Your Approach to Building?

[Calb56]

I returned to models after over a decade of being away and having had to get rid of everything because of my life situation...so, I don't have much right now, when I returned in August, it was from Ground Zero.

I am currently working on a 29 Ford for the Race of Gentlemen California Drags community build. No real back story narrative but I'm trying to build a realistic representation of a car built in the garage. A model A 4 banger engine. Nothing fancy, just a barn find body on a 29 frame, suspension parts found at swap meets, etc.

When I'm not building, which is often because of time and budget factors, I'm going through builds in my head. Looking for parts, building and rebuilding combinations in my head. The builds I focus on are realistic ideas of what I might have in my own garage if I had the money and mechanical skill irl. Nothing fancy or extreme. 

My next build is going to be the new Revell 32 roadster a member here actually gifted me around Christmas. (Thank you Kit Karson). I'm wanting to get some parts from Jason here and going to use a sbc I have from vcg resins by Reese with his 6 Stromberg intake.

I've been thinking about a 60 Chevy pick up with a 383 Stoker sometime. I have a 57 Ford station wagon that I'm going to build with a Y-block and Offenhauser valve covers and a tri-carb intake. I suppose just common hot rods, etc. Anyway, just a few thoughts on why I'm here...to build a collection of cars that I'd own if I could afford them.

 

[Pierre Rivard]

Sounds like a great plan Charles. In the end the only thing that counts is building what makes our hearts vibrate. For me it's about race cars of my youth (sixties) because they bring back fond memories and they look sooo good. I like the research part a lot, finding the car / race / driver combo I want to replicate and then get on the search for the kit, decals & parts and finally the build which usually involves some level of scratch building and custom parts.

I find that if I am not passionate about the topic it is unlikely I will put a decent effort into the build

[Little Timmy]

My approach  to building , ...?

I place a kit on my bench, then try to sneak  up on it.

Oh, ... you mean do I have a plan.... oh, ok.

No, not really.

I just let the kit tell me what it wants to be, and try to do its bidding.

 

...... sometimes I even succeed. 

 

[BlackSheep214]

I have no plan since I build a little bit of everything from autos, aircrafts of any era, ships, sci-fi., etc...

I build whatever direction my mojo takes me.

Sticking with a plan or approach on what to build first, next, after that, and on and on and on can lead you to losing your mojo to build anything in a hurry. I don't believe in build project schedules. Just go with the flow and enjoy whatever the mood takes you.

 

[stitchdup]

I'm a bit scatter brained in my bulding. I do start with a vague plan and direction but i let myself stay sorta loose on the plan. I am very happy to switch direction in a build as it progresses and I'l happily try something for the first time on the build without testing it on something else, if it goes wrong it goes wrong and thats some of the fun for me fixing my own mistakes. I'll see something random that has nothing to do with models and take ideas from that to use in my models. I enjoy the building part more than having a finished model too, finishing a build has a sorta depressing vibe for me so many of my builds stall when the primer goes on. I try to keep mybench neat but i find a messy dirty bench more useful to me, i might find a random part on the bench while I'm doing something else that starts off another project. As long as I'm enjoying myself or trying something new I'm happy to never finish a build but having got some weathering stuff I'm going to have to get something finished to have a play with them. I may have gotten older, but it doesn't mean i've grown up. Here a page from my school jotter when i was 5 or 6 years old

Edited April 9 by stitchdup

[Jon Haigwood]

I normally get an idea of something I want to build or attempt to build. Case in point, on a recent build for a R.O.G build off ,first off it is research on the subject (Google is your friend), then it is to gather up all the parts I will need, then start by doing  some mock-ups. Sometimes my mind tricks me into something a bit different like building a 32 Ford extended cab P/U.   

Edited April 9 by Jon Haigwood

[Ace-Garageguy]

I build in-scale what I'd build for myself in full-scale if I had Bill Gates' money. Pretty simple really.  

[presnell]

My way is I usually pick a vehicle that was special to me for some reason and try to replicate it as close as i can I do it for me and if others don't like it that is ok .

[Ulf]

In short, I build cars that I am relieved not to have to own. The only dream car I have, a 32 high boy, I will probably never build. I can revel in dents, surface rust and worn tires without having to deal with the consequences. The feeling of being free from responsibility is wonderful.

