Recently i have become quite annoyed about the whole "credit crunch"
being 16 and having £10 a week i found it hard to save for a full kit
as there are gigs stationed in my area which are £5 entry...
then end up wasting the other £5 at something entirly un-nesscesary...
it's not to say i don't have alot of kits, but i'd like to get some of the new dragon one's before they beome dis-continued

No chance of you earning a bit extra from something like a part time job ? Window or car cleaning for people, doing gardening work, or a paper round?

Whilst we know Dragon kits are good they are not the only model kit maker and you can still get a good modelling experience from other less pricey manufacturers. Another alternative is ebay, but I guess you'll need a parent or somebody to get an account for you.

Also see if there is a modelling club in your area. Go along and meet with other modellers, you may find they have kits they no longer want and are prepared to sell to you at a good price to encourage the younger modeller to keep with the hobby.

If you think it's tough now wait till you are older and want to buy a house !

Alan

Hi Ollie nice to hear from you. When I was younger and even now I trawl the model shops and look for offers. Try not to stick with just one maker as the last poster stated there are other great kits and experience to be gained. I bought a 1/35 Sturmtiger and a 1/35 Crusader for 19.98 the pair from my local shop both were half price. So they are away in the cupboard till i get round to doing them. But i got them cheap so keep looking mate

haha thanks for the advice guy's, alan i am already in a modelling socieity "MAFVA south wales"...
thanks, one of the guys was selling kit's a while ago but stopped since he didnt have anyleft

Ollie

Don't worry if they are anything like the modellers I know there's plenty more with kits they are never going to make and need to sell.

You need to find a way of talking to their wives "No more new kits till you've built or got rid of the un-built ones you've already got " usually does the trick.

Alan

Ollie,
When I was in academy I lived for 5 years in other town having about £25-30 per week. I had to buy food, pay bills, bus tickets, books, models and (last but not least) a beer...
Belive me - it is possible ...
Maybe don't grab the Dragons - there are many good and much cheaper kits on the market (sure, they don't have turned barrels and other stuff, but they're fun to build as well!).

Andrzej

Alan, did you speak with my wife lately?

I can't speak for the UK, but I made quite a bit in my younger days in Florida helping busy folks keep their yards in order. A couple of hours, one or two days a week, kept my pockets pretty full.

Just an idea.

No, but can you imagine the trouble we'd be in if they found a way of communicating with each other

Once they compared notes I think we kit addicts would all end up living in modelling communes together. Still we may struggle on the cooking and washing front but boy could you imagine the combined buying power we'd have to leverage great discount deals.

Alan

G'day Ollie,

I use to be in your shoes its a bummer!. But i started out with a paper round then now i have a job.

Have you talked to people around your nabourhood asking if they need there car washing i use to do that when i had a model show coming up

You can get into a gig for a fiver???

At my rate of building, the remains £10 a week would let me spend £60 a time, and even Dragon kits still come in under that (for the moment...). I wouldn't recommend part-time work as your only recourse - not in the current circumstances - but for bargains, there's always eBay and model shows. I got £25 worth of Tamiya Challenger for a tenner at Hornchurch a couple of weeks ago - not Dragon, but more than good enough for me!

Struggle on the cooking and washing front? Come on Alan, haven't you ever been to a model show? I've run into way too many model builders who obviously order WAY too much take out delivered, apparently do not bathe, and never do laundry!

I really do hate to say this, but.... you get 10GBP a week for doing nothing? Lucky you. At 16 I was working Saturdays in a LHS in a shopping mall so that I could afford to model. My best mate packed shelves in a local supermarket. My brother waitered tables in a coffee shop. Unfortunately having to work to afford stuff is just one of those things we call life... believe me, if I didn't have to work - I sure as hell wouldn't.

