To all my fellow modellers,
I am at a crossroad in my life, should I continue modelling or give up? I am finding it hard to get motivated, and everything I do turns out horrible. I am in a club, but the only thing I have completed in the last 12 months were a He-162, and the Homer concept car. I have started 2 kits and a rebuild, but the paint job on my F-4 went haywire!!! What should I do? Have any of you guys been in the same position?
What you need is a get out of your funk build. Something that can be thrown together in a weekend with minimal effort and simple paint job.
I normally build 1/48 aircraft, but I find that 1/72 armour kits are great funk busters. They are easy, quick and cheap to do and you get a result almost straight away, rather than being committed to a large project for weeks or months at a time.
Give it a go [tup]
[#ditto]
Nothing like a quicky build to get things back in perspective.
How about a nice Tiger I in all over grey? Easily acheivable in a weekend, and a model for the shelf.
Don’t lose heart, we’ve all been there…
…more than once in some cases.
Karl
First off don’t make the decision to quit the hobby all together… if you need to get away from it just put everything away for a few weeks. Totally out of sight. Trust me, all of the sudden you’ll see an airplane movie, or a show on Disc. Wings, or the History Channel, or go to an airshow and the need to model will just come zooming back.
Paul…
if i’ve learned anything about this hobby…from this hobby…and during my time plying my growing skills within this hobby…it’s P A T I E N C E…
for me the most difficult of virtues to understand…let alone practice…
take a sabatical…maybe read some mags or see some films on the hobby or your favourite modelling subject…
let go for few time increments (of your choosing) and wait for some inspiration to well up…as it surely will…let go of the disappointments and mistakes…without 'em you can’t learn.
spend a bunch of time here checking out builds from Pixilater, Saltydog, Swanny, Grenadier and others whose names elude me at the moment (sorry y’all)…and ask 'em 'bout their disappointments and oopsies…
P A T I E N C E Paul…it’s all good & it’ll all come back…never give up.
email some members…you never know what a 1 v 1 could do…
[#ditto] Don’t give up yet. If a quickie doesn’t help, then try taking a break from it for a few weeks. With me, I’m always coming up with new ideas for models every few weeks and nothing ever gets finished before I’ve started on another big model. Every model I build, I just want to cram as much detail as I can in it and it takes forever to get anywhere with it. Sometimes I just put it away for awhile and build a quick, cheap kit straight out of the box in an off weekend. By Tuesday, I’m back working on the big project again.
I agree completely with those who recommend doing a simple, relaxing build, one-color, not too many parts, all plastic. I’ve found that I get most discouraged when my build doesn’t meet my large expectations. For instance, when I’ve looked forward to building a certain kit for a long time, collect decals and aftermarket parts for it, buy a bunch of reference books, and then, by the time I get around to the actual build, the pressure to make it perfect, to justify my expectations (and the expense) turns it into a job to be endured rather than an relaxing escape from other cares. I would guess that those who have not gotten as discouraged as you are right now are in the minority around here.
what awesome advice. dont give up on the hobby but you may need a break. much like a writer and writers block you may need to put it away for a little while. i guarentee though walk through a hobbyshop, or browse through a modeling magazine and your enthusiasm will resurface.
joe
I also agree with the simple build theory.
Another thing you might try is adjusting your focus. If you are envisioning the completed build when you cut your first part from the sprue, try focusing your attention to only the part on which you’re working, as if it’s the only piece in the box. Take small steps, and don’t get ahead of yourself. When I’m building & painting a cockpit, I’m not even aware of the other parts in the box that don’t relate to what I’m doing at the time. Just do your best on the instrument panel, your best on the sidewalls, your best on the seat. Patience and focus equals attention to detail.
You may just surprise yourself with what you can create, one step at a time.
I hope this helps you, if only just a little.
Bill, that’s great advice. A simple build is always a help but if you take a challenge build and do each section as model in itself it’s much easier. This is often the case with modern aircraft cockpits and underwing stores, they are practically kits by themselves. [swg]
Amen…to that.
Quit the hobby? Kinda rash. I don’t think you’ll find any suporters of that here [:)]
In lieu of what others have said, I’ll have to agree and suggest a change of pace. Go for some small-scale armor, or even a sci-fi ship or figure.
If you don’t feel like building anything, then take a break. A week or two or even more never hurt me. Just got my anticipation built up!
Paul, I don’t think it can be stated any better then what our friends here on the forum have said. Don’t be frustrated, I’m sure we all have had days like yours. I’ve got my stash of what I call less then satisfactory builds. Thats how we grow, by our mistakes. Don’t let the pressure of trying to build the perfect project scare you off. We all have to walk away from time to time, it’s just part of being human. take care friend, and remember you’re not alone. semper fi, mike
Paul:
never give up !
all creative efforts have this in common: the difference between the
perfection we see in our mind’s eye & the less-than-perfect realization
of the concept… as time goes by, u will get closer 2 where u want 2 be
in ur modeling. trying new techniques can b frustrating at first, but
when u get it working, u’ll b happy u stuck with it !
so take a break, or build something different 2 get out of ur funk…
soak ur F-4 in regular old PineSol 2 remove the bad paint job &
try again… don’t worry about ‘completing’ things, just figure out
where u want 2 go w/ each build & let it take the time it takes.
it’s the journey, not the destination… otherwise u’d b collecting
prebuilt & prepainted models instead of building them.
i know sometimes looking at other people’s work can b
intimidating, especially with the fantastic modelers around here.
but even the greatest modelers didn’t start out that way, & the folks
here r really good about sharing techniques & tips, so if u have a
question, ask… i’m sure u’ll get some good answers !
i’ve learned a lot from the folks on this site & from reading FSM
& trying out stuff i see other people doing.
BTW, i have approx. 12 projects in various stages of completion
going on rite now & i will eventually finish each & every one of them…
i’d rather do 'em rite than fast !
best wishes & keep modeling,
frosty[:)]
Paul
Don’t quit. Remember it’s just a hobby and it should be fun. Try to remember what it was that made you want that first kit and what you were thinking when you built it. For me it was things like, we needed a Val for the Pearl Harbor blow 'em up spectacular me and some friends were having one weekend or something to do to get me away from my sister. Now too often I suffer from AMD, (advanced modelers syndrome) where building is not fun, but a battle to make sure everything is lined up right or is the perfect shade of color or whatever. What I do now is spend time with some kids from church that are interested in building models and it reminds me of what I liked about the hobby as a kid. If you don’t have any “youts” available, try finding someone that maybe served on particular piece of equipment and ask if you can build a model for them. Right now I’m building a B-29 for a guy who served on them in the war. Just the joy he seems to get whenever I bring it over to discuss with him how things should go is worth it. His recollection of how things were may not be completely accurate anymore but just the fact someone wants to talk to him about it makes his day. And the thing He doesn’t know is, I don’t really need him to build the model. There are plenty of places online where I can find the information or get the markings, but to hear his stories and get his input is inspiring. I want to build this model because seeing him happy makes me happy.
So don’t give up, that will just make you feel like a victim. Share your hobby and that will make you feel like a VICTOR.
Thanks for all the advice, I really needed a fresh look at things. I am just to worried on many things that need my attention, that I have lost sight on everything!!! Because of that my hobby has suffered. Instead of having fun, I wanted perfection. I have decided to finish an Italeri Ju-188 out of the box, without resorting to all the fancy aftermarket bits. The only thing I will leave out of it is the crew, as they are pretty bad. Once again thanks to all, I no longer feel an outsider in this hobby.[:)]