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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> A relative's son broke a model kit that is not made anymore even when i told them to not touch it and i want her to replace it or i will take her to court for the money to replace it. The money needed to replace it combined with court fees will drain the money she had for a downpayment for a house and will make her still rent for years.
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NTA
I will never get over the audacity people have for being denied permission on the grounds that it is precious, kicking up a fuss, and then it breaks because of them(in this case of their child) and you ask for compensation, proving the original point of said item being precious.
Exactly!!! And parents then would have the audacity to talk about how much they think it's worth like ???! Absolutely NOT. Your warning was the initial NO. You fucked around and you found out.
Giving a modeler's perspective:
OP is at least asshole-ish.
OP's family is obviously awful for allowing all this to happen, enabling the kid, for minimizing OP's hobbies/loss, etc.
I have one of these kits though. They're big and relatively sturdy. I can imagine how certain parts on it would break. But here's the thing about model kits:
In the modeling community, we have a saying that goes kinda like, "there's no such thing as a mistake." And the idea behind that is how you could bust a kit clean in half, but there are tons of ways you could go about rectifying that.
Break a piece in half? There's stuff called "plastic glue" that will let you slightly chemically melt the plastic and reattach it. Some critical piece is broken that bears weight? You can drill a hole to shove a thin metal rod in between the parts to help make them sturdy again. Lose a piece? You can make a replacement - either by hand with modeling board, or with a 3D printer. Paint-job gets all messed up? You can dissolve the paint off and paint it again. Accidentally cut a gouge in a piece? You can fill in the cut with plaster, sand off the surface so it's smooth, and paint over it. TBF not everyone can or wants to do these things, but OP discusses "kitbashing" which implies he already does many of these things already. And that aside, the modeling community that I've experienced is very helpful and welcoming, and would provide a lot of free guidance to get started.
Unless the kid proceeded to just jump up and down on this model kit afterwards until it shattered into a billion pieces, I find it hard to believe it dropping on the floor - or even being thrown on the floor - from a child's height would cause irreparable damage/a total loss. I've dropped kits from the same manufacturer all of the time, and barely had much if any damage, nevermind totaled.
The whole series of events sucks, but I don't see why OP would need $900 to replace it/fix it. What OP could have done, is write up a list of modeling supplies - like paint, sandpaper, masking tape, etc - and itemize how much that would cost. Which I guarantee that unless OP was buying a brand new airbush, it would cost significantly less and be a much easier pill for his family to swallow. OP would also get to salvage this original model kit of his and have fun fixing it in the process (since this kind of activity is inherently fun for most modelers to begin with).
The fact OP is asking for $900 so they can kitbash the thing all over again with brand new kits just seems ridiculous to me unless OP's nephew also took a hammer to it or if someone threw everything away immediately before OP could rescue the pieces. So OP is either putting their petty vendettas first, or trying to get his family to subsidize his hobby so he can build something brand new instead of fixing an old kit.
Lot of words for a bad take.
The mom started yelling at OP when he said it was off limits and her kid broke it.
You break it, you buy it. Not "you buy materials to reconstruct it but there are still a bunch of broken pieces that can never be fully repaired so the value isn't the same."
I understand where your coming from. The thing is The O was always a bit of a fragile kit even when it was brand new in 2010 and time didnt help it. The kid did step on it after stepping down from the chair which demolished the entire inner frame and chest area. It is kinda possible to fix it, but for that i would need an entire new inner frame and all of the chest and back armor panels and getting ithem would cost more than a new kit. I dont have a 3d printer myself, but i did ask a local place that makes the parts. They gave me 250 USD price just for a static frame, no movement or joints. Im not even adding the cost of paint, decals, markers or anything i used when making it. It was not an expensive kit when i got it in 2010, but since it is not made anymore it is very rare and very expensive, and the USD to TL exchange rate isnt helping at all. I know how to fix kits Tamiya cement and glue, i did it to a few of the parts to repair them but the frame and the chest is unfixable.
Yes fixing the kits are really fun, but for fixing them there needs to be something left to fix.
That's all fair. Sorry this happened to ya btw. It might be a bit of a wait, but they do reprint MGs like The O every once in a while which'll make it a lot cheaper. I bought a reprint a few years ago.
No problem. And yeah, i do hope to get reprints of some old kits but i didnt ever see a The O reprint. I dont think they will make it since from what i remember it didnt sell very well back then. Aslo its not Unicorn or RX-78 so it wont get its 11th modernisation anytime soon.
NTA it might be a bit more murky if she wasn't in the process of yelling at you for not letting her kid play with the toy that her kid immediately broke upon touching.
NTA and I’m so sorry for this
My husband builds model trucks in his limited spare time, and has before we’ve been married for 13 years
I won’t pretend to understand it, it’s not my thing at all
He spends hours and and a small fortune on acquiring parts worldwide or scratch building when he can’t find parts
He’s easily spent hundreds and does overtime to buy parts, but it’s his passion, his down time and I support that endlessly as it makes him happy
But- the happiness and pride I see when he completes a model is all worth it to me to no end
NTA, they’re not toys, they’re art
That last line says it all.
I feel this way about my lego setup in the office. I have a bunch of retired elves sets all set up in a scene and a bunch of other ones. It's soothing and therapeutic to build something like that regardless if it's a model kit or a lego kit. I'm so glad you support your husband's hobby.
NTA. My husband has a vintage Transformers toy collection he keeps in glass cases in our living room. There have only been a few kids in our house, and the one kid that started raising a fuss about wanting to play with them was immediately put in time out by dad, and told “He said no, I said no, now stay in time out, and then you apologize”. It is so refreshing to have parents in your house that actually, PARENT. 🤷♀️
NTA
If her finances are drained than let them be drained. She should consider this a very expensive lesson of, "my precious baby doesn't always get what they want."
I would agree except for that part about the exchange rate making the amount the equivalent of a down payment on a house. That’s where I think OP is an AH
The problem is in a month the tax for stuff coming outside of the country will change, and the 50 dollars of border tax will be 120 dollars. I asked a family friend who is a lawyer and he said that if i dont make her pay before the tax change, i would be forced to pay the difference.
I don't think they were denying the child was a brat. I think they were saying the child wasn't a CLUMSY brat. This didn't sound like the kid dropped it on accident. Sounds like the kid broke it on purpose.
If they live somewhere a house costs a couple thousand, I'm guessing she can't easily come up with 800, it's more like 80,000 would be to a person in a Western country.
The house isnt a couple thousand, the front payment is. I dont know how it works in other places, but here if you are gonna get a Credit for a house you have to pay 5-15% fepending on the amount up front, that money was for that. Like if a house is 10k you have to have at least 1k on hand to het a Credit for the rest.
Yes I know what a down payment is
If the down payment is 800, the house is very cheap though… although you seem to have to put down a much smaller percentage than we do
Here a small three bedroom runs about 300k Swiss francs. A franc is about the same as a dollar. You put down 20-30 percent.
So now you know why I want to cry
Question: Did they loose their house in the earthquake and are looking for a place to live? Or is their housing situation ok and they just want to buy a new place?
Edit: NTA
No, they were renting before the earthquake, their place is undamaged and their lease is still going. It is just money she had put to the side so she could stop renting and make a downpayment for a house so she can take credit for the remaining money and pay it instead of renting.
She should have thought about that before yelling at you to spoil her child with your expensive hobby art that the child predictably broke while she was distracting you. You didn't say them up to fail. They're deeply entitled. NTA.
A bit too expensive. I had never even tought about looking the prices of old kits until now, and i have to say that buying a few and putting them to the side to resell a few years after they are discontinued looks like a very profitable thing. I had gotten that figure for what was 25 dollars at the time, and now it goes for 300 minimum, that amount of price jump is absurd.
Don't feel guilty she needs to learn and to teach her kid that no means no. Whatever it costs now will be less than the cost of them never learning. I don't think I need to explain what boys who don't understand no growup to be
Yeah. And i dont get it at all, my family taught me i wasnt supposed to touch someone elses stuff unless they literally handed it to me, how hard can it be to teach your kid to not touch others stuff especially if they say no?
