Call me touchy, or crabby, but thunderBolt2’s Monogram post really got under my skin. How many of you have never built a Monogram kit? Go on, raise your hand, I’ll wait…That’s kinda what I thought.
My first Monogram Kit was a 1-48 F-4J MiG Killer. I used a whole tube of glue and painted it black. And I loved evry minute of it. It looked absolutely ridiculous, now that I think about it, but I enjoyed building my “crap” kit.
What I’m getting at here is this. It’s a hobby folks. When we sit down to our work benches or tables, we’re not performing brain surgery or putting men on the moon. Even if you get paid to build models, you are still supposed to enjoy what you are doing. Maybe Mr. Thunderbolt2 should think about that next time sits down to his project.
When I get home tonight, I am going to continue working on my many crap kits. Raised panel lines, lack of detail, give me more of it. I literally have shelves full of T-bolts’s crap. And I will continue to build crap. I guess in this case you can actually polish a turd.
The absolute worst kit I’ve ever attempted to build was Tamiya’s 1/32 F-14.
That was in 1982 so it may have been improved since then. I ended up
smashing it against a wall before tossing it in the trash. I guess it was so bad
because I expected so much more from it. Give me my Monogram “crap” any
day of the week.
Ray
After 20+ years out of the model building game I stopped on my way home from work and purchased an 1/48 A-10 by Monogram. This is my 8 year old step sons favorite plane. Little did I know that the we could have that much fun and recieve compliments from friends and neighbors, but I guess it doesn’t count because it is a “crap” model.
Oh well, us in the “Unwashed Masses” are usually having more fun anyway.
And to Thunderbolt,
remember “A poor mechanic blames his tools”
I’ve built a number of Monogram kits and enjoyed every one. I’m working on a 1/72 scale F-4J right now and it’s going smoothly except for a fair number of ejector pin marks in awkward places.
I just read a review of the reissued Monogram F6F and I’m dying to get my hands on one. The folding wings really look cool! The kit also presents an opportunity to go nuts with detailing if I want to start learning how to incorporate resin after market parts.
I’ve built I’ve-forgotten-how-many Monogram kits, have at least 15 unstarted kits, and, additionally, my son’s first kit was a Monogram Snap-Tite. They may be older by design, but they were state of the art when I began building. Most of all, they were fun!!! The day that I can’t have a little fun, I’ll drop the hobby like a hot rock and find something else to do. As long as there’s a Monogram kit out there unbuilt, that day is a long time coming. - Ed
I’ve built ton’s of crappy kit’s over the year’s and each one has been a learning experience. I think the worst “crappy” kit that I’ve built is the Airfix 1/24th Mustang. I could go and rant about what was wrong with this kit but I wont it was just an overall bad experience for me and I’ll never build another Airfix kit again. People have gotton way to spoiled with Tamiya and Hasegawa kit’s and it seem’s that everyone is now comparing other kit’s to them and that’s wrong. I like challenges and the older kit’s do just that for me.
What do you base that on? You stated in another post that you never buy a RM kit. If you haven’t tried their latest releases how can you call them crap. Go out and buy the Monogram 1/48 scale F-86D kit and look at it. It is on par with Hasagawa and Tamiya. RM releases kits of a subject aircraft that no other manufacturer has. It is years later when another company will release a kit of that subject. Look at the F-8E that Monogram released in the late 80’s. It wasn’t untill this year that Hasagawa released the F-8E. I have built two of the Monogram F-8E kits and IMO they were very good kits. It was a little changeling, but that is why I buy model kits. I also have the Hasagawa F-8E and it is very good. But for the price, you still can’t beat Revell/Monogram.
I remember building the Monogram 1/72 Do-17Z in junior highschool. It wasn’t my first kit but it seemed so much better the the Airfix and FROG models I had built up till then. Aurora kits, now those were bad and hey, remember those old Lindberg 1/72 kits…
Hmmmm…didn’t realize this was another Monogram-bashing topic.
Those who look down on that great company obviously haven’t seen the above-mentioned He-111 or the magnificent Catalina kits in 1/48. Absolutely world class.
The only kit I’ve built in recent memory that was “crap” was an ancient 1/48 Otaki Mitsubishi Raiden (Jack). The windscreens where hazily translucent, fit everywhere was atrocious, and let’s not even get into the heavy, heavy, HEAVY rivet detail. But ya know what? That stinker in the box turned out to be one of my favorite aircraft models on the shelf. I’m no modeling magician, but I just put everything I knew about modeling to full use, and came out with something that was personally very pleasing.
But there certainly were some harsh words aimed Otaki’s way during that build!
[b][darrenbb/b] Apparently you haven’t seen the R-M F-15E Strike Eagle. That is an excellent kit and in fact why Black Box made a detail set for the cockpit is beyond me, the kit doesn’t need it!! It’s that good. Monogram for what it is has had a very good range of kits in 1/72nd and 48th. Old and new, their bomber series though getting long on the tooth are very good and have not except for the B-25 have been matched. You see some clamoring for a Tamiya B-17, why though it may be nice and yes I would probably get it but the Monogram B-17 is an excellent kit on it’s own. And at 15-20 dollars a bargain. The Tam kit I’m sure will be at least 80.00 if not more. If you don’t like Monogram thats fine but there not crap they are challenging and thats what this hobby is all about.
