Like the title asks, what build made you want to just throw it against the wall and give up on it?
Hands down, no question, for me it’s the revell p-61. I almost took a hammer to it tonight - and I’m about 85% done. No parts fit together like they’re supposed to. The canopy doesn’t fit at all. And everytime I fix one problem, 3 more problems show up.
Tonight, all I wanted to do was something simple, test fit the new engine into the modded nacelle now that it’s on the wing. I note where I have to make a cut, move my hand the wrong way and snap a barrel off the top turret. Not even an end barrel. No, I manage to snap off a middle barrel. Ok, minor headache, but it’s fixable. Pick up the barrel, the suppressor snaps off the end - AAAAARRRRGGGHHH. This was a True Details (I think) resin replacement for the stock guns. Now I have to find a way to glue a 1mm pice back on to the barrel. But first, I have to attach the barrel back where it snapped. So now, I had to come up with a little rig (made up of tweezers and piece of a toothpick) to keep the barrel at the right height and angle while the glue dries. Then I’ll have to come up with a different design when it comes to reattaching the suppressor. That’s 2 nights I won’t be able to do any work on this rotten thing.
So far, I’ve snapped off the starboard aileron 3 times, the wheel well doors (all of them) at least once and spilled glue on it at least once.
And these are all the things I can remember. I really take pity on those in the GB who are going to build multiples of this rotten POS.
So have at it folks. Rant about your worst build experiences, whether they be manufacturer’s problems or yours. Trust me, you’ll feel better.
Monogram 1/48 scale F-101B. The main landing gear fits into the top of the well with nothing to hold them in position. The nose section is oval where it attaches to the round forward fuselage. The missile bay doors has a gap in the front that would scale out to around 12 inches. The cockpit tub fits too high and the windshield and canopy will not fit. The engine exhaust will not fit without a lot of sanding inside the fuselage sections.
I have never had so much trouble trying to put an aircraft model together. Each time I returned to continue work it would just make me more mad. It finally ended up in my spare parts box and I still have two more kits not even started yet. They just take up space in my supply cabinet.
1/48 Revell Martin B-26…There is more putty than plastic in this and I lost so much detail sanding away seams and filing putty that I never came close to replacing it all. It definately looks like a B-26, which is a beauty in itself, but I shelfed the build twice and it ended up taking about 8 months in total to complete it due to the long layoffs.
I’d LOVE to see a re-tool or new tool ofthis plane.
Well this is a hard question. I actually pick a lot of my subjects because they will be frustrating and/or challenging to complete. No one would try and build the 1/48 scale Lindberg X-3 unless they were up for a challenge. I’m building this 1/72 Trumpeter Gannet right now and it’s definitely frustating but in this case not so much because the kit is hard but because everything is so darn small.
[banghead]For me, the Czech Models 1/48 ME-263 is a bear! Horribly warped parts, resin that doesn’t even come close to fitting, etc etc. Never did finish it, and actually pulled it out considering working on it for a New Year’s resolution build. But, then my hands started shaking and head started pounding just thinking about it so I quietly put it back. [sigh]
Oh, yeah…
And the Tamiya 1/48 P-51D. A great kit with superb fit, excellent detail, and should be a shake-n-bake kit. But, we just don’t seem to get along.
The one I am doing right now!!! A Revell 1/32 Hawker Hunter MK 9. I read a slew of reviews and they all said it went together well. NOT FOR ME! The intakes,the gun section and of course the 6 part wings all are fiddly. As a result the putty is on and there will be a lot of rescibing. I’m trying to see it through. It may go to the back burner as my AM B-25B is waiting to go and I am hoping for a better build. I only get to a few kits a year between work and home/kids, so it may be me. Kits seem to go together better when you build more, more frequently.
“What is/was your most frustrating build?” The select few that are sitting on the shelf as stash warmers… These are all in various stages of completion!!
Lesee… it ranges from cockpit tubs not fitting properly, gaps, weak landing gear, warpage, missing/broken pieces to paint not curing properly… Thank God for M.A.A [:P]
Just have to keep tellin myself, I love this Hobby, I love this Hobby and the Hobby loves me…
Academy’s 1/72 B-29 Enola Gay - we just didn’t get along and I was never able to get that bird together in any fashion that met my meager standards. I went ahead and finished her off even though I didn’t get the wings mated together seamlessly, I butchered the gun turrets that had to be removed to properly model the Enola Gay (didn’t have the turrets), and I screwed up one of the US national insignia decals to boot. I ended up hanging her in my attic well out of sight.
Well the Black Widow for sure. If I every do another one it would have to be the 1/72 Dragon kit, which looks pretty good. I built the R/M for my friend who flew them, so I was FORCED to finish but I took every short cut know to do so.
Right behind it the Revell 1/72 B-24. All those moving parts, couldn’t stand on its landing gear. And the Revell 1/32 Corsair, if the wings were supposed to fold.
I didn’t have any problems with the B-26 or Black Widow. The vacuform B-32 is the most challenging kit I have ever built. But I like the challenge. I bought a second kit and plan to build it and use a different set of decals on it.
The Hasegawa 1/48th McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II Plus. The wings did not join well to the fuselage at all. Lots of putty was used on the wings to make it look correct, especially on the underside.
One of the old ESCI kits, the Dornier Alpha Jet. It’s not that the kit was hideous, which it sorta was. It’s simply that I couldnt make any progress. For every step forward there were three behind.
Hands down, it was the Fonderie Miniature 1:48 PV-1 Ventura for me. The resin is way soft, it was all warped (Especially the white metal parts), no indexing pins so it was by guess where everything fit, the vac canopy/top deck wasn’t the right size, just a $70 P.O.S. in evey way. I finished it, it actually lloks like a PV-1, I learned a TON of techniques and I am prouder of that build than I am of any of the “shake & bake” builds I have done!
