Well?
I expect honest answers here. Do you think it looks like it could win a Plaque or Ribbon? I bet it does! You haven’t got the slightest idea of what I am talking about do you? Why?
Oh, I know, you see that slightly crooked stance of the Plane on it’s gear or the sag on the Track on the tank doesn’t look right. Not to forget the slight dullness to the paint on your car. Well, as far as cars go, if it’s a driver ( even a hot or exotic one) it doesn’t look like molded glass. What real car does? Only Show level Trailer Queens!
Okay ,your figure looks sunburned to you. Might not be the sunburn. You are seeing what no one else will notice. If you do Twenty Mile Stare Eyes I guarantee they will notice the sunburn too.
You see, You suffer from a very insidous disease! It’s called ModelersPerfection Disorder. What is it ? Well, it is a creeping disease of the mind usually associated with OCD where model building is concerned. How do you fight it?
Good question, Right? This is how. Build your best always and quit being so critical of yourself. You see your mistakes, because you made them. Others didn’t see you miss that line just a little. So, don’t feel the need to mention or show it to the observer!
I used to worry about this when I went" PRO", guess what? No one, except me, noticed my mistakes UNLESS they were so obvious as to ruin the appearance of the model. So then I learned that the lure of Handbuilt or Handmade came from someone finally noticing the flaws. That was usually months or years later.
None ever asked to have the boo -boo fixed either! They just figured because I did this from scratch or modified a kit they were afraid to build, that I missed a spot( so to speak) and just didn’t notice. Hey, He did build this NOT box stock right!
The other thing you will need to worry about is Rivet Counters. Don’t ! They can’t accept their own mistakes so they love beating others down with real or manufactured discrepencies on or in anothers work. Why? probably because they feel they don’t measure up to your work. This makes them feel insecure!
Let you in on my secret. I build what I know mostly. How many folks really know where all those pipes and valves go or what they do on a tanker’s deck anyway? No body but folks in the trade. So I build all kinds of Small fleet tankers. No holds barred and no set layout if very old or specialized.
I build Tanks and Armor too. How? Just like it rolled out the foundry door. Maybe a little dust and light dirt from the first couple of days of testing. Why? I don’t like dirty equipment. Ships get dirty.But you don’t notice it from a half mile away because you can’t get close enough to see the salt rime and peeled paint and rust anyway.(Unless she’s really a Tramp vessel) Those are rare now.
But small fleet transfer and storage vessels are owned by companies that all they do is go to the loading facility and load, take their load to an offload facility and do it again forty eight hours later( Or Sooner) They NEVER, except rarely, see the ship that brought their product to the port they operate out of anyway.
Few ports do this. San francisco does, though. The small tankers transfer loads from the mid to large seagoing tankers to the themselves at anchorage number 9. Why? The seagoing ships are to big to traverse the Stockton or Sacramento River ship Channels. Some of the turns are too tight for anything over 400 foot.
Now remember, Know your subject. Do your best job. And ENJOY the build. Don’t worry about the Plaques and Ribbons. Most folks don’t care, they just like what you’ve done and wish they could do as well. SO THERE!! And besides, think, someone may ask a very important question. “Excuse me, How did you do this or that?” That is what should make your day. That is the real prize!!