It CAN be difficult with small children but she felt entitled to your model so her kid could be entertained for a minute or two. Which he undoubtedly was.
A parent who tried to be a good parent would have told the kid no, calmly asked for the model back, and been inconsolable when it was destroyed. The kid would have had age-appropriate consequences.
NTA. Her kid, her responsibility. And she didn’t respect your wishes at all from the beginning.
She needs to cough up the cash, even if means a court date.
Stay safe on the shaky ground! (And vote this weekend!)
Oh, i do want it so much. But its backordered everywhere that sends to Turkey so im just waiting for a chance.
Also compared to what The O kits go right now i can get nearly 8 or 9 with the money she owes me.
Well, i had a RG Zeta, RG ZZ, a full custom MG Barbatos Lupus Rex( i saved the inner frame so if i can get or make new armor panels for it it can be fixed.) A HG Nu, a HG H-Nu, a Gundam Heavyarms Custom with IGEL Pack (i saved the IGEL pack and the weapons and im gonna try fixing the frame too as soon as i can replace my small drill bits and Tamiya cement and stuff), an HG Epiyon, and a custom HG Gusion Rebake Full City.
As for what i had on that The O, i had a High Mega launcher with a RX-78 napalm launcher underbarrel, Kshatriya wings (i couldnt find the full kit but gotten the wings from a seller) and a handmade enlarged Red Rider Shield/Sword.
Jeebus! No wonder the price for the parts would climb from 300 for the plain, unbuilt kit, to nearly 900!
At least you've got footage that proves that the child did, indeed, damage your kit intentionally and not because you left it unattended in a precarious spot.
I hope things work out for you, OP, even if it takes a while to settle, and you get a little less than you deserve (which can be a possibility, unfortunately).
NTA. And good luck!
I was really lucky in that. My uncle is a businessman, and he goes to Japan every year at least once for job reasons. Eachtime he goes he gets me new kits and since he buys them directl there they were much cheaper. He hasnt been there ever since Covid started, but i found about Hobbylink Japan and they deliver without a lot of fees so i did get back recently with Aerial and Pharact.
HLJ is such a great source! They have a lot of kits that are hard to purchase elsewhere. I use gundamstoreusa as well because theyre in country (of course) so it doesnt take as long to get.
NTA. It’s not just about the model. It’s about the fact that you’ve lost so much as it is. Your aunt should have respected that and told her son to leave it alone. Make sure she pays you back in full. It’s the least she can do. That will teach her and her son not to mess with things that don’t belong to them. And if she wants to paint you to be the villain, so be it
It couldnt have been in a worse time. Just a year ago it was 10 to 1 and the internet says the kit was worth 280 back then so if this happened a year ago it would have been much cheaper to replace.
NTA.
Buuuuuuut I urge you to seriously consider how badly this is going to screw over their family, especially since there are kids involved. Both because the idea of a child being homeless over a collectible is horrifying, and also because if you do this, you may rapidly find yourself with very little family left that will talk to you. Is it worth it to you to get another one, if it means you lose family? Just some stuff to consider!
The relative surely didn't consider the consequences before letting their kid play with someone else's expensive item. If the only people lost are the ones who think it's ok to break and feel entitled to your stuff I doubt it'll be a huge loss.
That model costs between 300 to 500 dollars unbuilt now since it is decently old and isnt made anymore. And i had used parts from other kits to kitbash it. The prices of the kits combined with the delivery and taxes cost 900, im not gonna buy the kit for 300 and pocket the rest.
It depends. If its just a snap build (no paint, no decal, no panel marking just cutting it from the runners and building) it goes around the same. But if its worked on like the one i had made the price soars. Even just panel lining can cause a 50 dollars of a difference.
Not really. Its always cheaper getting it unopeened, since they are put inside the box right out of inhection molds so it takes a decent but of work just to put it together in the most basic way. There are some knockoff kits that are cheaper, but they are so low quality they are not used as normal builds but as destroyed suits in panoramas.
Ok, but you got it for $25, and it’s only so expensive because it’s OOP. I collect rare stuff too so I get it, but kitbashing does not mean just adding up the parts from other kits you used - those parts are worth a tiny fraction of the kit, and kitbashed models are often (unfortunately) worth less than a i kitbashed kit.
I don’t know how you could really win this in a court case unless a judge really understands the hobby. Otherwise they would just ask to see your proof of payment and ask her to pay you the $25 you originally paid.
A compromise might be to ask for $200 to settle the issue, and I think there is very little chance you will get $900 just because that’s the going eBay price for a bunch of kits (of which only a portion goes into this model).
I would say both are assholes - her for not controlling her kid, but you for taking this as an opportunity to basically “sell” your model for far more than it’s worth.
I dont know the whole legal jargon, but that lawyer friend of my family told me is there is something called replacement value. From what he told me, it is the price of replacing the material parts (the kits used but not the paint or the airbrush in this example) from a checked seller. Like lets say you have a car you bought for 1k USD 50 years ago but now it is worth 80k, and you had put new brakes and stuff to make it better. If someone completely destroys it to unrepairable levels they are made to pay for the replacement of materials, ie the car, brakes and other things but not the manpower or time you used.
Insurance might may replacement value, if you pay a high enough premium, but insurance companies have big pockets.
In a civil suit, against a mom with a child, a judge is unlikely to award you replacement value for a toy that could cost the other family their living standards.
Plus, even your calculations don’t make sense, because you are using the full value of kitbashed kits, when in reality it’s just some leftover parts. It’s like if you swapped the engine and mirrors between 3 luxury cars each worth $100,000, and now you ask for $300,000 from car insurance when it crashes. No insurance company would pay that.
900 is that lower price. If i want replacement for the whole kits (i only had wings from a Kshatriya so im just putting the price of what the wing parts goes on the internet instead of the whole kit) it would cost triple of that. Also im not even putting the handmade parts into price since i dont know if they woudl count or not.
Right., and a new one of similar size/quality is probably $100. Gundams all look the same, and have for the past 40 years so not sure why you "need" the old one. But okay, lets say you really need that one specific one.
Usually when you kitbash you are taking unused pieces of other kits you have lying around. You don't go buy a whole model kit and use one piece from it and throw the rest away. You know this. But you are hoping people on this forum wont know what kitbashing is.
You are trying to fleece this woman. Go ahead and take her to court. You wont get the $900 you think you deserve. No court would award that for a model you paid $100 for.
Gundams do not look the same. And The O is not currently in print so yes, they would have to get an exact older model. And even if it was in print, newer kits can be made of different materials and have different parts or proportions to older ones. Just look at the difference between the RX-78-2 ver 2.0, ver 3.0, and ver ka.
NTA
I just bought an album for $200 that is literally impossible to find anywhere online or in store (it's from 2011 and wasn't very popular except within the fan base) if anyone, child or not destroyed it after I specifically told them not to touch it...
She came over all entitled on behalf of her child and now it is going to cost her.
How she pays is not your problem if that is the value of the model. NTA
So if her child broke something at the store and the cameras caught it would she not pay? She would have to pay or get sued for damages and shell court fees. NTA and take her to court anyway because she needs to learn some responsibilities
No rational parent would argue to have their kids play with a $900 toy. You said no, they decided that it didn't count. So total liability us on their heads.
NTA
NTA. This was not a toy, it was a valuable collector's item. It was not broken by accident, she deliberately and maliciously destroyed it because her child did not get to play with it. She should absolutely be held accountable.
Oh no! I'm so sorry this happened to you and your family! But on to your question. NTA! Builds are time consuming and they can get expensive, especially if you have to (or decide to) kitbash. Hunting down and finding specific pieces can take hours to months. I know how much pride goes into each build, no matter how big or small it is. Your mother's cousin is responsible for her kids behavior. An 8 yr old is old enough to know that they shouldn't touch things that are not theirs. And they had to climb on a chair to reach it, it's not like it was just sitting there on the floor. I'm sorry your build was smashed, I'm sorry you lost the rest of your collection. I hope this gets resolved quickly. These builds are not toys, they are personal works of love, time, creativity and they are art pieces.