[Nosferatu]

You seem like you are on a great route. Start with what you like and move on from there.

Anymore, probably in the last 12 years or so I don't build from the box. I usually create something that I see in my head and look for bodies and parts. Half the parts I see in my head I don't have so I challenge myself and make the part. I have lots of bodies that are missing parts that I harvested for other projects.

Dave

[DiscoRover007]

Lately I've been starting with painting and assembling the undercarriage and drivetrain. I find I enjoy the process more that way. It also keeps my from skipping anything or not doing as good of job because "things won't be seen". 

 

[THarrison351]

I have a large collection of unbuilt kits I've been collecting since...well, the oldest was bought in the seventies. I thinned them a while ago by selling on eBay just before the fees went stupid. Over the years I've started many only to put them back on the shelf. Also, my son and now his wife have gifted me models. Now that I have dedicated hobby room, I'm building the gifted and started kits as quickly as I can. I just alternate gift or started ech time. Otherwise it's kind of eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

[CabDriver]

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately, thanks in part to talking to my wife (an artist) about art theory and different ways that art conveys a story.  A lot of that kind of thinking is more suited to diorama builders, but there IS some crossover and some interesting ideas that we can apply to our builds.

The way I'm thinking is there's a couple of ways to build a model.  Most common, and easiest, is to build the KIT.  We're drawn naturally through the process by how the kit is meant to fit together, and either fix, or don't, some of it's shortcomings.  Maybe add some detail or switch out some parts, but mainly we're building the KIT.  That's the activity.

The other way to approach this mentally is to build a model of the 1:1 SUBJECT, and probably use a kit as a basis.  There will likely be multiple inaccuracies in the kit parts - incorrect body lines, things that are out of scale due to the constraints of the manufacturing process; things that if we're aiming to build an accurate REPLICA of the 1:1 we need to fix.  The end goal isn't to complete a KIT, but to build the REPLICA, perhaps using parts from the kit, perhaps building a lot from scratch.  If you've ever seen one of Mark Jone's Super 7 builds, that's like the process I'm thinking of.  A much different mindset, and much more involved, than working the steps of a kit and letting the way it's designed to fit together guide you. 

Neither way is wrong, but the mindset that you'll have going through each of these different processes will likely be wildly different.  Am I trying to build the BEST replica of a '70 Charger possible, or do the best build of the AMT '70 Charger kit?  How deep you want to dive into improving any given kit's shortcomings or perfectly replicate the subject matter will probably dictate which path you end up choosing.

Back to the point of telling a story with your build - I've been trying to conscious of what I'm trying to convey with the finished product.  For example, say I'm building a race car.  Is this thing fresh out of the shop, ready to hit the track for the first time?  Lightly weathered, as though it's had a LITTLE running but no serious competition?  All beaten up from a long season?  I think there's a lot we can add to the STORY our builds tell by thinking about some of this stuff, and it's something military modelers do a lot more than us car guys often do (even without needing to do diorama-y stuff like making a base and adding accessories to LITERALLY set a scene).

I like the idea of adding easter eggs to a build too; little details that reward people who give the build more than a passing glance.  Maybe the car you're modelling was notorious for dripping oil, so you add a little more weathering to the pan than normal.  Or you're building a Chevy van and you show the paint starting to peel a little from the hood like all those white Chevy vans seem to do.  Maybe it's a Mooneyes build and you incorporate a Rat Fink sticker because Mooneyes sells all the Roth stuff.  I love stuff like that!

[Calb56]

1 hour ago, CabDriver said:

Back to the point of telling a story with your build - I've been trying to conscious of what I'm trying to convey with the finished product.  For example, say I'm building a race car.  Is this thing fresh out of the shop, ready to hit the track for the first time?  Lightly weathered, as though it's had a LITTLE running but no serious competition?  All beaten up from a long season?  I think there's a lot we can add to the STORY our builds tell by thinking about some of this stuff, and it's something military modelers do a lot more than us car guys often do (even without needing to do diorama-y stuff like making a base and adding accessories to LITERALLY set a scene).

