Haaÿer’s Hobby
Jan Haaÿer could have quietly gone about piecing together model kits in the basement of his home without anyone on the outside taking notice.
But he had something else in mind, an idea that would turn out to be bigger than he could have ever imagined.
Haaÿer opted to share his passion for building model cars, planes, and military vehicles with fellow model enthusiasts on Google’s Youtube. He expected a few hundred views here and there, maybe some conversations shared between like-minded individuals.
In five years, he’s built up his audience to the point that his Northview Model Shop Youtube channel has 2,472 subscribers and his videos have garnered nearly 538,000 views since May 2012.
“Once you hit so many views with Youtube you can monetize, which means for every click you get one-tenth of a cent,” he explained, noting that the money isn’t going to result in an early retirement from his full-time job at Michelin, but it is enough to help with the cost of supplies or equipment for producing videos.
“You get a cheque in the mail and your bank statement says “payment from Google,” so that’s kind of cool.”
Key Role
He said social media has played a key role in enhancing the Northview Model Shop’s presence online, along with shout-outs from fellow model makers with established audiences on Youtube.
“Facebook has done amazing things to make the world a lot smaller,” he said, adding that some people tune in from as far away as the United Kingdom or Australia to view his videos.
The Northview Model Shop is a result of Haaÿer’s desire to combine his love of models with a keen interest in videography.
“It became the second half of the hobby,” he said.
The shop has constantly evolved as Haaÿer’s subscribers encouraged him to tackle new kits and share more tips.
In the early days, he might have had one tube of glue and four bottles of paint. Today, the walls of his shop are lined with hundreds of paints and primers, a vast array of accessories, the tools necessary for the most intricate of tasks, and airbrushing equipment. He kept one to two spare kits on hand in the early days, and now has 75 to 80 on hand.
“It’s ever evolving,” he said, adding that he originally started building models to relieve stress.
It’s turned into a hobby that connects Haaÿer with people across the globe, and has him traveling to model shows in Fredericton, Moncton, Bible Hill, Shearwater and Berwick every year.
Crazy Stuff
“There’s some crazy, crazy stuff out there,” he said, noting that some model builders will put $1,000 into a single kit to stand out at the shows.
With countless builds under his belt, Haaÿer picks a two-tone ‘49 Mercury out of the collection when asked if there’s one model he’s particularly proud of.
“The ‘49 Merc won the Atlantic Nationals Bernie Melanson Award… it’s the biggest award of the day, ” he said.
“It was just mind boggling.” The same car also won silver at several shows.
“One model brought home so much stuff,” he said.
For Haaÿer, the awards are a bonus. The true thrill comes from his drive to continually improve, both as a model builder and a videographer.
“I try to out-do my last one,” he said.
“I’ve met so many cool, amazing people in the last five, six years of doing the model circuit.”
A mechanic by trade, Haaÿer originally dreamed of building a hotrod. The Northview Model Shop is much easier on the bank account for a father of three children between the ages of nine and three.
“You can say, ‘I want to put a huge motor in that Mercury’ and you can do it for 20 bucks – not $20,000,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s a hobby.”