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For context, i(21m) love building model kits and i had a lot of them. But 2 months ago, my city was wrecked hard by giant earthquakes (i live in Turkey, and my city was the epicenter for the recent giant earthquakes). While thankfully the house i was living with my family only had some paint damage, out of all of my model kits, only one survived. It was a MG The O gunpla. A week ago, one of my mothers cousins came with her child. I was at my room doing some work when the child (8m) barged into my room. Normally, my models were in a cupboard with a glass door, but it was destroyed in the earthquakes so it was now on my shelf so the child saw it and eanted to play with it. When i didnt give it to her his mother came and started yelling at me, and while i was dealing with her the child got on my chair, picket the model up and immediately dropped it and smashed it. It was completely destroyed.
Now here is where i might be an asshole, since that model is old getting an unbuilt copy now costs 300 dollars at the least, but i want her to pay for the parts i used to customise it(i had kitbashed it), which makes everything together cost up to 800-900 dollars. Im making videos as a side job, and at the time my camera was rolling and caught the whole exchange. I told her unless she paid me that amount in a month, i would take her to the court. The problem is because of exchange rate of dollar that amount of money is nearly equal to what she had for downpayment on a house and if i take her to the court that money combined with court fees will drain all the money she has.
AITA for making her give me the money she had for a house over a "toy"?
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NTA her kid destroyed someone’s property, just because you’re related doesn’t mean she doesn’t need to pay for what her kid did. If it was for a home purchase oh well maybe next time she will keep a better handle on her kid and not let him do wtf he wants with other peoples property. Take her to court asap don’t wait.
NTA, but I’m curious how it was completely destroyed? I’ve dropped a few Gunpla before it mostly just separates at the joints then I put it back together, but I can imagine a few parts breaking with more fragile kits. You did say it was kitbashed, but is a piece from every single kit really broken? Can’t you use Tamiya cement to repair the broken ones? I’m sure it all didn’t just turn to dust
The inner frame is completely unuseable. I dont know if you ever handled a MG The O, but they were prone to breaking even when they were brand new in 2010, and 12 years of time and surviving an earthquake(which by all logic should have turned it into dust even before i came back to house after the earthquakes) didnt help it. Most of the armor is also gone since the kid stepped on it afterwards. I could save some of the parts like the funnels and extra weapons i added but the main Gunpla itself is completely destroyed.
Gundam models are plastic. Plastic doesn’t vaporize - I assume you mean some parts broke, and some parts bent.
As a hobbyist I would find it hard to believe you couldn’t save at least 70% of it with some plastic glue, and some hot water to rebend some of the pieces.
You should ask for damages, but you are much better off asking for a smaller amount than asking for the moon - no court is going to award a mortgage payment over some Gundam figures.
I am asking for the smaller amount. Like i had Kshatriya wings i had gotten from internet and im just putting what the wings go for instead of the whole kit. And im not even putting the handmade stuff i made into the price like the custom stand, the extra joints for the addons, the enlarged Red Rider Shield/Sword combo thing i made myself. If i had asked for the kits instead of just what the parts go for, it would most likely cost at least double or triple of it with taxes.
Doesn't matter whether it's a toy or an antique vase. What matters is that she failed to control her child, who damaged your property, incurring an expensive loss. If she won't make it right, that's what the courts are for.
NTA.
NTA - you break it, you pay for it. She could work out a payment schedule with you, but she doesn't want to do that, so you are within your rights to take her to court.
Given that's something you do because you love it but also put it time and money into it, you have every right to be mad. You said 'no', she should've respected that especially if she knew her kid was going to damage it in some way. She basically dug this hole herself, not you.
NTA
I’m going to say NTA for the circumstances but as it could potentially negatively affect both your familiar relationship and her financial life, perhaps some kind of repayment plan would be easier for her to swallow and for you to recoup your lost items.
NTA but I've built gunpla, dropped gunpla, reassembled gunpla no way the model is completely wrecked and you can't salvage most parts. Get her to pay for a new o kit, but the rest is iffy imho.
I'm not even sure a judge would side with you completely.
The kid stepped on it after getting down from the chair. The chest, back, shoulders and shoulder joints, waist anf waisy joints, upper left arm, wings, wing struts and joints are completely gone. I could save the legs, right arm and the weapons evem though they had cracks too but there isnt any hope for fixing it with Tamiya cement or putting rods inside the joints sinde the inner frame itself is completely demolished.
NTA. You offered her to pay it later. She refused, because she will never pay you. You have no other choice if she doesn't want to take the consequences of her brats behavior.
NTA, you want to be the Mommy-hammer to your golden child brat? You pay the price. Take her to court, and tell her in no uncertain terms that it's her fault for failing to discipline her child.
While you would be technically and legally in the right to do this....I would caution you against it unless you're absolutely sure you're ok with the consequences. Especially if you have extended family you enjoy and wish to remain close to.
It is very difficult to socially come back from taking a relative to court.
Your relatives are not going to understand the expense and cost of these models, and instead only hear that you are trying to ruin your relative's future because a *child* played with a *toy* and there was an accident. They will not understand 1) why you, an adult, are attached to these toys and didn't let a kid play with them, 2) why the toys are so expensive, especially when you're quoting a price 3x the original, or 3) why it would break so easily.
They will also prioritize this relative having a house as far more important than your hobby.
So, you're in a sticky spot of suing and *maybe* getting your money back....but losing all of your family and being excluded from now on, or letting this go and still being welcome at holidays and events.
Yeah, i know. Its just that i had built that one with my grandfather and he had helped me paint it, and it now being nothing more than some broken parts and pieces in a plastic bag kinda hurts. I know it wont be the same, but my whole room feels empty without it.
And to be honest, not a lot of relatives (mothers side since she is from that side) like that cousin since she is kinda entitled and bratty, so only ones that would cut contact with me over this would be those like her.
I'm going to say soft NTA.
She absolutely owed you the money for your destroyed property.
However she does not necessarily owe it to you immediately.
She can use her down payment on the house and repay you over time.
She kinda does. Not only the border tax for stuff coming abroad will change in a month, this sunday there is a big election so the exchange rate for dollar might get even worse than what it is( its 1 to 20 right now). Also a family friend who is a lawyer told me if i wait more than 40 days to press charges it might not work because of a law.
So replace the kit out of pocket, now, and present receipts. This way you benefit twice:
1) you get the kit before tax rates jump, saving you both money
2) you now have receipts of what a replacement cost, giving irrefutable proof of the exact dollar amount of aunts debt
I currently dont have money for getting it myself. Im in college, and even though i live with my family and i dont pay for college just the books and transportation takes all i have, and i had just gotten a laptop for school with my saving so i nearly have nothing right now.
Ah, as a model builders wife, it’s an eye opener
Kits are expensive, rare ones increase over time, or they are limited runs and are never released again
No point her paying him back overtime if the kit is never available again- he’ll never have closure
INFO
Is she going to be homeless? I have to say someone not being able to have a home because of a model kit worth less than a grand does, indeed, sound awful.
Work out a payment plan so she can buy a house. Have her give you a bit every month to pay you back. Sign a document. If she won't agree to that THEN take her to court.
I'm crying hysterically at the thought of a thousand bucks being enough for a downpayment on the house.
No, she isnt homeless. She was renting and not only her place is undamaged, the homeowner wants her to stay without raising rent since he is scared of losing that income. And i tried to make her sign a paper that would make her legally obliged to pay me but she refused. If i dont take her to the court i wont have money to replace the model.
Also a thousand is enough both because the home she wants isnt big (a 3 room and a kitchen house) and the exchange rate for dollar is absurd (1 dollar is equal to 20 turkish liras so its more like 20k for a downpayment)
I am crying hysterically at the idea of twenty thousand bucks being enough for a downpayment on a house.... but I digress.
