A man has got to know his limitations

[DRG]

Positive comments have nothing to do with anything.

I will not allow anything I post to start arguements over childish things like who gets more views than someone else.

That's childish.

[Brett Barrow]

I really wish I had never said anything at all.

It will never happen again.

What, you post something on a Discussion Board and a discussion breaks out?

[Dennis Lacy]

When I was in my mid-teens I was building on a near daily basis. At the time my skills were average and the most customizing I had done was kit bashing and a little cutting & splicing here and there. It was during these years that I became aware of magazines and contest annuals dedicated to model cars and started trying to emulate the radically customized and detailed models I saw in them. Trying to go from 0 to 100 overnite resulted in a lot of ruined kits and endless frustration. Being a kid, my patience was also pretty low. With a failure to success ratio of about 15:1 I was completely burnt out by 19/20. I packed up all my kits and tools and stashed them for many years.

The point, It isn't necessary to try and go from building out of the box to heavy customizing all in one shot. Rather, try one new thing on each model you build and 20 builds down the line you've learned 20 new things. At that point, customizing and detailing won't feel frustrating anymore, instead it will feel natural. NO ONE becomes a pro overnite and the ones you see doing increadible customizing / scratch building / detailing started at zero like everyone else and over years and years have built their skills and styles to what you see today. They do all have one thing in common: They tried! And, I would be willing to bet there were times where THEY felt frustrated and inferior too.

Today, at 30, I have been back into building for about 3 years and have taken a much less stressful approach to building using what I learned from personal experience above and that has resulted in almost nothing but fun (lets face it, there's always gonna be a build here and there that makes us want to throw it at the wall.)

[Jeff Sauber]

Positive comments have nothing to do with anything.

I will not allow anything I post to start arguements over childish things like who gets more views than someone else.

That's childish.

Then why are you arguing?.....

[Guest Johnny]

Then why are you arguing?.....

Well then Jeff, he could ask you why are you poking???

His point was why people are arguing over who gets more post than others or why when it had nothing to do with what his original post was about!

An honest obsevation and question on his part!

But this is the normal way threads like this seem to evolve here on a daily basis! You never know how they will end wether it be on their own accord or a mod saying "enough already!"

[Jeff Sauber]

Well then Jeff, he could ask you why are you poking???

His point was why people are arguing over who gets more post than others or why when it had nothing to do with what his original post was about!

An honest obsevation and question on his part!

But this is the normal way threads like this seem to evolve here on a daily basis! You never know how they will end wether it be on their own accord or a mod saying "enough already!"

Why thanks professor Holt!...I never would have figured that out on my own. Good to know whenever I post, You're never far behind to lend assistance and a helping hand. Good work!!

Personally, I think this has been a healthy discussion so far....Perhaps now that you and I are here, we may soon learn the limitations of this thread...

[Guest Johnny]

Why thanks professor Holt!...I never would have figured that out on my own. Good to know whenever I post, You're never far behind to lend assistance and a helping hand. Good work!!

Personally, I think this has been a healthy discussion so far....Perhaps now that you and I are here, we may soon learn the limitations of this thread...

If you really want to make a go of it I'm game!

But I didn't think Harry would be amused by it at all!

BTW It's Doctor, not Professor!

Edited August 30, 2010 by Johnny

[Jeff Sauber]

If you really want to make a go of it I'm game!

But I dodn't think Harry would be amused by it at all!

BTW It's Doctor, not Professor!

What does "dodn't" mean?....

Perhaps your spelling needs some "doctoring"?... Yes?...

Edited August 30, 2010 by J. Sauber

[Jeff Sauber]

And when you're looking for your freedom

(Nobody seems to care)

And you can't find the door

(Can't find it anywhere)

When there's nothing to believe in

Still you're coming back, you're running back

You're coming back for more

So put me on a highway

And show me a sign

And take it to the limit one more time

Take it to the limit

Take it to the limit

Take it to the limit one more time

[Corvette.Jeff]

Yea,Dave. That build was no where near awesonme. that build had a lot of firsts though, first time doing major bodywork included.

Has my body work gotten any better? You tell me....

