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SO YOU FINISHED YOUR MODEL, NOW WHAT?


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Okay, I'm curious to find out from as many of you as it is possible, exactly what do you intend to do with your models after you finish them.

I know, we all keep them in cabinets, display cases, etc . . . but really? Is that it?

I keep them around and take the best care of them possible because every so often I like to shower with them (just kidding! LOL!) I just want to make sure you are paying attention.

Seriously, keeping your finished models around and playing with them periodically is as exciting to me as when I am first building them.

My favorite thing to do, as you already know, is to build dioramas and photo op bases so that I can continue to give my models a further life!

Do tell us, thank you.

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Joe and Erik, thanks for the wonderful comments. Yes, I forgot to mention that our models do have an after life in the shows, but eventually you stop taking older models to show, so what else is there, but life in the display case, if they are lucky. If not, they will sit there collecting dust.

I remember when I was getting body work done to one of my cars, the owner of the shop had a collection of diecast and models exposed, and they were literally almost buried under a thick blanket of dust. Very sad. Very sad.

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Well, when I was a kid we had a very specific use for our built models: We crashed them into each other and burned them! Yep, styrene burns real good! I have no idea how many of my friends' and my models wound up going up in flames... but it was a lot!

Saturday morning: Go to LHS and pick up a kit. Get back home, build models with friends in the back yard. Saturday afternoon/evening: Well, you know... :P

At some point I realized that maybe after putting in all that work into building them, I might want to actually keep them around a while! But the "Build and Burn" philosophy was fun while it lasted! :lol:

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I usually lose interest once a model is finished. I take it to a few shows in the area, and then it is retired to the display case. Occasionally I'll show them to visitors, and on occasion I give them away because they like it more than I do. there are some though that hold special meaning to me, like this one that I built for my wife, Bobbi...

IMG_1651-vi.jpg

IMG_1687-vi.jpg

This I'll never get rid of because I added things that represent her, such as the cancer ribbon plate on the front, and other details that remind me of her like a sonic drink cup in the cup holder.

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Doc

I will keep some of my built models (one's with special meaning or I put a lot of time into)...but most end up for sale on ebay or given as gifts to friends.

I take great pleasure displaying my completed models at the NNL West every year.

Enjoyment comes from creating and building scale models, but not in collecting them

My modeling experience is similar to a love affair, exiting while it's happening and when it's over, it's over...it is then time to move on to the next one.

thanx

Curt

Edited by curt raitz
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My situation is a bit different , mine like to travel ! 7+ times a year , they sit on a vending table for all to see . They require maintenance just like the real McCoy which can be a royal pain at times ! Cleaning and waxing 50 plus cars to prepare for a show will burn up a day before you can blink .

Many have been sold with little or no regret , they went to good homes where they can be displayed for others enjoyment . That sits fine with me , I really wouldn't have the room for them otherwise !

More often than not , when not traveling , they sit in their storage cases . This way , they are protected from dust and potential damage . I intend on buying a display case for them eventually ! Problem being , too many other things are at the forefront , moneywise right now. Spending a couple of thousand dollars right now on said case is not a fiscally wise decision ! Lol !

We'll get there ! In the meantime , I'll just keep airbrushing bodies , building for the contests and having fun while I'm at it ! If I remember correctly , that is what this is all about , is it not ?

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Well like Harry when I was a kid I would play with them , some got totaled some did get the torch. Now a days that Im older (notice I didnt say mature) I build for contest, my models rarely get seen as I dont have a case or cabnet to put them in they stay sealed in a plastic containers untill im ready to show them. once a model is retired it is either given away or recycled for parts. Dont get me wrong I do keep the special ones, the ones that show progress in my building. I have a few that are 15-20 years old that will never leave my side. B)

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I finished one about 4 yrs ago for a friend as a special request. Only one i finished since the late '70s. I guess I'll let you know in a few more years, lol! Seriously, I just pulled everything back out of the closet in October after an injury left me with lots of time on my hands. Then I got this cell phone with internet capabilities, figured out how to use it & discovered a whole new modeling world that didn't exist in the '70s! Resin, P.E. parts, new kits that I had to have, etc. I have started several, just to stall while waiting on parts. I've been having the time of my life, like a kid in the worlds biggest candy store! Now if someone would just ask me for a replica of..................

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Well, when I was a kid we had a very specific use for our built models: We crashed them into each other and burned them! Yep, styrene burns real good! I have no idea how many of my friends' and my models wound up going up in flames... but it was a lot!

Saturday morning: Go to LHS and pick up a kit. Get back home, build models with friends in the back yard. Saturday afternoon/evening: Well, you know... :P

At some point I realized that maybe after putting in all that work into building them, I might want to actually keep them around a while! But the "Build and Burn" philosophy was fun while it lasted! :lol:

That's why I loved ship models so much as a kid .. the black smoke was awesome when sailing across the local pond.. :lol:

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Harry, you said it exactly as I would have written it also !! I had the same routine !! I destroyed so many kits, especially Batmobiles from those flames out the back, that i could kick myself !! Crashed them into each other and across the house. But nowadays, i'll take a finished one to a couple shows to share, then into my individual cases to admire. I'll take them out occasionally to remember the good times I had building them with my son, and then back in the case. :wacko:

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After finishing a model, if it came out REALLY good I'll take it to NNL East and maybe a contest or 2. I used to go to a lot of contests when I lived on Long Island in NY, but I haven't been to many in the last 10 to 12 years. I had a stroke in 2000 and don't drive anymore. My finished cars sit in glass display cabinets in my basement model area.

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as a kid, i didn't get to burn them but i sure crashed them into one another. then came the tyco bandit, i used them to jump over with the bandit. then i decided to use them as the landing pad. as long as i stayed out of trouble, my mom would buy me some more. they were inexpensive snap-tite kits.. :lol:

now, i buy a display case when im about to finish one and they sit with me at my desk. every now and then i show them to those interested or ones that have just found out that i tinker with models. i also take them to shows/contest(i dont think of it as a contest) and take new pics with new backgrounds.

i plan to buy a display case, i just haven't found one i like.

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