Well, after 8 months of on and off labor I finished my Trumpeter 1/32 F/A-18E. This kit fought me every step of the way. I had a problem, tried to clean it up, and then it caused a different problem. At what point do you all just heave it against the wall as opposed to keep trying to fix it? Sigh, I am beaten this evening.
John
Cost of the kit,severity of the problem,my own frustration level at the time, my detetmination,all of these things factor in.I have slogged thru my share of kits,and have also tossed a few,feeling it wasn’t worth the effort,so everyone basically has their breaking point.Although I suggest that some have the ability and the inclination to battle thru anything,but not me,I have a breaking point that varies.
To me there are four things that factor into my persistence in a build. 1.) Desire to build the subject , 2.) Cost of the kit, 3.) My skill level and(this kind of ties in with skills) 4.) Modeling Skills Information resources
I had a Trumpeter 1/24 scale Bf109 that kicked my butt all the way and I hear what you’re saying. IMO I feel that Trumpeter kits are way over engineered but are workable…especially since they are pricey kits. That being said I have put one kit to the side that I just couldn’t do anything with at the time due to my skill level which was the AMT 66 “Hemi Under Glass” Barracuda. With the Trumpeter kits , having built one myself as well as watch others build them, a builder at least gets a finished product that at least looks proportionally like the subject being built. This was not the case for the 'Cuda I started on. The body was accurate but that’s where it stopped. As I progressed through the build I began to see that this thing wasn’t going to look anything like it was supposed to look from an accuracy as well as a proportional standpoint. I found out through others commenting in my WIP that either an underbody from a 1969 Barracuda or a correction resin kit would have to be obtained to whip this thing into shape…so…it got shelved. I really wanted to build this thing too as it’s always been a favorite of mine and I had a 66 Barracuda as my first car so the desire factor was initially there but my skills weren’t at that time. The kit didn’t cost too much either so it was a little easier to set it aside for the time being.
In dealing with the fourth factor, this leads me to the question of-Do you post WIP’s of your builds anywhere on the forums? I’m fairly comfortable with my skill level so far but every now and then I need either a “push” or a helping hand. There are lots of folks out there who build these kits and can help you through whatever difficulty you’re having if it’s a fit issue. There’s lots of help if it’s anything else like paint, glue or anything else on here as well. In my case others tried to help but I wasn’t at a point to where I wanted to pursue what was needed to pull that build off. Just curious and trying to help.
I have “broken” once.
It was quite some time ago. It was a 1/72 F-82 Twin Mustang. I don’t even remember what company it came from, but I do remember paying a single dollar for the kit…which made it a lot easier to part ways with it! I almost went full Hulk on that S.O.B…but took a deep breath, got up and went out to the garage to grab my shovel…I burried that POS in the back yard.
Since then, I have built ModelCrafts 1/48 F-82, which is an absolute turd of a kit, far worse than the one that “broke” me. After that kit, everything else is gravy!!!
I’ll bet you a dollar to a hole in a donut that it was the Revell offering. My son has that kit and by all looks of the kit after test fitting it that thing is a disaster waiting to happen.
I have a shelf of doom (shelves, actually) that I put unfinished kits on, while I work on something else that has become more of a priority. Reasons include just the length of the build, build troubles, challenge coming due that requires another kit- whatever. My intent is to finish them later. However, it is also a chance to rethink the kit, and occasionally, after a month or two or six I come to the conclusion the build is not worth it, and it gets submitted to the trash can. This procedure allows my to unwind, and make the decision with a cooler head.
fermis
It was a 1/72 F-82 Twin Mustang. I don’t even remember what company it came from
I’ll bet you a dollar to a hole in a donut that it was the Revell offering. My son has that kit and by all looks of the kit after test fitting it that thing is a disaster waiting to happen.
Definitely not a Revellogram kit. Something I’ve never heard of…before or after that kit.
Lemme do a little diggin…I know there’s not a lot of F-82 kits out there!..
Looks like there’s Monogram/Revell, Hobbycraft, a much newer Special Hobby(which will likely be finding its way into my home!!!)…and, then there’s this…which I am leaning towards…
I can’t say today, that it is a horrible kit (I really don’t know)…but for my skill set, back when I attempted it…it was not good!
…
It looks a lot better in the box, than it builds up!
If nothing else, the Squadron vac canopies make a big difference…there’s also an PE set for it, which helps as well. Wish somebody would make resin props for this kit. It’s not a fun build, at all…but if you win…there’s a lot of satisfaction when it’s over!
I generally won’t give up on kit. I’ll put it on the shelf until some inspiration makes me pull it off again. But only one time have I tossed in the towel on a kit. A long time ago I was building a 1/48 Monogram B-17 for my father. I was really putting in a lot of effort on this build. Well, I sat it on the floor of a spare bedroom and my 3yo son (who is 26 now) decided to play Gozilla with it. I have to say he did a really good job; wish I could have video taped it!
I don’t think that really counts as “throwing in the towel”!!!
I thought it was a good kit. It’s dated for sure.
I’ve never actually thrown a kit in the trash. They will be consigned to a shelf to be worked on at a later date, be used as a what-if or a donor for parts.
