Author Topic: Coming back to modelling...  (Read 2595 times)

Offline hrcoleman66

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Coming back to modelling...
« on: February 12, 2021, 10:55:41 AM »
For me, Modelling was always supposed to be a creative outlet, but at the same time, relaxation.

And for a long time it was.
But, there were a couple of things that either pushed me forward, or stopped me in my tracks.

One of these was consistency.  I mean, consistency in build quality.  It didn't matter if the build quality was high, or low, but as long as it was consistent throughout the build, then I was happy to keep on plugging away and was generally pretty much overall happy with the final result.

The other, was my state of mind.  I wont go into details, but one of the things that stopped my modelling way back when was a bout of depression that saw me seeking professional help and ultimately ended my first marriage...  It turned out that the marriage was a primary contributor to my state of mind, so I was well out of it as it turned out.
But one of the symptoms of clinical depression is that you can't bring yourself to do the things you enjoyed doing as an escape, or a creative outlet.
I stopped modelling, I put my trumpets away and left the orchestras I played with (I put this down to a loss of confidence, but the key was really the depression)...

Now, a short way into a second and much better marriage with a partner who encourages me to pursue other interests, whether it be building models, playing the trumpet, photography, whatever, she not only encourages the pursuit, but actively pushes me to explore interests with the goal of social interaction.

So I've taken up the number 11 scalpel and the C/A and started building again.

But my eyes aren't what they were, and my hand doesn't seem to be able to hold the tweezers steady and my painting and finishing skills aren't what they were.

I thought the Eduard SE5a weekend edition would be a good place to learn the skills again...  But I'm finding it hard.  Hard to see, hard to finish to what I thing is an acceptable standard, hard to hold anything steady.
I'm proceeding more slowly than I would like.  To the point where the thought embarking on a smaller scale build, or a more complex one (like the WNW Felixstowe) scares me a little...  No, a lot!

SO maybe a step back to easier builds.  Simpler kits to relearn the skills and get my mojo back...  If it's anything like coming back into orchestral trumpet playing was after a ten year break, then it will be a couple of years before I start to be really enjoying what it is I'm doing.

It would be nice if there was a club locally, like the IPMS that I used to belong to in Melbourne, but I haven't found anything in or around Geelong yet... I'm sure there is something, I just haven't found it.

Anyway...

Cheers,

Hugh

Offline Dave W

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2021, 12:03:14 PM »
Hello Hugh

Coming back to modelling after a long break can be a shock to the system and it takes time to adapt to the very detailed ( fussy) tiny details in many of today's new kits. Don't lose heart but I would recommend re-starting with a simpler kit and working up to the fussy detail ones.

I recently started the Eduard SE5a too but with various diabetes/ arthritis/ eye sight/ hand issues in play I found the fine detail of the kit a bit daunting. Instead I changed to the Roden SE5a which was an easier fun build. There are many less "high tech" WW1 kits around and I certainly would not dare tackle a WnW Felixstowe until I was super confident.

If you have hand/ eye issues, today's state of the art kits may not always be your friend. One of my current projects is a 1960s Inpact Gloster Gladiator, another is a Matchbox 1/32 Tiger Moth. Both very old school, fairly simple and providing a lot of fun.

As for a supportive model club, well you are already a member of one- our Forum is a global hobby club with an abundant number of members ready to help and advise. The major difference is we meet daily, on our internet devices.

Cheers

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
Owner and Administrator of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline hrcoleman66

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2021, 01:04:06 PM »
Hello Hugh

Coming back to modelling after a long break can be a shock to the system and it takes time to adapt to the very detailed ( fussy) tiny details in many of today's new kits. Don't lose heart but I would recommend re-starting with a simpler kit and working up to the fussy detail ones.

I recently started the Eduard SE5a too but with various diabetes/ arthritis/ eye sight/ hand issues in play I found the fine detail of the kit a bit daunting. Instead I changed to the Roden SE5a which was an easier fun build. There are many less "high tech" WW1 kits around and I certainly would not dare tackle a WnW Felixstowe until I was super confident.

