I seem to run into a wall when a kit is 8-90 percent finished. At this point I realize that it’s not going to be “perfect”, so rather than accepting this, I move on. It could be a slight flaw in the paint, colors not perfect, a visible seam line, etc. I probably have at least ten kits in this state.
Any help with this? It’s just a hobby, and perfection is never obtainable, but it would be a lot more satisfying if the kits were good but not perfect, and I could accept it. Anyone else like this?
Oh gawd… I thought I was the only one. I must have about 50 kits near 90% and holding…
I’ve come up with the 90/10 rule- takes me 10% of the time to get the model to 90% done and then 90% of the time to finish the last 10%.
There must be some phobia about finishing stuff but I looked it up and couldn’t find a name for it.
I do believe that we’ve all suffered from this at one time or another but to have it remain a constant problem is…well, a little problem at best. I have come to the conclusion that when I face this issue it is because I’ve been looking at too many “perfect” models on the pages of magazines, show tables or web sites. These modelers have got a talent that most of us strive to achieve but remember, most of these folks have been at it for many, many years and there was a time when even they had the same feelings as you about their craft. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a fun and relaxing hobby and to not take it too seriously unless you are trying to win that trophy at the next show (judges can be rough when it comes to paint color, markings, glue spots etc.).
Put it away for awhile and then return to it when you feel inclined. You might see your project in a whole new light if you just keep it fun.
There are a couple of ways to get oneself over this hurdle. There are “long stories” behind each thought, but, they do make a difference.
The first thought is how many finished models do you have on your shelves? If you only have a small number of finished models on display, but, have a large number at the “90% finished, but hiding in the box” stage, then you probably have better quality builds waiting to get done than what you have on the shelves. This turns around and can become finished models when you realize that each newly finished model will raise your quality level of models you have on display.
Another somewhat related thought is how old is the oldest model you have on display. I don’t mean the physical age of the molding, or the purchase date of the kit. I mean which build is it? Do you have your tenth model finished ever, on display? or your 50th? I am willing to risk money that if you have something you finished ten years ago on display, that you have improved your skills on each of those models you have hiding in boxes. And with just a little care to finish one of those at the same level of quality you have put in so far, you will have a “better” model added to your older ones. After all, how many models did you build to the “90% level” since the 5th oldest on your shelves was finished? You might be “40 built models better at modeling” today, and just not realize it.
I was stuck in a place that made me want to do all of my models to the standard of one I finished about 15 years ago. It had all the “great things” we want, “snobby paint”-aftermarket decals and weapons, it was an expensive import kit, etc. I was trying to build all of my stashed kits up to that level. Anne looked at my stash and made a comment about “who is impressed with all these pretty boxes?” one day,and now I have realized that I am the “best modeler that is ever going to build my stash”
And every finished model looks better than my “1st model ever built”, since it sits on the shelf with them. And I don’t worry about getting them better than the “great things” model, since I don’t use all of those things on every build.
Rex
I’ve been hitting that wall lately. Had a Monogram Panther that I had trouble getting the wings to line up correctly, and I put it away for a few months…then I took it down, ripped out the intake trunking that I saw was holding things up and finished it(minus said trunking). I have a Hasegawa 1/72 Phantom that I became very disenchanted with (those birds aren’t worth the coin you have to pay for them), and it’s still in the box, perhaps I’ll pull her out shortly. I’m currently working on a P-40 for a group build, and after finishing the cockpit, I don’t want to do anything else to it, but I’m trudging along. There are others that I’ve felt the same way about, but I haven’t regretted biting the bullet and finishing them.
I’ve learned to accept that I will mess something up on every kit I make. Not intentionally, of course, but there’s something I’m unhappy with on all of my builds.
Philosophically, my builds are an expression of me, and I’m imperfect, too. I’ve learned to accept it and enjoy what I’ve accomplished.
Colin makes a very good point.
The one 90% story that I always tell is about the 1/72 Hasegawa CAF TF-18A I made in the late 90s. That bird was very well assembled, detailed, painted up and decaled. I screwed up the flat coat mix and ended up “snowing” the entire thing (too much flat base that turned white as it dried).
I was so disappointed and frustrated that I left the plane sitting in the bench for months. Only when I got myself accepting that it will not be as perfect as I had wanted/planned it to be, and only when I convinced myself that I will nonetheless get satisfaction out of finishing the model rather than letting it sit idly, did I got back and finished it. And yes, I did get satisfaction out of completing it, flaws and all.
Been there done that. Usually I soldier on and tell myself “screw it” and finish it. From there I had 2 choices: keep it or toss it.
