XJ6 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) I had a Friend of mine ask today, "How Much I Have Invested In My Hobby" after he had seen all my Built Model Cars, Display Cases, Kits, Supplies,and all of the assorted related items i have, towards this Crazy and Addictive Hobby....Well that kind of hit me sideways never really gave it much thought... To make a long story short just a rough estimate came up to around $4,000.00 OMG i thought that is a lot of $$$ just in my Airbrush and compressor, along with 47 cans of Tamiya TS- Paints (un-open) is a total of around $500.00... I could go on and on but i hope you all see the point...that i am trying to make here. My Question: How Much Do You Have Invested? Then again how much is it all Really Worth?.....well to me it is Priceless Cheers to All.... Thanks for Reading and letting me Share... Edited October 6, 2011 by XJ6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragline Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Were I to sit down and tabulate it all from the beginning I'd have more than enough to buy a large home. As for what I have currently? Enough to buy an average new car. Bob PS: I'm counting vintage kits on todays market as well as supplies and sundries and new kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darin Bastedo Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I don't even know where to strat my calculations. Much of the collection of kits I have are either ones I bought buying out collections, when I was a swap meet dealer, or were bought with the proceeds of the sale of models, so in the models stash I'm pretty sure I'm in the plus. tools, and supplies I have with a few exceptions were purchased during that time also so i'm not really sure, but I do know I was pulling in about 60K a year when I was doing that, and from what I saw in my books for those years I averaged about 30K in expenses including aquirening models gas, table fees door prize donations and hotels. What I currently have in my hobby room is probably worth about 75K retail, and most of it I bought at half price or less, so maybe I have 35K invested in what I currently have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XJ6 Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 I don't even know where to strat my calculations. Much of the collection of kits I have are either ones I bought buying out collections, when I was a swap meet dealer, or were bought with the proceeds of the sale of models, so in the models stash I'm pretty sure I'm in the plus. tools, and supplies I have with a few exceptions were purchased during that time also so i'm not really sure, but I do know I was pulling in about 60K a year when I was doing that, and from what I saw in my books for those years I averaged about 30K in expenses including aquirening models gas, table fees door prize donations and hotels. What I currently have in my hobby room is probably worth about 75K retail, and most of it I bought at half price or less, so maybe I have 35K invested in what I currently have. WOW.....That my Friend is....Well i am just lost for words...Amazing i must add though....Thanks.. You must be in the number one spot out of the top ten....Can anybody surpass this amount? Let's hear from ya...Thanks and Cheers to All... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Thousands, I am afraid to even try and figure it out. 430+ plastic kits. 30 resin figure kits at $100 or more a pop. 1 1/2 huge plastic boxes of resin bits 21 RC electric helicopters 1 RC .50 nitro heli with all the bling, probably $2000.00 to replace. 5 RC electric heli kits 5 RC air radios 1 RC ground radio 3 RC cars 1 of which has every up grade known to man and was over a $1500.00 investment alone when it was all said and done. 15 RC airplane kits many expensive scale kits 35 laser cut stick and tissue kits 1 small lathe 1 small mill 1 drill press 1 dremel press 1 full sized paint booth 3 work benches 3 tool boxes full of tools photo etching equipment and resin casting equipment oh and last year my wife decided I needed a train so I have a few hundred dollars wrapped up in a small N-scale layout. about 10 years ago it was estimated at $14,000.00 replacement cost for insurance purposes. It has grown considerably since then and there is a $40k clip on it. I too, don't get anything at full retail. For many years I worked in the industry and go a lot of stuff at employee discounts, and since I have used coupons, buy used, or discount things. So the actual cash investment is a lot less than the retail replacement value. Edited October 6, 2011 by CAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darin Bastedo Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 WOW.....That my Friend is....Well i am just lost for words...Amazing i must add though....Thanks.. You must be in the number one spot out of the top ten....Can anybody surpass this amount? Let's hear from ya...Thanks and Cheers to All... I know for a fact I'm not even close to the #1 spot. Over the years I've gotten to visit, or see pictures of the stashes and hobby rooms of other modelers both on and off these forums, and I'm not even close to their level. One guy I visited last winter if I had to hazzard a guess, just off the top of my head I would value his collection at 100K or more. There is one guy i saw on here or another forum that built a whole separate building in his back yard just for model building. There are a couple of local builders who have twice what I have easy, and probably paid a lot more for it too. If it hadn't been for being in the business and being able to get the stuff on the cheap, I would never have been able to amass what I have. Here is a pic and a link to pictures of my hobby room. http://public.fotki.com/ashevillemodeler/model_car_stuff/the-new-hobby-room/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romell R Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Nor am I. even close