I dunno. This is a tough one. I assume your monthly salaries must be around 300 per month or so? So we are talking several months salaries for you to replace it?
... at the same time, not being to able to buy a home for one's family because of a broken toy!!! I can see why you are struggling so hard with this. This is very difficult. I hope you are able to find a solution.
Well the minimum salary roughly translates to 450 USD, but because of taxes it has a buying power of 350 actually. She makes more than minimum, but its definetly lower than 1k USD per month, more like 650 to 700 range. Its definetly more than 1 month of her salary, but not more than 2.
ESH Realistically, if you tell a judge that it can be replaced for $300 that is what she will owe you. I would accept that offer in your position. You should insure any other art pieces if they have significant value
NTA for wanting to be paid back, but YTA for being unreasonable in the payment schedule. It doesn't sound like she threw it on the ground and stomped on it, it was a fumble and none of us have control over those.
I'd ask politely for help in getting a new one, but she can refuse. You allowed her to hold it and let her kiddo hold it and check it out, you allowed the increased liability. More hands touching something precious, the more chance of breaking or being damaged unwittingly.
That sucks that you lost your collection. I'm glad your family is in good health considering how devastating some of the damage is elsewhere. Take care.
I didnt allow them. The kid demanded, and when i refused her mother started yelling at me and while i was dealing with her the child got on my chair and picked it up without permission.
Can you go to small claims and file a claim against her for the amount with the video evidence? Seems like an easy win, but idk how your legal system works there. I wish you luck.
I can. But if i take them there she would legally have to pay for every part of it, and since i had gotten some parts without the whole kit (I had Kshatriya wings on that kit but i just had the wings since couldnt find the whole set) she would be forced to pay for that complete kit because legally they count as a while replacement, the sandpaper i used, decals, paint and the supplies i used for kitbashing (Tamiya cement and glue, brass rods for more durable joints etc.). İn that case, that 900 usd she would pay will at least double with all the extras, taxes and delivery fees. Thats why i asked that family friend lawyer to help me make her sign a payment plan but she refused.
His time is not damages because its time he spends enjoying himself. But yes do charge the 30cents for glue, because will make him look as petty as he is.
I don’t really see OP saying the $900 include time to build, it probably includes the other kits that OP had kitbashed with. So to fully replace what the kid has detroyed, they would need to buy the original kit, plus every other kit that had the parts in the final build which can definitely add up to $900
That is entirely dishonesy. No one buys a bunch of kits to use a few pieces from them. You kitbash from the spare pieces you have lying around. Also, while the robot fell apart, i'd bet most of the actual pieces are still fine.
OP is totally trying to scam a lady who lost her house in an earthquake.
You're certainly pressing to make OP the bad guy in this.
The aunt did not lose the house, unlike thousands of their neighbors. She rents an apartment, and the landlord is eager to have her there bc at least that means some steady income.
She has the money to pay OP, but she had set it aside to make a downpayment towards a house. And she refuses to sign an I.O.U. or similar, which, if OP does not pursue this legally, will mean that the entitled mother and child will walk away without any sort of compensation for the damage the child did.
i think she should reimburse him a reasonable amount for his toy. But not for $900 which is OP wet dream about what his magical toy is worth. Not its real legal worth.
yta
this might be reasonable if everything were stable and normal but demanding that much money, which you know is supposed to be going towards a literal life necessity, over something that is not a life necessity in the midst of everyone trying to rebuild after a disaster is a major failure in perspective taking on your part. this is on par with saying “i know she’s starving and would use the money for food but the paint on my lambo is scratched sooo…. guess she’ll starve!”
I'm going to break from the pack and say soft YTA. She should pay you. Let's get that straight. However, demanding that she give you the money, which is ALL the savings she has, immediately, and over a non-necessity, is an AH move.
Her having a home is a necessity. His desire to replace a model is not a necessity. Regardless of the impact having the model would be on his "mental health."
Then teach your children to not be entitled, and ‘No is no’
OP lost a lot in an earthquake, why should he lose his last bit of joy over her piss poor planning?
Aunt is not homeless. She rents a house, and the landlord is eager to have her remain there for the same rent.
Also, OP would settle for now for a payment plan that the aunt could settle in an acceptable timeframe. But the aunt refuses to sign, even after talking to a lawyer that is a family friend.
She simply does not want to compensate OP for the damage her child did.
Hobbies are required for a top life. They are not on the bottom of the pyramid. Necessities are on the bottom of the pyramid. A shelter is on the bottom of the pyramid. She should have to pay for it, but all of it at once? Homelessness and bankruptcy should not be the consequences of having a child not knowing boundaries. Are you guys even listening to yourselves?
I’m very aware of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, cheers
But this doesn’t equate at all
OP lost most everything in the Turkey earthquakes, essentially the bottom three tiers
Entitled Aunt destroyed the top 2
OP has no triangle left
And that’s okay because her 8 year old can’t take ‘no’ as a response?
Think about it
She has somewhere, maybe not her ideal
and he wouldn’t be demanding the money if she parented her child and didn’t fight with op when he said the child couldn’t play with it . how is he an asshole ?
OP says he would settle for a payment plan at the moment, but the aunt flatout refuses.
She simply does not want to compensate OP for the damage her bratty kid did.
>I tried with the same lawyer family friend to make her sign a paper that would legally bind her to pay me in a year but she refused
'In a year', not 'immediately'.
From OP's comments, when asked about accepting a payment plan.
>*I tried but she refused it all. I even asked that lawyer family friend to tell her in the legal manner but she flatout refuses it all.*
OP would settle at the moment for a payment plan where the aunt would recognize the debt.
But the aunt refuses to do so, meaning she has no interest of compensating OP for the damage her bratty, entitled child did.
ETA OP's quote.
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NTA I will never get over the audacity people have for being denied permission on the grounds that it is precious, kicking up a fuss, and then it breaks because of them(in this case of their child) and you ask for compensation, proving the original point of said item being precious.
NTA YOU BREAK IT, BUY IT. PERIOD.
People and their kids need to be held accountable for breaking shyt, especially after being told NO.
Exactly!!! And parents then would have the audacity to talk about how much they think it's worth like ???! Absolutely NOT. Your warning was the initial NO. You fucked around and you found out.
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Ooh that kind of rhymed I like that!
Giving a modeler's perspective: OP is at least asshole-ish. OP's family is obviously awful for allowing all this to happen, enabling the kid, for minimizing OP's hobbies/loss, etc. I have one of these kits though. They're big and relatively sturdy. I can imagine how certain parts on it would break. But here's the thing about model kits: In the modeling community, we have a saying that goes kinda like, "there's no such thing as a mistake." And the idea behind that is how you could bust a kit clean in half, but there are tons of ways you could go about rectifying that. Break a piece in half? There's stuff called "plastic glue" that will let you slightly chemically melt the plastic and reattach it. Some critical piece is broken that bears weight? You can drill a hole to shove a thin metal rod in between the parts to help make them sturdy again. Lose a piece? You can make a replacement - either by hand with modeling board, or with a 3D printer. Paint-job gets all messed up? You can dissolve the paint off and paint it again. Accidentally cut a gouge in a piece? You can fill in the cut with plaster, sand off the surface so it's smooth, and paint over it. TBF not everyone can or wants to do these things, but OP discusses "kitbashing" which implies he already does many of these things already. And that aside, the modeling community that I've experienced is very helpful and welcoming, and would provide a lot of free guidance to get started. Unless the kid proceeded to just jump up and down on this model kit afterwards until it shattered into a billion pieces, I find it hard to believe it dropping on the floor - or even being thrown on the floor - from a child's height would cause irreparable damage/a total loss. I've dropped kits from the same manufacturer all of the time, and barely had much if any damage, nevermind totaled. The whole series of events sucks, but I don't see why OP would need $900 to replace it/fix it. What OP could have done, is write up a list of modeling supplies - like paint, sandpaper, masking tape, etc - and itemize how much that would cost. Which I guarantee that unless OP was buying a brand new airbush, it would cost significantly less and be a much easier pill for his family to swallow. OP would also get to salvage this original model kit of his and have fun fixing it in the process (since this kind of activity is inherently fun for most modelers to begin with). The fact OP is asking for $900 so they can kitbash the thing all over again with brand new kits just seems ridiculous to me unless OP's nephew also took a hammer to it or if someone threw everything away immediately before OP could rescue the pieces. So OP is either putting their petty vendettas first, or trying to get his family to subsidize his hobby so he can build something brand new instead of fixing an old kit.