Unfortunately modelling is a bit of a luxury pastime, even out of difficult economic times. There are a number of alternatives to you though as suggested by the posters above. Look for bargains on eBay, attend modelling Swap & Sell meets (believe me, you'll find bargains there - most people there aren't out to make tons of cash, but rather just reduce the stash), or even try your hand at scratchbuilding (some of the most unique models I've seen have been scratchbuilt).

As for the new DML kits going OOP... don't worry, you can always pick it up as an "Orange Box Value" kit from Cyberhobby in a few years time then

Rudi

may i suggest Tristar,?
its around £24 for a pz1 with full interior, enough to keep you occupied for a while, they dont skimp on detail, and are overall pretty good.
here, althought they are minus VAT and Postage
but the pz1 is around 24 with postage and vat here
or if you fancy quater scale, hobbyboss do a nice lot of t-34's with interors, and thay come to around 12 with p&p

here there are more on page 2

Especially for Rudi

You were lucky

I know this can cause troubles (I'm 14 myself and only get 5 euro a week). The best way to solve this, is to get a job like a paper round or whatever is possible in your area. This way I get an average of 9 Euro a week. When it's your birthday I don't ask for presents, but for money. When it's possible I try to work it my dads work and in summer you could always get a summer job.

I don't think your only problem is getting more money. I know you want to do alot (the same with me) and you can so.... but you must look to what's most important to you. You can't get it all.

lars

The goods new is that once you save up enough for a kit, if you're anything like a lot of us, it'll give you months of enjoyment trrying to finish it. Pretty good entertainment value for the quid, eh?
I would never suggest going hungry, but back in the early 70's I'd save my school lunch money every day, and by the end of each week I'd have enough to buy a 1/48 Bandai kit. Meanwhile my best friend and neighbor was buying 1/35 Tamiya armor. I remember being jealous of him. I also remember building a LOT more kits than he did.

I was thinking of that sketchs as well when reading Rudi´s comment.

On the other hand I had been working full time for half a year, and had moved from home when I turned 16. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet Id say that a extra job would be the way to go.

Cheers

Hey Ollie, ever thought of doing braille?

That's what I was going to say. When I was Ollie's age, it was 1/76 for me as that was all I could afford. I didn't have any allowance whatsoever, but had to earn whatever few dollars I had from small odd jobs. When the birthday rolled around one year, I took the gift money and used it on a Tamiya Flak 36/37.

But nearly everything was Braille Scale for me back then.

Do check out some local restaurants and see if you can find part-time employment. Even something like a job like a dishwasher will put some money in your pocket. It's a nasty job with low pay and less thanks but hey, I did it and survived, not too much worse for wear.

Also as mentioned, make friends with some older and married modelers. Their wives will likely be very happy to get rid of some of hubby's kit stash.

Hi Janne

Yes, it was a little bit of fun on my part and was not intended to be rotten to Rudi, as I was in much the same boat myself.

Worked a market stall on a Saturday from 8 am to 5.30 pm at the age of thirteen which paid the princely sum of £1. Mind you I think the average weekly wage was about £15 and big Airfix kits cost about half my wage.

Later I did evening work at a petrol station in the days when you went out to serve the customer, then in my last year of sixth form worked holidays and weekends on twelve hour shifts at a plastics factory, making amongst other things, yes you've guessed it plastic kits. Got I think £8.00 for two twelve hour shifts. Didn't do a whole lot of good for my studies though.

As somebody mentioned you could consider braille scale, it's all I had to make as a youngster, good old Airfix Shermans, Panthers and the rest in 1/72. The difference is now the new kits available are so much better, with some in the galleries on web sites it's hard not to mistake them for 1/35.

Alan

I live in S Wales Txt me a message and I got a couple of kits you can have cheap Maybe your parents can meet me half way and you can purchase them. Give me a day or two and I'll see what I'll let go from my not hughe stash, but I'm sure I'll find quite a few .I will make a small list when you get in touch. You will be doing me a favour as I've lost my job at Llanwern Steel Works. This "Credit Crunch " is hiting us all. Cheers Geraint