Hi all!

I don't know for you, but as I returned to the hobby some years ago, I was amazed by the build reviews I saw in various magazines! Some aircraft models were just amazing in both building quality as well as detail and accuracy! I read the articles and said to myself, WOW! This is something I have to try myself! I bought F4U Corsair and FW 190 D9 detail sets and build the US aircraft first... The result wasn't to my expectations! Not bad, but not like the models I hoped to equal, those I saw in the magazines!
In fact, I think I've tried to climb a mountain that was too high! And I didn't had the appropriate equipment, as well as experience at that time! I still don't have, and the FW 190 D9 detail set is still waiting... but I'm improving! My models now, although less detailed, are looking better than the one I did of the Corsair!
What I want to say, especially to the younger modelers and those returning to the hobby, is don't fall into the "Diktat of superdetailling and accuracy!"
Try to build mainstream and easy kits first! But build them clean! Achieve a better fitting of the parts, sand the seams properly, do a good paint job and use the basic techniques you can learn here and somewhere else to improve your skills! You will see you can achieve a very good result with a kit build out of the box!
I'm writing this because I lately saw in aircraft model magazines (French and Foreign ones) superdetailed-accurated-scratchbuilded-kitbashed models that actually looked awful! The guys did add everything they found in term of resin sets, movable flaps and ailerons, weighted tires, vacuformed canopy, metal exhausts, gun barrels, custom decals and scratchbuilded everything else so only 10% from the initial kit was used! At the end, the model looked bad because the painting was poorly done!
I'm not against superdetailling and some kits I have seen are real gems! But at the end what is more important? The kit to be superdetailed and superaccurate or to be nice to look at? To make it clearer, is the quality of a model equal to the amount of time and aftermarket items used? I think not! What is your opinion?

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc,

Yes, I agree with your opinion, returned to this hobby recently, it is not as same as my first built kit in 35 years ago: a model kit, a glue tube, a paintbrush and some paints. That is wonderful now on the hobby market, there is a lot of kit detail: PE parts, resin parts, aftermarket decals, etc.

I bought a model kit in 1:48 scale - F-4J Phantom "Showtime" from Hasegawa, then by reading in many magazines, reviews... I added a BlackBox detail set, an Eduard PE set and an aftermarket decal set but I have no time to study all of these "superdetailling sets" instructions so the kit is still on my shelves.

As Marcus Nicholls wrote in Tamiya Model Magazine- Enjoy those details, but don't get bogged down by them... - Issue 118: "... it really is okay to build a model straight from the box, nothing added, nothing changed. Modelling is, or rather should be, about having fun - for some poeple that fun comes from painstaking research over a period of months or even years, but there is still very much a place for simple, quick box-stock builds".

This is a good subject for me to curl back!

Francois.

"MODEL MAKERS BUILD FOR ENJOYMENT----NOT----FOR THE SELF GRATIFICATION OF RIVET COUNTERS"................."KISS"----""Keep it simple stupid""
aye
BARV
(GOSMG)

I agree...

I'm now into my forth year of building models and I've been hanging around this site almost as long. and the one thing I've noticed is all the super super looking models many that are super detailed also.

In the beginning it was very discourging to me to see my results and compare them to what I see in the pics. It took me quite a while to realize that "i'm getting better" and "someday people may be doing the same with my models".

After 4 years i'm fairly comfortable airbrushing. I have just about all the tools I will ever need. and i have aquired a willingness to try new things when building my models.

Most of my models are OOB or as I like to call em "modified OOB" as I like to add bits of gear, stowage and such to them to achive my 'own" look. and I now do some minor scratchbuilding and detailing of my kits.. but someday I might just start down the resin and PE trail........ but just not yet............

So just remember there is still room in the hobby for OOB and everyone should be judged on how well they have done the model within their skills...... not just how much aftermarket they put on it..

not knocking the Aftermarket guys after all they build on a level I can only aim at at the moment...........

I'm back in the hobby for 1 year know (alyough i'm just 17). I love to look at those magnificant models i see here on the big-A. I learn many things just by looking,searching,asking,..

This was my second aircraft in 5 years.It is build out of the box and i'm fairly happy with the results.



You see, a model doesn't have to be "aftermarcketed" :-) to look good!

To all new members learn while building!

Q

Hi Quentin...........................you got it right .....ENJOY....if you like it it is GOOD
aye
BARV
(GOSMG)

Ya Know , What I find is that you build because you like the kit and it caught your eye and just building it right out of the box and having the finished product in front of you made you feel good. Then comes the bug!! Ah the bug!! next it's taking off seams on planes and adding equipment to armor, then you find yourself playing with paints and weathering and the next thing you know your eyeing resin and photo etch and thinking "Hey! it doesn't look so hard" and by that time it's not for you and somewhere along the line you just developed the skills.

