Welp, I just got my Silentaire Scorpion2 compressor(189$) beautiful compressor…
Got my Paasche VLS airbrush (95$)
Another 50$ on, pastel chalks, paints, thinner, brushes, a couple of little tools and a model of an Tamiya M4 Walker Bulldog tank.
All together 334$, really not that bad, I was able to find an old coffee table out in my garage that I am using as a table, stripped the carpet out of my 1 spare bedroom, got an old desk to use for storing stuff in as it has shelving on the sides, and also has a nother seperate building table…
My trainset will cost a HELL OF a lot more than modelling when you add up everything else. Considering the facts modelling is a LOT cheaper than hobby trains.
All you really need is passion, vision, and skill. Probably in that order.
I’ll second that!
Paul
well, lets face it, ya gotta have money to model no doubt, so i’d say that money is way up the priority list for this hobby to function. if money didn’t exchange hands, who would mold kits into existance? who would manufacture tools and gadgets to make this hobby easier to access? who would form clubs and contests? even with your imagination, the majority of people couldn’t build a kit if they had no money to purchase one. i know i certainly couldn’t scratch build an airplane from what i have lying around my home with the limited knowlege that i have. to do research to find out if i could, i’d need the internet, which costs money to have, or gas for my vehicle to travel to a library, which involves money. we like to say things that tickle our ears when it comes to this subject, but without money, this hobby wouldn’t exist. so my vote is that yes, money is the most important tool of this hobby. as i look over at the workbench, i just dont see how i could’ve gotten to this point in my hobby career without it. some of my tools were given to me, some were purchased, but money exchanged hands somewhere down the line for that tool or kit to come into existance. later.
I guess you didn’t see that diorama posted here last month or so of Private Jessica’s rescue in Iraq, complete with figures and a CH-46 (or 47?), made by a guy in prison out of nothing but toilet paper, toilet paper rolls, and other commonly (well, in prison) available materials. It looked pretty darn good.
So as I mentioned before, all you really need is passion, vision, and skill.
You do not need money.
Me, personally, yeah, I need money, 'cuz I’m lacking in one or more of those three criteria![;)]
i saw that J-Hulk and yes, that was extraordinary friend. however, money had to exchange hands somewhere down the line to manufacture the toilet paper, and the prison had to purchase it. i may be getting too technical with this, but i’m just trying to say that most everything we touch today, money was involved somewhere to be able to do the given task. i mean, if i went out into my yard and broke off a limb from a tree and carved it into a beautiful representation of a given subject, i’d most likely used a purchased pocket knife in order to carve it with. somewhere, money is being exchanged. i’m sorry fellows, i didn’t mean to screw up this whole thread with the technical BS, just ignore me and carry on, i’ll go away. later.
I agree that money is the primary “factor” in modeling. In fact money is the most important factor in just about everything in the world…except nature.
However, when I think of the most important “tool” in modeling, I don’t think of money. Oh, it’s important in getting materials and kits, but then you just have materials and kits - you don’t have models. It takes knowledge, skill, creativity, imagination, talent, dexterity, and patience to turn these “raw materials” into a model to be proud of. Money can’t buy any of these things.
Enjoy your modeling…
well said robert, i guess i was on a different page. sorry fellows. later.
My point was that the modeler (aka prisoner) of that Iraqi rescue diorama personally didn’t spend any money at all on his creation.
He had the passion, vision, and skill to create what he wanted simply with what was on hand. He didn’t actively spend any money on his hobby, in this case.
But I know what you mean. Essentially, nothing happens in this world without money being exchanged.
But as an answer to this topic: “Is Money the most important tool in hobby building?”
Oh, noooo, no no no no no!
But I guess you could argue that money is the most important “tool” in life!!
i stand corrected fellows. model on!![:D] later.
money is close to the top. first kit i made i wanted to paint so i used old house paint and a brush made of my own cut hair a pencil and tape/elastic its sad i know but that was a long time ago it worked decently[:I]
to go along with rsaddlemire’s response that imagination is the most important tool: don’t forget imagination’s 2 evil henchmen, ingenuity and cunning. to give you an example : a craft store in my town was selling academy’s m12 for $18.00(normally something over $30) but with an instore coupon the final price was about $9.00. however, don’t forget the old saying: money talks,b.s. walks.
I only got back into modeling about 2 years ago and I have to say having the means to buy the various nice to have tools, air brush, compressor, etc along with the higher quality kits and model building books / magazines has helped my modeling ability more than just the age difference would suggest, even though I have most all the tools I would like, I have found that I probably rely on an $8 pair of sprue cutters, a $3 razor knife (like a little carpet cutter), sanding sticks and paint brushes for 80-90% of my modeling.
I also agree with the imagination comment, not just for building but for making tools, when I started scratchbuilding I saw a $60 cutting table for cutting styrene, I went to Home depot, bought a small piece of laminated wood, and a couple of squares, I made a table I think is better than the commercial one and I did it for about $15.
Money is important but I wouldn’t say it is most important, now I would rate the internet very close to the top, I have learned so much just by coming to sites like this and asking “how do I…” it is amazing how helpful having hundreds of modelers available is particularly when you consider there is usually a lag of less than 24 hours before some good info has been provided.
It sure doesn’t hurt!!
Ted
hahhaha as the song goes “Money, money isn’t everything…”
After being out of the loop for about the last 12 yrs, getting back into modelling has been a little different for me. One, there’s half the kits out that there used to be… (or maybe that is my perception) Two, everything costs twice as much now as it did then…
Ingenuity and creativity have been my friends… (I had to go back and pick them up on the way, I missed them dearly the first couple of kits since I have been back) Going to the LHS and seeing a set of sprue cutters for 16 dollars then realizing when I was in Wal Mart later, that the (manicure) cuticle removers were the same @#$ tool for 11 dollars less helped me get a grip on it…
Money is important for the normal hobby builder, but with a little work someone who invested 50 can produce the same result as someone who invested 700. I was talking with my dad the other day and getting some modelling tips. I asked him how he masked his canopies on the models he built for me when I was a kid. he asked me why would I mask my canopies. A 1 dollar magnifying glass on a pedestal and a detail brush from Woolco’s were all he used. (a very humbling conversation to say the least)
I’m slowly overcoming my urge to buy… and think instead.
(P.S. I still mask my canopies…)
Hmmm…
Its not the most important but it sure is good to have for it though.
Even the cheapest, most basic kit is a passport to modelling enjoyment.
My current project cost me £3.65, or $6.57. It’s a dead basic kit which I’m, updating with bits from the spares box.
I’m enjoying this as much as a £40 Tamigawa kit, not because the kit is state of the art, if anything it’s the opposite, but because it presents a challenge, and an opportunity to excercise my imagination, and develop new or existing skills.
All that for £3.65? Bargain!
Karl
money can buy you materials but skill, technique, and imagination are the best tools.