SCC Milford graduate Brad Park recently opened his own Hobby shop, BP Hobbies, out of his apartment in Seward.
Park was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, but moved to Milford for the John Deere Program at Southeast Community College. After graduating, Park decided to stick around the Milford area and moved to Seward, where he has lived since.
As a kid, Park spent a lot of time building model cars. Since living in Seward, he found he had to go all the way to Lincoln to find any kits or supplies. Park then decided to begin a shop right here in Seward so that other people could have access without driving out of town.
“I got tired of driving all the way to Lincoln on my days off of work when I needed supplies,” Park said. “It was a spur of the moment, I decided I was going to do it and went after it.”
Currently the shop is run out of Park’s home, but he does most of his sales on Facebook at BP Hobbies. Park hopes to hold some classes or events in the future to gain interest and show people the basics of building model vehicles.
Park’s shop sells model vehicle kits for various types of cars, trucks and semis. He also sells different types of glues for the kits and paints so people can customize their creations.
Park is working to start taking custom orders and even selling pre-built models for people who aren’t interested in building. He is also looking to get some easier kits for a younger audience, especially for people looking to build the kits with kids or grandkids.
When beginning a new kit himself, Park begins by double-checking that the pieces are all there and unbroken.
“First thing I do is open it and make sure all of the pieces are there, and unbroken. Then I cut them all out of the plastic and clean them up,” Park said. “Then I begin to assemble and paint.”
Park said assembly time depends on his work schedule, but with a full time job, it takes him two to three weeks to assemble and paint the model.
Park assembles his models and then paints the accessory pieces before placing them. Some kits come with decals pre-made for the model, but Park sometimes makes his own depending on how he wants the model to look.
“As I get closer to the body [of the car], I like to think about if I’m going to put the decals on or if I’m going to make my own,” Park said. “It starts with one plan and changes before I get it done.”
Each kit can be personalized and customized by the builder with paints and decals based on what the builder wants the model to look like.
As a long time builder of model vehicles, Park said his favorite part of building the kits is placing the final piece.
“My favorite part is just getting that last piece glued onto it, then sitting back and looking at everything,” Park said. “You’re going to find the mistakes you made and things you wish you never did, but all in all I just like seeing them come from flat pieces of plastic to a model. If it looks like the real thing, even better.”
Even though he has been building model vehicles for a large amount of his life, Park knows how difficult it can be to first start out.
“Just go for it, it’s a daunting task when it’s your first one. Buy which one you’re looking for and watch a video online of how to do them. Just go for it. If you have siblings, kids, grandkids, do them together,” Park said. “Don’t look at the flaws, just look at the fun you had when you built them.
Park often brings kits and supplies to craft shows, but can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BPHobbiesLLC.
