Spending Too Much on Scale Modeling? Try These 6 Money-Saving Tips!

Five kits....Revell submarine and Trumpeter Titanic and remainder are planes..

G’day Hank, some good advice there except many local hobby shops are struggling because they invest money to maintain a wide range of kits to attract customers.
Most don’t have the bulk buying power of large chain retailers.
Generally, they are forced to charge top dollar prices even on the most popular kits.
I’ve only got one local shop and, in desperation to get my business he gave me a ‘special discount’ on a popular kit which was still $25 more than the best price available online.
I want to give my business to local stores but many make this difficult.
I do try to buy my consumables from him but he can’t afford to carry full paint ranges etc.
Cheers, Bill H.

Sir,
I have built a few radio controlled sailboat along with rigs and sails. I also built a couple of RC planes. . I do not have any experience other than that. I am going to build a Dumas balsa model of the USCG Utility boat that I served on many years ago. Do you have any wood modeling experience? Specifically, is there an instant setting glue that I can use as opposed to waiting for wood glue to dry after each step?

Thank you very much for your videos. They are very informative and interesting

8 kits coming

I have finally kicked the stash habit. Currently I have two kits in progress, one kit on deck and a list to pick from when I finish the in progress kit. I do make rare exceptions if an out of production kit becomes available to me or a limited edition kit is released that I am really keen to build. In those cases any purchase from the list gets delayed. I have been true to this for the past 4 - 5 years. Before that I horded kits and ended up having a fire sale to get rid of kits I had no intention of ever building.

Just bought my first model 🎉🎉

I have 1 kit that i received for Christmas. It will be my first build in a long long time. I am super excited about it.

Best thing about keeping your stash low is that your kits will be more up to date and you won't find you have so may old kits in your stash that you want to replace The newer kits today just fall together and the level of detail limits the aftermarket you need.I had a stash well over 500 kits once. Moved OS and had to sell them all. Now I have about 10-15 and all all the latest kits.I dabble in ships and armor.

42 in stash 81 build

I only have one unboxed model in my stash an academy 1/72 scale fw190 but I have plans to bild heaps more kits what I do is have a plan of what modles I want to biled and by that kit wgen I finish the one I'm working on having a stash of around 3 kits is pretty good for me but if I do find a kit I want that is hard to come by like a 1/350 scale yamoto kit I will get it but you commen 1/35 scale panther tank isn't going anywhear

I hate to say it, but your suggestions are all good. Thanks!

I had that same process as well, when I was a teen and lived at home. When I moved to entirely different part of our
province (Ontario) I then I discovered a land of more than one hobby shop (LOL).
While I initially keep that same credo (1 for 1) but over time and continuous visits to these many stores, I had at one time, accumulated and almost 700 models.

When my wife and I started our family, she asked - are you going to build all these kits? After many times of my answering Yes and her continued question - “are you, going to build, all these kits?” we agreed that maybe I probably won’t be building them all - at least not knowing where I’d put all the potentially finished kits - LOL.

So, over the course of two years I sold/gave away about 600 models. Since then, I’ve bought some and built some but the stash has slowly built back up to roughly 200. Such is life.

I have 279 model kits in my stash but been collecting kits for twenty years. I have been building them I think I know why I got so many kits is because you never know after going to your local hobby shop if the kits will be available to get after a week because Hobby Shops go out of business an getting models online especially on E-bay take some time to arrive to your place were you live. It is a wonderful hobby but if you talk to some modelers they also end up like me. That is why when modelers die their stash wich is usually large go to estate sales because the hobby has no guarentee you can always get the kit to build you want. Anyway I like your program an keep up doing thhe interesting topics about plastic modeling you do.

