Hi Guys,

Im wondering if you all can help me out. I recently sold most of my buildings off, they were all Walthers Cornerstone Buildings in HO scale. I mainly did this because im going into the prototype modeling, modeling real structures, currently my plans are for an area along the BNSF mainline in La Midara, CA.

Anyways, what do you guys prefer to do? Do you prefer to buy your buildings and structures as kits? Or would you rather pay a little extra and buy them fully assembled, painted, and weathered, all ready to be placed on your layouts?

I would like to hear what everyone thinks. I had an idea thrown my way, not just by one member, but by a couple in the past, that i should consider buying kits, assembling, painting, and weathering them and selling them. Custom building/kitbashing kits into a structure that would suite your needs would also be an option.

Im just curious if there would be a demand for such a thing. Right now, im out of work, and have been out of work for about a year now, and like many, im having a hard time getting a job ANYWERE, so something like this might be an easy way to pay the bills for a little while, at least until i can get a job.... Not to mention, i think i would enjoy building structures for re-sale, and it would definitely keep me busy.

Good idea? I wanna know what you guys have to say about this, and what you would prefer, kits or Built-Up's.....

Now for some other information i have been thinking about regarding this:

1. I would do services for both HO and N scales in the building, painting, and weathering of structures. I would prefer to do Walthers Cornerstone Series Structures, but others could also be done if someone would like something done and gives me the specifics on which building from which manufacturer.

2. I was thinking that i can have some generic Walthers Kits that i would buy, both in N and HO scale, build them stock, paint them, weather them and then list them along with pictures...

3. Another option would be to combine kits in kitbashing, either with 2 of the same buildings to make them larger, or by combining 2 buildings to make one. I wouldnt be building to any standards, just making a building that looks somewhat appealing and might be of some use for someone on there layouts

4. Custom Building would also be an option for anyone. If someone has a space that needs to be filled by an industry, weather they have an industry in mind, or they would like to have something custom built for fill in the space, i could also do this, again completely building, painting and weathering the structure so its ready to put on a layout....

Hi...I prefer to buy kits and build & weather them myself. I prefer wood kits, but have done plastics as well. I'm not sure that you can "break-even" with the building service. From my point of view, the effort I put into the buildings would result in a price that VERY FEW would pay. So...unless you drastically undervalue your work, I don't see much of a future in it. But then....a little something is better than nothing....On the other hand, I could be all wet.....

Josh, since you just sold some, you know what the return is on them. I know that if I charged the same rate that was charged for me when I worked (not on models, of course), the price would be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Someone in our club once objected to seeing an assembled building tagged at $20.
I feel that part of what I'm paying for is the fun of putting them together.
I saw a mention today of a British firm making and assembling coaches -- price in pounds 185 per coach (over $300 Cdn or American??) I'm not up to this, although someone must be...

I'm cheap. If I can't get it as a kit and build it to suit myself, I just won't buy it.

My take on this is that I prefer to build my own from kits, however I seldom build them stock. I always personalize them by either changing something or leaving off something.

I prefer wooden kits when the structure is wooden which most would be on my 1900 rural Ontario layout.
I do have several DPM kits for my downtown Orangeville area. Hoever since downtown Orangeville was mostly 3 stories and I have 2 story kits now, I will be redoing the scene and kitbashing.

Next I will be kitbashing 2 buildings into one and maybe one day I will be brave enough to attempt a scratch build.

I think you should be prepared to do any of the above if you really want to go into serious business. A few of the guys around here who offer custom work will weather an existing model, build something as per the kit instructions, or will scratch/bash for you depending on what you need and how much you are willing to pay.

Having said that, I think that the middle option (build as per instructions) is a bit of a non-starter now with all the "built-ups" that are available. People are still willing to pay for something they can't get out of the box - weathering (although rolling stock now comes weathered in some cases!), or custom/customized work.

For me, as slow as I work, I am still happy to assemble or scratch build myself. I might consider a custom building, depending on the price.

Hope that helps.

Andrew

It really depends on the situation. If you're going to prototype there isn't many kits out there that are modeled from real structures, but similarities of the buildings, with some modifications here and there it can look more realistic to something in your area. If you wanted to match things around town you could end up looking for a similar building and add on or cut off. Really is up to the person, do they want something close to real thing?

Josh,I have bought assembled buildings but,I still like the "old fashion" kits.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a built-up structure unless it was dirt cheap and one that I really wanted. Paying someone else to have the enjoyment of assembly just doesn't seem right, so it should be cheaper than the kit form of the same structure. Also, I seldom build a structure as the manufacturer intended, unless it suits my purposes to do so - I look at most kits as boxes of useful parts.
In the photo below, the green structure at right was acquired as a built-up model - free at a nearby hobby shop 'cause no one else seemed to see any potential in it. To the left of that is a storage shed from the Walthers grain elevator, one of a handful of kits built as Walthers intended.
[album]746[/album]

Another thing to keep in mind is shipping: while your finished model may weigh the same as the kit shipped to you, it will cost considerably more to ship to your customer because the package will be, in most cases, much larger. It will also be much more difficult to pack in a manner that will ensure its arrival in good condition.

