It's not the cost, it's the value :)

[JollySipper]

I can only manage to buy 5 or 6 kits in a years time, but I thoroughly enjoy the time spent on those kits..... It seems the less often you do something, the more you enjoy it when you do....

[Joe Handley]

  On 4/7/2014 at 5:42 PM, Draggon said:

Interesting. When I was 14, my paper route afforded me the luxury of buying 20 plus kits in a one month period if I so desired. Today that would be more close to 100, however, back then there was no rent, no utilities, no car insurance, no food, you get the idea. So its probably all relative. What does irritate me is the 50% to 100% increase in costs since I returned to building 7 to 10 years ago.

Some of that can be tied to an increase in material and shipping costs (basically oil related) as well as any increase in doing business including other manufacturing costs, managerial costs, advertising costs, licensing costs, ect.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 4/7/2014 at 5:36 PM, Lunajammer said:

My brother has a (grossly generalized) theory I like that states everything costs roughly 10-times more now than it did 50-years ago. A full size Buick was about $3,800, today $38,000. Gas .32¢, today $3.20. Stamps, food, products etc. is roughly ten times more. Give or take a bit it applies to models too. It's all just a rough approximation. So as far as value, are we really paying more relative to our standard of living than we ever did?

I use those general numbers too. Problem is, I'd have to be making $2500 a week to have the same buying power as my father 50 years ago. And minimum wage 50 years ago was $1.15/hr. It's not $11.50 now.

The rise in income has not kept pace with the rise in prices.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Joe Handley]

Kinda makes one wonder how we would be as a country if the minimum wage had kept up at that kind of pace.

[Lunajammer]

  On 4/7/2014 at 11:36 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

I use those general numbers too. Problem is, I'd have to be making $2500 a week to have the same buying power as my father 50 years ago. And minimum wage 50 years ago was $1.15/hr. It's not $11.50 now.

The rise in income has not kept pace with the rise in prices.

You are exactly correct Bill. I left out the rest of his theory because it wasn't relevant to my point, but he finishes his thought with what you just said. Minimum wage is a disappointing exception to the rule and as you say, salaries are off pace. Which is why the war generation didn't always respect both spouses working to maintain the same quality of life they had with mom staying home to nurture the pack of kids. I think as boomers we were lucky.

[slusher]

When I started work in 1984 my first job was 3.32 an hour paid every 2 weeks. That was not a lot of money to live on.

[Howard Cohen]

When I started this thread, my point was to value what you have, not to complain about what you don't have. Enjoy the models you have. I didn't want this to be a money thread. This is about enjoying your hobby, not about your salary or other monies. FYI...I don't make a lot of money but I do love and enjoy my hobby.

[Psychographic]

When I got back into this hobby a couple of years ago, I was a little shocked with what it took to build my first model in ages. Of course I had no tools other than painting supplies. It also didn't help that the model I chose to build consisted of a resin Corvair body, two parts pack SBCs, a donor kit for the some parts, aftermarket rear tires, braided lines, a bit of resin parts, styrene sheets and shapes, and I'm sure plenty of other things I can't think of. The shipping costs were one of the major problems, many of the parts I ordered where single items from one vendor, so it didn't take long for an extra $100 to be added to the cost.

I had just got out of the hobby of keeping a reef aquarium, the cost of live corals was going through the roof and as work was slow, I needed to get out or go broke. I did complain about the cost of modeling and wondered if I traded one money pit for another.

As i started to accumulate an inventory, things got much easier on the wallet. I then started looking for models at flea markets and this is where I was able to get some collections for a fraction of what it would cost on ebay or the LHS.

I'm guessing an average build for me is around $60-$100, depending on what I'm building. The fastest I've been able to build a model is my latest at 2 months. I can't think of anything that would keep me occupied for that amount of time, for that little amount of money. If I smoked cigarettes, that money would last a week, if I was a drinker, that money would last two nights in a bar. So IMO, there is a lot of value in these little boxes of plastic.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Psychographic

[Tom Geiger]

  Quote

When I got back into this hobby a couple of years ago, I was a little shocked with what it took to build my first model in ages. Of course I had no tools other than painting supplies. It also didn't help that the model I chose to build consisted of a resin Corvair body, two parts pack SBCs, a donor kit for the some parts, aftermarket rear tires, braided lines, a bit of resin parts, styrene sheets and shapes, and I'm sure plenty of other things I can't think of. The shipping costs were one of the major problems, many of the parts I ordered where single items from one vendor, so it didn't take long for an extra $100 to be added to the cost.

Consider this the 'gate fee' to getting back into the hobby. When you start with nothing, you need to buy your initial batch of supplies. You need to buy putties, glues, a mess of different paints and aftermarket supplies. If you put that cost against that model it is astronomical. And this is what scares off a lot of folks, especially well meaning parents buying their kid a kit. When the kit starts at slightly under $30 and the hobby shop guy piles another $50 worth of supplies on top of that, well that may very well be the end for some.