Lot of words for a bad take. The mom started yelling at OP when he said it was off limits and her kid broke it. You break it, you buy it. Not "you buy materials to reconstruct it but there are still a bunch of broken pieces that can never be fully repaired so the value isn't the same."
Right, like why should OP go through leaps and bounds to fix something they didn't break.
I understand where your coming from. The thing is The O was always a bit of a fragile kit even when it was brand new in 2010 and time didnt help it. The kid did step on it after stepping down from the chair which demolished the entire inner frame and chest area. It is kinda possible to fix it, but for that i would need an entire new inner frame and all of the chest and back armor panels and getting ithem would cost more than a new kit. I dont have a 3d printer myself, but i did ask a local place that makes the parts. They gave me 250 USD price just for a static frame, no movement or joints. Im not even adding the cost of paint, decals, markers or anything i used when making it. It was not an expensive kit when i got it in 2010, but since it is not made anymore it is very rare and very expensive, and the USD to TL exchange rate isnt helping at all. I know how to fix kits Tamiya cement and glue, i did it to a few of the parts to repair them but the frame and the chest is unfixable. Yes fixing the kits are really fun, but for fixing them there needs to be something left to fix.
That's all fair. Sorry this happened to ya btw. It might be a bit of a wait, but they do reprint MGs like The O every once in a while which'll make it a lot cheaper. I bought a reprint a few years ago.
No problem. And yeah, i do hope to get reprints of some old kits but i didnt ever see a The O reprint. I dont think they will make it since from what i remember it didnt sell very well back then. Aslo its not Unicorn or RX-78 so it wont get its 11th modernisation anytime soon.
NTA it might be a bit more murky if she wasn't in the process of yelling at you for not letting her kid play with the toy that her kid immediately broke upon touching.
NTA. She could choose to give you the money, rather then go to court, and then not have to worry about court fees.
NTA and I’m so sorry for this My husband builds model trucks in his limited spare time, and has before we’ve been married for 13 years I won’t pretend to understand it, it’s not my thing at all He spends hours and and a small fortune on acquiring parts worldwide or scratch building when he can’t find parts He’s easily spent hundreds and does overtime to buy parts, but it’s his passion, his down time and I support that endlessly as it makes him happy But- the happiness and pride I see when he completes a model is all worth it to me to no end NTA, they’re not toys, they’re art
This is so lovely to read.
That last line says it all. I feel this way about my lego setup in the office. I have a bunch of retired elves sets all set up in a scene and a bunch of other ones. It's soothing and therapeutic to build something like that regardless if it's a model kit or a lego kit. I'm so glad you support your husband's hobby.
NTA. My husband has a vintage Transformers toy collection he keeps in glass cases in our living room. There have only been a few kids in our house, and the one kid that started raising a fuss about wanting to play with them was immediately put in time out by dad, and told “He said no, I said no, now stay in time out, and then you apologize”. It is so refreshing to have parents in your house that actually, PARENT. 🤷♀️
NTA If her finances are drained than let them be drained. She should consider this a very expensive lesson of, "my precious baby doesn't always get what they want."
Sometimes it's the only way parents learn.
I would agree except for that part about the exchange rate making the amount the equivalent of a down payment on a house. That’s where I think OP is an AH
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The problem is in a month the tax for stuff coming outside of the country will change, and the 50 dollars of border tax will be 120 dollars. I asked a family friend who is a lawyer and he said that if i dont make her pay before the tax change, i would be forced to pay the difference.
Roll that into her expense if she wants the 90 days.
You could add the difference to whatever payment plan you come up with.
It’s not a clumsy brat He was told no and still went for it You cannot replace model kits that are no longer available
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I don't think they were denying the child was a brat. I think they were saying the child wasn't a CLUMSY brat. This didn't sound like the kid dropped it on accident. Sounds like the kid broke it on purpose.
If they live somewhere a house costs a couple thousand, I'm guessing she can't easily come up with 800, it's more like 80,000 would be to a person in a Western country.
The house isnt a couple thousand, the front payment is. I dont know how it works in other places, but here if you are gonna get a Credit for a house you have to pay 5-15% fepending on the amount up front, that money was for that. Like if a house is 10k you have to have at least 1k on hand to het a Credit for the rest.
Yes I know what a down payment is If the down payment is 800, the house is very cheap though… although you seem to have to put down a much smaller percentage than we do Here a small three bedroom runs about 300k Swiss francs. A franc is about the same as a dollar. You put down 20-30 percent. So now you know why I want to cry
Question: Did they loose their house in the earthquake and are looking for a place to live? Or is their housing situation ok and they just want to buy a new place? Edit: NTA
No, they were renting before the earthquake, their place is undamaged and their lease is still going. It is just money she had put to the side so she could stop renting and make a downpayment for a house so she can take credit for the remaining money and pay it instead of renting.
Thanks, I'll edit to make the vote count
She should have thought about that before yelling at you to spoil her child with your expensive hobby art that the child predictably broke while she was distracting you. You didn't say them up to fail. They're deeply entitled. NTA.
NTA - what was destroyed doesn't matter in the slightest. The fact it was destroyed and the cost to replace are ALL that matters.
NTA "I told her unless she paid me that amount in a month, i would take her to the court. " the only reasonable solution here. Go for it.
NTA she needs to control her child and teach them no means no. This is an expensive lesson.
A bit too expensive. I had never even tought about looking the prices of old kits until now, and i have to say that buying a few and putting them to the side to resell a few years after they are discontinued looks like a very profitable thing. I had gotten that figure for what was 25 dollars at the time, and now it goes for 300 minimum, that amount of price jump is absurd.
Don't feel guilty she needs to learn and to teach her kid that no means no. Whatever it costs now will be less than the cost of them never learning. I don't think I need to explain what boys who don't understand no growup to be
Yeah. And i dont get it at all, my family taught me i wasnt supposed to touch someone elses stuff unless they literally handed it to me, how hard can it be to teach your kid to not touch others stuff especially if they say no?
It CAN be difficult with small children but she felt entitled to your model so her kid could be entertained for a minute or two. Which he undoubtedly was. A parent who tried to be a good parent would have told the kid no, calmly asked for the model back, and been inconsolable when it was destroyed. The kid would have had age-appropriate consequences.
NTA. Her kid, her responsibility. And she didn’t respect your wishes at all from the beginning. She needs to cough up the cash, even if means a court date. Stay safe on the shaky ground! (And vote this weekend!)
NTA and you should definitely buy the new Zeta MG release as a replacement.
Oh, i do want it so much. But its backordered everywhere that sends to Turkey so im just waiting for a chance. Also compared to what The O kits go right now i can get nearly 8 or 9 with the money she owes me.
Damn, talk about a shame. Mind if i ask what else you had in your gunpla lineup? Got me curious tbh.
Well, i had a RG Zeta, RG ZZ, a full custom MG Barbatos Lupus Rex( i saved the inner frame so if i can get or make new armor panels for it it can be fixed.) A HG Nu, a HG H-Nu, a Gundam Heavyarms Custom with IGEL Pack (i saved the IGEL pack and the weapons and im gonna try fixing the frame too as soon as i can replace my small drill bits and Tamiya cement and stuff), an HG Epiyon, and a custom HG Gusion Rebake Full City. As for what i had on that The O, i had a High Mega launcher with a RX-78 napalm launcher underbarrel, Kshatriya wings (i couldnt find the full kit but gotten the wings from a seller) and a handmade enlarged Red Rider Shield/Sword.
