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So this is an exploration into the potential of opening up a custom modeling shop. I've done a couple of projects for friends, basing, reposing, and just assembling complex kits. I wanted to explore the possibility that others in the community would be interested in the complex basing and custom posing.

For my clients interest I would plan on creating a blog so they can follow my regular updates on their project. Two sample versions below on a current and past project.

Fire raptor commission:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/678872.page

Tzeentch lord of change:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/588275.page

I do not plan on painting the models, as I consider myself an average painter. (Although locally, I know quality painters and would be happy to refer clients to them) I am curious to see what others think, and if/what you would be willing to pay for the work that I do.

Thank you very much for your time and interest.

~Jessup




Eldar projects:



Tyranid projects:

Added a poll so the nearly 100 people who have checked out the post might be willing to vote.

I think it would help if you had better pictures, they're a bit blurry and well it's hard to see.

But yeah sorry not anything I'd be interested in as I do my own stuffs anyway, and while I might like interesting modeling it's a real pita to paint stuff assembled like that.

I don't wanna sound like a tool here but I'll just give you my opinion. This side of comissioning is really hard to get right and the demand seems pretty low. I mean look at all the people on the P&M forums of all the forums. I think demand is for stuff that people can't do, like casting and sculpting, or for things that aren't economical, like thousands of identical bits etc.

There is also demand for this type of stuff but it seems to be for really high quality things, with amazing paint quality included, see GMMM.

I just don't think you're gonna get people after this. Those who don't want it won't pay as they are fine with bare plastic, or love modelling, or don't want to pay for something they could do themselves.

Sorry if that sounded harsh but I think that it is the truth and bears no reflection on you as a modeller.

Honestly, from what I'm seeing so far, I don't think there's a market, and I'm not seeing quite the level of skill I'd want from assembly.

Full assembly leads to far too many problems with painting to get a good result; and for a commissioned work, that's what is paramount.

If you want to avoid the paintwork, you'll need to work the modelling in such a way that it doesn't interfere. This means cleanup of parts, and a really, really good knowledge of subassembly - knowing which bits you can glue together in such a way that the model can be pinned together temporarily for posing or checking, and then stripped back down for painting. It also means your subassemblies should be turned out 'clean' - seams removed and filed/sanded flush etc.

To do this is actually really quite time-intensive, and clients will often overlook this - I'd say out of my (not cheap, but not too expensive rates) around 30% of the time cost (for tabletop work) is in assembly. You still want to be paid for each hour of that time, and it ramps up very quickly. There's also far less opportunity to batch up stages to offer any sort of 'bulk work discount' - cleaning 15 seams is cleaning one seam, 15 times. The only time saving is in not putting down your tool between each one.

You'd end up relying on people that will accept a lower standard as 'good enough' to make it economical to do, but in my experience those people aren't willing to pony up $10 an hour or whatever for that work.

You might do better off building and casting custom parts.

Edit: Heh, Ninja'd.

Very fair, I appreciate the comments Guildenstern.

As to pictures, I'll have to work on that. I know my photography level currently is more of the quick snap a picture for my blogging style. I'll have to break out the tripod and a white box.

I agree it can be difficult to paint them once they are in that pose. I myself often paint with the model in pieces before final assembly, especially if I'm doing interior detail of some kind on a vehicle.

If a client requested, I would likely model and then disassemble, leaving it dry fit to pins so it could be painted and then put back together. (Up to client if they would assemble, or return it to me for assembly.)

Alternately, I have a friend who has offered to do painting of any models that needed it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Thanks for the honesty guys. That's what I'm pursuing is the blunt truth to find out if this will work for me.

I do cast and minor sculpt, although it's surely not golden daemon standard, or even high end quality sculpting.

I think this would be a side project, (not so much primary income) that as much as anything would attempt to scratch my itch for cool projects without spending all my money.

As a person who does commissions (many of the types you list, and more) I have a few thoughts....

First off - are you doing this as a venture to make money, or as part of the hobby you enjoy, to make a few extra bucks in your spare time while you work on stuff you love?

Because if its the first, you will need a LOT of customers. If its the second, then bravo!!

Second - the people on this forum might not be a good pool of people to get feedback on what "they" would pay - after all, if they are here, they more than likely already have experience in this sort of thing, and can do it themselves.

Third - the best market are those gamers who have either a shortage of time or skill, and a surplus of cash.

Your work is creative - so if you can get others to see it, there may be a demand. Keeping it as side projects as you mention, would be good.

