Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Not sure where to post this, but i figured here would be best. Had a question regarding commission prices. From what i understand a general rule of thumb is above table top standard usually goes for around model price.

I recently received my first commission from someone for a supercity suit from forge world. Knew nothing about the model other then it was big, so i just threw out $600 usd, but then I looked into it more and pulled back to $500. and even now thinking about 400~500. The commission is a pretty simple paint job, but also requires assembly, cleaning, and bending back (it sat in a car) Dakka think im changing a fair price to deliver this from box to table painted and such?

Get rid of the idea of model price as a factor. You have to pay for your time and costs. Over that the Golden Rule is really 'charge what you can get away with'. I don't mean rip off customers (word would get around pretty quick), this is business, not charity. If your prices are too high for what you're offering, you don't get work. If your prices are too low you'll get too much for the time it pays for.

As for the cost- is the model already assembled as this can make cleanup more difficult? Without knowing what state it's in impossible to say what's involved. For paintwork alone to a decent high end tabletop standard the $600 seems a touch low; it's a large kit. I'll have a proper look when I get a chance.

agreeing with everything Winterdyne said, plus I'd add that forgeworld calls for far higher prices than normal models anyway.

Between the higher detail and terrible quality, both building and painting FW models is more painful.

Had a look. If you mean one of these:
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-NZ/Tau-KX139-Ta%27unar-Supremacy-Armour

...then $600 is pretty damn cheap, a little under half what I'd be thinking of (but my idea of tabletop paintwork is not most people's). You also have repairs to consider as I mentioned. Bending back isn't always the easiest task, especially on models that rely on smooth lines.

I've had a few squads painted, at fairly high standards, typically below "Premier" levels reserved for special units / HQs. I've shopped around US, AU, EU and don't mind shipping for quality painting at a price I can afford. My most recent squad of 10 Space Marines cost $500 USD.

Having assembled larger kits - those are a headache & being FW resin - that make the process exponentially more annoying. $500-600 for a model of that size seems more than reasonable to me, if not maybe a little low.

winterdyne wrote:
Had a look. If you mean one of these:
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-NZ/Tau-KX139-Ta%27unar-Supremacy-Armour

...then $600 is pretty damn cheap, a little under half what I'd be thinking of (but my idea of tabletop paintwork is not most people's). You also have repairs to consider as I mentioned. Bending back isn't always the easiest task, especially on models that rely on smooth lines.

And thats what i was wondering Its my first commission so i just tossed out a number was not sure if i was over or under selling it. But thank you for the input! I did figure i should charge what ever people are willing to pay so.

The last bit of advice I can give is really 'Do each job properly'.

Make sure mould lines and pour gates are removed and cleaned up, join lines filled if necessary. Pin what needs pinning, don't assume that a dab of epoxy will hold large parts (it almost certainly won't).

Liquid greenstuff is OK for surfacing, but for deeper filling, milliput is more useful (no shrinkage as it cures and it sands/ files/scribes easily).

Get your base coats neat, clean and even. On a model this size, airbrush for gradients and oil washes for panel lining come into play - regular acrylic washes can be a devil to control on large flat areas.

Take photos with at least 4 angles at each stage. I still find flaws to fix in photos much more easily than looking at the actual model. This as much for you as the client - it really does help in learning where the bits you miss while physically working on the model are.

Finally, don't panic if you make mistakes. Just fix them as they happen, and before you move on to the next stage.

Good luck!