Rowan,
Yes I agrre this is a little untouched mkt. But it appears that there are more Vac's in 72nd than my prefered 48th. I understand the production and ease of doing vac rather than injection. (Tooling, masters,molding) And it seems to me this would be a lot easier for production numbers, But there aren't that many topics in 1/48 scale that hit the mark.
I myself always like to think outside the box, to do something different that the manufactures didn't intend for their kit. Especially Helo's, since they are DELINGQUENT. And you can always improve the kitted items with vac additions . I've always wanted an Beachcraft Super King Air in 48th to do a series of Army C12 and C21's but we all need to keep dreaming a little.

No problem, your welcome BugNerd!

back to the limited run kits:

they are almost all i buy anymore! and some of them are getting really good too.

sure they are expensive and don't have the same quality as the big guns, but they are a lot more bold in their selection of subject matter.

ona similar note - my MAJOR beef with the model industry is: why do multiple manufacturers release nearly identical kits at the same friggin' time?!? I'm sure this has been discussed before, but no matter what the reason is, it really gets my panties in a wad.

-v-

Greetings all;

To builders; A model is just a model. If you want to improve your skills ask for critism. Otherwise remember just because someone makes a comment doesn't mean you have to accept their evaluation. This is a hobby and we need to be mindful of all the help we old bones got from our modeling club buddies. I can credit my current skills to the national champions who took the time to not only share their builds but were willing to offer helps and tips on areas I asked for help with.

I totally agree that the way you offer your comments make the difference. If you care to help be kind. It doesn't cost anything to be polite. There is always someone out there that is a better modeler. The goal should be for the modeler to satisfy his or herself. Posting images serves several purposes.

1. to ask for help.

2. to offer insight as to how you do something specific. To explain a technique.

3. to create discussion and exchange on ideas.

4. to allow new modelers to see what can be done.

5. to inspire others to try it or a variation of it themselves.

To critiics; It is just a model. Rather than do any finger wagging consider the option of letting someone have the chance to make a mistake and not be discouraged from trying again. Just some thoughts from an old bone.

Consider WWI aviation. A subject most people know little about and are willing to believe kit paint instructions concerning their finish. I opened a website geared to the average modeler who has very little in the way of reference materials. This will never make me rich but it will help the hobby grow and give modelers another resource where everything is in one place. How to do certain subjects will always be what Finescale and other websites will be needed for. Give and take. It is a hobby and should be a community where we extend ourselves to helping those who are coming after us. Just my opinion.

I'm willing to try the difficult kits, but I have no expectation of ever building a contest winner no matter where I start. I remember for years and years reading Scale Modeler where problems with kits were glossed over with a simple 'I filled and sanded..' comment. I've got a number of those old dogs in my stash that I'd like to try and figure out how to build, and have them resemble to prototype at some reasonable distance. Mabye I'll learn something yet.

"OK - it might be a little bit mad ... but that's me!"

No, that's all of us in this theraputic asylum we call a hobby.

I can't complain about what's been mentioned so far. I agree with it.

My pet peeve: I DO NOT BUILD TOY AIRPLANES!!! and I resent those who will look at a model I've spent hours trying to fit and finish and say "Oh, a toy airplane".

As a corollary to that, I do not want small children anywhere near my airplanes or my stash..and they should not be allowed in contests.

I am definitely not speaking of the many 9 and 10 year olds who build models. They are usually better at it than I am.

My 2 cents Thanks for the opportunity to sound off.
Steve

I agree! Some people ask me what i did at the weekend and i say i did some Modelling and they either laugh or take the michael!

I really wish that the mainstream manufacturers would kick out more of 1/48th scale armor kits that will have aircraft applicability. The Tamiya Kubelwagen and CV11 are great. How about a Bantam, re-tooled WIlly's Jeep, or a Japanese starter truck?

I wish someone would release a new tool 1/48 B-26. There are some many nice decals for it I want to build a few but the only kit is a thirty year mess.

In reading the various comments (especially the last one) I was driven to add my thoughts. First, a definition of a hobby: "enjoyable activity. An activity engaged in for pleasure and relaxation during spare time".

Pleasure? most definitely.

Relaxation? most of the time.

Spare time? when else?

No matter what kind of model I build the end result is something that I have built for myself. It is a reflection of my talent and skills. I find that no matter what brand of model that I may build I need to change or replace something, only because the kit part or feature may not look correct to me. I may scratch build or replace with an aftermarket part. I need to be challenged.

