Model Building Services?

[Housey]

I have a couple of large Warship models 1:350th scale that I want to get built. I have started one, the other not but I am not really of the skill level to do them justice and would prefer to have someone build them for me. Does anyone know of people who provide this service, ideas of costs, timescales etc?

Sod it, wrong forum. Can a mod move this to GD please?

 

[DampCat]

Have you tried that one fella in the Airfix thread in GD? His models are insane

 

[Housey]

I have asked a couple of times in that thread, but nuffin forthcoming so thought I would just raise a general thread to seek advice.

 

[DampCat]

Ah. @plasmahal is his handle I think.

Carry on then! I don't know of any personally sorry, just thought of that guy.

 

[NoobCannon]

Seems strange to ask in motors. Why not post in the tapletop ganing section where they have a model section

 

[Dis86]

Are you just wanting them built or painted too?

 

[ShadowMan]

There are professional services out there or you can get high quality amateurs to do them. Depends what you want really and what you want to spend.

I have done airfix/revell on commission and for display gifts (ex RAF family got aircraft they used to work on etc) but I don’t consider myself a professional. Ittook me about 5 weeks to build and paint a RAF Tornado. All in it was around 60 hours work I think and with the resin upgrade parts was well over £200 for just the kit alone. I’m not sure how long a 1/350 ship would take to build but I would suggest a pro is going to be £20 per hour upwards so costs spiral quickly.

Post in wargaming probably best bet.

 

[robfosters]

Iirc, you want a full diorama don’t you?

 

[ShadowMan]

Dioramas look good. Pain to keep clean though. I managed to dig out a few photos of the 2 I finished in 2018 for family. Unfortunately the photos are taken from Facebook as I can't find the originals. Both are 1/48 scale with a lot of upgrade and custom made parts (FOD covers etc). Both recipients were engineers in the RAF hence the layouts.

 

[Housey]

Seems strange to ask in motors. Why not post in the tapletop ganing section where they have a model section

I posted by mistake, hence the line I put in about moving it...

Are you just wanting them built or painted too?

Both, full completion

Iirc, you want a full diorama don’t you?

No, actually, not really the space for that. Want both stand mounted for my home office.

 

[Housey]

There are professional services out there or you can get high quality amateurs to do them. Depends what you want really and what you want to spend.

I have done airfix/revell on commission and for display gifts (ex RAF family got aircraft they used to work on etc) but I don’t consider myself a professional. Ittook me about 5 weeks to build and paint a RAF Tornado. All in it was around 60 hours work I think and with the resin upgrade parts was well over £200 for just the kit alone. I’m not sure how long a 1/350 ship would take to build but I would suggest a pro is going to be £20 per hour upwards so costs spiral quickly.

Post in wargaming probably best bet.

I would have to compare it with pre-built versions but I have both the models already.

 

[Quartz]

Dioramas look good. Pain to keep clean though.

Under glass or in a display case, always.

 

[LewisRaz]

I remember when I tried getting back into warhammer as an adult that I found model painting services on ebay. Have you taken a look there?

 

[plasmahal]

Hi Housey,

I appreciate this is a somewhat open forum, but have you considered what you are willing to pay?

I have done a couple of contributor builds for Airfix Model World magazine. They supply the kits, paints and most consumables and I build the kit and I photograph the progress (I have invested in lighting and a good DSLR camera) and write and format the article. They pay £30 per page for an article average between 6-8 pages.

I also know people who do commission builds and this a professional service that is bound by a contract agreed between client and service provider.

If you consider the cost of a kit (which i think you already have), all the paints and consumables required and add to that, say 150 hrs at the current minimum wage, is that a budget you are comfortable with?

 

[robfosters]

So basically he’s looking at over a grand. That’s a lot of cash.

 

[plasmahal]

So basically he’s looking at over a grand. That’s a lot of cash.

The amount of hrs was a complete guess as i don't usually record the total time i spend on a model build.

It may be a lot lower in terms of hours, my point was to highlight the overall potential cost and if Housey had considered a budget for that.

 

[ShadowMan]

Which kits have you got?

Agreeing with the above. Having done those 2 for family I couldn’t see you spending less than a grand per model for build and paint to a pro standard.

My family asked me to do more for their ex raf friends but they wouldn’t pay that so I declined. It takes a lot of time to do.

 

[Housey]

So basically he’s looking at over a grand. That’s a lot of cash.

Well it will be a short lived venture if that is the cost. I am not suggesting it's not reflective of the time spent, just the value to me in having 2 models made.

The kits.

 

[robfosters]

Wouldn’t you get more satisfaction from them if you have built them yourself? It’s time consuming and difficult, but you might surprise yourself in just how good you can do it.

Do you have all the necessary modelling equipment?

 

[ShadowMan]

Did you have a budget in mind when you started the thread. An amateur with a longer timeline will save money and would get you a good result but prob not quite a pro level who does it as their only job. The timeline is a factor in pricing it out.