It still needs ALOT of work, i wasnt going to post a picture of it till i was done with the back, but what the heck.

ill get a better picture tomorrow afternoon to show the major body work. the taillight section is a cut down 68' charger piece from revell, the body is extended about 2 scale inches, so i have to extend everything!that spline down the middle isnt staying, that was just extra plastic to fill the gap( i dont have a razor saw, i just use regular cutting wheels) i got the inspiration from the model known as "Typhoon"

Heres a side pic....

sorry its so blurry, but you can see what i was talking about with adding extra inches.

Btw, this is what that little roadster started out as...

jeff

[Harry P.]

so what you are saying harry p if sum body don't spend a 100.00 on after market part's then people will not comment on so is i guess that this forum is just for you expert builder's piss on the little man who can not afford to spend a lot on model stuff if that is what this is all about

I HAVE NO NEED FOR PEOPLE LIKE THIS. WE USED TO CALL PEOPLE LIKE THIS SNOB'S

That's not even close to what I said.

[Modelmartin]

so what you are saying harry p if sum body don't spend a 100.00 on after market part's then people will not comment on so is i guess that this forum is just for you expert builder's piss on the little man who can not afford to spend a lot on model stuff if that is what this is all about

I HAVE NO NEED FOR PEOPLE LIKE THIS. WE USED TO CALL PEOPLE LIKE THIS SNOB'S

you know i am sick & tried of this bull ###### on here

PLEASE CLOSE MY ACCOUNT I WILL SPREAD THE WORD JUST HOW IT IS ON HERE YOU JUDGE MENTAL **********

HAY GOOD A DAY YOU *******

Wow! This guy can't read very well or write very well, either! Nobody is being judgmental here except a very, very few lesser builders with a chip on their shoulder who resent the better builders. I am sick of that. I have worked very hard for many, many years to become a better builder. Why? Because I wanted to. The majority of builders out there at all levels are cool with where they are at and where others are at whatever their level of proficiency.

Think about this. Why do hundreds of thousands of people go to major NASCAR, NHRA, F1, etc races and maybe only a few hundred at the local bullring when the hobby stockers run? It's because the big boys are better and more interesting and exciting to watch. The same goes with our little world of model cars. I will look any day at builds of John Teresi, Bill Geary, Saubinater, Mark Jones, Bob Downey, even Art Anderson!!! ( Hi, Art! ) I don't bother with people who are routinely putting out mediocre models because I don't have time to look at them all and I have no interest in looking at them. I am not putting them down. I am glad they are building and hope they enjoy it. Not many people look at or comment on my stuff because my subjects aren't very popular here but I can handle that.

PS to the Topic Starter - don't distress about his thread. You brought up an interesting point and started a good conversation which one or two jerks decided to poop on! Don't worry - be happy! NOT your fault.

[Dave Ambrose]

PS to the Topic Starter - don't distress about his thread. You brought up an interesting point and started a good conversation which one or two jerks decided to poop on! Don't worry - be happy! NOT your fault.

I love this place. Ask any two people about something and you'll get three (or more) opinions. This is a good discussion, and so long as we realize there's no right answer, we shouldn't get all stressed out about it.

I enjoy the superdetailed builds, but I enjoy a well conceived design more. One takes a lot of patience, and maybe a touch of OCD. The other calls for imagination, and I place a greater value on that. But, that's just me and Albert Einstein.

I'm willing to bet that the guys who do all this superlative body work have their fair share of models that simply didn't work out stashed in the back the closet. If we're going to evolve at all in terms of both skills and design, then we have to be willing to fail. I've done a lot of imperfect models, but they were my best to date, and that makes them satisfying to me.

It seems like we don't know how to accommodate our, or other people's evolving skills. We have to balance encouragement with criticism. That's difficult to do in person, and nearly impossible in a forum like this.

[Greg Cullinan]

This conversation or debate comes up often.

It is easy for either side to get upset,I have let it get to me once.

There is alot of space between a guy who has been building models for a year and a guy who has been building for 50 years.

I actually thought that recently the forum had a better feel,I was actually thinking about it yesterday.