But the tools you buy will last a lifetime. The supplies will last through several to many models, until you use it all or it dries up. Aftermarket stuff doesn't go bad and will last forever. I know I have some supplies I bought 20 years ago that I still use on kits. Even a sheet of Bare Metal Foil that guys think is expensive at $8, will last through 3-4 cars. So isn't it worth $2 a car to have great chrome trim?

This isn't an expensive hobby. I remember Joe Cavorley, one of the great commercial vehicle builders. He had very limited funds as well as major health issues that eventually took him. Joe started most of his masterpieces from glue bombs that folks gave to him. He scratch built things from nothing. He once said that if he wanted to have a broom on a truck, he couldn't afford to buy a resin one, but he had the time to make one himself. So a toothpick, some straw and some imagination would yield him a broom that looked real. And he built models that would do well in contests today.

Some of my best times in the hobby have been creating bits of detail from my junk box. I especially remember making the furniture and bits for my campers and getting great satisfaction. I made a scale coffee maker from bits of sheet plastic that were in my scrap box. It was one of the most fulfilling evenings I can remember!

Edited April 8, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[Psychographic]

  On 4/8/2014 at 2:08 PM, Tom Geiger said:

Consider this the 'gate fee' to getting back into the hobby. When you start with nothing, you need to buy your initial batch of supplies. You need to buy putties, glues, a mess of different paints and aftermarket supplies. If you put that cost against that model it is astronomical. And this is what scares off a lot of folks, especially well meaning parents buying their kid a kit. When the kit starts at slightly under $30 and the hobby shop guy piles another $50 worth of supplies on top of that, well that may very well be the end for some.

But the tools you buy will last a lifetime. The supplies will last through several to many models, until you use it all or it dries up. Aftermarket stuff doesn't go bad and will last forever. I know I have some supplies I bought 20 years ago that I still use on kits. Even a sheet of Bare Metal Foil that guys think is expensive at $8, will last through 3-4 cars. So isn't it worth $2 a car to have great chrome trim?

This isn't an expensive hobby. I remember Joe Cavorley, one of the great commercial vehicle builders. He had very limited funds as well as major health issues that eventually took him. Joe started most of his masterpieces from glue bombs that folks gave to him. He scratch built things from nothing. He once said that if he wanted to have a broom on a truck, he couldn't afford to buy a resin one, but he had the time to make one himself. So a toothpick, some straw and some imagination would yield him a broom that looked real. And he built models that would do well in contests today.

Some of my best times in the hobby have been creating bits of detail from my junk box. I especially remember making the furniture and bits for my campers and getting great satisfaction. I made a scale coffee maker from bits of sheet plastic that were in my scrap box. It was one of the most fulfilling evenings I can remember!

Which is the entire point of the second half of my post.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 4/6/2014 at 11:34 PM, Howard Cohen said:

Post #1: Over the past while, maybe 6 months or a year, I notice a lot of people complaining about the cost of model kits, paint, magazines, etc., etc., etc.. 'Oh, when I was a kid, a kit was only $3 and now it's $25'. Yeah, and when you were a kid you made $5 a week delivering newspapers and now you make $1000 a week working full time; everything changes and prices and wages increase...

Post #32: I didn't want this to be a money thread. This is about enjoying your hobby, not about your salary or other monies. "

Probably not all that surprising that this spun off into being a "money thread" with an opening line like that (post #1), eh?

Edited April 8, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[rmvw guy]

I recently purchased an AMT kit like one I built as a kid and paid just over $100, it was originally $1.39 in 1960. After doing an ebay search for well over a year I received a notice they had found one so, I bid my max bid $107 and won for $102! I was excited!! When I received it in a few days I was more excited!!! Every time I look at it I receive instant enjoyment. I just received another notice from ebay they have found another of the same kit. I looked and the bid was already $200. I am more excited!!!!! I played the waiting game for one year and acted just in time I think. Will Round 2 ever issue a 1960 Edsel? I doubt it, if they do I will gladly pay the $25 or so. This was my first model purchase on ebay.

It's not about money for me it's about happiness. I would prefer the 1:1 scale cars but, that would be about money. I think I would continue to build models even if I didn't have money. This one was built from paper and brought me a lot of enjoyment at the time. It's on the shelf beside all my others as a reminder. Isn't this a wonderful hobby?

[slusher]

  On 4/8/2014 at 2:21 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Probably not all that surprising that this spun off into being a "money thread" with an opening line like that (post #1), eh?

That's where it started....Bill is right..

[timc]

I make $18 an hour,so a grand a week is possible. I did it all last year and I'm in a low income area.The money is there if you are willing to work for it.

Back on topic I buy what raises my interests at the time,but the household bills come first.

[Thatswhatshesaid]

  On 4/7/2014 at 11:24 PM, Joe Handley said:

Some of that can be tied to an increase in material and shipping costs (basically oil related) as well as any increase in doing business including other manufacturing costs, managerial costs, advertising costs, licensing costs, ect.

