Do you make notes/memory aids as you build?

[Mattblack]

Obviously, if you are building OOB you (in theory) follow the instructions in stages until you end up with a finished model, right?

But I find that if (as with my current project) the instructions aren't worth the paper they're printed on and I'm also modifying things as I go along I can miss/forget something that I meant to do/paint. For example it wasn't until I was looking for another part that I found the harness that I meant to paint and fit before fitting the driver's seat. My habit of leaving long periods between build sessions probably doesn't help either.

So what I'm getting at is do other people have the same problem and do you keep a notebook or something to jot things down while it's fresh in your mind?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Definitely notes, especially on anything with complex or involved modifications, or anything that requires historical or technical research. Very often drawings or sketches too...

Edited June 22 by Ace-Garageguy
typo

[stitchdup]

I'm kinda lucky in that I can put something away and come back to it months or years later and within a couple of mins be back where i was on it. This only works for practical and craft stuff though, books i have to start again. 

[NOBLNG]

Not nearly as often as I should! I tend to work obsessively on a project, then a squirrel appears and I may not get back to the project for weeks or months. I try to jot down plans, paints etc. as I go, but frequently forget to.😳

[hedotwo]

I've kept a spreadsheet on my Google Drive for a LONG time and I track most everything I should do, have done, or shouldn't do for each build I start.  Like Greg, and lots of us, I >try< to focus on one project at a time but I get sidetracked often (I guess that keeps me from getting burned out on just one project) and keeping track on my sheet is a good thing.  I also keep track of colors/paints/clears etc on a separate sheet as well as spoon paints.  I currently have like 210 spoons in my stash and often refer to them when trying to decide what colors to use.  Lots better seeing a color on a test spoon rather than guessing at paint in a bottle/can and wondering what it would look like after dry.  Some colors I do two spoons with white and gray primers.  Anal?  Yes.

[Pierre Rivard]

Definitely not, despite the fact that most of my projects involve a good bit of scratch building.

My rationale for not keeping notes:

A- I am focused on one project at a time. I always finish what I start

B- I never build the same kit twice, bores me to death, so notes would not be of much use

C - I like to stay in a creative spirit, re-discover how to scratch build something every time. Memory serves me well but I tend to try new ways all the time.

I do post w.i.p. for most of my builds, which is a form of note taking, but I have yet to revisit any of these to remind myself of how I built something.

[TonyK]

I spend a ridiculous amount of time saving pictures from the Internet as reference during building. Engine colors, interior, decal location, etc. When I finish a model I have a log book where I write down the month finished, paint colors used on the body (I paint with cans) and any modifications done. The color of paint helps sometimes when I look back and think the particular color is what I want to use for a current build.

[sidcharles]

one of my favorite pastimes is sketching, so i am forever making drawings & research notes.

[BK9300]

For my scratch building, I log time spent at the bench in a spreadsheet and take lots of pictures to remember procedure(s) for next builds.  Nearing  the end of a project, with all the components needing to come together in the right order, it definitely helps me to map out the sequence ahead of time with detailed notes.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

...I do post w.i.p. for most of my builds, which is a form of note taking, but I have yet to revisit any of these to remind myself of how I built something.

As I tend to have multiple builds going and let projects go dormant for a long time, I have quite often had to refer to my WIPs here to jog my memory.

Edited June 22 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tim W. SoCal]

Absolutely keep notes. To me, research, planning and imagining the finished project are near the top of my list of the most enjoyable aspects of our hobby. I created a template that I use to record the details of each planned build, print it and include it with the kit's instructions. I also have several builds going simultaneously and end up, due to job obligations and predominant life getting in the way, have excessive down time between my opportunities at the bench. I like Bill's idea of referring to his WIP posts in this forum to jog his memory and add that to my strategy in the future.
 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I build one project at a time and can generally keep everything that I need to remember sorted out in my head, but when I get down towards the final assembly stage, I will often make a list of the order in which I want to assemble everything.

Sometimes you can avoid some pretty annoying issues if you pay close attention to order.

 

 

 

Steve

[Jim B]

Since I generally build OOB or with minor modifications, I'll go through the instructions and write down what colors I want things.  This is helpful with the model companies' letter codes, so I don't have to keep flipping back & forth in the instructions trying to find out what those letters, or paint codes, mean.  Sometimes I'll make color changes based on photos, or other manufactures' instructions.  For example, Tamiya & Revell of Germany usually have more detailed painting instructions than Revell USA (same kits, different instructions, go figure) or Round2.