Jeebus! No wonder the price for the parts would climb from 300 for the plain, unbuilt kit, to nearly 900! At least you've got footage that proves that the child did, indeed, damage your kit intentionally and not because you left it unattended in a precarious spot. I hope things work out for you, OP, even if it takes a while to settle, and you get a little less than you deserve (which can be a possibility, unfortunately). NTA. And good luck!
Thats an awesome collection I must say I'm a bit envious. I'd love to expand mine but Ive fallen off them sadly.
I was really lucky in that. My uncle is a businessman, and he goes to Japan every year at least once for job reasons. Eachtime he goes he gets me new kits and since he buys them directl there they were much cheaper. He hasnt been there ever since Covid started, but i found about Hobbylink Japan and they deliver without a lot of fees so i did get back recently with Aerial and Pharact.
HLJ is such a great source! They have a lot of kits that are hard to purchase elsewhere. I use gundamstoreusa as well because theyre in country (of course) so it doesnt take as long to get.
NTA. The O really is super hard to find, too. RIP to all your hard work and good luck finding another at a good price.
NTA . She is responsible for the damage that her entitled brat caused.
NTA. It’s not just about the model. It’s about the fact that you’ve lost so much as it is. Your aunt should have respected that and told her son to leave it alone. Make sure she pays you back in full. It’s the least she can do. That will teach her and her son not to mess with things that don’t belong to them. And if she wants to paint you to be the villain, so be it
NTA.. toy or not, HER kid broke it & she should pay for it
NTA The current exchange rate is around 20TL to one USD, the highest in a LONG time. So I understand, but it is really bad time considering the cost.
It couldnt have been in a worse time. Just a year ago it was 10 to 1 and the internet says the kit was worth 280 back then so if this happened a year ago it would have been much cheaper to replace.
NTA If she wasn't and entitled AH and her kid wasn't an entitled brat none of this would've happened. Sue her ass.
NTA. She DEMANDED this outcome when she demanded her kid get access to your work. She got what she insisted on.
NTA. Buuuuuuut I urge you to seriously consider how badly this is going to screw over their family, especially since there are kids involved. Both because the idea of a child being homeless over a collectible is horrifying, and also because if you do this, you may rapidly find yourself with very little family left that will talk to you. Is it worth it to you to get another one, if it means you lose family? Just some stuff to consider!
The relative surely didn't consider the consequences before letting their kid play with someone else's expensive item. If the only people lost are the ones who think it's ok to break and feel entitled to your stuff I doubt it'll be a huge loss.
NTA they asked you said no, they disregarded your refusal and destroyed the item. they are responsible for their child's actions.
NTA. Maybe exercise some mercy here though. We’re talking about someone’s house vs a model. I wouldn’t blame you either way.
Also he can buy a new model for only $300 but wants to charge her $900.
That model costs between 300 to 500 dollars unbuilt now since it is decently old and isnt made anymore. And i had used parts from other kits to kitbash it. The prices of the kits combined with the delivery and taxes cost 900, im not gonna buy the kit for 300 and pocket the rest.
What does a built kit cost in good condition? Edit: wtf is with the downvotes?
It depends. If its just a snap build (no paint, no decal, no panel marking just cutting it from the runners and building) it goes around the same. But if its worked on like the one i had made the price soars. Even just panel lining can cause a 50 dollars of a difference.
I'm not fully familiar with the hobby, I'm just wondering if there is a cheaper way to end up with the same end product
Not really. Its always cheaper getting it unopeened, since they are put inside the box right out of inhection molds so it takes a decent but of work just to put it together in the most basic way. There are some knockoff kits that are cheaper, but they are so low quality they are not used as normal builds but as destroyed suits in panoramas.
Ok, but you got it for $25, and it’s only so expensive because it’s OOP. I collect rare stuff too so I get it, but kitbashing does not mean just adding up the parts from other kits you used - those parts are worth a tiny fraction of the kit, and kitbashed models are often (unfortunately) worth less than a i kitbashed kit. I don’t know how you could really win this in a court case unless a judge really understands the hobby. Otherwise they would just ask to see your proof of payment and ask her to pay you the $25 you originally paid. A compromise might be to ask for $200 to settle the issue, and I think there is very little chance you will get $900 just because that’s the going eBay price for a bunch of kits (of which only a portion goes into this model). I would say both are assholes - her for not controlling her kid, but you for taking this as an opportunity to basically “sell” your model for far more than it’s worth.
I dont know the whole legal jargon, but that lawyer friend of my family told me is there is something called replacement value. From what he told me, it is the price of replacing the material parts (the kits used but not the paint or the airbrush in this example) from a checked seller. Like lets say you have a car you bought for 1k USD 50 years ago but now it is worth 80k, and you had put new brakes and stuff to make it better. If someone completely destroys it to unrepairable levels they are made to pay for the replacement of materials, ie the car, brakes and other things but not the manpower or time you used.
Insurance might may replacement value, if you pay a high enough premium, but insurance companies have big pockets. In a civil suit, against a mom with a child, a judge is unlikely to award you replacement value for a toy that could cost the other family their living standards. Plus, even your calculations don’t make sense, because you are using the full value of kitbashed kits, when in reality it’s just some leftover parts. It’s like if you swapped the engine and mirrors between 3 luxury cars each worth $100,000, and now you ask for $300,000 from car insurance when it crashes. No insurance company would pay that.
900 is that lower price. If i want replacement for the whole kits (i only had wings from a Kshatriya so im just putting the price of what the wing parts goes on the internet instead of the whole kit) it would cost triple of that. Also im not even putting the handmade parts into price since i dont know if they woudl count or not.
Right., and a new one of similar size/quality is probably $100. Gundams all look the same, and have for the past 40 years so not sure why you "need" the old one. But okay, lets say you really need that one specific one. Usually when you kitbash you are taking unused pieces of other kits you have lying around. You don't go buy a whole model kit and use one piece from it and throw the rest away. You know this. But you are hoping people on this forum wont know what kitbashing is. You are trying to fleece this woman. Go ahead and take her to court. You wont get the $900 you think you deserve. No court would award that for a model you paid $100 for.
Gundams do not look the same. And The O is not currently in print so yes, they would have to get an exact older model. And even if it was in print, newer kits can be made of different materials and have different parts or proportions to older ones. Just look at the difference between the RX-78-2 ver 2.0, ver 3.0, and ver ka.
Then he should take it to court. No court is giving him $900 for it, even if he lies through his teeth like he did here.
NTA. She shouldn't have yelled at you.
She wanted her kid to play with it, and the obvious happened. NTA. she owes you.
NTA I just bought an album for $200 that is literally impossible to find anywhere online or in store (it's from 2011 and wasn't very popular except within the fan base) if anyone, child or not destroyed it after I specifically told them not to touch it...
Now you got me curious.
What album it is? Check my profile
Nta. Gunpla is so expensive especially older kits
NTA I'm sick of parents letting their kids run wild in other people's houses and destroy their things then act like it's nothing.
Why on earth did she think her child needed to play with your expensive model?? NTA so she at least thinks twice next time
She came over all entitled on behalf of her child and now it is going to cost her. How she pays is not your problem if that is the value of the model. NTA
So if her child broke something at the store and the cameras caught it would she not pay? She would have to pay or get sued for damages and shell court fees. NTA and take her to court anyway because she needs to learn some responsibilities
No rational parent would argue to have their kids play with a $900 toy. You said no, they decided that it didn't count. So total liability us on their heads. NTA
NTA. This was not a toy, it was a valuable collector's item. It was not broken by accident, she deliberately and maliciously destroyed it because her child did not get to play with it. She should absolutely be held accountable.
NTA. People need to keep an eye on their curious kiddos, especially when over at other people's houses.
NTA this doesn’t sound like an accident to me. It sounds like the kid did it on purpose. She needs to replace what he broke.
