Hi everyone. Back in the late 90's I returned to this fantastic hobby as a matter of many years of a job related injury and having to go on disability income. I had so much time on my hands during that time that it brought me back to military scale modeling from when I was a kid and also had a brother who always remained with the hobby and motivated my return.
After I returned to the hobby I eventually returned to some light work. Then work over the past few years became the priority among other responsibities in life and the hobby was once again put on the proverbial "back-burner".
Now I am among the many unemployed of these tough economic times we are all experiencing.My question is how does one go about turning this hobby into a buisness? I was thinking along the lines of building military subjects ( dioramas, armor & figures ) on a private basis, for other military enthusiast's, collector's, veterans, etc. who want a piece for their own personal interests. In other word's doing the builds for those who don't dabble in the hobby nor have the time too. This also would help me to get reinvolved in my passion for the hobby & the wonderful scale modeling community,
Any tip's, suggestions & recommendation's would be greatly appreciated not only for myself but maybe as well as other's who may have given this idea some thought.
I am also very interested in any of you who have experience of how to create a website for this type of buisness and which website are best for this, like Monster.com, etc?
- I'm editing this post with this added info as I should have been mindful of this from the beginning. "The buisness, meaning me, would be responsible for buying the models & material as seen fit or suggested by the client for the build. The only thing a client would need to do is explain what he or she wanted"

Thank You
- ralph

You will find stiff competition with DreamModels and GhostDivision. Normally, you can expect to be paid less than what the model cost. Something like 20% less. Really, people do this just so that their work will be on display. Your best bet would be to achieve the level of having your finished works displayed in a museum. From there, you could move into the private sector and possibly make a profit working on comission. Just remember, publicity is your friend.

check this out:

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=vomag10&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

guy seems to be making a small fortune just from flogging a few mediocre models every week on ebay, go back through his feedback and he's made thousands in the last year alone.

OMG, some are ugly!

btw, I know nice people who live on modelling, but I have no idea about the prices...

they are based in Novosibirsk, Russia.
http://ost-front.ru/en/

Hi guy's. "Thanks a million" for the great feedback!

@Matt - Thank you. Yes, the first thing for me to do is to get some modeling done. I can then start getting back to entering some shows such as AMPS / IPMS to establish my works & hopefully gain some kind of reputable status. If that goes well only then can I can start promoting my work through a website, using "build blogs" & photo's. I know this is all easier said then done, but I love this hobby and I feel it's worth a shot. I will be !00% happy just to get back into the swing of thing's with the hobby & it's community if only that should come out of this. All I really want is to start building again

@Rob and Roman - Thank you guy's for those links. There exactly what I want to do. Wow, that's incredible what that dude on ebay is getting for his work. But he does have some real nice stuff there like the Panther Ausf G, Ferdinand, etc.
And knowing the time, research and God given talent he spent on these pieces, I believe those price's to be worth every cent of what he has done. And I'm glad to see the bidder's can see that to.

Thanks again to all.
- ralph

You can make some money at it. Whether it is enough to live on and call it a job is another thing all together. In order to make enough money to do that, you would have to produce a bunch of kits, at a high quality, in a relatively short period of time.

There are plenty of people out there looking to buy built models. You just have to get your name out and let people know you are willing to do them. This and other forums are good for that. I have built many commission builds and most were from word of mouth. I also have built many for soldiers as retirement or farewell gifts when they move from post to post.





I don't know where you got that idea. Most (esp. those on eBay) sell for 4-5 times the price of the model. I tend to not charge an arm and a leg for my builds (usually 2-3 times the model price, depending on what is done on them), but I am the exception. I am only looking to recoup my materials and have a little extra to buy more models with. I think of it as a way to support my modeling habit on its own. I have been told many times that I could get much more. Some actually calculate an hourly rate and charge amounts in the high hundreds of dollars. Crazy if you ask me, but to each their own.

The other factor is the enjoyment vs. work factor. At what point does it no longer become enjoyable and modeling becomes a job? At that point, is it worth it any more?

Good luck either way.

Well looking at the models I seriously doubt he spends ages on them. Look closely, most have been simply airbrushed, heavily washed and dry brushed. There doesn't appear to be any high quality finishing techniques used which do indeed take a lot of time to achieve. In my eyes these models have been painting using very simple techniques and certainly aren't amazing models. The key is they look nice for a collector and photograph well. Theres some sloppy painting on some of them and hold lines evident on some of his models as well. I seriously doubt he spends any time on research as well-most of the models look like DML kits built out of the box, the guys purchasing feedback seems to suggest he's buying the kits cheap on ebay, slapping them together and making a small fortune. All power to him tbh!

Hi Gino. First let me say "Thank you for serving and protecting our freedom'.
Yeah, as I commented in my reply to the guy's, I'll be happy enough just to get myself back into building military miniatures again, that really is what's most important to me.The pure enjoyment of military scale modeling is my passion. Actually, I'd would like to just do exactly as you do. Just a little extra income is all I'm looking for here, surely nothing to make a living on. I should have been more mindful of using the word "buisness".
I'd really be honored to do something for any veteran and if I have the extra cash I'd would'nt ask for one cent. It would be a great way to honor & thank those that serve in our military
Thanks again Gino!

