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Introductions
If you are new to the network please post a little something here to introduce yourself.
Hello from Sydney, Australia.
TheBuilder
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Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Member Since: January 11, 2020
entire network: 9 Posts
KitMaker Network: 5 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 03:41 PM UTC
Hi everybody,

I'm from Sydney Australia and I've been lurking Armorama for a long time.

I've been trying to build for years and I can't finish anything.

Does anyone have the problem where they mess up a build/kit and then just leave it? Do you buy a new kit?

I feel bad for wasting money.

I know this isn't the most positive first post, but thanks.
Klaus-Adler
Staff MemberCampaigns Administrator
MODELGEEK
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Scotland, United Kingdom
Member Since: June 08, 2015
entire network: 1,505 Posts
KitMaker Network: 70 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 04:13 PM UTC
first of all congratulations in coming out of the shadows.

secondly we've all screwed up kits and some end up in the bin others end up on the shelf of doom. the important thing is to learn from your mistakes but also keep experimenting with new ideas

Klaus
CoastWatcher
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Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Member Since: August 06, 2018
entire network: 7 Posts
KitMaker Network: 2 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 04:25 PM UTC
Hi mate,

You're not alone, i am exactly the same. Start lots, ever finish anything. Visit here a fair bit in the shadows like you.

Maybe this year i will get back into some models after a big move and after i sort and clean my work table.

GazzaS
#424
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Queensland, Australia
Member Since: April 23, 2015
entire network: 4,648 Posts
KitMaker Network: 189 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 05:59 PM UTC
Welcome to the forums, mate!

Sometimes I can't get over a stuff-up. I either turn the offending kit into parts, or bin it when I need the space.

I messed up this Tamiya Sturmtiger a couple of months ago:



I bought it second hand only to discover that the main lower hull was for a regular Tiger. I modified the part so that it would take the upper hull, scratch built the exterior detail, added chipped zimmerit, but knew I would have to forego installing a lot of the interior parts.

Sadly, I also forgot to add the gunsight. So, it's sitting on a shelf waiting to donate it's Friul tracks to my next Tiger...

Sometimes I think about the wasted money and feel bad... but then remember that it's my hobby and whichever part of it gives me joy, that's all that matters.

I try to complete around a dozen kits a year. But I try to avoid kits that will go past the length of my attention span.

Good Luck!

Gaz
GaryKato
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California, United States
Member Since: December 06, 2004
entire network: 3,694 Posts
KitMaker Network: 490 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 08:56 PM UTC
I bought kits and hardly built any for decades. I started a lot but seldom finished, mostly due to the fear of screwing up. I do OK on assembly but seem to stop in the painting phase. When I had plenty of disposable income, I would buy kits until I reached about 800.

I sold most of the kits but still have about 100, most partially started. My income is limited and I've decided not to buy any more kits and to finish the ones I have.

We even have campaigns (group builds) for unfinished kits here.

Unfinished Builds on Amorama
Dry-Docked for Model Shipwrights
Garage Queens for Automodeler
Hangar Queens for Aeroscale

So, you aren't alone! Hang in there and remember, it's a hobby!

Johnnych01
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Member Since: June 29, 2019
entire network: 604 Posts
KitMaker Network: 41 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 10, 2020 - 09:30 PM UTC
Hi there to all you guys downunder I hope you're all ok and none of you have suffered through those terrible fires and you're all ok.
Like others have said, we all screw up with things from time to time, but the screw ups need not always be trashed. You could practice painting techniques on a hull, you could practice applying damage to certain areas or with Gaz's sturmtiger, how about a destroyed or severely battle damaged one abandoned minus its tracks on a small dio.....
I won't mention a few months ago I was putting a primer coat with a rattle can on a Challenger 1 I had finished and then realised at the end that the can which I hadnt checked was black satin and not matt black .... whoops .... did I cry and swear lots ... yes damn right I did lol.....
John


Namabiiru
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
MODEL SHIPWRIGHTS
#399
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Rhode Island, United States
Member Since: March 05, 2014
entire network: 2,888 Posts
KitMaker Network: 489 Posts
Posted: Saturday, January 11, 2020 - 01:05 AM UTC
Hey, There, Builder. Welcome and I hope you're not too badly impacted by the fires. Terrible.

I've messed up my share of kits over the years. I find them useful as test subjects for experimenting with new painting and weathering techniques.

Dioramartin
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New South Wales, Australia
Member Since: May 04, 2016
entire network: 1,476 Posts
KitMaker Network: 13 Posts
Posted: Saturday, January 11, 2020 - 02:45 PM UTC
Hi mate not sure why our esteemed Editor has moved Sydney (and you, and me) from NSW to the ACT according to your banner - my son was on his way to batting a century in Canberra yesterday when they abandoned the match due to abysmal air quality, so we really don’t want to be there right now.

There’s no right or wrong it all depends on the individual, so these are just own thoughts/experience;

I’ve never accumulated a stash, it seems to create more problems than it solves. I’d suggest working out what diorama/vignette subject really interests you first, and only buy those specific components. Keep focused, eliminate distractions.

