Patience - A Building Essential

This month’s Sprue Cutters Union asks “what do you think are the essential aspects you cannot afford to cut corners on during a build? What are your imperatives?”  For me, there is one thing I have learned that I can’t do without – Patience.

I know this sounds clique and I can already hear the “Well of course you need patience, you are building a kit and that takes time.”  But when I talk about Patience I am not talking about the time it takes to put all the parts together or sand the sprue nubs off a delicate part. When I talk about Patience, I am talking about the overall process of being okay with the fact that something might not get done right away or when you want it done. Or the fact that a part broke and now I have to figure out how to make it work and I might not get it done in time for a contest or club meeting and that is okay.  

In the past I have tried to rush to get kits completed to either take to my local meeting on contest night or to take a local show. Several times something has happened that was less than ideal. In some cases it was something simple like an antennae broke off or a wheel wasn’t properly aligned. In other cases, I tried to weather something too soon and the process damaged the paint because the sealer coat was not totally dried/cured.  All items that could be fixed, just not in the time I had left to meet my self-imposed deadline.

Now I have a cut off for meeting a deadline. If I can’t get it done a day before needing it, I don’t try to rush it or stay up all night with a hair dryer hoping to finish off the kit. This “rule” applies to local meetings and shows. And to be honest, it has worked out great. I am not longer up all night and tired at the show and it allows me to ensure the product I am producing is up to my standards. The “rule” is a little more flexible for events that I may not go to again for several years such as AMPS and IPMS national events. But even in those cases, I still try to plan a little time out to make sure I am not rushing.  Nothing good has happened when I get impatient and rush to finish a kit. Several times I have stopped myself and called it a night and tackled the problem the next time at the bench. And in most cases, just stepping away has cleared my thoughts and I am able to either thinking of a solution to the problem, the problem has fixed itself such as with paint curing,  or a fresh set of eyes found the part taken by the carpet monster.

Taking that time away from the bench was also important because it kept me from making more mistakes trying to fix the initial mistake. This is an overlooked feature of practicing patience. It keeps you from making more mistakes that could lead to even worse consequence. Prior to getting back into modeling a few years ago, I quit because I hated painting. I thought I was horrible at it and I would never be any good at it.  I was always trying to fix my painting mistakes right away and this lead to more mistakes that caused me to not enjoy the hobby.  And what is a hobby if you don’t enjoy it…I would call it work.  However, either due to maturity or experience or just straight up exhaustion from working and raising a family and having to take a day or five off from working on a kit, I realized that I needed to be patient if I wanted to get a good finish or to get the results I wanted.  I started to take my time and the results started to speak for themselves. My builds were getting better, I was enjoying what I was doing and I liked the results.

In all those cases, patience was the key and it has been my most essential tool when working on a build.  

It's all about the Scale and nothing but the Scale

The topic this month for The Sprue Cutters Union is all about scale. Which scale do you prefer and which do you avoid like the plague? For me as a mostly armor modeler, it would have to be 1/35^th scale. I know that 1/35^th  while popular in AFVs and with some lines of helicopters is an odd scale given that there are other scales out that make more sense given their railroading origin, like 1/48^th  and 1/72^nd .  And I have heard the stories that the scale was started by Tamiya to fit their motorization parts they used to include in their kits, and the remnants of this are still found in some of their newer kits such as the M1A2 Tusk II kit (Really you couldn’t retool this for a $80 kit!). But the more I build, the more I like the 1/35^th scale. Most kits scale out to a nice size that make them manageable to build, detail and fit in the spray booth without the need to break them into a lot of subsections. Also, most of the finished kits will fit nicely on the display table or shelf and for the most part the kits in this scale are reasonably priced for what you get now from the modern kit makers. Also with the increase of larger military subjects such as ICBM launchers or Patriot Missile System coming out to the market place 1/35^th scale is really coming into its own as the scale for AFVs. These larger kits used to be only in 1/72^nd due to price, size or manufacturer ability. Advances in molding and equipment now make these larger scale kits a reality. A reality with a higher price point but with the details to match that make them a must buy for me.

