With everyday business keeping us pretty occupied, it's often nice to take a step back and dig a bit deeper into some of the relationships we have with our many suppliers. One of them, Paul Bodensiek of Paragrafix, is a relationship that goes back to the start of his business nearly a decade ago. Paul has been a big supporter of MegaHobby.com and our modeling efforts, and we always try our best to return the favor as best we can. Paul's history in modeling goes back to when he was a kid, as most of our modeling histories do. Below is a brief conversation we conducted with Paul about his business, Paragrafix, and his life as a hobbyist and modeler. Enjoy!

Are you a hobbyist yourself? If so, what got you into modeling?

Yes, I am. My brothers made models when I was a kid, so I picked up the bug from them. Left the hobby for a while in my 20s, but came back to it in my mid-30s.

What made you decide to go into the hobby business?

I’d been running an engineering consulting / web design / technical writing business for about 13 years when the economy tanked, taking out many of my construction-related customers. I’d already been selling a few items that I had made for my modified 2001: A Space Odyssey space pod when a guy at a hobby show mentioned that I could use the same techniques to design photoetch. I designed some products for him, then began doing my own. Within a year I was doing better with the hobby work than my “real” work, so I began to phase out the engineering and concentrate on modeling. After nearly 8 years I’d outgrown the two small rooms in my house that I’d been using and began renting space at a local factory building this past January.

Tell me about the creation of your company and how you came up with the idea for your product line?

Most of the beginning of the company is outlined above. As for the product line, I decided to go with what I know: science fiction vehicles. It worked out nicely that there was really no one providing photoetch to this market, other than a few small parts included with garage kits.

How do you come up with new product ideas?

Mainly it’s based on what new kits are coming out or being re-released. As for what to include in a set, that’s a matter of taping up a copy of the kit, then comparing it to reference photos and deciding what can be improved / enhanced.

What’s your favorite build/favorite kit you’ve built yourself?

I’d have to say that 2001 Space Pod. I spent about 18 months researching and designing a full interior to replace the one in the kit. Constructing it when I had no real previous scratch building experience was a great way to push my skill set to new levels.

If a modeler has an idea for a new product, how would they go about suggesting it to you?

They can contact me via my website.

What would you say to someone who is not familiar with modeling and would like to know how to get into it?

Buy a simple kit, any kit (so long as you enjoy the subject) and build it. Don’t worry about getting Master Modeler results the first time out, just build and enjoy the process. When you’re done it will likely leave a lot to be desired, but go online and see how people overcame some of the fit or finish issues that you had. Incorporate these into your next build. Repeat as necessary. Also, don’t spend a kajillion dollars on tools straight out of the gate – get a few basics like an Xacto and some hobby files, then expand on this a little at a time as you need a new capability.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the hobby industry?

It’s the greatest job in the world. As I tell people, “I get paid to play with toys all day!”