Confused!!! In Search of Balance!!

Hey guys,

OK, so I do aircraft, almost exclusively, but then we did the whole reverse build, and I was just wondering if any of my fellow brethren (and sistren?) felt the same way as I do. Planes are great, but why limit to just one type of model? Yes, planes are beautiful and graceful with clean lines, etc…but at the same time, taking an old worn out 1/4" brush to my 1/72 M3A2ODS and just making it look downright nasty was a good change of pace… I did this over the weekend for an armor weekend group build with a couple of other folks…

I have a dozen photos on my models page in my sig line.

Thanks for throwing in your collective [2c]

nice looking tank thing. i too do pretty much only aircraft, but i just finished my first tank. sure was a fun time. still love the planes.

Feeling guilty? Not to worry. Probably not many of us build just one genre exclusively. I build planes, cars, motorcycles, and even steam locomotives. When I get tired of planes, I’ll build cars, etc., and I never build a model unless its calling to me. My advice is to build what you want when you want. It is just a hobby, after all. If I had to build models for a living, I’d probably go crazy(er).

look at it this way. when you build more than one subject you become more of a rounded modeler. i am just beginning to do armor and i am finding myself liking both. interesting though i am even considering scratchbuilding an imperial atat. wouldnt have done that or even considered it six months ago.

joe

i too have felt the power of the darkside. I wouldnt worry about it, if you love planes, youll never leave them but tanks are a good time bro. I have a Tiger I I went nuts on…my first tank kit ever and I did hand Zimm!!! Anyways do what ya love and love what ya do.

Nice looking model, but where are the wings? [:)]. When I want a change of pace from AC modeling, I usually paint a figure, but I agree that a little diversity is a good way to avoid burnout.

Regards, Rick

i haven’t been in the hobby long enough to build all the planes i want to build but i’m thinkin’ hard about building a HumV with the desert, dusty look. i also want to build a couple of tanks and choppers as well. the next time Hobby Lobby has a half off sale, i’m gonna raid it for the HumV, the Cobra Gunship, and the Huey Hog Gunship. i saw them the last time but my passion for the fixed wing aircraft took over.LOL. later.

Hi Matt,

Excellent work on the M3A2ODS. I have been model building and bashing for over 40 years, as a youngster if it had wings I was into it. As a teen it was anything with wheels and the more cubic inches the better. Once in the Marine Corps it was the armor, the dark side! (It was not my fault they stuck me at the back end of the motor pool all night watching OPFORS toys)

Since then, everything has been fair game. No kit, no problem, I scratchbuilt stuff for lack of kits when living too far off the grid to even consider a hobbyshop any nearer than 350 miles. I will admit that first efforts were crude, but over time and with practice I have improved some. My latest craze is 1/16 scale figures, that taught me the value of oil paints as well as helped a lot on figures for other scales like 1/35 and down to 1/72.

Build what you like, if you see something that is out of the ordinary for you but it strikes your fancy, snag that puppy and give it a go. If nothing else it will teach you more about the subject of modeling in general, and who knows you might find a new thing to add to your expertise that grows with each and every subject you complete.

Jay modelnut4
AKA treadhead 1952
Las Vegas, NV

Thanks for all the responses…when I was doing these things before I heard the calling of the big blue… I was crazy for planes. Still am, but I think that if I get in a rut, I need a way out. Might even get one of those NASCAR models and make it all shiny… unless of course it’s the #24, then I’ll make a dio of it hitting the wall… [:D]

Build what you like, like what you build. You have to change things up every now and then. I mean, I really like steak but if it was all I ate, I would be pretty bored with it…and have arteries as hard as rocks.

Great work on that tank, Matt!

Don’t feel guilty, friend. Maybe like you, I started as a kid modeling aircraft and have loved it ever since (even during my breaks from the hobby). But sometimes I feel I need to “get out of a/c heaven and see the other sights”, and that’s when I do either armor or cars. It’s a refreshing change of pace and breaks the routine. Yes, it’s sometimes good to dabble in the “dark side”, 'cause eventually you’ll miss doing aircraft again and you’ll be back in no time flat! [:)][8D]

Don’t worry. Your armor is very good. I, too started with A/C (still do A/C every once in a while) but when I tried armor…been hooked ever since.

Just enjoy it for a while.

i here ya ewc, i’m with ya on the #24 car!! i have a few friends and family members that are into NASCAR really heavy and i think doing a model of there favorite driver’s cars would make a great gift. later.

Yeah, I’m building the 1/144th Minicraft C-97G for my fiancee’s dad. He flew it with the Minnesota Air Guard in the 1960s. Brownie points, anyone? [:D]

I agree with Wayne, build what you like.
In my opinion if it doesn’t have wings it is nothing more than fodder for a GBU-12! [:p] [:-,][(-D]

Mike

i must add to my earlier post. a/c have my heart. i will always consider myself an a/c guy but the lure of building something that needs mud and grime is one that is hard to resist. i echo the one common line. build what you like.

joe

You could put mud and grime on an F-111 if you really wanted to.

[tup] #3 - Forever The Man

Randie [C):-)]

If I model one genre exclusively I get bored really quickly.

Currently I’m working on 3 A/C, but am looking forward to starting my armour contribution to the Backwards Build GB.

I’m also itching to do a little work on my model railway, which has lain dormant for the last 12 months since I got back into aircraft.

Call me fickle if you like, but variety is the spice of life.

Karl

A little variation wets the appetite is what I say. If I get bored with aircraft (usually because I goof something up big time and loose my patience[:I]), I’ll build anything else. Armor is the obvious choice, but I’ve tried almost anything else (in plastic that is): motorcycles, cars, a truck, Star Wars stuff, a sub, battleships, vinyl figures, dynosaurs. Kind-a gives you an idea how often I screw stuff up, lol.[:D]