Trials and Tribulations of my very first model making experience

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Good Afternoon.

I have decided to show photos of my first model. This is very much a work in progress and I am about to start on the weathering process.

My Model is a 1/35 Stug 3 G from Tamiya. so before I post any pictures here are my challenges so far.

Wheels getting them right is hard, Then to make it worse when I finally got them in a reasonable state I spilt thinner over them.

  1. Got the smoke discharges all wrong
  2. Painted things in the wrong order (should have planned better)
  3. Did not read the instructions at least 3 times before I started.
  4. Broke the framework for the side skirts about 200 hundred times at least. See item 3.
  5. Fitted the machine gun plate incorrectly with the hatch closed.

Anyway here are some pictures of the work so far.

Picture 1
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Picture 2
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Picture 3
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Picture 4
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Picture 5
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Please feel free to comment, please remember this is the first model I have done in 50 years.

7 Likes
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lt looks a hell of a lot better than my 1st attempt. And
you haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet, the tracks.

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These are all great steps in the journey. To be sure, these “mistakes” can feel frustrating. In a lot of ways, we put unfair expectations on ourselves, especially as adults. We’re used to doing things and getting them done. So when we do something new, or come back to something after not having done it for years, we feel as if we can jump in and get it done. I like to compare modeling to playing an instrument. You have to learn basic skills and then practice. When you get them down, it becomes easier and more fluid to use those skills.

Your StuG looks amazing for your first build in 50 years. Keep at it!

4 Likes
4

Looks pretty good to me. I like the camouflage.

Cheers,
Mark

5

I love it! As Tim indicated we are harder on ourselves.

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Looks pretty good,I know I wouldnt post my first,but thats how we learn,its only the beginning

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You’ve got NO kick coming with these efforts George!! As others have said, for being your first bench binge in 5 decades…you’re straight up killin’ it bud.

Welcome back to the hobby by the way. :+1:

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Are you sure you aren’t writing a report on my last build? :rofl:

I’ve been back with the hobby for several years and these kinds of challenges still crop up. Since gaining more experience I think the biggest changes for me when they do happen are,

  1. They are less frustrating.
  2. I can recover from my errors better. That doesn’t mean seamlessly fix. It just means my fixes can be less ugly. lol
  3. I’ve come to expect something going wrong so it’s less of a surprise when it does.

I think your build is going quite well, even with the admitted challenges. Keep at it!
I greatly look forward to seeing the final product. :slightly_smiling_face:

3 Likes
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Well put Johann! There is ALWAYS something that goes wrong with every one of my builds. I’m just better at not only recovering from the mistakes as you say, but I’m also better at covering them up and / or distracting from them. :upside_down_face:

2 Likes
10

You’re doing just fine, especially for a beginner. No one starts out with a “Best of Show” as their first build. And making mistakes is always part of the learning process. Don’t let the fear of making errors keep you from building. Keep pushing forward to completion and then move on to the next one when this one is finished. It gets better.

3 Likes
11

Heck yeah MG… great build buddy! The items you mentioned as tribulations are simple learning curves. I believe you have done a great job for your first attempt in 50 years.

3 Likes
12

Part of the fun has been fixing the issues when they occur. It is one of my traits from when I worked, I just like solving problems whether they are big or small.

1 Like