit's have a $100 bill in the box."

[Ace-Garageguy]

12 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Reminds me, write a proper Will!  

Not hard to do, yourself, and if done correctly it's legal in all 50 states.   https://store.nolo.com/products/quick-and-legal-will-book-quic.html

You also really need to make a "when I die" file...

https://time.com/5640494/why-you-need-to-make-a-when-i-die-file-before-its-too-late/

[satterwhite78]

Told my wife to hand the built one's out to those who attended the service  in memory of me, that a small part of me will be with them till we meet again....

[Lorne]

Hey keep your comments coming!

I really get choked when you think of all the time, money and especially "Heart" that goes into your builds, collections, parts, kits and your hobby room,... oh man, .... "your hobby room" !!! Yes! the room that,... when you want to get away from it all or you've had a crappy day or "i cant wait to try an new idea/approach to the next project"  - room, that keeps you grounded!! 

All the time in that room to define your art could go be just,..... a memory in a box. I have a few friends that might take my finished builds that took me forever to finish with all the awesome detail and is extremely fragile, just to have their friends kid get a hold of it to play "smash up derby" with it against the wall. Okay, hold it,....Im getting really bummed thinking about that one. 

But seriously folks, we really need to find "someone" out there that appreciates all the love that went into these works of art and understands our passion. I am really going to make the effort to find that person till the day I die!!

Of course no pun intended there

[Bugatti Fan]

When we get to a certain age, all those kits we bought thinking 'I will build that one day' will probably supersede your life expectancy. Do the maths! Work out your average builds per year to get a realistic idea. Sort out the very few kits that you actually CAN probably build. Ruthlessly get shot of the rest via ebay ( a bit of a pain packing and posting) or a dealer if you just want a quick clearance, but don't expect much from them as they have to store, mark up and sell on your stuff. Be realistic about pricing it you go the eBay route as what you perceive to be valuable probably will not be to someone else, or you may just be stuck with it. There may be specialist auctioneers like Vectis in the UK for model kits and toys to look out for.

Of course if you feel altruistic, donate all your unwanted kits to an organisation like Help for Heroes in the UK or their equivalents elsewhere, or other charities or motor sport trusts. 

 Built up plastic kits unfortunately are generally not wanted by auction houses, and sadly unless family of friends want any of them they will probably get disposed of.

We all tend to build up a collection of books as reference material. Specialist second hand book sellers may be a quick way to dispose of a hoard but do not expect a lot for them. Alternatively educational institutions like a University or High School may welcome good reference books as donations to their libraries.

Tools can  always be sold on generally of given to other modellers. A model club might be the best place for disposal of tools, air brushes, compressors rtf

Well these are a few ideas on disposals.

 

 

[MrObsessive]

Noel, those are all very good points! For someone like myself that's never been married or had any kids, I should be thinking about this as I'm "over the hill" (60) now. I do have nieces and nephews, but I know of none of them that are into building anything at all. My oldest niece does handle Power of Attorney in her line of work, so in the not too distant future, I should be talking to her about that.

It's not just the models, it's what to do with the house, cars, pets, and other tangible assets.

Not a pleasant thought, and I can see the reasons people put it off, but an inevitability just the same.

[MrObsessive]

I should add in the case where there is a large family, leaving NO will at all can lead to SERIOUS issues within a family. I look no further than what happened with my Grandmother (mother's side) when she passed away over 20 years ago. There were EIGHT of them, with my Mom being the oldest, and you might as well have gotten a boxing ring together as they fought so badly about her "things".

My Grandmother died Intestate, and I've never seen folks get so vicious over mere things. ?

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by MrObsessive

[Bugatti Fan]

Bill, get yourself a will sorted out if you have not already and specify where all your stuff goes. Talk to your oldest niece sooner rather than later for advice or a lawyer.

Mark Gustavson who runs the GSL is a lawyer and a fellow car modeller. Might be worth running it by him.

I have cleared a lot of my old kits out already and do you know what?    I don't actually miss them at all.

[gseeds]

On 1/17/2022 at 12:46 PM, Lorne said:

Does everyone have a plan for when the inevitable happens? I still consider myself a spring chicken but what happens to all "your stuff" when you have met the ALL MIGHTY? I was thinking of donating to local hobby stores for their display case? Or, maybe a fellow modeller? I know my family has no interest. It's a shame all those works of art you created could go to your local land fill. sorry, kind of a terrible thought but it is reality!

 

What a great question, and right on time for me as this is something I’ve really been thinking a lot about recently, just this past November I had two really good buddies pass away on the same day, one here in the US and the other in Canada, one was a member of a model club here in the US, a club I’m in , He had about 200 models , everything from finished, WIP, to complete kits, those where picked up by a couple of our club members and sold on eBay and the money was given to his family, My other buddie who passed away had tons of beautiful built models, kits , parts, tools , paint , etc, and a family who had no interest in any of it, and I’m sure sadly that most of his work ended up in the trash , now getting to me , I’ve built models for years and really enjoy this hobby, I too have many built models, and many kits, and unfortunately I’m blessed with a family who couldn’t care less about any of my stuff when I go, now I’ve seen quite a few of my model car buddies pass away over the years and then watched their models get sold off, or just disappear, but with the two more recent deaths it really hit me hardest, especially my friend Rick in Canada , so I decided I’m not going out like that, I’m sizing down, way down, this year I’m going though all my stuff and picking what I’m going to build and I’m going to sell the rest and enjoy the money while I’m still here, I really enjoyed seeing this topic and reading what everyone had to say.

Edited February 7, 2022 by gseeds

[gseeds]

On 1/17/2022 at 12:46 PM, Lorne said:

Does everyone have a plan for when the inevitable happens? I still consider myself a spring chicken but what happens to all "your stuff" when you have met the ALL MIGHTY? I was thinking of donating to local hobby stores for their display case? Or, maybe a fellow modeller? I know my family has no interest. It's a shame all those works of art you created could go to your local land fill. sorry, kind of a terrible thought but it is reality!

 

Please delete, thanks 

Edited February 7, 2022 by gseeds

[gseeds]

On 1/17/2022 at 12:46 PM, Lorne said:

Does everyone have a plan for when the inevitable happens? I still consider myself a spring chicken but what happens to all "your stuff" when you have met the ALL MIGHTY? I was thinking of donating to local hobby stores for their display case? Or, maybe a fellow modeller? I know my family has no interest. It's a shame all those works of art you created could go to your local land fill. sorry, kind of a terrible thought but it is reality!

 

Please delete.

Edited February 7, 2022 by gseeds

[Bugatti Fan]

It was reading  obituaries in the UK IPMS Magazine and seeing people I have known for many years passing away that got me to thinking about my hoard that thankfully is very diminished now that I have been clearing out unwanted kits.

Next modus operandi is to sort through all my reference books and what to do with them. I will probably target a local university or high school and donate a lot of them that I hardly ever refer to these days.

Model making books I will try to sell on at a show or something at realistic cheap prices to clear them rather than take them home again.

[OldTrucker]

I figure I have more important things to do than worry about what will happen to inanimate things after I'm gone.

Like living for today and enjoying each new one I am allowed to have!

What happens after I'm gone I will never know any way.

Told my wife "no funeral" they can have a family and friend get together after I'm gone.

Told her I want a cheap burial at sea and when asked I told her just dump my ashes in the commode and flush and I'll eventually get there!?