Perhaps you should consider that you are only ONE of (at the time of this writing) 16,648 users registered on this site. We ALL build for our OWN reasons.
Some build for casual enjoyment, some for less than casual enjoyment and some folks are DOWNRIGHT SERIOUS about what they consider to be MORE than just a hobby.
There are some damned talented builders out there who are akin to the likes of Michelangelo or Robert Taylor or Jeremy Brett. One of them, a guy whose models have graced the cover of FSM more than once, is a member of my club. This fella and those mentioned above each have excelled and/or continue to excel in their chosen art, and that’s just what modeling has been elevated to in this day and age. ART.
Not everyone has to approach the hobby as an art form, but those who choose to do so have just as much right to do so as you have to continue to build your “crap kits”, as you put it.
BULL. Says who? I am a professional builder; that is, I get paid for building models. I ain’t a big shot, I ain’t a “name” in the modeling community, but I have built professionally and been paid to do it for quite some time. I have built stuff for people that I had absolutely NO interest in. Why? Because when you choose to build professionally, it usually becomes a JOB. Not every one likes their job, even if they “like their job”. I had to build a buncha seaplanes for a guy about a year and a half ago. They weren’t the greatest kits and I found the subject matter to be VERY boring. But I built them. You know why? Because I was getting a good dollar to build the stupid things, that’s why.
Perhaps you should think before you open your mouth and rudely bash someone for simply voicing their opinion. You have a right to your opinion, I grant you that. But you have no justification in insulting someone for expressing THEIR opinion as T-Bolt has. 'Cuz if you do, you’re gonna get it back tenfold.
And having written what I just did, I don’t look down upon you if you like to build “crap” kits just for the fun of it, nor for expressing your opinion. Part of me still shares a similar desire for simple enjoyment of what I have made a passionate hobby. Matter of fact, I see that you are a veteran. Whether or not you have been in combat, you deserve my thanks for having served, and for that I extend just such a sentiment.
But I do look down on you for being obstinate, narrow minded and discourteous in what you have written. T-Bolt deserves some apologistic recompense from your quarter.
And for those of you who are inclined to tell me to “calm down”, save it. Also, if this post is edited in any way, shape or form I am finished with this forum. I’m getting weary of the height to which the PC BS has been taken. I ain’t one for mouthing off and cursing left and right, but there is sometimes a place for it. And this was such a case. Just be thankful that I didn’t express my TRUE sentiments.
maybe some of you need to work in a room w/ more ventilation !
i build what i like, and make my purchase decision based on my desire and the health of my wallet. i read reviews in FSM, get online check for the buzz, read more reviews, ask around the hobbyshop and make a choice.
some of the kits turn out to be disappointing or frustrating (but the worst i have ever encountered was an AMT car kit - and that is a bit off of this conversation’s track). for my skill level (medium at best), better fitting kits are more satisfying. i don’t mind an occasional ‘challenge’, but i don’t want the kit to fight me on every step. perhaps it is due to my weak skills or inexperience, but this moves from ‘challenging’ to ‘frustrating’ somewhat quickly. if i wanted to be thwarted at every turn, i’d go to work! unlike you, blackwolf, no one is paying me to build anything. i have to do it for fun! maybe i could get people to watch me like a pay-per-view. a comedy of errors. but i would like (and expect!) the majority of the parts to actual mate up.
i think that in a mostly capitalist world, the continued existence of the various model companies shows that they must all be filling some role and serving a purpose. can anyone really believe that they could stay in business if all their stuff was ‘crap’ ? they have all made some stinkers over the years. and in the cases where it is ‘the only game in town’ (say the 1/24 Airfix Mustang until recently), it will still sell on its merits. one of those merits is: it may be the only kit of that subject in that scale.
the hobby (or business) of building plastic models spans a vast variety of participants from first time children and bumble-fingered adults to artists producing amazingly detailed replicas. some of the stuff i have seen online is so ‘beyond’ the kit that it amazes me the kit maker is even mentioned. my buddy and i joke that by the time they have removed and replaced all the detail w/ scratchbuilt parts and corrected all the kit’s errors there is no “kit” left !
there is room for all of us. and all of our opinions.
if we were all in agreement on everything, there would not be much to discuss here. it would be like some radio show where everyone calls in to agree w/ the host.
keep gluing pieces together until there is only one piece left.
then paint it.
Perhaps you should think before you open your mouth and rudely bash someone for simply voicing their opinion. You have a right to your opinion, I grant you that. But you have no justification in insulting someone for expressing THEIR opinion as T-Bolt has. 'Cuz if you do, you’re gonna get it back tenfold.
Blackwolf,
I didn’t hear any bashing in TR’s post. T-bolt had an opinion and TR had a different one. And he stated it. There was no insult, no bash. Offering up a different opinion is not an insult, it is how things get accomplished. The only one who needs to appologize is you, for your threat, “you’re gonna get it back tenfold.” What was the point of that?
However, TR’s response ( in the “Monogram
= Crap?” post) to T-bolts post was innapropriate, there is no need to reduce a disagreement to a personal level. If that, Blackwolf, is what you are taking exception to, then I agree that he is out of line. However, you only quote this topic in your response.