I restarted modelling 3 years ago. I now have 57 kits un-opened and 9 started, plus I bought loads and loads of materials and painst etc etc. Yes., it's got out of hand, but I love every minute of my modelling time.

i have over 200 models and didnt build one yet :( i strated my channel long ago but i get lost in life.
I had chance to buy one last model i wanted De Tomaso Pantera. guy sold it with other 2 different models like porsche i guess and some other shelby. for price the new De Tomaso Pantera cost, i was regreting but promised myself it will be my last model but dealed the price i wont cross.

yeah...stash is getting upwards of 20 kits now...my wife ain't gonna be happy...but my dad has over 1000 XD

Ihave 4 in the stash, 1 unopened 1 waiting for aftermarket tracks, 1 was a two plane kit where I finished the first and lastly a T-72 which was beyond my ability.

I'm at about a half dozen unbuilt kits. Trying hard not to add anymore right now.

Once a month Hobby Lobby has 40% off ALL kits. Their selection is ok, not good, just ok. It's great for new builders . Ollie's sometimes carries kits CHEAP. However....dude, you are 100% wrong about buying kits at a local hobby shop for 2 main reasons. 1.Hobby shops are EXTREMELY scarce. Before " TOWER HOBBIES" , many years ago, hobby shops were in almost every town. Mail order put almost every hobby shop OUT OF BUSINESS. Even the rare hobby shops that still exist today struggle with staying in business.
2. There is one of thee greatest hobby shops in South Jersey called AAA. This hobby shop is extremely well stocked.
Especially paints.
They have a store front, and a HUGE warehouse for worldwide mail order.
Their mail order prices are discounted while their " in store" purchases are expensive . You get NOOOOO discounts or breaks. Example: I just bought a MPC 67 GTO at Hobby Lobby. Regular price $23.00. With 40% off ( $9.20 off). Most
Hobby shops like AAA ? $34.99. FOR A STINKING MPC MODEL, REALLY ?
They have the nerve to charge FULL retail price. I NEVER EVER buy kits from hobby shops, ONLY paint, brushes, K and S brass, aluminum tubing, evergreen plastic, and sometimes bare metal foil. I even buy my different thicknesses of super glue from Home Depot,or H. Lobby.
That's it. They do NOT deserve my business charging what they do.
I'm 60. When I was 26, I managed a REAL hobby shop for almost 3 years. These owners were whores charging what they did. They NEVER EVER discounted ANYTHING EVER. Owners name was Cohen. Maybe that had a little to do with it ,who knows ? Sorry for the long rant but this hobby frustrates me. $35.-$50 for a kit that cost the manufacturer a $2. to make. With today's technology,kits should be cheaper.

I had less than 70 kit boxs. Most of them are First to Fight kits. most of them are First to Fight sets, they are cheap with the magazine, and most of them are Polish equipment from September 1939. Additionally, they often have something German, rarely seen from the September campaign, and so the cabinets get full, and with time and assembly it becomes more difficult

GOSH!
I could have saved 10 immediately, minutes that is! 10 minutes of my life I cannot get back ! If I were to say that’s 10 mins a week for say 93 weeks plus extra for holidays I could have saved well maybe 30 mins net. Some of your assumptions were just as ludicrous and some were also damaging. Retailers know we add on to our main order and often will inflate the add Ons price. Far better ordering where one gets a better deal and no extra p&p in many cases.
Nope just not good enough and potentially damaging to both of us.
Do better, bashing out another piece to up your numbers is not good.
Bob
England

Have several hundred kits, alot of drag racing, Nascar, muscle cars, 100 corvette kits. In 40 years a lot of these kits I didn't pay 5.00$ for.

I build dioramas and my purchases are in function of the subject. A diorama about Stalingrad requires Russian tanks, so then I buy a Russian tanks and some Russian figures. I only work one diorama ahead so my stash is very limited (max 5 kits). All other tips are true, but I will add to reduce the products. You don't need 200 types of expensive paint. You can mix them and you can cheap paint work (If not too crappy). You can also save out on weathering products. Your garden is a great source. You want mud? Use real mud.

