I have spent part of the day contemplating my ever growing stack of to do kits. I calculated that if I spend a minimum of three weeks on each kit, I will be finished with all of them in about four years. When I build a kit I want it as accurate as possible down to the very last screw head. If I don’t buy any more kits and work on the ones I’ve got in all of my free time I can do this. BUT I know I won’t be able to resist a new kit of something I’ve just got to have. My dilema now is wether or not I should try to super detail or wether I should just stick with the basics. What would yall do in my case? I finish very few models because I can always find something wrong and then I get discouraged. Would this also be away to finish more kits?
pix has a line “build what you like, like what you build”, whenever you build a kit think of that line. build it the way you want to. if you want to build a superdetailed accurate down to the rivit, then do it. if you want to build oob regardless of accuracy, then do it. remember this it is a hobby and the only one you need to please is yourself.
i choose to build what pleases me. my builds are not accurate down to the rivit but they do have the overall appearance. one day i will superdetail and large scale kit just to step up to the challenge. but for now i am happy.
joe
Roadkill: I hear ya man! You should see my stack (actually stacks, had to move some to my parents’place due to lack of space, it’s embarassing[:I]). I’ve convinced myself that the biggest problem is that I can’t airbrush my models well enough (air canisters but have to do it in the living room: not very popular[:-,]). So I try my best with a regular brush, and as a result am not happy because it could have looked a lot better… So the next kit gets cracked open. In my mind the solution is moving to a bigger place with my own den[8D], but we all know what the real problem is, right?
Can’t say no to a beautiful kit[(-D]
You mean you don’t replace the incorrect 1/4" rivets with the correct 3/8" rivets on your models??? Strange as it may seem , there ARE actually people out there who go to those extremes. I reckon if it looks right and you are happy with it, then you’ve done enough. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of adding more and more detail and modifications to a kit, even though it is impossible to see some of it, and only finish one kit every 10 years, going into manic depression every time anyone points out there should be 20 rivets on a particular joint, not 22. The modelling process is fun and the main point of the hobby, but the satisfaction of seeing your completed model sitting there is worth far more
It’s supposed to be fun.
I’ve just managed to glue one of the main undercarriage legs on backwards on my Ar555, despite running through the assembly process over and over again!
I still like the model, and I’m not going to loose any sleep over it.
Karl
Yeah, I gotta agree. Sometimes, enough is enough. But then you see THAT KIT and you gotta have it. I’m guilty as well. I don’t “collect” kits. I buy them to build them.
I just happen to be aquiring them faster than I build them…
[:D][:D]Easy send half your kits my way and I will help you build.[:D][:D]
I remember Woody saying that the golden rule of the collector ( modelers also) is, way too many is not enough! I agree.
I also agree that this is a hobby and you should do what will make you happy.
And if you’re thinking of finishing all your kits, forget it. Just like what leemitcheltree said, we happen to acquire them faster than we can build them.
Forget about rivets.Go for overall visual impact.Get into dioramas .Building airplane after airplane can be boring .Been there,done that.There is no wrong way to build a kit.Please yourself and above all be creative. Thats my 2 cents. Cheers! John.
I started in this hobby way too many years ago to admit. Back then, the kits were nowhere as detailed as todays offerings and I developed my modeling skills by rescribing raised panel lines, scratch building detail parts, learning how to use an airbrush, and all of the rest. My favorite kits were the 1/72 “Frog In A Bag” offerings, which were genally accurate in shape, but had practically no detail. But they did offer a clean pallette, so to speak, to detail as much as your skill and interest dictated. Now, many years later, my modeling skills are not as sharp as they once were due to aging eyesight and sometimes unsteady hands. But that is somewhat compensated for by todays great kits, like the 1/48 Tamiya Jugs, which come with detail OOTB that would have been the envy of the Master Modeler 30 years ago. Add to that the huge amount of excellent cottage industry aftermarket detail sets in resin and photoetch as well as the decal sheets and some great models can be built without the very high level of skill that used to be required. Today, my motto is “If it aint in the box, it aint on the model”, although I do use mostly aftermarket decals and resin/photoetch if my mood and wallet support it. Of course there is no substitute for good craftsmanship, so todays kits still require basic skill to assemble & paint properly.
My suggestion is to build in a way that makes YOU happy. If that’s building out-of-the-box, enjoy it. If its adding all the detail you can manage, go for it. If its building a diorama, go for it. Build whatever way brings you pleasure. Not everyone has the same goals, needs, or desires. Modeling is a very individual hobby. When a hobby becomes boring or drudgery, it doesn’t fulfill the object of being an ENJOYABLE PASTIME.
Above all, do whatever you have fun doing, and be happy. Please yourself. Don’t build for the needs or desires of anyone but yourself, and share your enthusiasm, experience, and skill with others.
What’s the rush? I’ve got “to do” kits for years to come. Take your time, this is supposed tro be an enjoyable hobby. If you feel like super detailing - then go for it. If nothave fun with that as well. Follow Pix’s words of wisdom. Enough is enough when you deem it to be enough
No 2 kits are built the same with me. Some I do OOB, others have added detail or conversion sets and there are even a few that ended up in a trash can.
If this was a business venture, then I would certainly take a different taict on it. It is your name and skills attached to the model at that point.
Enough? Hey, I want more than enough!
Quantity or quality is the question.
For some kits quality just requires more effort than I personally am willing to invest (i.e., Battle Axe’s Beechcraft 18). So that becomes a quantity build within the fleet and gets placed on a higher shelf (or hung) away from close up view. It becomes a number at this point adding to the shocking magnitude of one’s collection.
Quality builds (like any Accurate Minatures kit) are the ones we spend the time and effort on. I guess the ones you sink $$$ into for detail sets,etc. could be as well. These go on the lower shelves or are candidates for some diorama subject. These are not numbers, rather they are actual subjects adding to the awe of one’s collection.
If it looks right, feels right, it is right. Enjoy.
As Hager said, “The secret to happiness is to be content with what you got, so get enough!”
my favorite part of any build is the paint job. i’m not to keen on decaling and puttying and sanding, but i know all these steps help make the model’s finished look appear more like the real thing. the first model i did 6 months ago took a week just to decal the thing. i would put a couple on and get tired of it, wait a couple of days and put some more on and so forth. i know where you coming from with the discouragement thing. it seems that every model i’ve worked on so far has a flaw in it somewhere. most general observers that have seen my models dont even notice. but it still bothers me when i know its there and i usually end up practicing my airbrushing skills on the poor model. it could’ve been shelved if i’d had a little more patience but my attitude is this; i’ll just do better on the next kit. ive been in the hobby since july of 03’ and i only have one complete build that is historically incorrect because i couldnt get a certain decal to fit all the way around the nose. anyway, i strung it up from the cieling and most people that see it love it. thats an easy build, to close the canopy, close the wheel wells and hang it from the cieling and call it complete!! thats what i do sometimes when i get discouraged. later.
Roadkill,
I seem to have the same problem about detailing too much and getting discouraged when I hit a “snafu” in a kit. I’ll never live long enough to build a fraction of my “collection” but I’m still going to buy a new kit when they are “quality” ones. I have a buddy who has a few more than me and he always says we are going to “tour” the Hobby Shows and Contests and sell or swap our collections when we retire. Sounds good to me, but not the wife of course! Mean while I’ll have to try and “scratch” on a little plastic between the remodeling projects at home and working on vehicles.
That’s par for the course.[:)]