Wayne

This is the result of two Walthers "Modulars", with replacement windows, doors, and other details from GCLaser, which was a project for the company that didn't "get off the ground".
[attachment=1429]
The building in the background (I don't have a better shot of it) started as a "Grewsome Casket Co." that I bought already assembled, tore apart, and rebuilt with a few "embellishments".[attachment=1428]

Here's another "Grew-some" (reminds me of a joke that can't be told here - ) Casket Company re-make:
[album]749[/album]

Wayne

doctorwayne Wrote:Another thing to keep in mind is shipping: while your finished model may weigh the same as the kit shipped to you, it will cost considerably more to ship to your customer because the package will be, in most cases, much larger. It will also be much more difficult to pack in a manner that will ensure its arrival in good condition.

Wayne, you are absolutely right, One of the biggest problems for me right now is the shipping. If you dont live close to me, it can cost up to $50 to ship a large building safely.... If its a smaller building and can fit in a box of less then 20" long, 15" wide, and 15" tall, i can ship it across the US for about $15-25, depending on the weight. This is with Priority Mail. I also offer Parcel Post and UPS Ground (both of which are usually the same with insurance)

Shipping is usually what draws alot of people away. Ive done my best to keep the shipping down on the stuff that i have sold so far.....


The way i have been selling my buildings right now (these are the ones that i have personally used on my previous layouts) is ive been listing them for what i would like to get for them, and so far, i have had luck. Ive been charging usually full retail for the built-up, sometimes ill get more then that from others bidding, sometimes ill only get my asking price.

Another thing a member pointed out to me on another forum i had this posted on was prices and my time assembling, painting, and weathering them. Usually, if i try and sit there and bang the whole thing out, i can finish a building in about 5 hours or so depending on what it is. Kitbashes may take a little longer, but this is the general time frame it takes me. Mind you i dont just throw the parts together with glue oozing out and such, im careful and if glue does ooz out, ill wait till it dries, sand it down, and mask and re-paint the area so its not visible anymore.

Charging full retail for the kits seems to be working, but im only making usually at the most $20 on a kit, and sometimes im just breaking even. Of coarse, i dont pay full retail for anything, just like most of us.....

If i decide to start doing some more structures, you can bet that i will be trying to find the sales on the structures from online hobby shops. If i can get them at a good sale for 50-60% off, it just might be worth it if i can sell them for full retail or maybe even a little more depending on what the building is.

I just listed my King Midas Flour Mill last night around 10:30PM, woke up this morning, 8:00AM, already 5 people watching it. Price is $49.95, that structure maybe cost me $35 for the 1 complete structure, and to take the extra silos from a previous build. Time spend building was around 4 hours, assembling and painting, no weathering.....

I completely understand that this hobby, at least for the HO and N guys is mostly a craftsmen hobby when it comes to structures. I myself would have a very hard time buying a pre-assembled structure, just like others have said, i love to build them and get the satisfaction of knowing hey, i built that Its a great feeling..... The only way i would buy a pre-assembled structure is if i happened apon a GREAT kitbash or scratchbuilt structure that caught my eye and interest. I might even be willing to pay a little extra for it if i really like it....

Ive been selling a few structures on e-bay, but i really dont think e-bay is the way to go. By the time a building is sold, its cost me nearly $10-12 bucks for a $80 structure that i sold in fees from both e-bay and PayPal. Which also hurts the profit..... But there is really no other place to list these, and get the amount of people to see my auctions other then e-bay. Sure i can list them on the forums and such, but that is to a limited amount of people. I guess you get what you pay for in a way, listing on e-bay will cost you if you wanna get your auction out there for others too see....


Id like to thank everyone who has voted and posted here, you all have certainly given me alot to think about, and that is just what i was looking for, advise Thanks again!!!

When Galen (Ocaliecreek) was living here in So Cal and a member of the Orange County Modular club, he built up an Atlas interlocking tower kit he had sitting on his shelf. He no longer needed the tower for anything he was currently planning to model, but he built it, painted and weathered it, an listed it on E-bay to see what it would do. I think he ended up selling it for 3 to 4 times the price of the kit! As a business, it probably does not make economic sense. You should expect to at least paint and weather any model you build to get the maximum return on investment, and even if you get $30.00 for a built up kit that cost you less than $10.00 to buy, you will probably find when you do the math that you worked for less than $5.00 per hour! On the other hand, if you enjoy building kits or even kitbashing, but don't have space on a layout for all of the models that you would like to build, it can be a fun way to pick up a few bucks "on the side." I think the key to not losing money on the deal is to know what shipping is going to cost before you list the item, and disclose it in the ad from the start. I think you will also do better by building the cheap Atlas type kits or small DPM that are also small (less expensive to ship). If you develop a few customers who like your work, and want some custom designs, then you can negotiate specific prices for a specific design for them.