I like the idea of adding easter eggs to a build too; little details that reward people who give the build more than a passing glance.  Maybe the car you're modelling was notorious for dripping oil, so you add a little more weathering to the pan than normal.  Or you're building a Chevy van and you show the paint starting to peel a little from the hood like all those white Chevy vans seem to do.  Maybe it's a Mooneyes build and you incorporate a Rat Fink sticker because Mooneyes sells all the Roth stuff.  I love stuff like that!

I believe you summed up what I was trying to say but without my rambling narrative. 

Yes, I think or what each of my build to have a story, with out necessarily a detailed back story of characters.

[1959scudetto]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:42 PM, Pierre Rivard said:

Sounds like a great plan Charles. In the end the only thing that counts is building what makes our hearts vibrate. For me it's about race cars of my youth (sixties) because they bring back fond memories and they look sooo good. I like the research part a lot, finding the car / race / driver combo I want to replicate and then get on the search for the kit, decals & parts and finally the build which usually involves some level of scratch building and custom parts.

I find that if I am not passionate about the topic it is unlikely I will put a decent effort into the build

Exactly my thoughts, Pierre - I can fully dive into an object that ignites my passion (mainly sports and race cars from the 50's to the 70's) whereas finishing a model that does not really interest me can be a real pain (this is why it took me more than 20 years to finish that commission-built '48 Chevy).

Running your imagination wild and then researching different variations of a car using various sources is also important and adds a lot to the fun of modeling.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 4/9/2023 at 11:12 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

I build in-scale what I'd build for myself in full-scale if I had Bill Gates' money. Pretty simple really.  

The reference above to "stories" reminded me that I also enjoy building "what if" style models of competition cars, customs, or rods that could have been reality, often in periods well before my life began, using parts that are era-appropriate...as I would have built them way back when.

Along with that is an interest in later period competition cars, sometimes "what ifs", but also prototype or development versions of real cars, as I'm usually much more interested in a car's engineering and appearance (shape and form) than in a particular car's competition history or driver.

[Dave Ambrose]

I don't know that I have a theme, other than celebrating a mild case of ADD when it comes to subjects. Generally speaking, I like things that  I like the creative aspect though, and have lately been imagining some good color schemes for some of the models in my stash. I will definitely need to up my paint game. That should be fun. 

I keep a notebook of sorts in Evernote that keeps me from losing good ideas. 

[oldnslow]

probably describe it as , " ouh , shiney " , squirrel !

[slusher]

I like to build models of cars i really like mostly musle cars and pickups. i build many straight out of the box and change the wheels and tires to my liking. i try not to over think it and i am never afraid to ask  questions. We have the best guys here who are willing to help. i am blessed to call them brothers and friends..

[Bills72sj]

I generally start with a vision. Having the kit in the stash is just the beginning. Next, I pick (or get) my colors then wheels and tires. Once in awhile I attempt to replicate a build of a 1:1, but I do not sweat the details if it is beyond my skillset. As I roll along, I may add details or make changes just because I can. I do not get caught up in maximum accuracy or ultimate detail but I do try to do my best on every build. Nobody in my world cares a wit about my builds so I have no expectations except my own. I have been pretty happy how all of my last 4 years of build have turned out. I do it simply because I enjoy it. If I can share a WIP or finished build, it is simply icing on the cake.

[Gramps46]

Interesting topic.  Over the years (60+) of model building I have gravitated to a theme in my building and that is cars that have raced at the 24 Hours of Lemans.  I enjoy the research and have amassed a large collection of both printed and digital reference materials related to this theme.  My objective is to tell a story about the evolution of the race illustrated by the models.  Having members here with the same interests to share with is a real bonus.

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 hours ago, Gramps46 said:

...Having members here with the same interests to share with is a real bonus.

I, for one, really appreciate your vast knowledge about your subject matter, your willingness to help by sharing it, and I very much like your build style and presentation.  

[89AKurt]

I'm consistently inconsistent, I don't like to follow the herd, or do something "normal".  My first love is sports cars, but I have been doing off-road subjects lately.  I will do Out Of The Box to bust a slump.  Then I get sucked into a hero build, that takes 200 hours.  I have more ideas than time left, shelf life date should be expired.  If people quit wanting me to draw their projects, I would be a happy camper.