When browsing my reference materials I always find myself drawn to model vehicles with interesting markings, stowage arrangements or modifications. Unfortunately, it seldom happens that the cool markings, unique stowage and modifications are all on the same vehicle.

I generally model for my own enjoyment and I wouldn't consider myself to be a rivet counter but lately I haven't been able to complete a model because I keep telling myself it's "wrong" if it doesn't match the photo. Perhaps it's the over availability of reference materials.

It was easy back in the day when your reference material consisted of a single, grainy black and white photo and color illustration in a Squadron book. At least then I felt a little better about "making up" the details I couldn't see. Nowadays, especially with modern subjects, there are sheets of decals based on multiple high resolution photos from every angle that you can find on the web. You can even find photos of the same vehicle at various points in time.

Anyone else find themselves in this boat? How do I convince myself that it's okay to build a composite Abrams with the markings from tank X, the stowage arrangement from tank Y and the modifications shown on tank Z? If only I had the time and money to built three separate tanks. Am I just getting caught up in the details?


-Sherb

Ola Sherb

I get a lot of my ideas from Photographs and sometimes several things I like from several photo's and I just combine them. Maybe it is easier with WW2 vehicles as there were quite a lot of them and not everything gets photographed. For myself I always keep the rule that "absense of evidence is no evidence of absence" Just that you don't have the pictures that show what you want doesn't mean it never existed. If it looks convincing you're good to go

Sherb,
I agree with Robert's comments.

How it looked when the reference photo was snapped was how it looked then.
It may have looked differently a day before or a day after as the stowage was altered to suit the conditions and demands of the time and location.

Like you I also build for myself.
I tend to follow a more or less "this is how it would have typically looked" approach since in the area of combat vehicles in the field there were often two ways of doing things:

By the book and the way it actually happened.

Peter.

Sounds like you are trying to re-invent the wheel. You may want to simply move one piece of stowage and modify the kit to use the markings you desire. I find this allows me some artistic license and makes the build more fun. Just MHO.

Don't over think it.



cheers