Hi everyone! I’ve recently decided to get back into scale model building. I started modeling as a kid, maybe 7-9 years old, putting Revell aircraft kits together. I never made it a long-term hobby and now that I’m much older, I want to get back into it and learn to make realistic models.
I spent a career in the military and was medically retired a few years back so my hobbies are more sedentary, but I work on a computer by day and need something to do with my hands and not on a screen.
I decided that it would be cool to build everything I ever worked, rode, or touched while in the military. Since I was a 91B, wheeled vehicle mechanic, the majority of my builds will be wheeled. However, I do have the C5 Galaxy, C130, Blackhawk, and CH-47 on my list for aircraft. Each craft will tell a story.
Once I’m comfortable with building, I want to build a diorama of a night I experienced in Afghanistan that will involve multiple rotor craft models and a lot of creativity for creating an action scene.
I hope to get to interact with you all in my journey to chronicle my career.
Your subject matter and personal attachment to the vehicles/aircraft will serve you well I believe. Having a personal stake in them should make the builds more interesting for you and your audience.
My only advice is to avoid thinking everything has to be 100% perfect, it is very difficult to achieve and could lead to burnout.
I like to treat every build as a chapter in my book of builds, treating each one as it’s own experience, flaws and all.
Have fun and ask lots of questions, the people here love to share their nuggets of wisdom.
This is great advice, I truly appreciate it. I recognize that despite the limited model making I did as a child, this is new to me and I dont expect perfection. I can always go back later and rebuild something if needed.
Thanks for the kind words and advice, it’s nice to meet you.
Well, I speak from experience. Like you, I built 50 kits as a kid. Everything from Dragsters to Saturn 5 Rockets to P-51 Mustangs and enjoyed it very much.
Then I came back into the hobby at about age 30 for a couple of years, building modern jets, and even got a few ribbons in some contests.
Then, I took a 30-year break and came back again last year with the idea of resurrecting the Hobby using the stash that I had carried with me for 30 years from house to house.
First kit was an old monogram 0A-4M and I made lots of mistakes, which bothered me at first because I was expecting too much from resurrecting a 30-year-old hobby.
I’m now 3/4 of the way through my fourth Jet and having a great time, and each one is a little better. So I cut myself some slack with each mistake I make that I learned something from. They are often tiny, and the kind of thing that only I would know about. I get a little better with each build and maybe one day, I’ll give a contest a try again, but not right away.
So the biggest thing I learned was to relax and enjoy the journey which sounds trite but it’s truth in this Hobby. If you’re building to win contests that’s okay it’s just likely to be a little more stressful.p
Haha, no contests for me (yet?), but I do have expectations to produce quality-looking builds while understanding it may take a lot of time to achieve “quality”.
It might not take as much time as you think. I’m really slow (three aircraft a year) but if I can get this F-4 I’m working on done cleanly, I’ve had an inkling to put it in a contest. Many people only build for themselves and will never enter anything, which is actually a good space to be in. For me, I like thinking about it as I’m building as it helps me get over the “That’s good enough” mood when I get frustrated with a seam that doesn’t look right.