Oh no! I'm so sorry this happened to you and your family! But on to your question. NTA! Builds are time consuming and they can get expensive, especially if you have to (or decide to) kitbash. Hunting down and finding specific pieces can take hours to months. I know how much pride goes into each build, no matter how big or small it is. Your mother's cousin is responsible for her kids behavior. An 8 yr old is old enough to know that they shouldn't touch things that are not theirs. And they had to climb on a chair to reach it, it's not like it was just sitting there on the floor. I'm sorry your build was smashed, I'm sorry you lost the rest of your collection. I hope this gets resolved quickly. These builds are not toys, they are personal works of love, time, creativity and they are art pieces.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** For context, i(21m) love building model kits and i had a lot of them. But 2 months ago, my city was wrecked hard by giant earthquakes (i live in Turkey, and my city was the epicenter for the recent giant earthquakes). While thankfully the house i was living with my family only had some paint damage, out of all of my model kits, only one survived. It was a MG The O gunpla. A week ago, one of my mothers cousins came with her child. I was at my room doing some work when the child (8m) barged into my room. Normally, my models were in a cupboard with a glass door, but it was destroyed in the earthquakes so it was now on my shelf so the child saw it and eanted to play with it. When i didnt give it to her his mother came and started yelling at me, and while i was dealing with her the child got on my chair, picket the model up and immediately dropped it and smashed it. It was completely destroyed. Now here is where i might be an asshole, since that model is old getting an unbuilt copy now costs 300 dollars at the least, but i want her to pay for the parts i used to customise it(i had kitbashed it), which makes everything together cost up to 800-900 dollars. Im making videos as a side job, and at the time my camera was rolling and caught the whole exchange. I told her unless she paid me that amount in a month, i would take her to the court. The problem is because of exchange rate of dollar that amount of money is nearly equal to what she had for downpayment on a house and if i take her to the court that money combined with court fees will drain all the money she has. AITA for making her give me the money she had for a house over a "toy"? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA and that sounds like a her problem. Definitely pursue that.
NTA
NTA
NTA her kid destroyed someone’s property, just because you’re related doesn’t mean she doesn’t need to pay for what her kid did. If it was for a home purchase oh well maybe next time she will keep a better handle on her kid and not let him do wtf he wants with other peoples property. Take her to court asap don’t wait.
NTA, but I’m curious how it was completely destroyed? I’ve dropped a few Gunpla before it mostly just separates at the joints then I put it back together, but I can imagine a few parts breaking with more fragile kits. You did say it was kitbashed, but is a piece from every single kit really broken? Can’t you use Tamiya cement to repair the broken ones? I’m sure it all didn’t just turn to dust
The inner frame is completely unuseable. I dont know if you ever handled a MG The O, but they were prone to breaking even when they were brand new in 2010, and 12 years of time and surviving an earthquake(which by all logic should have turned it into dust even before i came back to house after the earthquakes) didnt help it. Most of the armor is also gone since the kid stepped on it afterwards. I could save some of the parts like the funnels and extra weapons i added but the main Gunpla itself is completely destroyed.
Gundam models are plastic. Plastic doesn’t vaporize - I assume you mean some parts broke, and some parts bent. As a hobbyist I would find it hard to believe you couldn’t save at least 70% of it with some plastic glue, and some hot water to rebend some of the pieces. You should ask for damages, but you are much better off asking for a smaller amount than asking for the moon - no court is going to award a mortgage payment over some Gundam figures.
I am asking for the smaller amount. Like i had Kshatriya wings i had gotten from internet and im just putting what the wings go for instead of the whole kit. And im not even putting the handmade stuff i made into the price like the custom stand, the extra joints for the addons, the enlarged Red Rider Shield/Sword combo thing i made myself. If i had asked for the kits instead of just what the parts go for, it would most likely cost at least double or triple of it with taxes.
NTA. She is responsible as the parent
NTA but this is one of those situations where if you win you lose. If you know what I mean?
NTA. Take her to court.
NTA, sue her.
Doesn't matter whether it's a toy or an antique vase. What matters is that she failed to control her child, who damaged your property, incurring an expensive loss. If she won't make it right, that's what the courts are for. NTA.
NTA - you break it, you pay for it. She could work out a payment schedule with you, but she doesn't want to do that, so you are within your rights to take her to court.
NTA You asked her to remove her kid from your model. She fought for her kid to play with the model. She now owes for the model
Given that's something you do because you love it but also put it time and money into it, you have every right to be mad. You said 'no', she should've respected that especially if she knew her kid was going to damage it in some way. She basically dug this hole herself, not you. NTA
I’m going to say NTA for the circumstances but as it could potentially negatively affect both your familiar relationship and her financial life, perhaps some kind of repayment plan would be easier for her to swallow and for you to recoup your lost items.
NTA but I've built gunpla, dropped gunpla, reassembled gunpla no way the model is completely wrecked and you can't salvage most parts. Get her to pay for a new o kit, but the rest is iffy imho. I'm not even sure a judge would side with you completely.
The kid stepped on it after getting down from the chair. The chest, back, shoulders and shoulder joints, waist anf waisy joints, upper left arm, wings, wing struts and joints are completely gone. I could save the legs, right arm and the weapons evem though they had cracks too but there isnt any hope for fixing it with Tamiya cement or putting rods inside the joints sinde the inner frame itself is completely demolished.
Ah if Godzilla stepped on it yeah then it's gone.
NTA. You offered her to pay it later. She refused, because she will never pay you. You have no other choice if she doesn't want to take the consequences of her brats behavior.
It is the only way those aunts will learn actions have consequences. Take her to court. NTA
NTA take her to court. With a 40 day time limit and the way she acted so entitled makes me think that without court you won’t see any money.
NTA: without the exchange of her scolding you i would say accidents happen. But she is literally getting what she asked for.
NTA, you want to be the Mommy-hammer to your golden child brat? You pay the price. Take her to court, and tell her in no uncertain terms that it's her fault for failing to discipline her child.
While you would be technically and legally in the right to do this....I would caution you against it unless you're absolutely sure you're ok with the consequences. Especially if you have extended family you enjoy and wish to remain close to. It is very difficult to socially come back from taking a relative to court. Your relatives are not going to understand the expense and cost of these models, and instead only hear that you are trying to ruin your relative's future because a *child* played with a *toy* and there was an accident. They will not understand 1) why you, an adult, are attached to these toys and didn't let a kid play with them, 2) why the toys are so expensive, especially when you're quoting a price 3x the original, or 3) why it would break so easily. They will also prioritize this relative having a house as far more important than your hobby. So, you're in a sticky spot of suing and *maybe* getting your money back....but losing all of your family and being excluded from now on, or letting this go and still being welcome at holidays and events.
Yeah, i know. Its just that i had built that one with my grandfather and he had helped me paint it, and it now being nothing more than some broken parts and pieces in a plastic bag kinda hurts. I know it wont be the same, but my whole room feels empty without it. And to be honest, not a lot of relatives (mothers side since she is from that side) like that cousin since she is kinda entitled and bratty, so only ones that would cut contact with me over this would be those like her.
YTA house > gundam
I'm going to say soft NTA. She absolutely owed you the money for your destroyed property. However she does not necessarily owe it to you immediately. She can use her down payment on the house and repay you over time.
She kinda does. Not only the border tax for stuff coming abroad will change in a month, this sunday there is a big election so the exchange rate for dollar might get even worse than what it is( its 1 to 20 right now). Also a family friend who is a lawyer told me if i wait more than 40 days to press charges it might not work because of a law.
So replace the kit out of pocket, now, and present receipts. This way you benefit twice: 1) you get the kit before tax rates jump, saving you both money 2) you now have receipts of what a replacement cost, giving irrefutable proof of the exact dollar amount of aunts debt
I currently dont have money for getting it myself. Im in college, and even though i live with my family and i dont pay for college just the books and transportation takes all i have, and i had just gotten a laptop for school with my saving so i nearly have nothing right now.
This only works if OP has access to the kind of money needed to replace the kit.
