Quote:
Originally Posted by Knife
I wonder if we are blowing the pirate issue out of proportion. As Airdave and Murph can testify, you will not be making a living off of paper model sales. Design and publish what you want, but remember that it's your hobby, not your main source of income. Ever heard of Sumoto? He had a fine site with great designs, then one day just walked away. Apparently he just wasn't making enough money to justify the expense. There are so many free models now available on the internet, that there is no reason to steal models from pirate sites. Back before the internet, we used to have to rely on mail order and brick and mortor stores for our kits, and it was not unusual to pay $50 or more for a model. But you got high quality printing on quality paper (except for MM kits). As a "semiprofessional paper modeler", I could justify this expense a few times a year. These models make up the bulk of models now on pirate sites. Murph and AirDave and many other kit designer today only charge around $10 for their kits, and very few of their models can be found on the pirate sites. It's just not worth it to steal kits when they are reasonably priced. A clean conscience doesn't cost that much these days. You won't get rich designing models, but you will get much respect from this peer group. And that might be your best reward.
Sorry for the rambling, just some idle thoughts.
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Hi Kevin,
I absolutely agree with you and you have unlocked the secrets of the papermodeling universe where we all co-exists. The designers, the builders, the hoarders and the pirates. It was a shock to know that Jeremiah's skylinepapermodels site just vanished in thin air (taking consideration that he got himself to fly cargo delivering Jumbo Jet and was working day & night), it is true that no designers have earned sufficient to cover over their expenses till date. Some buyers are generous which keep the hobby alive for the designers, many are diverted to pirate sites.
The remedy has been disclosed by you to tag the price reasonable, offer in bulk and gift some to recurring customers to keep the hobby alive and on-going.
You made my day and I guess many have experienced the same after reading your post here.
Thank you once again.
