Thoughts on Restoring Custom Models

Hello all!

I've recently purchased (not yet received) a model off Ebay that was customized in the early 2000s. 2003 I think. It has some flaws due to age and rough handling over time. I'd like to do some restoration work on it to then show it.

Being new to the hobby, I'd love to hear what people think generally about restoration work done on older custom models. Is it acceptable? How much is acceptable? How is credit usually given for this work, or is it even mentioned at all in a horse's description, etc.

That is a GREAT question. If you know who the original artist is, and you can contact them, check and see if they prefer to do any repairs themselves (there's actually a few who feel rather strongly about it, but not many) - or if they have any useful info to share. An artist once graciously sent me a small list of paint brand/colors/finisher, some helpful hints, and even encouragement ("you can do this!") when a particularly precious model suffered a tiny scratch. She was right; the model and I both fully recovered from the trauma, lol.

You never know: I had a couple of very old CMs that were really showing their age, and then out of the blue the artist contacted ME. She was actually inquiring if I'd sell them back to her, if I still had them. She also offered, right up front, to do any restoration they needed if I didn't want to part with them! They did wind up going to a forever home with her - they were her two all time favorites, and I knew it meant a lot to her - but it just goes to show that an artist who loves their work may well stand by it for longer than you might think. I'd had those two for nearly twenty years!

I do think reaching out to the original creator is a nice courtesy, but that's just me, and even so I wouldn't bother (and haven't) if it's something very small or simple; I've gained a bit more confidence and skill over the years. ;-) Likewise, if it's just hoof rubs/eartips/minor touchups, I wouldn't feel I'd done enough to mention it.

Obviously if you don't know who created the model, or they're no longer available/reachable, then go for it. If major overhauling is needed, then I'd be inclined to mention my work, as well as any original credits I knew of, going forward. Likewise, if you wind up truly changing the overall look of the model, you should definitely acknowledge it. Hope this helps. :-)

Last edited by redoakranch, Thursday, September 1, 2022 12:45 AM

I agree with the poster above, that if the work is minor and only about restoring damage like ear-tip rubs, or minor scuffs, or repairing a bit of snapped mane, with the aim of making the model look exactly as it would've done before the wear and tear, that wouldn't be worth mentioning.

But for showing customs, you don't generally have to include who painted the model anyway. It's possible a showholder might ask for that info if they're writing their own rules and want more details than are usually given, but I've been live and photo showing for many years now, and no judge has ever asked for artist names in CM classes - it's not the norm. (I did once have someone approach me after a class to ask who created something, but that was more cos she loved the style and was curious!)

Some owners like to add credits in descriptions, for the sake of offering details as complete as possible - I always do for my collection website, so
I can see why people would want to - but it's not necessary information which has got to be there.
OMHPS asks for what medium was used when you're filling in your workmanship details for a horse, but not who applied it, so you're even fine showing models in those classes without artist names.

Last edited by HarecroftHorses, Thursday, September 1, 2022 3:34 AM

Thanks very much to you both for such informative replies!

I’ll see what work truly needs to be done when I receive the model and go from there. The model’s provenance is a bit ambiguous but maybe one of the groups I’m on, on Facebook can help me place her!