The B-26 has been one of my favorite aircraft for many years. The 1/48th scale Mongram kit has been out for many years, and I can recall a short run from AMT (I believe). I built both of them and was never satisfied with the end result/ Why? because I did not make the effort. I have started to address that short coming. I have a long-term project to build the Monogram B-26 and will test my modeling abilities. I plan to rescribe all panel lines, airticulate the flight surfaces, add details, replace parts, etc. This is mighty ambitious as I see it, but it will give me great pleasure during the process, and once finished I should have a sense of accomplishment. Actually I have two B-26 kits in my stash, and I have recently begun parallel projects: what I learn from one I pass onto the other. This may be insanity, not certain at this point.

Pleasure and relaxation: sounds like a hobby to me.

I guess you hit the mark with this one. If you put in all the effort and time to produce something you're going to be satisfied 100%, it's not going to be "relaxing", and "pleasurable"... (At least, not for me.)
I made my peace: I try my best, but try not to get too involved

I hear ya I did the same thing in the navy and nobody cared exactly what "shade" you just sprayed. By the end of a cruise your plane was just grey.

Got to have vacs and other than mainstream kits Where else, with a few exceptions, am I to find my 'tween the wars aeroplanes!!!!

The weekend is upon me and I have an Esoteric vac, a Azur kit and a Merlin kit on the work bench heckling me

Maybe it's just me, but I don't actually find many aspects of the hobby 'relaxing' at all. In fact chores like sanding seams, masking canopies, detailing cockpits are just that – chores, and potentially frustrating ones. But there are few things that I find as rewarding as finishing a model to a standard that I'm happy with, and maybe more so if I have struggled with it.

So, is it just me? ;-)

For me, modelling is just an expression of a general interest in airplanes, technology, politics, history...

Most of my models were made against a wider background. If you would like to know what I mean, just look at my "seeing red" article.

A bit surprising to me is that many airplanes modellers do ot seem to share this wider interest with me; Its about building models... period. I could not imagine building things that don't ring a bell to me.

Or do i see this wrongly?

I keep buying models and every time I say I`ll build this one out of the box.Never managed it for years.Latest kit to finish a 1/32 scale Revell / Matchbox Lysander.First thing to go was the instrument panel,then the rest of the cockpit did`nt look right details too flat so everything else went.I finished up completely scratch building all the interior details except the framework.Q.Did I enjoy the build .A. yes Q Is it a toy. A. No it`s a scale replica.My father in law once told my then girlfriend(now my wife of 30yrs)that our marriage wouldn`t last because I would be playing with my toy models all the time.Now when I visit my LHS my wife nearly always comes with me.Because of my interest even she can spot the mistakes on the History channel.I love my hobby it keeps me sane in an increasingly mad world.Next two out of the box builds??? Revell Spit 22/24 and Tigermoth both bought for me by guess who.swmbo

My gripe-the 100% accurate kit. I have heard over and over again that there is no such thing as a 100% accurate kit. Just imagine the marketing campaign of the manufacturer that markets the first 100% accurate kit.

I guess it will never be, since it would be impossible to achieve scale thickness on the airplane skin, which would mean the interior would be too small or squeezed together, resulting in pieces that are incorrectly located by 1/1000 of an inch....

So how accurate are kits? 70%, 75%, 80%, 90%? Maybe there could be an agency that grades accuracy of kits. I would read the label, just like I do when shopping for food. I can see the label warning now, "This Modeler General has determined this kit is 75% accurate. Build at your risk" Oh wait, that is what reviews are for. Will manufacturers ever put the grades they receive on the kits? Don't hold your breath.

How can we expect manufacturers to produce accurate kits, when they can't even produce accarate instructions? I am building a 1/32 Pfalz right now. The instruction have numerous mistakes, fail to show proper locations, have so many lines on them, you can't tell what goes where and present incorrect painting schemes.

Forget all the mistakes I have just mentioned. Wouldn't it be nice if the parts fit where they are supposed to go? My Pfalz has taken a week so far, and probably wont be done for at least another week. I built a Profi pack Eduard Nieuport about a month ago. It is a smaller scale, has more parts to include very small photo etch, a more complicated paint scheme, accurate instructions, accurate decals, delicate rigging made from very fine wire, and parts that fit. With all this, I would expect the Nieuport to take twice as long to build. It took one week and came out great. That Nieuport is not a perfect kit, but it is very close.

There is no 100% accurate kit and therenever will be one. But is it to much to ask for accurate instructions and parts that fit? For me, that is where the accuracy counts.

