Inspiration?

[Jim B]

So, just as a general question: where do you draw your inspiration for your builds from?  Since I brought it up, I'll go first. 

When I first got back into modeling, and truck modeling in particular, back in 2000 or so, I was a member of the Yahoo! Model Truck Discussion Group.  Anyone here remember that?  At that time I drew inspiration from the other modeler on the Group, and Tim Ahlborn specifically. Hey, I'm not afraid to admit it, I was seriously impressed with his builds!  Another inspiration for my truck builds was Hank's Truck Pictures (R.I.P., ?), which was a Black Hole of Time, but there were a lot of great photos of trucks on there that would keep a builder busy for about a century!  I also drew some inspiration from TV shows (Movin' On) & movies (Smoky & the Bandit).  There were also a couple of ProBoards Forums that I belonged to were I got some ideas.

More recently, I have branched out into cars, aircraft, & ships.  Inspiration for these can come from a wide variety of sources like songs (G.T.O. by Ronny & the Daytonas), books, TV shows (Dukes of Hazzard), and of course fellow modelers on the Forum.  It was a friend & fellow modeler that got me interested in muscle car builds.

Ok, I shared.  Who's next?  Where do you draw your inspiration?

[stitchdup]

I never know where inspiration will come from next. It could be a car drives past and the colour seeds an idea, a pic i find online, or just a loose part of a model that I think i can use for something or just from sketching when i'm bored. Obvlously model forums provide a lot of inspiration too

[iamsuperdan]

I think for most of my builds, it's just from things I've seen. I'm always saving images of interesting cars & trucks, or interesting colour combos. Or it's a kit that has particular personal meaning. Maybe it was something I owned, or was in the family. Maybe it was from a movie or tv show I'm into. 

Other than this place, I'm not involved in any sort of "model scene" so other peoples' builds aren't as big an inspiration for me as they are for others. Although, I have found some good ideas here that I have used.

[Plowboy]

Inspiration for me comes from all different places. It could come from a model in progress, a finished model, a full scale or it could be something I just conjure up in my mind. I never know where it's going to come from. Just recently, I saw a build by a friend and it really struck a cord. So, I had to have one! While they're different styles, it was that build that got the wheels turning.

[BlackSheep214]

Mostly images of strictly stock classic cars but I’ll give it a little touch of muscle under the hood and rims.

[TransAmMike]

For me since I resumed model car building about 5 years ago after retirement, the majority of my builds are replica's (or at least as close as possible) of former cars my wife and I owned (and my current TA). Those that aren't are of cars that just strike me as cool or  I have a history with (Tri-5's, Corvettes, GM F-bodies). 

[NOBLNG]

2 hours ago, Jim B said:

 I also drew some inspiration from TV shows (Movin' On) & movies (Smoky & the Bandit). 

Ok, I shared.  Who's next?  Where do you draw your inspiration?

How about “White Line Fever” ? That  was a good one. 
I get most of my inspiration from this forum and also surfing the net. I also have about a 2 foot high stack of 4x4 magazines and some car mags that I will scour sometimes.

[JollySipper]

I look at a lot of pics of pre 1965-ish custom cars, and get a bunch of ideas from them.......

[Richard Bartrop]

Car books, and lately, car websites.  The Jalopy Journal and The Custom Car Chronicle are where I get most of my ideas for hot rod builds.

Sometimes it's just, "I have all these leftover parts from these other builds.  What am I going to do with them?"

Edited May 31, 2021 by Richard Bartrop

[TonyK]

I mostly build race cars so watching racing on tv can inspire me even though it's not older cars that I mostly have. Usually my next build just happens because I stand in front of the open closet hoping a model will jump out at me.

I have seen someone's finished model on here that makes me grab one of mine and start building it.

[peteski]

I liked miniatures since childhood, and have been building kits off-and-on since then.  I just like small replicas of the real-world vehicles.  I have no preference - planes, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, SciFi - it's all good.  I also built some armor back in my youth, but not so much nowadays.

Inspiration?  If I see a model that I like, I'll build it.  Maybe boxart is my inspiration - I don't really know.

[RSchnell]

Most of my inspiration comes from 40+ years of being in the vintage car hobby, going to shows, building cars, owning a resto shop, and doing automotive photography. I'll see a car at a show that looks good to me and I'll shoot a few extra shots for reference later on.

[Bills72sj]

Most of my inspiration comes from the car magazines I have read over the decades. I like a variety of contrasting color schemes the domestic car manufacturers have come up with. Mix in a big block and some aftermarket wheels and I am good to go. With the semis, I cruise the net until I find a color scheme that I think I can pull off and go with that. I am happy that there are so many color choices out there to be creative with.

[Jim B]

Greg, I had forgotten about White Line Fever.  Carol Jo and his "Blue Mule".  I actually have decals for the "Blue Mule".  I just need a Ford W-Series cab!

Pete, box-art is also an inspiration for me at times, but sometimes it's not.  Just depends on the kit & the art, I guess.

It sounds like people are drawing inspiration from all sorts of places, and that's really cool.  My problem is that my inspiration comes from all sorts of sources, which is a good problem to have I guess.  For example, I am correctly reading Spearhead by Adam Makos, so now I want to build a T26/M26 Pershing tank & a M4 Sherman tank.  When I read To Wake a Giant by Jeff Shaara, I wanted to build the USS Arizona: and I'm sure when I read The Eagle's Claw, I'll want to build a carrier.  I've even started building/collecting some of the cars from Cars.  I think I have enough "inspiration" to last me until the next century.

Edited June 1, 2021 by Jim B

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Jim my inspiration often comes from trucks that I have seen or been involved with in the past. I also have a ton of old Overdrive and Owner Operator magazines, along with a few fleet owner and CCJ magazines that give inspiration as well. There’s also trucks that I have seen recently in person too, either on the road or at truck shows. I think the problem is that I have more inspiration than I have time and ability to build.?

[Jim B]

Brian, I hear you on the "more inspiration than time"!

[slusher]

honestly other than a few movie cars, mine are all imagination.  I have a couple box ar builds. Looking at model builds give me the urge to build…

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

My inspiration comes form 1:1 scale hot rods. I'm a frustrated potential real hot rod owner. it's a dream I will never likely realize as the wads of cash needed always seem to go elsewhere (the bank of Mom and Dad). I used to get lots of inspiration from Street Rodder and Rod&Custom magazines, now defunct. I like building hot rods as each one is unique, as creative as the builders' imagination. Fortunately, model car manufacturers provide us with ample fodder for our scale dreams. I'd also like to give a shout out to the aftermarket resin companies, especially Norm Veber at RMCM. Rock on.... -RRR

[Jim B]

Carl, didn't someone write a song about that?  "It's just my imagination".

RRR, yes, models are probably less expensive than 1:1 hot rods, and they definitely take up less space.