I have thousands of model kits 😬
What can I say…maybe I do have a problem. It’s obvious I can’t get through them all.
It’s not the cost that’s the problem. I’ve been collecting for 30 years and don’t spend much every month for model kits, but it adds up after that many years. Obviously it’s the fact that I hoard them that’s the problem. I can’t even use my garage anymore it’s so crammed with boxes containing kits.

Great Video and some good Tipps!
But . . . Dang, where can i get this Hoodie? Love it! 😅

I've got kits that I've spent way too much $$$ on. ( That's part of the reason I'm still driving a 1995 truck..) Just kidding , it a 98.. But I spent that extra cash because of the quality and subject . And the possiblity that it may not be in production for that long.. But I do for the most part , buy in bulk.. That way I've got what I want and it didn't break the Bank.. And I've got plenty of great kits to keep going for a few months.. And everything is definitely going to be built at some point in time..

I have 4 or 5 kits in my stash, and a couple of boxes with figures. Fact is there are no, I repeat NO model hobby shops near me now. From Huntsville west to Florence, Alabama.

Well i just retired last year I'm 63 i been collecting kits for about 30years i don't know the exact amount i would say less than 500 and greater yhen 400 but i have built three kits in the last three months

thanks for the scale mates website

My problem is I have found numerous model kits at goodwill for DIRT cheep and I’m like oooo I’ll build that and do something with it ahah

I got 0 un finishied kits my parents would pressure me to do them and i would feel bad for not making them

Good, you made me feel better bc I only have 8 models in my stash! Although I’m just restarting after a 65 year break.

Great tips! If you're lucky enough to have a hobby shop in your area, check to see if they have a bargain bin or dusty corner shelf with old kits. I recently got a 1/72 Italeri FW 190 and a Matchbox Mosquito for C$4.99 each, a NOVO (made in the USSR 😮 from old Frog molds) P-61 Black Widow and a Mania B5N 'Kate' for C$9.99 each. Just because a kit's old, doesn't mean it's no good. As a matter of fact, some are better than what's churned out by some companies today.

after counting 140 boxes in my stach i stopt counting.

My stash was getting out of hand and I discovered a local hobby shop that did consignments. The hardest part was in deciding which kits I wanted to part with, but after selling probably 20 or so I found I didn’t miss them. That helped my local shop and fellow modelers as well.

Great advice

In the spirit of all the foolish bending that I did in the 80s, I say the heck with it just get more!

Always enjoy watching your videos. Just started building again I will use your information wisely could see how it gets out oh hand

Wow! I have no stash of kits and my build times are anywhere from 4 months to 7 months. I can only paint about 5 months per year. The rest of the time is too cold to paint.

I’ve got 2 on deck from Christmas that we’re just a little too complicated for me at the time. (Airfix lied about the skill level on its website 😂)

I think I'm up to 7 in my backlog. Not too bad.

I've only got four kits in my stash and two boxes of figures.

Yeah ,it easy for the stash to get out of hand ,boats,planes,tanks,figures,sci-fi, everything under the sun ,had a killer hobby shop in town for 25 years ,owner was a really great guy ,fantastic modeler to ,but it's crazy how out of hand it can get

21 1/72 aircraft, 11 1/24 cars, 2 1/350 ships, 3 1/72 spacecraft
Just right, but room for more.

I lost the wind screen to the p51 revell 1/48. What do you pros do if you lose a part?

I’ve got about 20 unfinished kits lol

Too late for me. You people try to save yourselves.

Man I got one unopened kit

5

I gotta say I don’t agree with the “buy close to avoid shipping”.

I just bought a bunch of paints etc that cost me $8.95 for shipping.

My car gets 5l/100km at best. So, at best I’m going to drive 20km and that is going to cost me $2.00 in fuel at the current rate.

I’m probably 20km from my nearest hobby shop, so $4.00 round trip just in fuel.

That’s going to take me about an hour. That’s about $30.00 on my hourly rate.

So, my trip is now costing $34.00 + wear and tear (tyres, etc).

I’d be better doing 1 hour at work overtime.

Much MUCH cheaper to buy online & suck up the shipping cost.