Another modeller and I were having a conversation recently and we got around to the subject of aftermarket parts and how they had revolutionized modelling. We both agreed that the range had expanded beyond belief in the last few years, and that it had raised the standards of the models which we are now building.

My friend, however, confided that he was now reaching the stage where he felt obliged to include all the latest resin and photo-etched stuff on every model he constructed. This poses the question of how far do you go when striving for complete accuracy. Some modellers will not be satisfied unless their model has everything as accurate and as complete as possible. Others will be guided by the adage - 'if you can't see it, why bother putting it in?'

At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice. Build what you want, for your own pleasure - or for the admiring comments and looks of fellow modellers, plus your own pleasure. There's nothing wrong with either attitude.

My answer to this has to be: "no", "yes", and "it depends".

No, because more detail is generally better for fidelity and I love looking at really detailed models.

Yes, because that much detail is generally beyond me, especially if it's PE, and besides, absolute fidelity must require some things to be made smaller than the eye can see or the tweezers grasp.

It depends, because if the detail can be moulded in at a reasonable cost, instead of shelling out £££ for aftermarket gubbins, I'm all for it. I don't ask for much .

At the moment I go for AM gubbins only to correct glaring problems or to make up for areas that are very obviously Not Good Enough. My build rate is too low for me to add the time it would take to improve everything as much as it can be improved, so good luck to everyone who does that, but I guess I'm pretty much a six-foot modeller now ...

The more detail the better - as long as it is visible. It pisses me off that a model with a nicely detailed interior is not designed to have the panels removed easily and with fit good enough to negate the need for gluing. That's more of a personal thing; I feel it's a waste to have a huge amount of interior detail that will be 95% invisible once the model is assembled. I think its great that people make the effort to detail everything to the max, but what's the point if it is not visible? Case in point, I'm working on a Hobby Boss T34. A lot of the driving compartment will be visible with the turret removed, but the wonderfully detailed drivetrain will only be hinted at by opening a couple of small hatches. I can't leave the hull unglued because it is slightly warped and there is a huge seam at the front joint. So I will be forced to cover up all the nice work I do in the engine bay. Grrr.

Im a university student...
Therefore im free of any worries about AM because im too busy cashing in empty bottle for refund in order to pay for the tuition fees.

All jokes aside, Its important to acess the type of modeller you are. I for one did feel obliged at one point to include the various bits of photo-etch. However, i've concluded that until i master the finishing of a model, why should i bother adding the extra 30 hours (slow builder when it comes to pe) and the extra dollars when im not satisfied with how i finish of the tank.

I tried to build a complete and accurate sturmtiger... Resulting in 100$ of AM sitting in a box half finished because i moved on to another project... I plan to get back to it when i retire.

Frank

It all depends upon what sort of modeller you are.

I suffer from AMS and, for me, there's absolutely no amount of detail that's "too much". I scratchbuild, I add rivets (Yes, and I count them to make sure I have the right number), I use a caliper to make sure things are the right size and I use as little aftermarket stuff as I can, preferring to make as much of it myself as I can. I like the thought of generating a complete model from nothing more than sheet plastic, epoxy putty, my drawings & my tools.

More detail! More, I tell you! Bwaaahahahaha!








Er, sorry.

I was away for a while there, but now I'm back.

Paul

Like the others have said its a personal thing and in my case its where i am in life right now.

I have 2 small boys under 3. So I have a very short window each week that allows me to model. I found I was getting obsessed about details and trying to make the perfect kit. I was not building because I felt to much pressure to do too much. I would read a review about a kit and get discouraged beause a small detail was missing and it seemed beyond me to fix.

So I had this big stash of models and wasn't building anything which was sort of defeating the whole point of the hobby.

I have had to under go an attitude adjustment. I am just building to have fun. Not worrying about the small things. If it looks like a Sherman or a Tiger it is. I try to make the best model possible while still trying to enjoy myself. 95% of the people who see my stuff have no clue if there is one to many rivets or that that version had a different fuel cap location.

One day when my kids are older and I have more time (and resources) I will be able to totally detail a kit and make it as accuarate as I can. Right now I can't and thats okay. I enjoy seeing you folks who do go hog wild on a kit. The "rivet counters" are important as they are a great wealth of info and I learn alot from them.

I guess I have rambled on enough.
Cheers
Jeff

I'm far from ever being a rivet counter and having a kit being 100%. Accurancy it's not my goal , but I do love the detail . Most of my kit's come with PE parts and some of those with resin as well . I don't get every thing out there for the kit . However, I do replace parts that are lacking in detail like Eduards WW1 engines , beautiful kits but their engines suck ! either I will and the detail or use a replacement engine for it which some times is easier and not as time consuming . Since I do WW1 the cockpits are open and most aircraft had their engines in the open so these areas I like to enhance , it's boring just seeing a seat and control column . I'm learning to build vac kits , which help me improve on my scratch building skills and applying them to other projects . I do enjoy building out of the box as well with nothing added . It's nice to have a break ever now then .

I guess it's really all about what you like and what makes you happy and how much money you are willing to spend

I'm with the yes AND no crowd.

There are times and projects to which I will add a ridiculous level of detail and other projects I build to finish.

Most of my grandiose ideas and super duper detailed projects languish on the shelves however.

Mike

It's whatever floats your boat IMHO. Personally I tend to build OOB, & the kits I've been doing lately have been quite demanding for me in that respect! I am nearing completion of the Trumpeter Sdkfz7. It is a very good kit, heartily recommended, but there have been times during the build when I have felt that I am on or over the edge of my modelling skills. There is quite a lot of PE in the kit, some of it is duplicated in styrene, some you just have no choice & have to use the PE. I bottled out completely on the rifle racks & used the styrene ones, & there were some very small parts which I assume were tie-downs for the canvas tilt, which were so small I could hardly see them even with magnifying glasses. I decided that since they were invisible to the naked eye, they wouldn't be missed - not by me anyway. It is one of lifes little ironies that as I reach an age where I can afford AM parts, my physical deterioration prevents me from using them!
I've just bought the new Dragon SP SIG33, & there is some PE which is really going to stretch me in that too! I like the detail, but as I scrabble around the floor vainly searching for some tiny part that has "pinged" off into limbo from the tweezers, there are times when I yearn for Tamiya's moulded on handles again! Also could manufacturers please choose a different colour for their kit plastic? The grey they use is just too similar to the colour of my garage floor! Tamiya's sand stands out nicely!
I have every respect for modellers who can use the plethora of tiny AM parts available, but I regret they just aren't for me!
BTW, I tend to focus more on general look of the thing & historical accuracy. There is no excuse with the mass of literature available now for dodgy camo schemes, or Heer vehicles crewed by SS men & vice-versa. To my mind a vehicle with a glaringly "wrong" crew or colour will always be worse no matter how detailed it is.

First of all I agree with Jason.
After many years of building ,I now go over the instructions and decide what on the interior is going to show and what is going to be completely covered.There's nothing more frustrating than spending a lot of time on a step to find out the next day you've just covered the whole thing in another step.
As per after market,yes it's great if you can afford it all.I have been building Strykers lately and I personally can't afford $100 for each one to have slat armour.
Lately I have taken the advice that someone had posted a while back under the topic"Who's your audience".
If your entering it in a show,the more detail the better.If it's just for you,family and friends go to the point your happy with.Is your brother in law going to know that a Stryker in Iraq without slat armour can't exist???