If you have hand/ eye issues, today's state of the art kits may not always be your friend. One of my current projects is a 1960s Inpact Gloster Gladiator, another is a Matchbox 1/32 Tiger Moth. Both very old school, fairly simple and providing a lot of fun.

As for a supportive model club, well you are already a member of one- our Forum is a global hobby club with an abundant number of members ready to help and advise. The major difference is we meet daily, on our internet devices.

Cheers

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

Thanks Dave,

I know!  This forum is a great place to meet and chat. 

I think, really, it's a case of "I used to be able to do this!  Why the hell can't I now?"...

Of course, I know the answer, but it hurts to admit your getting too old to do the stuff you did when you were younger.

If I look back at what I used to build, the scratch built details I did for my Roden BE2c all those years ago, the effort I went to to replicate a 1/48 scale carburetor for same...  The idea of doing something like that now, while not impossible, is certainly daunting.

Yes, bite off what I can comfortably chew at this stage, and maybe, when the skills have been regained, pull the complex kits out again and have another go.

Cheers,

Hugh

Bughunter

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2021, 03:40:03 AM »
Hugh, at first thank you for your openness!

I thought the Eduard SE5a weekend edition would be a good place to learn the skills again...  But I'm finding it hard.
If you see my other models, you would not say that I'm not experienced. And I was really excited about this new kit by Eduard. I got the Royal edition as birthday present and started it soon .... but:
I also run into the problem that it killed my mojo. It is a great kit, but due to the number of parts (I added also more accessories) and very careful work required the complexity overtaxed me.
As I don't want to ruin the build I had to put it aside and build other kits. Much later (a year?) I was able to finish it to a great model.

A joke: On can say this kit is user-friendly. It's just very selective about who its friends are ;)

So I really hope for you, that you will find recreation and all what you want and need in this nice hobby!

Good luck,
Frank

Offline lone modeller

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2021, 06:02:08 AM »
I had a break of 30+ years form this hobby. When I restarted I too had problems with shaking hands and eyes which would not focus. My first kit (a Matchbox Gladiator) was not one of my better efforts (I could not put the engine cowling on properly!!) and my second - also a Matchbox kit, was not too much better. I look at some of the conversions I made when I had been modelling for about a year and realise that I was in a learning phase. I got over the eyesight problem by using aneye loupe (magnifier which clips on to my glasses), I know others use optivisors which are equally useful for looking at parts which seem to shrink regularly.

With reference to complexity I think that you already have the answer - I'll bet that you could not play a trumpet solo when you first went back to the orchestra, you had to play a in a lot of concerts before the old skills returned. Modelling is the same - I can now make/do thkings after 8 years which I would never have dreamed of doing when I restarted. Some of that is confidence, some of it is practice, some a mixture of both. Keep at it and the old skills will return, in ways you least expect.

As for a club, as Dve has written, this is the best one in the world. Well it has a global membership!

Stephen.

Offline Monty

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2021, 06:03:44 AM »
Hi Hugh,

I hope I can add a little here, and certainly hope I don't offend anyone! The truth is most of the modellers on this site are getting a little older (except Alexis!) and we certainly are entering a different phase in our modelling careers. I'm not talking about some of the younger modellers on the site here, youngsters who have boundless concentration and energy, (like Przemo!) but the old fogeys, who are past retirement age, like us... We have to accept we have less ability as regards eyesight, co-ordination and steady hands, and certainly a shorter attention span.. Are we still an asset to the hobby? You bet! We still have that knowledge and experience combined, we can still have a good day at the bench, and we still have something to say and teach... And yes, this is way down the philosophical path, but it's true, this is part of societies checks and balances and the passing on of valuable information, techniques and sometimes the things that may just be forgotten.. This hobby is a test of patience so we all need to take some time to reflect, reconsider, get things right and just chat and talk to other modellers about what maybe we should be doing. This site is a great place to do that!

