Ok chaps, this is a hard one to put out there for a 40 year model builder. Who has come across a time in their lives when you suddenly feel a tad inadequate about your building skills...? You know, you're sittin at the bench sanding stick in hand, and you get the feeling you cannot for the life of you think positively about going through the build to a great looking finish...?

I started to second guess my skills built up over MANY years and thought " This isn't gonna look good when it's done, not up to the club's standards..." So, you drag out a different kit that you've always wanted to build with a neat paint or decal scheme, and have another jab at it...same thing...modeler's block sets in and you feel stumped all over again...DANG...!

I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone through this, and what were they're "fixes" for this conundrum.

It's buggin the hell outa me, and I've got over 350 kits to build before I go to the great styrene tree in the sky, so any help is appreciated...

thehermit

Laurie

Building models is all about having fun building them the way you want them, and not to build to others expectations. I was starting to get into a bid of a stump building kits with alot of aftermarket parts, resin and PE. Thinking sometimes this is not all that fun when you fumble with a couple micro pieces of metal for a night.

One thing I did, was went to the stash and looked for something I would enjoy building right out of the box, no aftermarket, just build, paint, and HAVE FUN. I sat one morning and build a little Kubelwagen (Tamiya). It went together well, and I had it all build in a morning session. I felt great afterwards, a sense of accomplishment. now getting it painted is another story, but we won't go there, it is in the paint shop with primer on it....

Modelling is like an art, we all have our own ways to get enjoyment out of it. Sometimes we are our worse critics when it comes to judging our completed builds, but I look back and think "wow, I build that, it does not look that bad"

Have fun with it, build for yourself. Find a kit that really appeals to you, get the sanding stick and glue out, and build for yourself.

I hope that helps. Good luck with it, and I hope to see some builds from you soon.

Kevin

I feel you. I am continually doing that. I tend to stop just before I finish the kit. I could probably move five shelf queens onto the display shelf, in a matter of a few hours. Sit back and enjoy life. Come back to the hobby, when you feel the need. The longest I have gone is a month.

That is exactly my problem as well. I have a huge load of armor kits and projects that pretty much have all the bells and whistles when it comes to AM. Sounds all nice and fun but it also sounds like a project that will take a year to finish if not longer. And then I can get bored in the meantime. I countered this with buying a few 1:72 WW1 aircraft from Roden. And build those OOTB. And I enjoyed them immensely. For the simple reason that I don't have a big knowledge of the subject so I can't get annoyed if something on the kit is not correct. I have no big knowledge of the market which prevents me from going all out on AM stuff and I have no reference materials so I follow the instruction sheet and do what it tells me when it comes to paint and decals. Basically going back to when I started with the hobby but with the tools I have now. I find it strangely liberating and it is satisfying to actually finish something in a short amount of time. Building and painting one of those little aircraft takes about a week (one and a half week)
Since I started doing this I purchased a small collection of 1:72 Roden kits which I keep for whenever I am stuck in a rut. And it works a treat.

Laurie,,, I know exactly how this feels but my problem was in the same sort of department but slightly different ,had a pretty good accident a little while ago ( reason i aint been here much ) and took a really good smack to the head which did a right job on me ,,head aches galore and i tried building a kit and while thinking about what i was doing caused some damn painful head aches ,,so i lost interest in building ,,got half way thru is and that was that, just lost the grove like you did,,as we all know we are our own worst critics and this will never change ,,so what i do now is take a look for just a plain good old simple model ..easy to build and plain fun ,,hell i know what Kevin and Robert mean by this hobby feeling more like a job sometimes and the boss is a right pain in the ass ,,Laurie mate just try building something simple as hell,quick and easy but nice ,,sometimes the easy way is the best way when your in a rut.

Phill

Hi Laurie,

We all go through this angst at some time or other, I think it is us just getting jaded. I think Robert has the answer, do something completely different. Something you don't know that much about and would just enjoy making because you like the look of it. Good advice and worth considering.

All the best,

Paul

I go through this all the time!

The thing is to not put too much pressure on yourself as there will always be someone better than us in building or painting.

I cannot compete with most of the fantastic work being done right here so I just immerse myself in more builds and gradually try to add something new each time to my project.

Also, a break from the bench helps out but don't make it too long!



Jeff

I'll support the "now for something completely different" camp. Go outside your usual subject matter and build it completely for fun. When I've had a particularly intense build, the next model out of the gate is frequently a Sci Fi scratchbuild/kitbash. Not from any particular show or book, just a bit of "blow out the doors" fun.

No one can hassle you for accuracy or finish. You can build as much or as little as you like and finish it with what ever methods & colours you have around the shop. This sort of thing is also great for trying out new techniques that you might not want to risk on a build that's more important to you.

Sometime these builds can also get involved, but it's in a very different way. Great for clearing out the old cobwebs.

Paul

Build for yourself and not for others. Whole object to modelling is to have fun and some relaxation.

Who cares if it isn't up to your "club's standards" we all build with different abilities.

I dare say that if members of your local club turn their nose up at what you build because it isn't to "their standard", then it isn't much of a club to belong to.

2 clubs I belong to have a vast berth of modelling abilities amongst all of it's members, but we all accept what everyone can do and don't condone that type of behavior.

One of the clubs I belong to has a guy that builds his stuff from scratch:

http://www.edscalemodels.com/

He is currently working on a 1/25 Irving Gas Station from the late 60's era. Everything is scratchbuilt down to the tire changer, oil cans and toilet. Yes it is superbly done, and yes I would love to have just an ounce of his talent, and would never hold a candle to what he can do, but I am not intimidated or ashamed of showing off my stuff next to his.

I know how you feel. I used to go to every show and contest that I could till I got so burnt out I didnt even want to look at a kit. Then I went to R/C aircraft now Im like that with them. Finally Im coming back to armor. This time I build for me not for shows

You are not alone. I have been into modeling since 1961 (off and on and off and on... etc. etc. etc. I had to take breaks from it due to military service, wife/kids and job. Like the other posts have said - build for you. There will always be someone better then you and you will always be better than someone. In fact after 35+ years I finally have a dedicated man-cave for modeling. My little modeling corner of the world. Am I modeling more? Nope. Am I modeling better? Nope. But I am modeling in my own little way. I too have over 400 kits in my stash and I know I will never build them all but when I feel like building something, I do have a good selection to choose from.

Cheers


P.S.
I took up brewing my own beer. You would be surprised the similarities between modeling and brewing...