If you have not become and obsessed rivet counter you can now go back to those first kits and see how they look with the new techniques you acquired applied to them, I like going bakc and doing the simple old monogram kit but using paint and weathering to make it stand out better than it did when I bought it as a new modeler.

Just keep building for the pleasure of doing it and the skills come little by little over time. I am stunned and flattered when some of these guys praise a model I build.

Let me start by saying I agree with you 100%, but don't bring a well built out of the box model to an AMPS show and expect to place well.

This is my rant about AMPS these days, they are so heavily biased toward aftermarket parts use my friends and I joke they ought to be the "Aftermarket Modeling Preservation Society"
It is virtually impossible to earn an intermediate gold medal with an out of the box modelno matter how well constructed.

Thunderstorm rolling in, more later.

M

Hi MLD!

Just one question as I'm a contest show "virgin"

Is there an OUT OF THE BOX category at contests?

Jean-Luc

Many shows have an out of the box catagory, mostly shows sponsored by the IPMS.

The folks I am referring to are the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) . They do NOT offer an out of the box catagory.

What I like about AMPS is that you compete against yourself and a ideal standard. No matter how good every other model on the table is, you are competing with yourself.
There may be 20 silver medals, 5 golds and no bronzes awarded. The judges are not limited to a 1st, 2nd, 3rd awards set.

http://www.amps-armor.org/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=29

I won't quote it in full, rather let you read it, but the points breakdown has a significant percentage of each judges 10 possible 'perfect model' points (10.5 if you have photo references) awarded to the use of aftermarket parts/degree of difficulty (read as: add on aftermarket bits)

Basically, if I choose to build a modern release Tamiya armor kit and NOT guild the lilly with assorted brass and resin bits, I am costing myself judging points BEFORE the model hits the judging table.

I largely build for fun, I try a new project once a year to take to AMPS too.

Mike

Hy Jean-Luc !

I agree with you 100% !

Another problem with magazines is they don't tell you how much all these detail sets cost... I cannot afford to spend 100€ on a kit !
Also, many "detail" sets are just unnecessary ! If you compare the resin parts to the original parts, sometimes you have surprises (a few wheel sets are just the original parts remolded) ! It's just that resin and PE have become the trend today...

Hi Anthony!

I think they don't tell us because they do receive the aftermarket items for free as they review them! I don't have a problem with advertisment, that's good and informative! The problem is that more and more build articles are becoming a catalogue of resin, photoeched and other stuff they do receive for free, than the real building of a kit! The kit is only a pretext!
The editors of magazines must have noticed that because they were urged to actually include "out of the box" builds in their magazines!
Again, I'm not against superdetailling and aftermarket items! It's just that it must not become more important than the craftsmanship of the builder!

Jean-Luc

Hello Derek!

Thanks for giving the opinion of a Scratchbuilder and Superdetailler!

I have read your post and found nothing to disagree! As you said, there is place for everyone! I'm building mostly OOB but do scratchbuilding as well from time to time! If something is too obviously wrong or isn't there at all, I suppose there is no other option...
As I started to model again, I simply was a little bit to pretentious and thought I could do as good as the modelers with some experience! I just can say now that an average modelling skill is acquired after at least a few years of work... and I don't speak of good skill or real "savoir-faire".
When entering the hobby, just be modest, take your time and learn the basics. Your skill will improve surely! And you will save time and money!

Jean-Luc

i have found that over the time ive been a member of armorama, the main ideal on this site is simply build for yourself. also as has been said above you do develop skills and incorporate them into your arsenal almost without realising it. i have kits in my stash that i have bought all the etched stuff i could find, i also have stuff that will get built oob (at the moment i am building an aml bf 109D with p/e parts all in the box and an airfix P40 oob, you cant get much further apart! )also about 10 or 11 years ago i bought myself an academy A10 and got an etched set for it, realised i didnt have the skills to do it justice and its been in my stash until now, when i feel i could do it justice.
to sum up, if you are having fun with what you are doing, you're doing it right

I've only just got back into modeling after a few years (at least 10) and the feeling I get completing a model is great.
I build most of my models straight out of the box and will normally paint them with a paint brush straight from the tin.
There's still a lot of things I'd like to try to make a model different but at the end of the day if it looks just like any other model I'm happy the way I've built it
Sure I'd like to be able to build like my old man (Barv) but it takes time to learn but the more you build the more you'll enjoy it.
As said before "if you are having fun doing it your doing it right"

sas007