-ralph

The simplest way to look at it is this. What was the hourly rate in your last job? How many hours does it take you to complete a model, on average? Multiply the two together and you’ll have the price you'd need to charge every buyer in order to get the same standard of living you had before. Now ask yourself - can you guarantee enough buyers at that price? Matey on eBay may be doing very well but I’ve seen other built models go for much, much less. It’s all a bit hit and miss for my money.

Plus of course, while we may dream from time to time of making money from what we enjoy, would we still enjoy it if we had to make money from it?

To be honest, I really didn't look at much of his stuff. I went through quickly but that Panther Ausf G looked pretty damn good to me. I 'll take another look through tonite. Thanks Rob.

- ralph

Thanks Sean. That's definitely something think about. Like Gino was saying about the work factor vs enjoyment.

Cheers,
-ralph

Ralph,

Not going to advise how to do this as a business..I think the other guys covered your quesiton?
Just going to chime in with my 2cents..

I love commission building and have been doing it for a while. I went into it while having a regular job/ jobs and got so pissed with them while in the meantime had some stuff on ebay which sold for good prices, I built more and they sold and commissions came in..so I said screw off to working for people and I'm going to be my own boss...as I had plans bigger then just commission building.. So to an extend I understand your thoughts of doing such..

However, I never have time to build anything for myself...so that's where the "hobby vs business" acts up. And I really want to build something for myself!

To me the biggest issue I face is the isolation...yeah I'm a people person. So I will in time stop building as a business. Of course that doesn't mean I can't build what I like and when I had enough time with it...sell it !

I advise you to build not one, but a few things you like and put it on ebay or wherever else you can advertise...and see where it takes you.... Yes you can also set up a website,etc...

Most importantly my advice is to multitask, keep 2 jobs -- One which pays you as long as you show up for work and the other your hobby-job. If getting a job is hard,.... try harder, there's always some job out there that others aren't willing to do. Believe me I know, and I have been the "boss" before..So I know what it's like to put one's pride down and take work that is "lesser". I had some pretty hard times and I've done stuff like cleaning dog sh*t, to being a laborer when I had to. Any form of work is respectable..because it's an honors days work.

The hobby-job should be 2nd priority. Spend your free time in it, but after you're done looking for a regular job. The hobby business will cost you money, customers will expect you to buy materials first and pay you later.
Also you will get disappointed if your customers back out, or your stuff don't sell or not enough or not frequent enough,etc..it will affect your love for your hobby. And if you lose heart, slow down or take a break...someone else might fill your shoes.....
What I'm trying to tell you is that modeling for a fee has the same "cons" as those in a regular job...Actually more cons...since you can't quit and look for another!

You mentioned you are unemployed, and that is certainly a problem since you want to start a modeling biz..It does cost money...and funds will run out.
I am not trying to dissuade you, I think it's great that you are looking at your resources and potential means of making money since getting a regular job is pretty tough. But I urge you to put your efforts into getting a regular job first (even if it's just for a couple hours a day or a few times a week!...at least you know there's some cash a certain..... ) In your free time become a commission model builder.... Look at it this way, when you need a break from work or take medical leave-when you're not sick...you can spend that time happily with your model biz! You will have the couple hours each day and weekends and holidays to look forward to...to either spend with the family or into your model biz. And while having 2 jobs - you will not feel drain or guilty not working on your 2nd job - model biz cause you're on holiday...Believe me you will...As there are a lot of competitors out there ..... including me!

I wish you the best for whatever you decide.
And forgive me if I sound harsh or crude.. it's not intentional...It's 2:40am now and I just finished a 60km - 6hour cycling trip with my pals.....after finishing a days work at my regular job.

...I could have been modelling during that time...

So I have to put back those hours into my model biz...

Hi Nick, thank you for your very sensible advice. Your right, I need to find a job first to get things rolling. In the meantime, when I'm not out there looking for employment I'll have some time to put the finishing touches on my diorama that I made representing the town of Noville during "The Battle of the Bulge".
I safely stored this diorama away about a year ago because life just got to be very busy. I'll finish it up and hope, if my remaining finances allow, try to get to the IPMS - AMPS EAST 2011 Show this month, which takes place in my home state of Connecticut. Thank's again for your advice, Nick.
I'll post back on this topic if things should work out.

Cheers,
ralph

A problem could be that you have to transport the models to the client.

sending fragile models around the globe could be a problem.

Also, clients could be unaware that plastic models are not made of steel and are quite fragile.


On the other hand, I have seen fortunes be paid for painted figurines.

I have seen 1/35 scale 18th century figures on sale for 120 euro a piece. Even when the painting was of very high quality; it is still a lot and I guess that with experience, and making them in series, you can paint many of them in a day.

Thanks Drabslab, that's a very good point and one I did not think about. I'm glad you pointed that out. Since my preference is diorama building that may become a big shipping problem but at the same time building diorama's requires both figures & armor and I have no problem of building & painting static pieces, especially 120mm figures.
.......The main thing here is to go with Gino and Nicks advice, which is to get building and painting and get my work out where it can be seem by other modelers. " OMG, I'll need to buy a digital camera
Anyhow, I'm determined to put the finishing touches on my diorama and get to the IPMS / AMPS East 2011 show on Sept 23 & 24. It will be good to see some of the guy's that I have not seen in a very long time.
Thanks again, Drabslab

- ralph