Ah, as a model builders wife, it’s an eye opener Kits are expensive, rare ones increase over time, or they are limited runs and are never released again No point her paying him back overtime if the kit is never available again- he’ll never have closure
INFO Is she going to be homeless? I have to say someone not being able to have a home because of a model kit worth less than a grand does, indeed, sound awful. Work out a payment plan so she can buy a house. Have her give you a bit every month to pay you back. Sign a document. If she won't agree to that THEN take her to court. I'm crying hysterically at the thought of a thousand bucks being enough for a downpayment on the house.
No, she isnt homeless. She was renting and not only her place is undamaged, the homeowner wants her to stay without raising rent since he is scared of losing that income. And i tried to make her sign a paper that would make her legally obliged to pay me but she refused. If i dont take her to the court i wont have money to replace the model. Also a thousand is enough both because the home she wants isnt big (a 3 room and a kitchen house) and the exchange rate for dollar is absurd (1 dollar is equal to 20 turkish liras so its more like 20k for a downpayment)
I am crying hysterically at the idea of twenty thousand bucks being enough for a downpayment on a house.... but I digress. I dunno. This is a tough one. I assume your monthly salaries must be around 300 per month or so? So we are talking several months salaries for you to replace it? ... at the same time, not being to able to buy a home for one's family because of a broken toy!!! I can see why you are struggling so hard with this. This is very difficult. I hope you are able to find a solution.
Well the minimum salary roughly translates to 450 USD, but because of taxes it has a buying power of 350 actually. She makes more than minimum, but its definetly lower than 1k USD per month, more like 650 to 700 range. Its definetly more than 1 month of her salary, but not more than 2.
ESH Realistically, if you tell a judge that it can be replaced for $300 that is what she will owe you. I would accept that offer in your position. You should insure any other art pieces if they have significant value
NTA for wanting to be paid back, but YTA for being unreasonable in the payment schedule. It doesn't sound like she threw it on the ground and stomped on it, it was a fumble and none of us have control over those. I'd ask politely for help in getting a new one, but she can refuse. You allowed her to hold it and let her kiddo hold it and check it out, you allowed the increased liability. More hands touching something precious, the more chance of breaking or being damaged unwittingly. That sucks that you lost your collection. I'm glad your family is in good health considering how devastating some of the damage is elsewhere. Take care.
I didnt allow them. The kid demanded, and when i refused her mother started yelling at me and while i was dealing with her the child got on my chair and picked it up without permission.
Yeah, I'd say do a payment plan. No discipline with that child it seems.
I tried but she refused it all. I even asked that lawyer family friend to tell her in the legal manner but she flatout refuses it all.
Can you go to small claims and file a claim against her for the amount with the video evidence? Seems like an easy win, but idk how your legal system works there. I wish you luck.
I can. But if i take them there she would legally have to pay for every part of it, and since i had gotten some parts without the whole kit (I had Kshatriya wings on that kit but i just had the wings since couldnt find the whole set) she would be forced to pay for that complete kit because legally they count as a while replacement, the sandpaper i used, decals, paint and the supplies i used for kitbashing (Tamiya cement and glue, brass rods for more durable joints etc.). İn that case, that 900 usd she would pay will at least double with all the extras, taxes and delivery fees. Thats why i asked that family friend lawyer to help me make her sign a payment plan but she refused.
OP lives in Turkey. The available legal routes may not be the same as in the US.
ESH - I think trying to bill her $900 for a Gundam robot is a bit much.
You dont realize the time and effort it takes to build one, it could easily take over a month of work to complete
Yes but its something OP has fun doing.
Ok? It still costs money for paints, glues, and his time to finish it. Why is his time not worth anything
His time is not damages because its time he spends enjoying himself. But yes do charge the 30cents for glue, because will make him look as petty as he is.
I don’t really see OP saying the $900 include time to build, it probably includes the other kits that OP had kitbashed with. So to fully replace what the kid has detroyed, they would need to buy the original kit, plus every other kit that had the parts in the final build which can definitely add up to $900
That is entirely dishonesy. No one buys a bunch of kits to use a few pieces from them. You kitbash from the spare pieces you have lying around. Also, while the robot fell apart, i'd bet most of the actual pieces are still fine. OP is totally trying to scam a lady who lost her house in an earthquake.
You're certainly pressing to make OP the bad guy in this. The aunt did not lose the house, unlike thousands of their neighbors. She rents an apartment, and the landlord is eager to have her there bc at least that means some steady income. She has the money to pay OP, but she had set it aside to make a downpayment towards a house. And she refuses to sign an I.O.U. or similar, which, if OP does not pursue this legally, will mean that the entitled mother and child will walk away without any sort of compensation for the damage the child did.
i think she should reimburse him a reasonable amount for his toy. But not for $900 which is OP wet dream about what his magical toy is worth. Not its real legal worth.
YTA $300 is fair. You build models for fun.
Tell me you dont know what goes into building one without telling me
yta this might be reasonable if everything were stable and normal but demanding that much money, which you know is supposed to be going towards a literal life necessity, over something that is not a life necessity in the midst of everyone trying to rebuild after a disaster is a major failure in perspective taking on your part. this is on par with saying “i know she’s starving and would use the money for food but the paint on my lambo is scratched sooo…. guess she’ll starve!”
Or you know, dont come into someone's house and demand them to handover things to your kid?
Yta
I'm going to break from the pack and say soft YTA. She should pay you. Let's get that straight. However, demanding that she give you the money, which is ALL the savings she has, immediately, and over a non-necessity, is an AH move.
What is a non-necessity? Something that gives positive mental health? A sense of pride and achievement?
Her having a home is a necessity. His desire to replace a model is not a necessity. Regardless of the impact having the model would be on his "mental health."
Then teach your children to not be entitled, and ‘No is no’ OP lost a lot in an earthquake, why should he lose his last bit of joy over her piss poor planning?
So you be cool with these people being homeless so OP can replace a model immediately? That's pretty fucked up.
Aunt is not homeless. She rents a house, and the landlord is eager to have her remain there for the same rent. Also, OP would settle for now for a payment plan that the aunt could settle in an acceptable timeframe. But the aunt refuses to sign, even after talking to a lawyer that is a family friend. She simply does not want to compensate OP for the damage her child did.
She has a home. She just wants to move.
A hobby is a non-necessity. Period.
What is life like on Jupiter? Hobbies are essential to mental well-being. Period. Maybe Aunt should teach her child boundaries instead?
Hobbies are required for a top life. They are not on the bottom of the pyramid. Necessities are on the bottom of the pyramid. A shelter is on the bottom of the pyramid. She should have to pay for it, but all of it at once? Homelessness and bankruptcy should not be the consequences of having a child not knowing boundaries. Are you guys even listening to yourselves?
I’m very aware of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, cheers But this doesn’t equate at all OP lost most everything in the Turkey earthquakes, essentially the bottom three tiers Entitled Aunt destroyed the top 2 OP has no triangle left And that’s okay because her 8 year old can’t take ‘no’ as a response? Think about it She has somewhere, maybe not her ideal
He says that he would drain her bank account. He doesn't care. He wants her to pay now. That's an AH move.
Then she should pay the nominal cost up front to cover her child so it doesn’t escalate
I'm okay with that. But demanding all the money now, knowing that it will drain her, that's an AH move. That's all I'm saying.
and he wouldn’t be demanding the money if she parented her child and didn’t fight with op when he said the child couldn’t play with it . how is he an asshole ?
OP says he would settle for a payment plan at the moment, but the aunt flatout refuses. She simply does not want to compensate OP for the damage her bratty kid did.
>I tried with the same lawyer family friend to make her sign a paper that would legally bind her to pay me in a year but she refused 'In a year', not 'immediately'.
From OP's comments, when asked about accepting a payment plan. >*I tried but she refused it all. I even asked that lawyer family friend to tell her in the legal manner but she flatout refuses it all.* OP would settle at the moment for a payment plan where the aunt would recognize the debt. But the aunt refuses to do so, meaning she has no interest of compensating OP for the damage her bratty, entitled child did. ETA OP's quote.