What appeals me most is that it permits me forgetting everything and concentrate completely on something which is "not really important" and therefore not "really frustrating".

and there is that nice feeling a couple of hours later that yet another piece of plastic has been manipulated into looking a bit like the real thing

Having instructions that can be read accurately would be nice but I have learned to just do the best and move on. I started building again after I developed chronic pain from arthritis and could no longer do some of the things I did enjoy I .E. skiing hiking and stuff but you know this has become very pleasurable to me and I would love it to be 100% accurate. But that really does not matter to me as long as I had fun. learning something new during the build is a plus . and enjoying it is the first thing. I have found that researching things has become a major source of enjoyment also. I have more books read and web sites investigated due to my researching ........

I'm with Drabslab on this one,

My subject has to tug at my insides for some reason. Choppers do this for me partly as child of the Vietnam Generation, and partly growing up near an RAAF Huey base. The technology is fascinating, too. A steam loco is shear mechanical poetry and reminds me of my late father. Rally cars take me back to my youth. I don't build to get the perfect model, I build to get the smell right.

I build "enhanced OOB". I have yet to use any resin or PE AT ALL. That is about to change with a bit of PE in a Dragon Huey and the Trumpeter BR52 loco. But I do scratch basic stuff up out of card and rod and the spares box.

I don't go great lengths to ensure the absolute accuracy of a kit - If it smells like a Huey, it IS a Huey. That's good enough for me. I like my models to look reasonably realistic and I will add extra detail. The amount I add increases slightly with each build. My skill level precludes me doing a Finescale on them. Apart from that, I can't SEE to go too fine!

Where do I draw the line? I don't correct drastic contour problems in the wings or fuselage. I don't check instrument panels against the actual prototype. I don't spend more than the value of the kit on extras. I do weather and add wear and tear.

Why do I stop there? I think my main issue with "going to town" on a kit myself is that it is such a huge investment in time and effort, and I could undo the lot when I bugger up the paintjob! The other thing is it would take me years at my current build rate to get a single fully detailed model done, and I would have lost interest way before then.

The satisfaction for me lies in making a miniature of something that I feel something about. I love watching these pieces of plastic become something under my touch. They actually come alive for me, they even make all the right sounds.

I'll climb down now.

Graeme.

I don't know how young some of the people are on here, but I'll get my venting out as well!

I'm 20 years old, and I built my first model (oddly enough it was an AMT/ERTL tank, since all I build now is aircraft) when I was 6. I couldn't resist the itch ever since that day. I'm sure lots of people have their bad memories of elementary school and middle school, and mine were getting teased for two things, the fact that I tap danced (and i was good!) and that I built models. I didn't hide it, but I got teased profusely. I couldn't find ONE other kid in my town of 15,000 that built models. I guess a lot of it is that video games kinda grew up in parallel with me, and that's what too many kids do these days. Modeling is something that I have always regarded as more respectful than clicking buttons better than other people. I would rather spend my time building something I can keep for years to come, or give to someone so they can see it for years to come.

As to my thoughts behind building.... well, as of now I would really rather just build a kit that goes together relatively easily. I really want to get my skills improved, and then move from there. I have nothing against short run kits, and I want to put some under my belt eventually. My main philosophy though is that modleing, since it's a hobby, should be enjoyable. I don't find stress behind the certain aspects of building simply because I know I can do them to my levels of satisfaction, and that I'm the only judge that matters.

Hmmm very interesting.

I don't have any real preference for injection or resin but as my chosen area is Luft 46 , it seems I nearly always build short run or limited edition kits of both types anyway.
As Jean-Luc says it is the aircraft you want to build that is of primary importance, whether injection or resin or indeed vac is secondary in my case.
A fair number of Luft46 kits are injection but most are made in resin and mainly very good. When built, they can look just as good or nearly as good as the 'normal' injection types. Not allowing for my moderate skills that is.

I have never built up the courage to build a vac yet, although I have a few in the stash. They, at first glance to me at least, look fragile and flimsy and probably need a lot of inner bulkhead work and seam support. They are not always the cheapest either so its a big step to start one just in case I screw up big time. And knowing me that's a distinct possibility .
But I will one day.

Watching this with great interest. Nice tack.

Cheers
Peter

I completely agree with you-I hate when they do that! How many identical kits of the same plane in the same scale do we really need anyway?

Is that really true, that many modelers don't care about the stories behind the vehicles they build? That's amazing! I absolutely love politics and history. I buy Osprey books like crazy, and books on current conflicts around the world. I love the History Channel. To me, a model tank or an airplane is like having a small piece of history in my living room. I guess I just assumed everyone else thought the same way.
Why would I want to build a military vehicle or plane unless I know something about where it fought, and when, and which countries used it?