One thing you can do, is once you get a few jobs going here and there - get some business cards, and give a few to the guys you have done work for, and ask them to throw them in their mini's case. That way if someone says "dude, that model is cool...where did you get it " they can hand out a card.

Best of luck and have fun!

Thank you Davethepak.

I am a doula in my real world job, and while that involves a lot of time doing research and the occasional 24 hour birth. It also comes with a lot of down time at home.

Getting to work with minis is just a cost effective way to keep working on cool projects. Also to exercise my abilities and improve them.

I used the Dakka forum as a link to gather anonymous interest or dis-interest from both here, and the local gamers group I'm part of.

The business card idea is a great one. I appreciate it.

I'm totally going to check out your gallery images in search of inspiration.

Ask in the 40k general discussion section, they'll be your customers.

For anyone else wondering, a doula is like a non-medical midwife - they look after the mother

Most people won't pay for assembly of models as they're pretty straight forward to assemble, and the service is often provided by painters anyways because the painters themselves need to pain the model in sections, rather than a complete whole.

I would recommend instead making some custom bases for casting to start. Those would be the easiest way for you to go right now.

Just as a thought, though, and I don't know how you'd feel about it, but the Malifaux people oft lamment the difficulty of putting the models together (they're quite hard, some of them hellishly so). Or "fiddly" as I like to call it, such as separate parts that really shouldn't be separate, like toes, fingers,... Yan Lo's beard. Anyway, there may be a market there. God knows I've thought it often enough as I have sat here putting Gremlins together! plus it seems a lot more people in Malifaux like to build completely, then paint, as compared to WH (though that's just my experience so ymmv of course). Anyway, just an idea!

@Guildenstern,

Thanks for the suggestion, the maker of the model makes no mind to me. I just enjoy putting them all together. I really appreciate the suggestion for marketing to the maifaux people.

This isn't something I'd personally be interested in, but hey, it doesn't hurt to put it out there, right? You can start with your friends and local hobby shops, and go from there.

One thing to keep in mind is that often, if you offer something, you might get requests to do something else that is a hobby-related task that you can make a little money for doing something you enjoy

My two areas of concern, which without any proof of pedigree, you'll have a hard time reassuring other on as well:
- Mailing back safely. What experience do you have in proofing these kits against damage? Mailing safely, materials and things such as magnets for dissembling larger bits will likely cost as much as your pricing tiers. Research. Practise. On your own kits, not a client's.

- Targeting Forgeworld kits. These are premium, expensive, and often discontinued models. You have no client base, no feedback and no presence.
Why would I potentially send you an out of production or $50 kit and expect anything in return?
Unless you are buying the kit and taking payment for kit + postage from FW + building fee + postage solution back to client, the risk is too high for the average owner.

@Buttery commissar,

That is a very fair concern, and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.

As to mailing back safely= That is something that can only come with time and trust. There is nothing but word of mouth that can effect that. That would be one of the reasons for the blog that I have going on the fire raptor. It shows my client the process I go through, the step by step condition of the model, and how things are going. Insurance of the model in the next answer will help as well I believe.

A fifty dollar kit is one of the cheaper ones right? Most of the kits I have worked with have been well over 100. Step one would be a contract, that made me liable for the work and the condition of the model once I had assumed possession of it. (Your shipping the model to me is under your onus.) The unpacking picture in the blog being the first moment.
Part of the contract then is your placing half the money agreed upon in my paypal. (I need protection as well.) Paypal can also be used to hold money much like an escrot account I would place an agreed upon amount in this manner. Upon completion of the project, once more, photos provided of proof that the project is complete and the model is safely encased in high quality packing manner. Then I expect the balance to be paid, and the insurance removed when I ship. Our signed contract protects both of us from foul play.

Does that satisfy your concerns, or is there something else that you would suggest in improving that?

@Talys
I am okay with doing more then I have advertised here. I assume that people would be more interested in the modeling aspect of the work that I do, and less in the painting. While I often appreciate commissioned painters, the cost of time, effort, and money makes doing a full army hard for me to swallow. If doing just center piece models, then while it may look fantastic, the model doesn't match the rest of the army that I painted. Colors don't match, style, air brushing vs washing.

Anything non-painting I consider to be in the purview of what I would like to do. One of my planned projects after I catch up with the endless swarm is to work on my knight army and dive into LED lighting and actuating motors. (rotor cannons that spin.) I feel like the large models/bases that involves with, especially with dioram. I can have a host of subtle buttons and the controller in the ruins, while power lines run up the legs, saving space.