Hey all,

I bring a lot of my dios into work for my office. A co-worker wants me to build him a dio that he is giving as a gift.

I've never been commissioned to do one and have no idea how much to charge for one. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle something like this? I don't want to overcharge him, but at the same time, I want to make it fair to me.

Other than the cost of the models themselves, I don't know how to charge for the time and the rest of the supplies.

Any ideas will be appreciated!

Thanks,
JZ

I haven't done that myself but I'd say the price of the kits and $1 per color/pigment used. You could also throw in something that would pay for a dinner for two, for instance.

Hope this helps!
Cristian

I would charge the cost of the kit/kits, materials such as paint glue pigments etc, also the cost of the base and materials if your good at wood work then the dio pieces such as scenery plants trees rocks whatever then labour which is your time you feel is enough to cover the hours of hard graft you have put in.

example I sold a star trek voyager fully lit for £400 that covered the cost of the kit the lighting kit the extra detail I put on the shipping costs and the pe set that I needed the base and the months it took to build. in all I made around £40 profit

whats the dio that you have been asked to make buddy?

Well, I restrict myself to WWII armor, infantry and artillery so as to keep focused. He wants an American scene with a building and one vehicle in a winter theme. So I will most likely do something Ardennes with snow. I was thinking of asking him what his budget is to determine how big/small the dio will be.

You said you've brought several dios to your work site in the past,, so has the subject of "what's it cost to build something like that" ever come up before?? Folks who don't engage in this hobby might be surprised at the cost of some kits nowadays. So you might start by telling your buddy how much $$$ you have invested in the dios you already have finished. Also, if the guy wanting the dio plans to honor in some way the person he's giving it to, you might be faced with trying to find decals or materials for a very specific vehicle. Hope it works out for you!!

I would say as others have already intimated whatever the cost of your materials plus something for your time. It comes down to how valuable is your time?
My bench time is limited these days because of my eyes so I charge a lot for my time.
J

I've given him an idea on how much the models themselves cost, but it's the time that is flummoxing me. Good advice from all!

the only other thing I can suggest is be realistic with your pricing for your labour and not be greedy and over charge as you may end up with a dio that he cant afford or cant justify the cost of. but as mentioned ask him on his budget get more details of what he actually wants then go from there oh and get a timescale aswell ie when he needs to be ready if he gives you a week for example you could potentially charge a little more as it would be a priority build but if he gives months then like I said be realistic buddy. let us know your thoughts once ya have a plan of action

This is always the big question and not easily answered. In the model shop that I work in we get a lot of requests for this sort of thing and therefore we discuss it a lot. We have a range of levels of skill and charge accordingly. We start with at least US$30 for basic labor rate, as that is the mininum that is fair to repay for the skill that average modellers have acquired in their work. We have a couple of people who have won Best of Show at IPMS and AMPS Nationals and their time is worth US$75+ an hour. If you then work out the number of hours it will take you, then add the value of kits, tools and material you will be surprised how much you have invested in each model.

How much you charge is up to you, but at least let your friend know what you should be charging in a "Cost Pricing" model basis. Two other things to consider. If you make something for your friend that you wouldn't normally make, you may find it a chore and therefore should charge accordingly. Also, if there is a deadline that has to be met, that takes the fun away as well.

This is not intended as an answer to your question, but some factors to consider in setting your price.

Hmm.. for about ten years after I retired, I built models for commission-- many were in the minimum $750-$1200 range depending on the subject-- tricked out 1/350 ships always cost more. My last commission was for 5 1/350 battleships, and the Revell 1/72 Flower class corvette, a package deal for $6000 for a repeat customer. A commission modeler has to be able to recoup the cost of materials and time. But building for co-workers is different-- you have to work with them every day, so in effect, they are more than a just a customer. I worked part time until a few weeks ago. I had a co-worker ask me to do some presentation models for the local Civil Air Patrol. I had him procure the models, charged him the cost of materials, and I donated my time. For commission builds for casual customers, I figure my time is worth about $20 an hour, any less and the job is not worth it because your time is valuable, the time you spend at the workbench is time you won't be spending with family or on your own modeling projects. My recommendation is this-- if you think this is just going to be one or two people at work asking for models, have them buy the model, charge them for materials and perhaps charge them a small fee (perhaps the cost of your next kit?) or donate your time. On the other hand, If you plan on doing commission work beyond one or two dioramas in the office, set a higher hourly wage. Commission work is hard work, its not really a hobby. I gave up commission work a couple of months ago so I could spend more time with my family and on my own model projects. Model commissions may sound fun, but it can get old when you're constantly building subjects you would not normally choose for yourself, and you're spending 20-30 hours a week doing it.
Oh yes-- one word of caution. If you don't know the person you are building for, have them buy the model AND put down a deposit up front-- nothing is more aggravating than building a model and having a customer tell you they don't want it after it's built-- they are less likely to do that if they've made an investment. VR, Russ

Great advice from everyone. I really appreciate it. I will see him early next week so once we have a plan, I will update you! If there are more tips, please leave them.

