Plastic Model Hobby Expenditures: What Do You Spend Money On?

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

After viewing a thread on face masks, I couldn’t help wondering how much we spend on peripheral items compared to actual plastic models.

My largest expense since returning to the hobby is still plastic kits.

Next largest expense has been paint : either Tamiya Acrylic or Testors Enamel

Third : decals

A very small fourth: PE - one , 1/25th Aber Panther G set; one 1/232 Gold Medal Olympia and Oregon PE Set

Misc : a 3M face mask for protection against vapors- specifically Tenax, rubber gloves, small storage bottles, liquid glue (prior to buying Tenax ), A Badger 150 airbrush

Tools are left over from the 1980s.

I do not yet have a spray booth

Question I have for my fellow builders:

What do you spend most of your hobby money on: kits, accessories , paint or tools, glue or misc. items?

2

My expenses are in pretty much the same order as yours.

I haven’t been buying much lately, but am still spending about the same…quality over quantity!

3

My estimated rankings by expenditure would be:

Kits

Decals

Reference books

A/M detail parts (both photoetch & resin)

Paint, glue & other misc

Kits are by far the biggest single expenditure, the others would be pretty close and vary from year to year.

Mark

4

I would add weathering products,the abundance of products from AK,Mig and others make it easier for less talented people like me get good results.

5

first is decal sheets, second is paints, third is Ordnance sets to give me more options for load outs

and I do still buy some kits here and there, when new ones come out in my area of interest

Rex

6

I am at Kits, paints, and then tools. It is actually rare that I buy any after-market anything. I will buy decals once in a while but only for special projects and not just because.

I usually build OOB and scratch build so whatever I buy can usually be used for several builds before I have to buy again (styrene, putties, brass tubing, etc…).

My hobby budget is very limited.

7

I don’t buy kits except maybe 1 or 2 I REALLY want these days. Lately I’ve been getting in the game of bartering kits I got years ago and no longer want to build for others kits so that’s generally how I obtain those.

Paint: Being an all around builder with a sub specialty of automotive subjects paint adds up. Case in point I just popped $75 on imported Japanese clearcoat for my body shells. Toss in all the other custom mix auto body colors and primers, armor, aircraft, figure, etc colors it adds up.

Aftermarket: I’m not real big on the AM end of things. I much prefer scratchbuilding/hashing my own details together (I suppose this would put sheet styrene/styrene shapes, wire, soldier, and the like at #2)however if I can’t get what I need from doing it myself I’ll order something which amounts to $200-300 per year in my best estimate.

Beyond paint and the occasional aftermarket I don’t really buy much else. TBH I think my monthy videogame expendetures outweigh my modeling [:D]

8

Paints first, then tools (I’ve been trying to upgrade some things), decals, reference books. Haven’t spent any on kits; I’ve plenty, and the ones I’ve gotten have been gifts, so that frees up some revenue.

Glenn

9

Kits and paint mostly.

Tools are third, though I did get a new magnifying lamp the other day.

I haven’t got too deep into the AM stuff yet.

10

My biggest expense would be kits but after that it’s hard to say. I dont buy stuff all that often so the next big expense could be about anything.

11

Easily, by far - Reference books. Love 'em. 4-5 books for each kit.

Then it’s: AM Parts

Paints and Weathering medium

Kits and Tools - I pretty much have every kit and tool I’ll ever need aside from some new

paintbrushes now and then. My kit stash grows via xmas & bday gifts.

12

A guess, since I don’t keep an account book, but I suspect I spend about as much on tools- especially power tools, as I do kits. Airbrushes, compressor, dremel tools, modeler’s drill press, things like that. They are more expense than most kits (at least the kits I buy- I don’t buy many kits over a hundred bucks, look for bargains), but I buy fewer tools than kits. Oh, had to replace my ring magnifier lamp awhile ago- that was thirty bucks, but it replaced one I’d had for forty years.

Cheapest category of expenses would be supplies. I use a LOT of paper towels, but that stuff is cheap. Keep toothpicks, coffee stirrers, masking tape, and a lot of supplies I do not buy at hobby shop (yes, I do have tamiya masking tape, but use hardware store stuff for large areas).

13

Having just dropped a $141 dollars to Squadron the other day for the Trumpeter 1/200 Arizona I would say kits first, followed by paints and AM detail sets.

14

Ditto for me red… Over the 2 and a half years that I restarted for a 40 year absence, I have spent $$$$s

15

Lately it has been kits, then paint. I don’t have an airbrush, so I spend money on the rattle cans. As long as I stick with WWII planes, I should be ok. But my daughter and I are looking at doing a car sometime this year. I just don’t see being able to get away with Dark Sea Blue, Olive Drab, and Neutral Gray for the exterior of a car.

I don’t spend any money on A/M, at least for now. We do spend a little on tools and supplies, but not that much. Our next shopping trip will be for masking tape, 1/2 oz of brown paint and maybe a rattle can of dullcote.

16

For me would be a house…bought one that had a nice room just for my build room.

Second would be the kits.

Third would be Airbrushes or paints

After that would be other tools that I can justify buying cause “i might use them”

I don’t buy much AM stuff so that is not a big expense for me.

17

For me is :

1 Kits

2 PE and AM stuff

3 Paint and decals

My tools I’ve had for eons and stuff like blades I buy bulk, sanding sticks at Walmart (cut them to size) and any other misc tool (s) i get at Harbor Freight really cheap.

18

Mine is mostly tied up in tools and paints. I stopped buying kits altogether. Got enough of those to last the remainder of my life although my stash isn’t half of what I have seen from others. I just aquired my first double action airbrush and air compressor this year and what a blessing that was. Still have some other tools and equipment to buy but just purchased a newer car so that will slow some.

19

My stash is pretty big so I do not but much kits nowadays. Most money gets spend on paint and am (i love eduard masks)

20

For me…

  1. Paints

  2. AM stuff (Masks, resin)

  3. Misc. supplies (Tape, glue, sanding)

  4. Kits (I don’t buy that many at all)