I think the badges are looking good. One thing I just learned from putting together the badges for my own Group Build is that the forum handles them better if you make the background transparent rather than trying to match the forum background color. That way they look right wherever they’re displayed.
I also experimented quite a bit with sizing before I got mine working the way I wanted. Keeping the badge fairly compact and square seems to display best, especially once it gets reduced down in somebody’s signature. You also want to keep any lettering fairly large and simple because fine details disappear surprisingly quickly at that size.
Having a front and back is an interesting twist, not sure how well they would fit in the signature line, but I like the idea.
If you decide to run the Group Build for the entire year, I would likely participate. I’d just need to find the right Midway subject to build.
I went through a fair amount of trial and error getting my badges to behave properly, so if you want any help getting these sized or set up with transparent backgrounds, I’d be happy to help.
I like the styling of the badges quite a lot. Front and back is a first. But ya - AI hallucinations in image generation is pretty consistent and annoying. It frequently screws up the propellers.
I like the input of switching out, :Skill" to Determination. I am thinking that Determination might be to long a word and was thinking of using Valor instead? There is no question of valor on both sides.
I also need to clean out the aircraft in the background on both badges, Not sure what they were supposed to be, but they just look too odd. Then there’s the issue of the American carrier on the Japanese badge, and also clearing the backgrounds behind the badge.
Thank you for the input and hopefully you can join in the fun.
I’ll be taking your advice on the background. I think it’ll make the badge stand out more with a clear back drop. As far as resizing goes, how would I know how big the badge is going to be ahead of time? How big is too big? Like I’ve said, I am a complete rube when it comes to computers and have little to no experience with all this stuff.
Don’t worry too much about the size while you’re designing it. Make the original badge reasonably large like 500x500 or more so you have a good-quality image to work with. You can always shrink it for the forum afterward.
For reference, the Unarmed & Unafraid badge I’m using in my signature started out 1200x1200 but I resized it for the signature to 100 x 100 pixels once finalized. I deliberately kept it fairly small because I’m hoping to have several Group Build badges in my signature eventually and don’t want them taking over every post.
I’m a photographer and pretty much a Photoshop guru kind of guy, so I’m happy to help. Once you get the design the way you want it, send me the original and I can resize it and get it ready for the forum for you.
Short attention span is my real problem.. One of those 58 projects is a Tamiya JS-3 started in 1996… Scratchbuilt interior, incl. engine, transmission, crew compartment.. but still unpainted. I must say I do complete about 15 to 30 kits every year.. So the condition could be worse.. LOL
15-30 kits a year is impressive and 10X my production! Seems you can pay attention quite nicely when you want to! I only have 41 kits in my stash, if I built at your rate, I’d be out in two years!
Sam, my best year was 2020, the Covid crisis meant I spent a lot of time at home in my workshop.. If I do not get sidetracked, I can indeed be pretty fast, but I do a lot of researching and reading and this gets me into trouble..!. Those 15 to 30 kits/year only represent my ‘just for fun’ projects.. I design about 30 to 50 masters every year too.. LOL My current stock includes about 220 kits but I’ve known it to include over 500 kits. Some of my friends have more than 3000 kits, so I still feel my stash is OK.
I hear you, Gary. We organise group builds in my local club, one or two a year and at least a handful of my WIP are dating back to some of those GBs.. But sometimes, I get carried away.. Our latest GB, last year, for the 80th anniversary of the UN, saw me complete 7 models..
Okay, now the 58 projects make a little more sense.
And 15–30 finished kits a year are just your “for fun” projects while you’re also designing 30–50 masters? That’s a pretty impressive output.
I completely understand getting sidetracked by research, though. I’m a research nut myself, and sometimes I think I spend as much time learning about the aircraft as I do actually building it.
I’ve got about 42 kits in my stash, so apparently I’m not even trying. I may need to introduce my wife to some of your friends with 3,000 kits. Suddenly I’ll look extremely reasonable.
Eww… Yeah to be fair I wanted it to look more like a more simple tactical map with the island outline, directional arrows and aircraft/ship silhouettes rather than an actual drawing
Researching is the part of the hobby I like best, Sam. Understanding the why, the where, the how, the when.. But it has brought in some issues with my hobby: I just can’t build a kit without having done some research and research brings in issues with most kits, meaning building a kit ‘out of the box’ has become all but impossible.
As to those with the many hundreds of kits in their stash, I can somewhat understand them given that a lot of the kits coming out nowadays are going out of production real quick. Finding them years later can be time consuming AND very expensive. Then there are the collectors and all I can say about that is ‘why not’.. I do collect some things too, though not scale models.. I know about the attraction! However, on the other hand, I know some modellers who just can’t stop buying, it’s like a compulsion and it can lead to serious issues in terms of budget and relationships..
I could have written much of your post myself. It sounds like we may be modeling blood brothers.
The research part especially rings true. My Fury was supposed to be a straight out-of-the-box build—no aftermarket, no rabbit holes, just build what was in the box. Then I learned that one area of the kit is modeled pretty poorly, and now that I know it’s wrong, I can’t leave it alone. Of course, once I start correcting one thing, I start seeing all the other things I could improve too. That’s the ongoing battle.
I’m right there with you on the stash as well, although for me it’s also a collection. I enjoy the kits even when I’m not building them. Sometimes I’ll pull out a box, look through the parts and instructions, and just enjoy it almost like sitting down with a book.
I have aircraft in the stash that I probably won’t build for years, but I’ll enjoy having them on the shelf and looking through them in the meantime. Some people collect stamps, coins, or books. Apparently I collect unbuilt airplanes. Partly because they’ll be fun to build one day, but also because they’re fun to have on the shelf today.
