Detailing & Why

[sjordan2]

Here's what I don't understand about this thread:

Why ask why?

Isn't detailing a basic part of the hobby?

[johnbuzzed]

I guess it depends on how much detail is added and by what means is that detail added.

[Harry P.]

Isn't detailing a basic part of the hobby?

Not for everyone.

I can't believe how many times I've seen a model posted here and someone will say something like, "looks good but you really should foil the chrome trim" or something along those lines, and the builder will reply that he's never tried foiling, never wired an engine, etc. Apparently there are a lot of guys out there who are perfectly fine with building what's in the box, period. No added details whatsoever.

Like Art said... different strokes for different folks...

[Neil Bass]

......my question or ceriousty is this, why do some of us when detailing a project go that extra detail step for?

I quoted the original question from the first post because it seems like there's a debate going on instead of an informal survey.

For me, like I said, I'll see something that looks toy-like and out of scale, or is totally absent from a kit and I'll feel compelled to detail it. I enjoy it.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Neil Bass

[imarriedawitch]

Not for everyone.

I can't believe how many times I've seen a model posted here and someone will say something like, "looks good but you really should foil the chrome trim" or something along those lines, and the builder will reply that he's never tried foiling, never wired an engine, etc. Apparently there are a lot of guys out there who are perfectly fine with building what's in the box, period. No added details whatsoever.

Like Art said... different strokes for different folks...

I think a lot depends on exactly where the hobby slots into your life. For some it's a passion, for others merely something to pass some time. I don't detail, much like I don't always finish the daily crossword puzzle or read every article in a magazine. That's just me.

[Harry P.]

I think a lot depends on exactly where the hobby slots into your life. For some it's a passion, for others merely something to pass some time. I don't detail, much like I don't always finish the daily crossword puzzle or read every article in a magazine. That's just me.

Exactly right. The level of importance any hobby has in your life varies from person to person. Some of us here are nothing more than casual modelers who like to slap together a kit every now and than just for fun, while for some others, building models is literally a passion that they spend the majority of their time doing, and take very seriously. But like any hobby, it's up to the individual to decide how big a part of his/her life it will occupy.

[southpier]

... depends on exactly where the hobby slots into your life. ...

this may be getting to the crux.

there are so many things in our lives we cannot control, but we can get the photo etch seat belt buckles, wiring harness, & blue dot tail lights to look right.

[Dr. Cranky]

I think it's been said a few times, but it's about the details and the way it exercises my imagination. The journey from beginning to end is what building models is all about, and the details are those moments where the thing comes alive and it makes you smile. Priceless.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Dr. Cranky

[Tom Geiger]

There are some pretty good thoughts on this page. To try to quote them all results in an error message

There are guys who just want to put the model together, as if it's a puzzle. In the end they just want to have what's shown on the box. I used to work with a guy who did job assignments away from home. He'd just buy a model and glue and put it together in his hotel room. No paint, no detail, basically just assembling it to pass the time. I'm sure he's not alone.

For me, Cranky said it well, "and the details are those moments where the thing comes alive and it makes you smile. Priceless."

I like to add those little details that make the model unique and stand out. People say they can spot a model on a table and know I built it.

Then Eric said, "I do like to add or change small, obscure items that modelers may notice (if they are familiar with the kit or real deal), but "outsiders" have no idea..." I will do those little things that just make me grin. For instance...

1950 Ford pickup dashboard. I'm not a smoker so I did away with the ash tray and made myself a much bigger glove box! Chances are nobody will ever notice, but it makes me happy.

And Harry mentioned guys who have never done BMF or wired an engine, but for some reason just don't try it. There was a guy in my model club who did very nice paint jobs and then just assembled the model without detailing the chrome at all, no BMF. So I brought BMF to a meeting and did a little demo. I had an extra body and materials to let people try it. I couldn't get this guy to even try. Funny thing, his 10 year old son tried and was actually pretty good at it.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[Neil Bass]

I have those moments when the model comes alive and tweeks my nose. I seem to arm wrestle every model and finally I have to let the model win.

By sheer coincidence I'm working on a '50 Ford truck from an inferior kit. The gage area is completely blank with out any molding or decals. The best I could come up with for gages was some bits of diagrams that I cut up and glued in. The speedometer is pretty silly but it did make me smile. Later I covered it with "glass" from a blister package.

[Dr. Cranky]

Imagine the first builder to take a simple detail like a wrench or a magazine in scale and put it on the front seat, or by the open hood. I came back to this because I remember seeing Ken Hamilton's work for the first time and I was in such awe of it. Here's a man who must have had a blast building all those models and dioramas, a world of details. Everywhere you looked, something caught your eye.

I feel the same way about Hollywood Jim's work. It's just a great time to be building models and enjoying the sights, as I like to say.

[johnbuzzed]

I quoted the original question from the first post because it seems like there's a debate going on instead of an informal survey.

For me, like I said, I'll see something that looks toy-like and out of scale, or is totally absent from a kit and I'll feel compelled to detail it. I enjoy it.

