Cost of average build?

[denstore]

I´m just curious about how much you spend on your average build? For me, the costs always end in astronomic numbers.

How much on average do you people spend on extras? Do you limit yourself in some way, like no more extras than the cost of the basic kit, or something like that?

I´m asking because I realized that I´m usually having a 1 to 4 relationship, which tends to make the end result quite expensive. Armour or aircraft doesn´t matter. I ususally buy everything avilable for the kit, except decals, where I limit myself to about three or four sets to choose from, before I start.

[denstore]

Well the Abrams I'm working on at the moment cost me 6.99. With the Eduard PE set costing 10.50 and the Resin upgrade costing 10.35.

So that's nearly 28.00 pounds on a kit. And in 1/72 scale too.

Yeah, and it´s supposed to be a cheap hobby..... But it´s nice to see that the 1/4 rule seems to apply to others as well. But since I mainly build in 1/48 and 1/35, the prices tend to end at a higher level as well. And I have a few projects that are purely insane in how much I´ve spent on aftermarket stuff.

[Mentalguru]

I was thinking just this today- while fiddling around with my Hasegawa 1/48 109F.

Even though the kit was a second hander somewhere or other- lets say a tenner, that still doesn't even begin to touch consumables (2 quid) decals (3 sheets just in case and I have a particle brain remember) so thats around 20, plus paint- another fiver- and finally the spray cans and sprayaway- lets say another 20 for that lot.

So thats approx 55 quid- (sorry pound sign on keyboard eluding me at present)

Enjoyment- spread over 20-30 hours at 2 quid per hour- not so bad

[denstore]

I was thinking just this today- while fiddling around with my Hasegawa 1/48 109F.

Even though the kit was a second hander somewhere or other- lets say a tenner, that still doesn't even begin to touch consumables (2 quid) decals (3 sheets just in case and I have a particle brain remember) so thats around 20, plus paint- another fiver- and finally the spray cans and sprayaway- lets say another 20 for that lot.

So thats approx 55 quid- (sorry pound sign on keyboard eluding me at present)

Enjoyment- spread over 20-30 hours at 2 quid per hour- not so bad

Sure is less expensive than spending the same time at the pub.

But I usually tend to end up around £100. And that isn´t finished kits. I have hoardes of such "packages" in the stash, just waiting to get started some day. Or maybe not.....

[dahut]

AS little as possible. This is a hobby, after all.

Here's my breakdown:

Cost of kit - 5-20$

Cost of paints - $10

CA glue - $2

Scrounged wire, plastic bits and card, fiddlies, homebrew glue (as needed) etc. - free

Since Im only getting back after a looooong hiatus, that's the best I can do for costs.

[Guest snipersmudge]

hmm a very difficult question to answer. most of my kits are bought cheaply off evil bay then i may add etched etc.

for example my latest kit on the bench, the LAV-R (see armour WIP) cost £10 to this i bought some brass areial bases from accurate armour that was £8.49 in total. everything else came from the spares box etc. as for pricing paint i don't bother as i usually mix my own.

so cost of building the LAV-R is 18.49. at the end of the day if it's a subject you really want to model i'd say money would be no object

cheers

pete

[Andy K]

And don't forget the books about a particular subject. I suppose I'm in the same boat spending-wise as I very often get aftermarket decals, etch etc. So with around 150 kits in the stash (plus two more bought today at Huddersfield) it's possibly going to be quite expensive over time. With what I've spent on the hobby over the last 10 years I could have had double glazing fitted to the house....but don't tell the wife that

[denstore]

And don't forget the books about a particular subject. I suppose I'm in the same boat spending-wise as I very often get aftermarket decals, etch etc. So with around 150 kits in the stash (plus two more bought today at Huddersfield) it's possibly going to be quite expensive over time. With what I've spent on the hobby over the last 10 years I could have had double glazing fitted to the house....but don't tell the wife that

Tell me about it. I got the Air Britain Sea Vixen-book the other day, and even if it´s a marvelous book, the price was steep indeed. But even if the books are expensive, the cost of them feels less crazy. Maybe because you feel that it´s something more substancial, than a paper box, some styrene plastic and a few metal parts.

[dahut]

Tell me about it. I got the Air Britain Sea Vixen-book the other day, and even if it´s a marvelous book, the price was steep indeed. But even if the books are expensive, the cost of them feels less crazy. Maybe because you feel that it´s something more substancial, than a paper box, some styrene plastic and a few metal parts.

As for books - none. Its the Internet for me.

[Andy K]

The internet does aid my research more these days but I still love my books.