Jim [cptn]
Two sided coin, hate to throw in the towel, (seems like defeat,) also hate to spend time correcting a badly produced kit. Shame on the manufacturers that do turn out the occassional ill fitting stuff, they know if it’s good or bad when they release it to the market. While I resent their expectation that we’ll just accept it, I don’t have to continue with a build that is problematic.
I’m 75, well over 100 kits stashed, plenty of good stock to turn to. If it’s a turkey I just pitch it, after I salvage useable bits. Time seems more valuable each year, the enjoyment of building quality kits is a better investment than correcting a poor product.
The one exception, if when pre checking parts fit it is at least buildable, but not a great kit with worthy potential, I give it to neighborhood kids. They stop by my garage shop often, the sound of the compressor is a kid magnet, and I help them get kits completed. Many of them bring brothers and even dads around, getting them interested in the hobby.
Frustration over bum kits is a worthless time investment.
Patrick
Well, it was very expensive and I tricked it out with Eduard’s Big Ed set. I really like the F/A-18 in all its variants so those two things kept pushing me. I ordered it as soon as it came out and then read all the reviews about how after bulding it you would have a P-51 instead of a F/A-18:( That made me put it away for a while. I think the time it took contributed to my impatience at the end as I just wanted to finish the thing!
Some of the highlights that I learned:
I had no trouble painting with different brands. Badger Stynylrez white was the primer coat. Model Master Light Ghost Gray and Dark Ghost Gray went on next. I grabbed an old bottle of radome tan from Model Master and mixed it up and started to spray and my nose said; Whoa somethings not right. Turns out it was enamel. Oh well, only a small section so I went ahead. Two days for it to dry and no problems. Next I used Vallejo’s black gloss primer over top the metail sections. Then Vallejo’s metal Burnt Iron, Steel, and Aluminum. The gloss coat before decals was Liquitex Gloss Varnish. No issues anywhere with mixing all the different stuff.
The PE bits were great for the cockpit and the weapons. OK with the landing gear. All the little clips and holders in the gear bays and doors was a waste for me. Can’t see them and the didn’t fit well with the kit rods which had pins that had to be removed and the doors had pin holes to be filled. A lot of work for nothing. Canopy masks in the PE set were great and I can really recommend them. I didn’t mask the other areas like they suggest, I just filled to areas with tape.
My two things that kept this from being a good build for me were the intakes and the top of the fuselage to the bottom. Try as I might I could not get the intakes to line up. That led to try scratch building intake covers which led to another problem. The top to bottom had me filling and sanding in difficult areas which I finally gave up on.
Lastly, I couldn’t find where anyone had done the VF-143 Pukin Dogs scheme so I tried it. The tail fin decals cannot possibly settle in over all the raised detail. Settling into panle lines and the such was Ok, but there is not enough surface area on the decals to go over all the bumps and stuff. I had a couple of references and the stenciling call outs were not matching up.
I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has built this kit and their experience with it. I’ll try to post a picture once I recharge the camera battery. Thanks for reading my vents.
John
Hi ;
What I have done over the years is this . When a kit ,Which is merely a collection of parts organized to result in a finished -three dimensional visual treat doesn’t want to form to my " I Say, rather formidable years of skill " Then it gets put in the parts box .
This way I still have my investment , But I have used it’s parts for another project which rendered higher satisfaction . And the parts supplied may wind up in more than one successful build . Tanker - Builder
Most typically I won’t throw in the towel due to cost of the kit and desire to build the subject. There was a time not too long ago where I did throw in the towel on 3 of 4 builds. I had the Eduardo Sopwith Camel 1/48 in my stash for years, so when I finally decided to take a stab at it, my first WWI biplane, I was flabbergasted at how much trouble I had with the cabanes. I could not get them to align properly, and since I had painted everything prior to construction, I grew increasingly frustrated trying to get pieces into place without ruining the paint job. I eventually threw it against the wall. I then acquired an Academy Sopwith Camel in 1/32, thinking the larger scale would help with building. It didn’t. I don’t recall the exact problems I had with that Camel, but I do recall bringing my clenched fists down on it like the Hulk going after Ultron.
After that disaster I acquired a biplane jig and was able to get a Roden Albatros 1/32 done. I still want a Sopwith Camel, and on that note, Wing Nut Wings is producing one for release later this year.
After that German biplane, I then failed at a Classic Airframes Duck. I have clearly had issues with biplanes but hopefully with the jig I will be able to successfully complete all of those I have in my stash.
ive had a few kits hit the wall in the past. mostly ones that have continual fit issues or that have a major screw up near the end that would require major work. I know my limits and that is why I have never tried a bi plane. The problems you had I would have Aggieman, and it seems such a waste to spend so much on something destined to be garbage out of frustration. More power to you for completeing one!
If you guys like bi planes you would really dig this one!Like builing a bridge on a wing with no locating holes or guides!I will say that once the top wing was mounted it feels as solid as a rock! 
That seems to happen with every build these days. I recently finished a '63 Vette that was a real PITA, especially when it came to putting on the Bare Metal Foil window trim. Thought I’d pull out a little resin Spaceman Spiff I got at Wonderfest, just to do an easy, quick build. The modeling gods had other ideas. Runny paint, crazing of the sealer, getting paint on the wrong parts of the model when I was doing details - you name it. Heaving it against the wall seemed like a viable option at one point. Somehow I hung in there and actually finished the thing. Now all I have to do is wait for my blood pressure to come down.