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

A- I am focused on one project at a time. I always finish what I start

B- I never build the same kit twice, bores me to death, so notes would not be of much use

C - I like to stay in a creative spirit, re-discover how to scratch build something every time. Memory serves me well but I tend to try new ways all the time.

I do post w.i.p. for most of my builds, which is a form of note taking, but I have yet to revisit any of these to remind myself of how I built something.

I'm slightly amazed at how closely this all parallels my building philosophies!! 

Are you sure we're not the same guy? 

 

 

 

Steve

[Ulf]

No but I have decided that from the next project I start to not only write notes about colors and brands but also have a better plan from day one. Circumstances have resulted in me now having a handful( ok ok two) of projects in two locations. A psychologist would probably explain it as a liberation from my structured professional self(retired) that drove questions about project plans and project goals. Today it is frustrating to think about what shade of gray I painted with two or three years ago.

Edited June 22 by Ulf

[bill-e-boy]

At the start of a build a build list - not to much detail, just general bullet points

Often with OOB's I will note down things on the instructions like colour callouts as the instructions are often not quite correct for RepStock or if a modified build as I want to see it

At the end an A4 page with build notes clipped to the instructions - I keep all of my instruction sheets in a folder (or2)

For one of my current WIP's (Chopped 32 5W Coupe). Typically these things evolve as the build goes along

[Pierre Rivard]

3 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'm slightly amazed at how closely this all parallels my building philosophies!! 

Are you sure we're not the same guy? 

 

 

 

Steve

Oh man that's a dangerous proposition. You don't make notes cause you're really really good at this. I don't make notes cause I just wing it. Both of us being the same guy... could go either way... 🤪

[Mattblack]

Wow, some interesting takes on the subject. It's clear that a lot of you get waaaay deeper into projects than I do. 

My issue is not that I will need notes for a future build, just the simple fact that at the end of a modeling session I'll think "I must do X before I paint Y and assemble Z" then promptly forget... 😵‍💫

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Oh man that's a dangerous proposition. You don't make notes cause you're really really good at this. I don't make notes cause I just wing it. Both of us being the same guy... could go either way... 🤪

You give me way too much credit!

”Wing it” is my middle name!  😉

 

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

I do not use notes much. Once I have a vision it sticks in my head. When I do "Batch" builds of similar subjects, I will sometimes make a note of what color, engine or wheels I plan on using. When parts are in hand, I tend to put the desired, additional parts in the box and that generally covers it. Where I do use notes is when I have a unbuilt kit I am robbing parts from (Particularly semis). I keep a list of the missing parts so as to not waste time looking for something that is already missing.

[Swamp Dog]

No, never had that problem..

[Bugatti Fan]

Having done quite a bit of magazine writing in the past, I habitually take photographs of my works in progress as an aid memoir and do the write up having those pictures to refer to.         Digital photography. What a Godsend !

At model shows besides taking photos of the models,  I always take photos of the entry slips with the model descriptions on them for reference.

If I am building, converting or detailing a kit as opposed to scratch building I tend to write one of two worded notes on the instructions on tbe relevant areas and use a highlighter marker.

Like Pierre Rivard, I stick with a particular project and see it through rather than have a number of part builds on the go.

Edited June 23 by Bugatti Fan

[robdebie]

22 hours ago, Mattblack said:

So what I'm getting at is do other people have the same problem and do you keep a notebook or something to jot things down while it's fresh in your mind?

Barry: one more route is making website reports of your builds, and that's what I do. I often switch from model to model, and it's great to read back your own report to restart a project. Here's one example, of the Nunu 1/24 Kremer Porsche 935 K3. It's extensive because I did a lot of shape corrections.

https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/kremer-k3.htm

I'm using old-fashioned basic HTML for the website coding, so that's not much work. The photo shooting is considerable extra work, but generally I like the shots, so that's a reward in itself. Plus they are often useful in forum threads.

Rob

Edited June 23 by robdebie

[av405]

As someone else mentioned before, I use WIP threads to "keep notes." For me, WIP threads are as much about sharing information as they are for storing information for myself. I do realize that there is always a danger that the forum may crash or some/all of my threads may be lost. But I enjoy WIP threads and I know I would not enjoy keeping more traditional notes. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

49 minutes ago, av405 said:

As someone else mentioned before, I use WIP threads to "keep notes." For me, WIP threads are as much about sharing information as they are for storing information for myself. I do realize that there is always a danger that the forum may crash or some/all of my threads may be lost. But I enjoy WIP threads and I know I would not enjoy keeping more traditional notes. 

Even if information is lost on a particular forum or group, I still have all of the project information available on my hard drive, and on a photo hosting site.

 

 

Steve