[Paul Bradley]

There's nothing like a good book. Nothing against you guys, buti fI had the choice between the Internet and a good library, I'd choose the library any day. I have over a thousand books; not a large library by any means, but a far, far better reference that the internet.

As for the cost of my hobby, well that depends on the kit and the reason for the build. I get review samples for nothing (except my time of course!), and I have a stash of old Airfix kits that I've bought for pennies that are great stress busters.

But then I recently bought the Trumpeter 1/48 Wellington and I hav ethe Big Ed PE set to go with it, so there's $200 without an aftermarket decal sheet that I will need.

The real question is not how much it costs, but what do you get out of it.............

[denstore]

There's nothing like a good book. Nothing against you guys, buti fI had the choice between the Internet and a good library, I'd choose the library any day. I have over a thousand books; not a large library by any means, but a far, far better reference that the internet.

As for the cost of my hobby, well that depends on the kit and the reason for the build. I get review samples for nothing (except my time of course!), and I have a stash of old Airfix kits that I've bought for pennies that are great stress busters.

But then I recently bought the Trumpeter 1/48 Wellington and I hav ethe Big Ed PE set to go with it, so there's $200 without an aftermarket decal sheet that I will need.

The real question is not how much it costs, but what do you get out of it.............

I agree that there are few things like good books, but if I had to chose between the books and internet, as a source of reference, the internet beats books hands down today. Books I buy because I like to read, and for getting inspiration, but if I really need information or pictures, usually it´s easier and without question more cost efficient to use the net. Above I mentioned the Sea Vixen book I recently got. Nice book and all, but DamienB´s site gives me better modelling pictures, at no cost at all. Thanks, Mr Burke! Same thing about the Scimitar. And when it comes to the Scimitar, one of the main reason I havn´t started my build, is that I havn´t found good enough pictures of the aircraft with flaps and brakes deployed. And even if the Scimitar file is a nice book as well, it sure isn´t giving lots of detail pics.

When it comes to cost of modelling, it would be unfair to include the books in the cost. Books are a hobby on its own. Some people have yard after yard of books in a single subject, and others don´t even have even one book on the subject they build.

[wyverns4]

ICM Spitfire XVI = £8.00

set of brass seat belts (£4.00 for 8 sets) = £0.50

Life-Like decal sheet (£8.00 for 6 A/C) = £1.33ish

Sub total = £9.83

No new paint brought so odd and ends of plastic sheet, rod, copper wire, glue and paint, etc

= say £5.00

Total = £14.83 so call it £15.00

Tme on project so far 52 hours (with about another 20 hours to go)

So £15 divided by 52 = a hourly cost of £0.29

Here in Uppsal, Sweden the cost (roughly converted from SEK to £) of the cinema is £7-8 on average, a beer about £3.50+, eating out MUCH more, museums £2-4 to visit, coffee and stickie £1.20.

I buy books, oh boy do I buy books! but that does not always follow my modeling preferences. In this case books purchased for other topics covered the subject. So if they should be included the cost goes up by £20 to £35 and the hourly rate becomes £0.67.

Dont know if the maths is correct (run out of fingers, toes and teeth!) but to me modeling is a cheap hobby! Compared to my ex who had two horses and spent £100 minimum per month on each!

Just my 50 Öre!

Happy modeling

Christian

Snow gone in Uppsala

Edited February 18, 2008 by wyverns4

[Andy Mullen]

My average kit cost (according to my Excel sheet) is £15.56, £5-8 on decals, and approx £5 on aftermarket and paint.

[dahut]

I agree with wyvern and have said the same for years. If you need something to do in the evenings, modeling can hardly be beat for cost effectiveness. However, there has been a decided trend towards excess in the past decade or so.

I am all for scale fidelity, but to me it has gone overboard. I look at a shelf full of models begging for a dust down and can't help but shake my head....

But, to each his own.

[dazinio]

At the moment my entire stash of 9 kits was funded by selling odds and ends on Ebay and i`ve also bought a knife and blades, sanding sticks and paint off there too. So in real terms pretty much nothing except a little time. However i want a Nimrod so i`ll most likely pay for that with real money. I mean a 1/72 Airfix Nimrod how could i possibly resist?

[model_madness]

Well the 1/4 rule is about as diametrically opposite to my take on modelling spending as you can get!

I get the best value for money kits, don't give a damn about brand names or if its got raised panels, got lots of 70s Mono and Revells 1/48 for £10 off Ebay that are just as detailed as modern offerings.

Occassionally i will splash out on a Hase e.g 1/32 Trump or 1/48 F-104 , but to me it really goes against my grain to spend 100's on plastic that might end up collecting dust anyway???