It seemed like there were a few more down to earth folks on here that were adding quite a bit to the build threads and commenting everywhere.

I hate to see anyone leave due to opinions being exchanged.

[Guest Johnny]

What does "didn't" mean?....

Perhaps your spelling needs some "doctoring"?... Yes?...

There you go, AGAIN!!! I doctored it for you!

On the Eagles song back when my twins were about 4 one would sing it "Kitty on the highway" of course using another word for KITTY! Yeah, don't come out as funny doing it that way, does it!

But we all know...........

Is that better Harry???

[Alyn]

I may have missed if this was mentioned already, but time is a big factor as well.

It takes a ton of time to add a lot of detail and/or scratch built content to a model. Sure there's skill invovled, but super detailing requires super commitment. If you aspire to be one of the great ones, you had better be willing to invest the time. If you don't, that's cool too and you'll have a lot more time to invest in other areas of you life. Your better half may or may not think that's a good thing.

I have no doubt that there are many builders on MCM that could detail circles around many of us, but they don't want to spend that kind of time on a build. Some of my favorite builders around here add very little aftermarket or scratch built parts, but end up with beautiful models. Clean build style, glassy paint in a flattering color and good photography are great assets that don't cost a wheelbarrel full of cash. Even their choice of subject matter makes a difference.

[Chuck Most]

]

I have one old 1/25th model put away that has so many coats of paint on it that it is almost 1/24th scale now!

That's nothing. I once sprayed a 1:87 scale car body with so many layers of paint it's 1:16 now!

[george 53]

Comin from you Chuck, I find that believeable!!!!

[Guest Johnny]

That's nothing. I once sprayed a 1:87 scale car body with so many layers of paint it's 1:16 now!

Comin from you Chuck, I find that believeable!!!!

I bet he wet sanded and buffed it out between every coat too! Looks so deep if you could fall into the paint job you would be lost for years!

[ewaskew]

Talk about limitations try this.

Over the weekend I woke up Sunday morning at 3:15 AM and couldnt sleep,so I finished one of my cars.

Then when my 5 year old grandson got up I helped him build his first model,a snap-tite 69 camaro.

Then when my 12 year old grandaughter woke up I helped her finish her first glue kit a 70 challenger.

That was the best model building day that I have had since I got in to this hobby at age nine,and I have been steady building for the last 14 years.

I do'nt set limits on what I can build,I just go to the next step and keep enjoying this hobby.

That is what my grandchildren did with there kits and they love it,there builds are on the under glass forum for anyone to check out if they want to.

Thanks

Earl Miller

[peter31a]

I kinda have to agree with Donald the original poster of this topic. I used to have more fun with models when I was a kid and was ignorant on proper model building techniques. I was thrilled when I first found Scale Auto in the early eighties. But the more I learned the more tense I became with model building. Because I don't have any depth perception due to not having binocular vision, I tend to change the shape of fenders etc just trying to remove mold lines. Trying to bare metal foil I tend to put too much pressure because I can't judge the depth and trying to follow the contour of the molding should be simple. My knife is up over the molding making it too narrow and then down again making it too wide.

When trying to make a bulkhead between driver and rear seat passengers for a Town Car I was building, I spent hours trying to get the shape right so I would fit into the roof properly. After hours of sanding, fitting, filing, fitting it never did match the contour of the roof. I just finally gave up and installed it even though the gaps are still evident. Ans yes I did try to make a template but i couldn't even get that right despite numerous tries. And don't ask me if the window was rectangular....

The unfortunate result is I tend to get really tense when model building. I get cramping across the neck and shoulders because I tense up so much at the bench worrying about altering something I shouldn't. I tend to spend more time at forums and at shows and NNL's enjoying other peoples builds than wanting to build myself. I love seeing the builds on the boards and marvel at what all the builders are doing. But I agree with Donald in that I know after many years of being in this hobby I will never be able to build like many of you that say it's easy to make this part or that part because you just have to shape this raw material this way or that way. I just don't have the ability or talent to do it.

Oh Yeah...Don't get me started about theatres charging more for 3D movies