Yes!! Everyone seems to forget this little tidbit when griping about kit prices. Gas is 3 to 4 times as expensive as it was 10-15 years ago. It takes oil to make plastic. Therefore it is no surprise kits are 3 to 4 times as expensive.

Also its not the 60s/70s anymore. People post/act like models are the only thing that has gone up in price.

[GlueTube]

Personally Gents I can't think of anything that gives me the enjoyment / per hour ratio, cheaper than modelling, other than perhaps library books, and as another poster pointed out after the kit is built you can get the value of enjoyment of looking at your handy work. The more work and detail I add, the higher the enjoyment per hour ratio...what could be better?

Beware of the man that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing....

Regards

Brian Kroon

[Helix]

Well said Howard.

Sometimes I sit in my model room and just look and admire my stash of kits thinking how each one is going to look when completed

Many years of building ahead.

Ray

[cartpix]

I think the original idea, of this thread was, the value of the hobby, not the price. The pleasure & relaxation, I get from it, is well worth the money, I put into it. It has taught me patience & takes me away from the stress & pressures of day to day life. An added bonus, a well built model, gives me a feeling of accomplishment & boosts my self esteem. My hobby room, is almost a fantasy world. A place where I can "get away from it all". I build cars, that I like, the way that I like them. There are no rules or laws.

As for the price, of the hobby, I don't want to sound insensitive, but if the hobby is too expensive, get a cheaper hobby. Some people collect classic cars, real ones. I can't afford that, so I don't participate, in that hobby. Collect Hot Wheels. They're a buck a piece. I've got a couple thousand, myself. I am fortunate enough, to have collected more kits, than I can ever build. But they keep coming out with new ones, that I want. So the collection grows.

Edited April 9, 2014 by cartpix

[Tom Geiger]

For those who are whining about the high cost of the hobby, here is Exhibit A. Nothing in this project cost any money to speak of. Everything is from the parts box or scratch built. The body is from an old project where I used the front and back of it. This was just a center section that I used as a paint stand for years. No cost! The roof rack is sprue from a Japanese kit that was the right shape, I just cut it down to size. The dog house up top is just plastic sheet with sandpaper on the roof. All the window frames, back porch etc were all made from plastic scrap from previous projects that I toss into a box rather than toss out. The trailer tongue was made from a glue bomb old chassis that had no better use.

Again, everything inside the camper cost nothing. The cabinets and bed are all from basswood sheet scrap. The bed covering is a tissue and some painted paper towels or napkins. The floor covering is paper... the pattern was printed from a doll house site on the internet, as was the welcome mat. The shoe? I found a 1/25 scale leg in a parts bag. Most folks would have thrown it out, I salvaged the shoe. The kitchen clutter is also all made from nothing. The plates and cup were just shapes from my parts box. The sink was half a gas tank. The microwave was a TV from an old Dodge van kit. I made the coffee maker. I scaled off my real one and made it from scrap plastic sheet. The coffee pot is a short length of clear drinking straw. The top was a shape from my parts box, the handle is half a staple. The only aftermarket things in this interior are the silverware and a hanger that came off a single "Interior Junk" photo etch set that I've had 20 years, and have used on several projects.

No paint was bought for this project. I used what I had on my shelf. It hasn't been finished but it's been in Scale Auto Magazine.

Exhibit B - 1951 Chevy Traveler. Again, no money! The project is based on a box of 1951 Chevy parts that I bought at a show for $10. There were the remains of two kits in it, someone had stole the engines and one chassis. The body was painted that green, without any prep at all or primer. The camper was a freebie, handed to me by Rich Manson the last time I saw him! I had a second one that was way beyond repair that I used for some of the pieces (see the white areas). As with the Dodge above, the entire interior is made from bits of basswood and plastic sheet. It will get some interesting engine from my parts box.

So here are two fine examples of low budget modeling. I do have a lot of nice kits and aftermarket supplies, but somehow my projects gravitate towards cheap to free stuff. Let this be an example that you don't need to spend a lot of money to have fun with model cars. In fact, the "building something from nothing" is a lot of fun!

[johnbuzzed]

  On 4/8/2014 at 2:15 AM, slusher said:

When I started work in 1984 my first job was 3.32 an hour paid every 2 weeks. That was not a lot of money to live on.

When I enlisted in the Army in 1973, my starting pay as an E1/PV1 (no stripes) was $326.10 per month. Of course, there were the benefits and the PX. But, to me at 18, that was great money. And I didn't crack the 5.00/hr rate in the private sector until around 1981. Things do change, though not at equal rates and certainly not all for the better.

I fell into the "You gotta buy this kit it's the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel!!!" mentality in the mid-late '90's. A lot of those kits were subsequently sold, swapped or given to my sons. I have since learned to buy and intend to build only what floats my boat, no matter how well-rated and -received any other particular kit might be, no matter how much the collective car modeling community might have or not begged, prayed and pleaded for it. I know the '62 Catalina is a nice kit, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna run out and buy one.