Yeah i have some resin Aires pits all bought at a bargain £7, but i'd say my total kit purchase is below £20.

Just can'tt understand this obsession with buying a piece of resin to accurately depict a flap or engine for ridiculous prices

But then again, most folks would find my £3500 purchases on astronomical + imaging equipment a bit OTT!

Diff strokes for diff folks i guess....

[denstore]

Well the 1/4 rule is about as diametrically opposite to my take on modelling spending as you can get!

I get the best value for money kits, don't give a damn about brand names or if its got raised panels, got lots of 70s Mono and Revells 1/48 for £10 off Ebay that are just as detailed as modern offerings.

Occassionally i will splash out on a Hase e.g 1/32 Trump or 1/48 F-104 , but to me it really goes against my grain to spend 100's on plastic that might end up collecting dust anyway???

Yeah i have some resin Aires pits all bought at a bargain £7, but i'd say my total kit purchase is below £20.

Just can'tt understand this obsession with buying a piece of resin to accurately depict a flap or engine for ridiculous prices

But then again, most folks would find my £3500 purchases on astronomical + imaging equipment a bit OTT!

Diff strokes for diff folks i guess....

I see what you mean, but that is usually the way I spend more than ever. Found an Airfix SeaHarrier cheap recently. When I opened it, I got so devastated, that I just had to buy everything I could find to take it to at least a decent level. The kit cost me about £7, but the extras was more than £35.

Sure, some would say that it was buildable as it was, but I really couldn´t see how.

[AnonymousER99]

Lets see, I will range from 50-80 USD for a kit on average with the requsite resin pit (if available) and PE set (if needed) along with a set of decals. Then I have my "opus" kits that range from 300 - 500 USD including the kit and all of the aforementioned aftermarket items. Those kits are things like my Tamiya 1/32 F-16 Thunderbirds, Trumpeter 1/32 Mig-29M, Tamiya 1/32 F-15C and a few 1/48 kits like my Tamiya Lancaster with virtually every aftermarket item ever made for it so thats in the 600 dollar range!

Please dont tell my wife that I have roughly 15 thousand dollars tied up in plasic models!!

[Nev]

Well, since this is the armour forum.....

I add very little to my kits - especially since Dragon (and now Bronco, Italeri and the rest) include a PE fret, turned aluminium barrel etc with their kits. Horrid rubber tyres which are sadly common will be replaced with resin ones where available.

Aircraft - it depends on the subject, kit and scale if I want to add resin or PE. A 1/72 Vulcan, its pretty pointless as nowt can be seen inside anyway. OTOH the Trumpeter 1/32 Dauntless is also pretty pointless as the cockpit detail is almost at the same level as a resin set. Then again a Neomega pit will totally transform an Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer.

So I would probly be 70/30 kits/extras. And most of that /30 will be decals for subjects I want to do.

[denstore]

Well, since this is the armour forum.....

I add very little to my kits - especially since Dragon (and now Bronco, Italeri and the rest) include a PE fret, turned aluminium barrel etc with their kits. Horrid rubber tyres which are sadly common will be replaced with resin ones where available.

Usually i find it easiest to spend top dollars on armour. I can´t do armour without replacing the tracks. Preferable Modelkasten, but Fruil will do.

Even in the newest and most expensive Dragon kits, I can usually find at least €20-30 of resin or p-e. And even if I can stay away from the detailing sets, I always fall for good figures.

[model_madness]

Den, O/T, are you Swedish or just living there?

I sometimes find it hard to discern as a lot of non Brit forum members have an excellent command of English.

[dahut]

Den, O/T, are you Swedish or just living there?

I sometimes find it hard to discern as a lot of non Brit forum members have an excellent command of English.

Yeah, Kev - often better than the Brits! Plonker, chavs, sods, ickles, nowt, arsed, biccies, cobs, puds, goolies, danglies, buggered, Old Mockers, scrumpy, OIKY, ... all these and more turn up to puzzle us non-English speakers.

[denstore]

Den, O/T, are you Swedish or just living there?

I sometimes find it hard to discern as a lot of non Brit forum members have an excellent command of English.

I´m Swedish. Did live in California for 6 months, but that´s the closest to talking english on a daily basis.

Came here to Britmodeller mostly because of my interest in british aircraft, but the general tone seemed nice as well.

When it comes to the use and knowledge of english, I believe that many scandinavians have quite decent english, much because of the focus that was put to it in elementary school during the 60´s and 70´s, and of course the fact that all TV shows are in original language with subtitles.

Today is a different story, though. Most young people speak like what they have picked up from MTV.

[Paul Bradley]

Did live in California for 6 months, but that´s the closest to talking english on a daily basis.