I have several (ok, maybe ten) kits that are in the almost completed box, mainly because of the “perfect model” syndrome. I hit a wall when I don’t have the experience to accomplish the next thing that’s required to do it “right”, so the kit goes into limbo. Tarn Ship defined this real well, and like him, I’m finding that when I take those kits out now, I’m seeing that the previous hang-up is no big deal - except that I’ve already started a few more sure-to-be-perfect models!
The only wisdom I can offer is a mantra that I’ve learned over years of projects in several real life endeavors:
If you like the project you’re working on, why finish it? You might not like the next one!
Happy modeling!
Mike
To me,the lull sometimes happens in the middle,when you really don’t see th results of your work,but at 90% for me thats like seeing the finish line,thats when I get excited again and sprint to the finish
I call it the 30/70 syndrome, that is 30% of my models are 70% complete.
Trying to break this cycle is difficult, more so without a dedicated time and place to build. I did resurrect a WWI figure I started in 2009 to complete for a contest on April 5th.
Its almost like a supply / demand graph just modified:
Lower expectation and ambitions for grandeur
Increase motivation and inspiration
Add a constant time to build
The victory lies within completion, not perfection.
^ Now I just need to follow the above advice!
I’ve done it before. I’ve got a couple kits that are about 70% complete, and I just never went back to them for some reason. They’ve been hiding in the box for longer than I would care to admit. My last build, I got it almost complete, but I really wasn’t at all happy with it, particularly the paint job (painting isn’t my strongest suit, but I’m getting better). Just some paint and decals to apply, and then I let it sit on my bench for a year before I actually sat down to finish it. It’s still not that great, and I am not all that happy with it. But I finished it, and I learned a few things from that build that are really helping me with my current project.
Sometimes, I just think I overwork and overthink a build so much that I get tired of it, and want to move on to another project. One thing I’m trying to avoid on this project is spending so much time working on it each session that I get bored. I find that if I stop and step away from it when I’m starting to wind down, but still going fairly strong, it’s a lot easier to come back to later, if that makes any sense.
Sounds like my “Next one will be perfect” thought process.
Here’s the problem I usually have. I go through phases where I suddenly find myself very much “in” to a particular subject for whatever reason, and I have to buy and begin work on the kit. Then somewhere along the process something else comes along and grabs my attention. Now my new interest supercedes my old interest and my motivation to continue on with my current build goes seriously South. So I’ve come to realize that I can not take my time too much with a build. I need to move it along (I usually spend months on one build and this becomes a problem), so that I can finish it before interest wanes and the next “got-to-build” rears its ugly head. I hope that made some sense
I know the feeling. Sometimes it’s as if the closer you get to finishing, the farther away you get. Tying up the loose ends, decals, antennae, etc.
Try this, look in the mirror, does that look perfect? If not, then why go out of the house? Now think about that model sitting there with a wart or two, go ahead and finish it…and don’t feel bad about taking her out.
We should start a GF (group finish). Stitch up those ugly ducklings and post what went wrong. Exorcise the demons and move on or something to that effect. Might even prove educational. Heck, just from reading this thread I now know to watch my flat base mixture or wind up with a cloudy model. I didn’t know that could happen.
Second that idea; like a “therapy” group build for those of us who find jumping to the next kit is more exciting than finishing the one(s) we started. So far, I’ve been happy to learn that this is a shared disorder, and that there are more positive ways of dealing with it than thinking it’s a character flaw.
The plastic mountain looms in the distance!
Mike
Yeah, aint that a great name - “Therapy group build”! Rules like: anything, has to be 70% done and sit in a box for at least x months!
As for me, I also have many models going on in parallel for years and they will get finished eventually. Sometimes it’s the temporary lack of “vibe”. Sometimes I need to make a specific detail and have no way of doing it - like the stamped wheels on a Skyraider - I tried casting them, turning them and such for two years and finished the model as soon as aftermarket resin parts became available.
But mostly it look slike that: New model has a lot of things for you to do - while one part is drying you can go on with another. But toward the end you paint something and have to put the whole thing away for at least a day. During that time you crave to do something - and turn to another model for it, and this can be detractinng.
So thanks for reading and have a nice day
Paweł
yeesh I know this feeling all too well. And I have done it with some now very expensive kits.
Back when I was a kit buying fiend I would start a kit, get it built and ready to paint, then lose interest. Two of my most famous fizzles were a kitbashed F-4D Phantom that I used a Hasegawa “D” as a donor for the nose and some other parts, and the worst waste was a Collect-Aire McDonnell FH-1 Phantom (yes the all resin/white metal one) that I started and lost interest in at slightly more than the halfway point…
When I left the hobby in 2007 the “D” disappeared, I honestly have idea what I did with it, and the FH-1 went with the other 599 kits I had stashed away when I sold them to a friend who used to have a hobby shop.
My exile lasted five years and I got back into the swing of things in late 2012, and now I’m scouring the interwebs looking for a lot of the kits I sold, not to mention books, resin and other things.
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