Ethics of kit conversions

**charleswlkr54** · #1 09-26-2011, 07:27 PM

With all the talk of pirate sites, etc, I was wondering about a project I'd like to try someday, I noticed that GPM has a 1/24 Rolls Royce Pattern 1920 amored car. Now, the RAF aifield edefense people took some of these and put the hulls on Ford truck chassis after the RR cahssis wore out, added a Scarif Ring mount to the top of the turrent with either 2 Lewis or 2 Vickers K mg's.oks like all you would have to do really is change out the wheeels and add the ring mount/mg's. Is it allowablwe to do that or must I get permisssion from GPM or the desginer first?

**charleswlkr54** · #2 09-26-2011, 07:51 PM

I meant ETHICS, darn typos!

**Darwin** · #3 09-26-2011, 08:20 PM

If you have a legitimate copy of the base kit, modify the parts (or add parts you have created yourself or took from odther legitimately obtained kits), and do not attempt to distribute the modified kit, I see no ethics problem to customizing, kitbashing, or whatever name you wish to give the process. The only exception I would make to that statement is if the original designer stipulates that a condition of the download is a prohibition against resizing or otherwise modifying his kit. The thing that amuses me is this question would not have been asked if it were a plastic kit....instead, the modeler would just grab the spare parts box, razor saw, and body putty and have at it....and, if it came out nicely enough, get the build published in some scale modeling magazine.

**SJPONeill** · #4 09-26-2011, 08:21 PM

So long as you are working off a legally acquired original of the model and intend to keep this at the end of the build (if it is not expended during the build i.e. if you work off a scan in case of errors), then I would say that this is eminently ethical...no different than if you were going to convert a model in other media like plastic or resin...

**Jim Nunn** · #5 09-26-2011, 09:30 PM

Charles,

I see no issues you purchased the original kit and you are adding to the model, I assume for your own enjoyment. I would think that you could even make the "add-on" available, they would be your property.

I you feel that you need GPM's permission then ask them. My personal experience is that they will give you permission. I modified one of GPM's free down loads (jerry cans) using their PDF files and basically changed a good 40% of their work and they gave me permission to offer it on this forum.

Jim Nunn

**Darwin** · #6 09-26-2011, 10:01 PM

Jim, again harkening to our plastic bretherin, I know of no cases whatever where anyone has gotten into any kind of a patent infringement problem regarding sales or distribution of "conversion" kits, so long as they are able to demonstrate the item they are offering is their own work, and not a derivation from the parts in the kit it modifies. Any parts you create as original designs should be fair game for you to distribute any way you so desire. If not, every producer of photoetched aftermarket replacement parts for commercial kits would be in deep, serious trouble....and I haven't seen that happening.

**charleswlkr54** · #7 09-27-2011, 05:23 PM

Thanks guys! I think the difference might be you can't put a plastic model on a pirate site and claim it as your own as you can with a paper model! Plus you HAVE to buy the plastic kits, etc.

**charleswlkr54** · #8 09-27-2011, 05:25 PM

And yes, it would be for myself, claiming it as totally my own WOULD br a copyright infringement.

**peter taft** · #9 09-27-2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleswlkr54

I meant ETHICS, darn typos!

Typo's corrected

**cdavenport** · #10 09-28-2011, 10:08 PM

Sorry; every one of you are dead wrong. There are no copyright or ethical issues to deal with. In fact, if you make a modification or, as we call it in the plastics world, an "after market part," you are under no legal obligation or threat whatever to obtain permission from the originator of the kit.

Years ago, Monogram produced a 1/48 PBY-5A Privateer model that featured a tail section that was grossly wrong. Not months after the release of the model, a Canadian company produced a resin plug to replace the kit parts. It's still available. And Monogram (now Revell) never corrected the kit (impossible to do so without huge cost).

In fact, the production of an aftermarket part, paper, plastic or otherwise, for a specific kit is seen within the industry as a plus because it makes the kit that more attractive to someone who wishes to make the model a bit more unique. You can buy aftermarket parts for a growing number of paper models.

You can sell your add-ons/modifications with a clear conscience. In fact, you can repackage an original kit with the additional/modified parts and offer it for sale, as a complete package. It's done all the time in the plastic world. In fact, you are doing the original manufacturer a service by purchasing the kits! The copyright laws are the same for plastic and paper models, too.

I make my own vacform canopies for my paper airplanes. If I want to offer them for sale for a specific kit, I can do so at will.

What you cannot ethically do is reproduce a copyrighted kit without the copyright holder's permission. That's called pirating....in the plastics world, too.

If you want to make a new fuselage to fit, for example, a GPM kit, you can do so legally as long as you are not trying to pass it off as a GPM product.

Frankly, I'm surprised we have not seen more of that. Airdave has done a number of repaints of Marek kits, likely with permission. But, he really didn't need it if he just offered the skins and sold them to be used with Marek kits that the modeler had to purchase.