FOSU (fear of screwing up) and the more extreme FOFU can both be overcome with moderate doses of alcohol if all else fails, but even with only average modelling skills I think it’s actually quite difficult to make such a bad mistake as to make it a write-off. Even then, it can always be turned into a wreck. Besides you’ve just gained access to a large international collective of modellers who would be only too happy to suggest remedies to whatever error you think you’ve made – try us!

As others have said we all make mistakes, a large part of the fun of this hobby is solving problems & overcoming set-backs, and there’s plenty of help available. I think I can guarantee that the only time we’ll laugh is if you’ve super-glued your tank to the work-bench.

Welcome
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
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Victoria, Australia
Member Since: June 09, 2009
entire network: 8,156 Posts
KitMaker Network: 593 Posts
Posted: Saturday, January 11, 2020 - 02:55 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I think I can guarantee that the only time we’ll laugh is if you’ve super-glued your tank to the work-bench.



And your hand along with it!

Welcome to the Kitmaker forums, great to see more Aussie members joining in!

As the others have said, this whole thing is a huge learning curve, and every single one of us has had our fair share of drawbacks, re-tries and outright smash-it-with-a-hammer failures. As long as you learn from it and improve on the next build, it's still a win!

Don't be shy about posting up work in progress and asking for advice or critique, the team on these forums is awesome!

Cheers, D
Removed by original poster on 01/12/20 - 04:01:58 (GMT).
TheBuilder
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Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Member Since: January 11, 2020
entire network: 9 Posts
KitMaker Network: 5 Posts
Posted: Saturday, January 11, 2020 - 04:10 PM UTC
Hi everyone,

Thanks for the nice welcome. The current bushfires are the worst I remember, beating 1994. The air quality in Sydney can get pretty bad on some days.

I have RFM 5018 on my desk and while it's not a bad kit, there are some construction features they could've borrowed from Dragon's panthers. I used AK/Mig paints on some of the lower hull and I found I had to airbrush a lot of coats resulting in a thick and soft finish. I experimented with Tamiya acrylics and the result was more promising.

@ GaryKato, you're just like me

Thanks again.



barkingdigger
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
ARMORAMA
#013
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Member Since: June 20, 2008
entire network: 3,981 Posts
KitMaker Network: 574 Posts
Posted: Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 11:08 PM UTC
Just saw this thread - welcome to the family!

From the photos, you've just learned the hard way that gloss is crucial to good decals. I find my first coat or two still looks dull, but after a couple more I build up the needed shine. (I prefer MicroGloss rather than X22.) If the gloss is good enough it helps eliminate "silvering" (air bubbles trapped under the decal), and a top coat of gloss to seal the decals hides the edges of the film. Can't really tell from a photo, but if the decal is really unacceptable you can always re-wet it, rub it off, and start again with another one!

I've used the AK & Mig stuff, but don't like it for exactly the reasons you pointed out. Fortunately you can overcoat the lower hull in mud & crud so it won't be a problem!

As for "CFA syndrome" I've got at least a dozen half-built kits on the shelf, waiting for me to get the mojo to finish or fix them. (My record is one kit that took 20 years to finish! In fairness to myself there was a 10-year gap when I travelled, got married, and had a kid, all of which kept me from modelling...) This hobby is all about the journey - any finished models are purely a bonus. After all, Da Vinci didn't exactly finish much in his lifetime...
dhines
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Nova Scotia, Canada
Member Since: November 17, 2015
entire network: 407 Posts
KitMaker Network: 28 Posts
Posted: Friday, January 24, 2020 - 05:04 AM UTC
Welcome from Sydney, Nova Scotia,in Canada. I think everyone suffers from a loss of mojo at onetime or another. I always have 6 to 8 kits on the unfinished shelf of shame. I think we all get distracted by a new project or lose interest in an ongoing build. Sometimes a person puts too much pressure on ourselves to get that perfect result on a kit. It helps to remember it is a hobby and should be an enjoyable pastime free of stress. The great thing about this site is the number of fantastic modellers who are great to give advice and help you out. These same people inspire me to push ahead and hopefully improve my skills. This site is by far, the greatest modelling forum out there. I hope the fire situation in your country improves soon as it is so sad to watch the devastation it leaves behind. Best regards......Dale
Lada_Niva
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Drenthe, Netherlands
Member Since: October 06, 2019
entire network: 177 Posts
KitMaker Network: 77 Posts
Posted: Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 03:44 AM UTC
Scalemodelling is a process off trial and error if you ask me.
I'm scalemodelling for years now, and I did mostly build right out off the box.
Sometimes there did go something wrong, than I wasn't happy.
But I did try to continue as best as I could.
When that wasn't possible, maybe because I did wrong something crucial, then I did abbandon the project and tried to learn from my mistakes to prevent mistakes in future projects.

For innovating/improving. I did long do all the same with my scalemodelling projects, most off the time because I didn't knew otherwise.
Now, I'm slowly improving and trying out new things.
For example, airbrush is important innovation or improvement for me now. Still practicing and improving with it.

You just need to find your own way in what works for you in the scalemodelling hobby.

=)
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