JZ

swing by www.combatinscale.com and take a look.. see anything you like/have a similar idea we'll help you price out a build!

When I do a commission, I set the price up front, not an hourly rate. If the buyer won't meet my price, I'll walk away. From experience, if he tries to low ball your price, feel free to say you just can't do the job at that price. I had a guy balk at $10 for an OOB plastic figure and $15 for a modified one, even when I told him of the price another guy charges (more than 10 times as much). I also won't do something I don't care for, i.e., ships. I turned down a ship job for a customer since I just don't care for them.
Even though you know him, get half up front.
It's a good idea to set up a contract/agreement in writing before you start into this. Since it's a dio, a drawing of the layout before hand might be a good idea, so there are fewer surprises.
Determine if he wants you to use your discretion or if he wants to be involved in the process. If he does, increase your rate since you will have a lot more work to do. Been there, done that. My story telling and the customer's may not be the same so you need to know what he wants and expects.
In any case, keep the following in mind:

I know a guy who is a "professional" model maker. He has done commission work for museums, government and private contractors. I once asked how he determined what to charge and he told me that he charges 8X the costs of materials. That seemed like an awful lot to me but then again he is truly a professional modeler.

I have built for commission in the past and also sold to collectors. I generally get about $150-200/vehicle. While I've never done a diorama, sounds like you will be using several vehicles and figures. That is considerable work just in construction and painting. Add to that the time it takes to plan and layout all the components for a diorama and the construction itself and you are conservatively looking at around a minimum of about $750.

Its always tricky to put a price on your hobby - at the end of the day, it's FUN!
As privously mentioned I think that you need to get the costs covered. And all cost - if not every jar you use, then at least most of them.
Your labour is another matter. If I had to do a DIO like the described I would recon somewhere between 30 and 40 hours. If you times that with the average cost of skilled labour (ec a mechanic) you'll quickly realize the price of the project will be high. Maybe to high for the buyer.
I would therefore suggest a different approach. The buyer pays for all materials, for which you work out an estimate. For your labour you pick an object (like an expensive model) and explain that, that covers your man hours.

Sit down with your customer and determine: dio base size; how many vehicles, and what kind; how many figures; any buildings/landscaping; what the story line is; any after market pieces required, or totally OOB. Draw up a sketch or plan of the dio as the customer wishes. Determine the cost including: the base, all kits required, supplies (paints & building materials) then double that amount - and agree on it. Maybe insist on a down payment. I used to do hand-done calligraphy and decorations, before computers did that, and believe me, even a moderate project at minimum wage/hour was more than most buyers were willing to pay. Except for contracts of hundreds of names on diplomas, etc., I ended up giving a lot of work to friends for free, or token payments.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I gained a lot of information from this. I really appreciate it. I've worked out how much he cares to spend and have the beginnings of a plan.

The dio will not be very big, suffice to say . Basically, it will be an American Jeep with two 101st Airborne figures in the Ardennes. It will include at least one big pine tree, maybe a smaller one as well, with appropriate ground work and snow. I will also have a fox hole in the scene. Nothing earth shattering, but I've done winter scenes before and that is why he asked for it.

Again, thanks to everyone! I will update this when I finish. I may even dare to post pics, although I'm no photog.

Best,
Jon

Some models go for $200+ on ebay, that's just the model. A diorama would be more of course, don't sell yourself short.
Depends on the models used/ diorama buildings etc...ie- a dio of just men & no tanks would be cheaper then a tank dio.
I imagine if you put your heart & soul into it, screwed everything down , a display case with lighting, couple tanks & figures ...$500-1000
But, ask the buyer what he's budget's like...then base your price on your experience as well...if your a true artist at it, wow, you could get lots.

Here's an example. www.probuiltmodel.com
This diorama is going for $1241.00

This one is $695

Always these darn cliff hangers of not knowing what happened. So what did happen? Did you build the model, enjoy building it, was your co-worker happy with the dio, what?