either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperStockAndy Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 $200 as a rough guess. Just the thought of that amount sends chills down my spine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a/gass Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) i have no clue???got my grand father's models,my dad's models,and my models packed tight in a mobil home i use for storage - and i mean packed tight to the celing minus the kitchen and dinning room thats full of old bmx bikes and engins mostly 340's and a copple 421 SD's and just enouf room in kitchen for a fridge (for beer its a dry county)and my dad's hog for winter storage - talkin about it makes me wish i was back in KY but im up hear in MI oh yea!here in mi i have 93 kits - 4 car bashing boxes and 2 big rig bashing boxes and i only brought 20 kits+hand tools - been hear 14 months now - been trading and selling my old kits and bying new ones lol - hear i got about $1200 tyed up in it with a new air brush i allmost never use lol my prized models hear = mpc 71& 72 grand prix's, amt 62 buick special waggon, jo-han 66 amc flat box,63 fury,s/c scrambler,heavenly herse,62 dart. in KY??? my jo-han kits,my mpc pro-stock sets,my tom daneils brinx,69 issu bad man and the red vette (califorina vette ??)and yellow vette (looks like a wagon based off the red kit) Edited October 6, 2011 by a/gass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Sumner Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 At last estimate some years ago I was well into the 30K+ range. I have over 700 kits...many more airplane kits than car kits. Most of the airplane kits are at least $30 - $50 with many over $100. Add to that all the aftermarket detail sets, the 300+ decal sheets, the hundreds of bottles of paint, the tools, the reference books (omigawd I have too many of those) etc etc and it adds up fast. Of course this is the result of being back in the hobby for over 20 years....since 1990 or so... I ought'a do a real inventory someday..... NOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Yes, mine is the result of just over 20 years too. Edited October 6, 2011 by CAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Most adult modelers who have been active in the hobby for many years can't possibly estimate how much they've spent over the years...unless they were so totally anal that they saved every receipt! I would guess that the average guy who's been active in the hobby for 10, 20, 30 or more years would have spent enough by now to have paid for a new car, at least. Maybe more. Maybe a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperStockAndy Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 You never realize how much it costs until you add it up. I thought $200 was bad, then I see them going past $10k... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Winter Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Actually have been trying to figure this out for a while now, Can tell you exactly how much for 2010. $414.52 Nick Edited October 6, 2011 by Nick Winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 i have to ask, does it really matter? Nope! keeps me out of trouble and the missus happy that I am out of trouble. She squeaks a little when I drag a new kit home but just a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Most adult modelers who have been active in the hobby for many years can't possibly estimate how much they've spent over the years...unless they were so totally anal that they saved every receipt! I would guess that the average guy who's been active in the hobby for 10, 20, 30 or more years would have spent enough by now to have paid for a new car, at least. Maybe more. Maybe a lot more. Yeah, never save receipts, receipts are evidence ... if my wife knew half of it... well okay she probably know about half but that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Actually have been trying to figure this out for a while now, Can tell you exactly how much for 2010. $414.52 Nick I've spent more than that on aftermarket goodies for just one model! I guess the amount of $$$ we spend on the hobby varies a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I probably spent that much... this month... eek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 It's still cheaper than my Porsche. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Laski Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Whatever your number is, divide that by the number of hours you spent doing and enjoying it. I bet it's lot cheaper per hour than a round of golf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Whatever your number is, divide that by the number of hours you spent doing and enjoying it. I bet it's lot cheaper per hour than a round of golf! Golf? What's that??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Actually have been trying to figure this out for a while now, Can tell you exactly how much for 2010. $414.52 Nick I've spent more than that on aftermarket goodies for just one model! I guess the amount of $$$ we spend on the hobby varies a lot! That ain't nothing, I spent more than that at the Pittsburgh show I went to last month, and that ain't the only time I've blown that much on models in just one day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Z Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 In just kit alone I know I have somewhere around $4500.00 invested. If I sat down and figured out every little detail ie: resin parts and bodies, photoetch, displays and such I would probably end up on the floor grasping my chest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Twenty years ago I sold a little more than half my collection for about 5ooo. It took a while. I have since replenished and a bit more. Now I am thinking 10 to 15 grand for all the kits, parts and tools. It's a soft economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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