I just bought 2 cheap kits from Squadron and it occurred to me... I've never bought a kit I knew anything about, I've bought ones that looked neat or had cool back stories to them.

How does everyone out there do things? Do you buy a kit of something you saw on TV or in a movie recently and it sparks your interest? Did you know something about the subject beforehand?

What do you do once you've got your kit? Do you look online for pictures, buy a book on the subject, scan WWII encyclopedias?

I'm curious. I'm 21 years old and am embarrassed to say I don't know much about this period in History. I am trying to learn, and doing these models is a fun way to do it. I just don't know how/where to go about finding references, I don't know much about the military community.

Thanks!

Hey Jared, I also am 21, and have been in and out of the hobby for years,
i start out with an idea, a rough plan..
diorama,
period
certain battle.
subject matter.
and it evolves from there.
somtimes it just happens form buying a cheap kit, or windowshopping.
PC gaming increased my enthusiasm for the subject. i started modelling when dad passed it down when i was around 7, and then i found gaming, and the two went hand in hand.
projectwise i tend to get an idea, then shop around, doing homework e.t.c
references, google is a good start, then asking for help here, later on you will develop your own library of subject matter that interests you and your own specialist areas,
HTH
lpj

I guess I just need to get a little more "intense" with my researching etc.

I think I'm just excited to build and love the hobby so much that I've just been building EVERY day and painting as soon as I can.

I need to learn to draw the process out, I just enjoy it so much and don't have the room to have multiple kits on the go.

Is there a publisher that makes books on specific tanks etc (besides Osprey)?

Hi Jaredt,
Personal choice, I suppose. Sometimes its a photograph, a piece of footage off a period film etc. Many times its a particular model that grabs my attention. I think many modellers manage a mixture of both based on thier preference on a particular period, theater of war or types of vehicles and / or uniforms.

Good research is essential, be it books, photos, battlefield visits or maps.

Enjoy!

Garth

there is a small range of books called tanks in detail, published by Ian allen, they are perfect for general vehicle information, provide a good history, and have lots of detail photos.

I look for kits on sale. I am currently collecting kits for four different dioramas. Other than that, I check in on the campaigns section frequently. And anything that looks cool I will build as a shelf queen.

Hello Jaredt.

Over the years I've collected a small (very small compared to some) stash of unbuilt model kits that interest me.. and I like the group builds so when I see a campaign starting that looks interesting I'll look and see if I have anything that fits into it.. do some research and then start building ...

Thanks everyone! I've got a bunch of magazines (FineScale, Airfix, Military Modeling, etc.) and a few books (Encyclopedia of Soviet AFVs, Tanks: Inside Out, and a visual encyclopedia of WWII, but whenever I buy a new kit I have such a hard time finding legitimate sources for research.

And so far it seems I've gotten most of my reference from a single source on this forum (Mauro).

Well Jaredt I think that everyone of us could give a different answer to your question

I' ve been doing model kits since I was a kid. I started when I was about 10 (so I've been doing for about 30 years...i'm incredible old! )

For about 5 years I had a hiatus but I've been restarting doing this hobby for 3 years now

When i was young I got my inspiration from... my local hobby shop. I saw all the boxes on the shelves and i wondered how i could do them. Sometime in the showcases were exposed some completed models...They "mesmerized" me!! As soon as I seen them, I bought the same kit. When i was young there wasn't internet. I often bought a kit without seeing any pics of the real subject...but i was happy, very happy.

Nowadays, of course, I have a different approach.
I get my inspiration reading history books or (mostly) looking for articles and pics on internet. I've choose a specific field of interest (russian armours especially these produced during the cold war era) and I've decided to deepen it. For exemple recently I've decided to deepen the (sad) history of balkan war and that's the reason why I've been doing a Jna T-55 for two months (i'm a slow modeller indeed). Probably my next research will refer to 1968 Prague spring....I have a T62 and a Gaz 69 in my stash yet....They are waiting for me...

I hardly ever buy a kit before collecting A LOT of references and I always need to know pros and cons about the kit which I'm going to keep.

Sometime browsing on the net I found some strange pic or some interesting subjects and i get inspiration from that. Wreckages for exemples or tanks graveyards are usually very interesting

Anyway, I think I'm more demanding and selective than the past now....I'm still having fun, but probably less than I was a kid


Cheers