Well, this is a forum, and a forum is a place "where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged". The members are exchanging their views, just as you and I have, and this exchange can sometimes evolve into a discussion or even a debate. I don't think anyone here is knocking anyone's point of view in regards to detailing; it seems as though we all grasp all degrees of the detailing issue and we all seem to agree that it's all good.

[Neil Bass]

Oh sure, I get that John, it is all good. I was just responding with my point of view to the "why ask why" and "kicking a dead horse" remarks. The original question seems legit and innocuous.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Neil Bass

[gtx6970]

There was a time when I wanted to go nuts with details on every build I did.

Now that I've gotten older, I find myself rarely wanting to do more than maybe plug wires or heater hoses. But mostly now it's an out of the box builds for me ( I don't do contests )

[Aaronw]

Mostly fraud. I usually detail just enough to make people think I did more than I did.

That and what Tom said, sometimes I do something just for me, because I feel like it.

I also have a hard time not detailing stuff that the kit provides. Take the AMT American LaFrance kit, it has a very nice Detroit Diesel 8V71 in it, that is mostly unseen when built. I could just paint the bottom of the engine and call it good, or even leave the engine out completely, but I can't because it is there and not doing that feels incomplete. I don't feel the need to add extra detail like fuel lines and such (because you won't ever see them) but I do have to at least do a decent job of detailing the parts that are there.

[Tom Geiger]

I also have a hard time not detailing stuff that the kit provides. Take the AMT American LaFrance kit, it has a very nice Detroit Diesel 8V71 in it, that is mostly unseen when built. I could just paint the bottom of the engine and call it good, or even leave the engine out completely, but I can't because it is there and not doing that feels incomplete.

The AMT Dodge van kit is like that. unless you cut the engine cover out of the interior, all you're seeing is what shows from underneath. The big secret is that my little pickup has no top end on the engine. I decided to save the chrome valve covers and air cleaner for my parts box. Now if I did want to go over the top, I'd open the doors on a Dodge van and make the engine cover removable. That would be pretty cool since I once had a 1:1 and did a tune up on it sitting in the front seats (with the doors closed) during a snow storm.

[johnbuzzed]

Tom, I have one of those kits and I'll be using it to tow a trailered race car. But the van will be in the livery of a plumber, so the exterior will have a rack and I might add some visible stuff to the interior- stuff that can be easily seen from the outside, thru the rear windows- but it's been hard to fight the old "let me just add a little more" syndrome. I thought about opening the doors, adding cabinets, etc, since the race car will be pretty well wired, plumbed, etc. But I decided against it. You gotta stop somewhere. You gotta just make people believe that the model has more detail than it actually does. I read that in Scale Modeler magazine, many years ago. The idea is that too much detail can actually detract from a model. SM was primarily a military-oriented magazine and most military models are in smaller scales than our usual 1/25. Since a lot of stuff can't easily be duplicated in those smaller scales with true scale fidelity, If too much stuff is added, cockpits, wheel wells, etc, can take on an almost caricaturistic look. Many times it's not what detail is there, it's what detail the observer is made to believe is there.

[jaydar]

I do it because most all of you do it better. I get inspired and I try to do as well.

Joe.

[jbwelda]

I detail so that when the model meets the floor or the wall, it will be all real like looking inside there where you cant normally see. I got that from building those planes as a kid where they are all detailed inside and you can check out the magnificent view through all those little 1/8" square windows running along the sides of the plane.

[brad4321]

I used to sweat detail. I would have to have every aftermarket set for each kit I built. Now, I rarely get the extra tidbits. A well executed model trumps detail. I hate seeing a model that has wonderful details and also seeing seams not perfectly cleaned up or other little flaws. A perfectly executed model out of the box to me always looks more impressive than a fairly well executed model with high detail. Detail can make a great model greater, but not a mediocre model great IMO.

[Shardik]

I definitely agree with that last sentence.

[Harry P.]

I definitely agree with that last sentence.

Yep. First master the basics. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

[ERIK88]

That's just the way i am, if it has a toyish look then I detail

uote name="Neil Bass" post="1013833" timestamp="1379519796"]

I don't usually plan to do any extra detailing; I just find that things are missing or look toy-like in the kit and there I go, scrounging around for something to make it look better (I hope!). Also, I just get ideas about how old the car is, or how many miles it's been driven so I add weathering and decals to personalize it.

[KingSix]

I stopped building for contests a long time ago. I pretty much build for the voices in my head today, and for the few strange guys I call my friends. I add details to models basically for the sense of accomplishment (Can I do it?). Things do snowball and I often surprise myself.

I originally was working on this van camper as a quick project and intended on blacking out the windows. I wasn't going to do an interior at all. Then I decided to just do something basic.. and it got out of hand from there. Everything in the picture is scratch built. Each step of the way it was "Can I do that?" so I decided to see if I could. And I'm very pleased with the results. Is it contest quality? Well, it wound up in Model Cars Magazine coverage of NNL East. Overall I'm happy with the results, enjoyed building it and feel that the model improved my skills. And that's what it's all about.

you're lucky, all the voices in my head do is snore

[ERIK88]

Lol

you're lucky, all the voices in my head do is snore