Now that doesn’t mean 1/35^th is the only scale I build. I have tried 1/48^th armor and I thought it would be the way to go but the limited modern subjects and the lack of the larger manufacturers getting on board with this scale has caused me to not like as much as I thought I would. However, I have a new scale I like for armor, 1/72^nd. Yes, I tried 1/72^nd a while back and the kits looked a lot like toys to me as well; but recent improvements and an increase of subjects lead me to give it another try.  I have not been disappointed. I am currently building a Model Collect T-90, and while as not as detailed as the 1/35 from Meng or Trumpeter, it is a really nice kit with an enough details to make it look like a replica of a military vehicle and not a toy. The newer kits out are really good. Model Collect has some great kits out on some crazy subjects that will never be in 1/35^th scale or not in 1/35^th any time soon. So while 1/48^th was a letdown, I have learned to love 1/72^nd. Yes the newer kits are a bit more expensive than the $10 Revell or Airfix 1/72^nd kits but they are still cheaper than a full 1/35^th kit. A lot of the newer 1/72 kits also include PE or metal parts which you didn’t see in the older kits. While not as cheap as the older 1/72^nd kits, the price is still good for those that want to try out a new subject or genre. Also, 1/72^nd gives people the right scale to try those larger subjects such as the ICBM launchers without breaking the bank or the shelves.

There is one area where I don’t care what scale something comes in as long as it is a standard scale – Sci Fi Kits. Sci Fi has to be my second favorite to AFV/Military Vehicles (I am a closet Rotor Head, even though I have yet to finish one). The thing about Sci Fi is that you are trying to make the kits manageable and affordable. Yes we would all like a 5 foot Star Destroyer but really where would you put it and could you afford it?  So I don’t mind the smaller scale in Sci Fi like the 1/1200 or 1/500 but what I really dislike are the kits that don’t give their scale and are so called “Box Scale”. I’m looking at you Revell!  I mean is it so hard now a day with computers and all the technology we have to try to make things standard scale. Box scale doesn’t make any sense to me. You are developing a product; you should be able to spec a box out after you decide on the scale not after. Not knowing what scale a kit is because it is box scale is a huge pain and there is no reason for it. It detracts from the overall collection of a kit. It would be nice to keep all the same scale so that you have a sense of scale when looking at the finished product. I mean you look at a Fine Molds Falcon kit in 1/72 and you know when you compare it to another 1/72 product that the Falcon is a large spaceship. Yes in the other kits you know it is big but knowing the scale gives you a better comparison.

In conclusion, my preferred scale is 1/35 with 1/72 a close second. I also have to “Just Say No to Box Scale”

Model On!

 

Anti slip - the next step in progression?

I was wondering the other day if adding antiskid or antislip to a kit is the next level of a modeler's progression in building better kits or an new thing we all feel we need to add just to make our kits presentable. 

Some may argue that photoetch is the next step to make better models. And while I agree, PE is awesome and a great add to any kits it comes at a prices both literally and figuratively. PE sets can cost $15 to $20  for an average set up to $60 plus for some of the more detailed Voyager and Lion Roar kits. Also, it can be a bit overwhelming to some at first to have to grind, cut or remove parts of a kit they just purchased for $65 and then try to bend and place a small piece of metal and hope it works and doesn't pop off to feed the carpet monster. This is why I think adding antislip is a better "first" modification to modelers.

The reason for this is simple. Antislip is for the most part easy to apply, can be done in a variety of ways and it can be removed if needed without to much effort depending on the method. It also adds an instant upgrade that is low cost and has high visual impact that is noticeable to the modeler and the viewer. Antislip can be done with purchased specialty products from Mig or Tamiya, it can be done with various pastes and medium you get at your local craft store, it can be done with glue and sand, and it can be done with special cans of spray paint if you mask carefully that you can get at almost any hardware store. The variety of techniques you can use to produce the results makes it good place to start adding more detail to your kits. The variety allows you to pick which method you like and works best for your skill level and budget. Some may say you need to worry about the scale of the antislip but while I agree that different nations have different sizes and ways of applying antislip, I contend that any decent job that is within scale to what you are building will add to any model regardless of how it is "supposed" to look. Also, I know that antislip is a more modern addition to AFVs, I think same logic could apply to zimmerit on German armor from WWII or even adding cast texture to Allied armor. All these techniques add to the kit are easy for people to add without breaking the bank or their nerves.

Here are some links to applying antislip.

For your M1 Abrams fans using the texture paint. Includes a template: http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=50656#424251

More methods: http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=193219&page=1

Or a nice YouTube Video using Gesso medium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR1PZGFCqfw

Thank you for reading and see you around the sprue.

Jeff