I value my friends here just so much... there is little doubt they are your friends too! Yes, we bemoan the abrupt, rude and nasty end to our Club activities, believe me, this cuts me up a lot in this Covid-19 era. I am in South Africa, and this SA variant caused mayhem here, but is on the decline... so I say the sun will rise again! I have despondent club members contacting me and asking what we can do - well, we can rebuild again! We have the resurgence of model production, some great subject and great manufacturers coming to the party and delivering the models of our dreams! There is so much choice, and we are lucky, we just need to choose our projects carefully... and club meetings will resume some day!

It is wonderful to have modellers like you returning to the fold, your SE5a is superb, please don't give up on it, and we will all watch and admire! This is a great hobby, I do hear that in the background of Covid-19 there are many more models sold, many more modellers created and much more enthusiasm generated... it's just that so many of our clan don't confess they love the hobby! If you don't believe me that there is a great resurgence in this hobby, just look at the amount of hits on some of the threads!

Hugh, please continue to post and show us your talents, take your time, there is some great modelling in your capable hands!

Regards,

Marc

Offline hrcoleman66

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2021, 11:59:38 AM »
Hugh, at first thank you for your openness!

I thought the Eduard SE5a weekend edition would be a good place to learn the skills again...  But I'm finding it hard.
If you see my other models, you would not say that I'm not experienced. And I was really excited about this new kit by Eduard. I got the Royal edition as birthday present and started it soon .... but:
I also run into the problem that it killed my mojo. It is a great kit, but due to the number of parts (I added also more accessories) and very careful work required the complexity overtaxed me.
As I don't want to ruin the build I had to put it aside and build other kits. Much later (a year?) I was able to finish it to a great model.

A joke: On can say this kit is user-friendly. It's just very selective about who its friends are ;)

So I really hope for you, that you will find recreation and all what you want and need in this nice hobby!

Good luck,
Frank

Thanks Frank.

I’ve found that now that the fuselage I closed up (and the bottom surface filled) everything seems to be falling together.  But more on that on the SE5a thread.

I’m going to keep going with it...  put it down as a learning experience, and be happy when it’s finished.  I built/rebuilt my Blue Max Sopwith F1 camel three times after it got incurable hangar rash and needed a complete redo...  I really couldn’t be upset with my friends two year old boy, how was he to know it didn’t actually fly?...  and after build three, I was really happy with the result.

Cheers,

Hugh

Offline hrcoleman66

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2021, 12:05:15 PM »
I had a break of 30+ years form this hobby. When I restarted I too had problems with shaking hands and eyes which would not focus. My first kit (a Matchbox Gladiator) was not one of my better efforts (I could not put the engine cowling on properly!!) and my second - also a Matchbox kit, was not too much better. I look at some of the conversions I made when I had been modelling for about a year and realise that I was in a learning phase. I got over the eyesight problem by using aneye loupe (magnifier which clips on to my glasses), I know others use optivisors which are equally useful for looking at parts which seem to shrink regularly.

With reference to complexity I think that you already have the answer - I'll bet that you could not play a trumpet solo when you first went back to the orchestra, you had to play a in a lot of concerts before the old skills returned. Modelling is the same - I can now make/do thkings after 8 years which I would never have dreamed of doing when I restarted. Some of that is confidence, some of it is practice, some a mixture of both. Keep at it and the old skills will return, in ways you least expect.

As for a club, as Dve has written, this is the best one in the world. Well it has a global membership!

Stephen.

Hi Stephen,

Thanks mate.  Absolute I couldn’t play like I used to.  Took me ages to get back into it properly...  just in time for me to get sent to India by my employer for  six months and have to take a break again...

I recall when I’m decided to give it up...  I was playing in a performance of Schostekovich’s festival overture, which I had played the first trumpet part in many years before with no problems at all...  but when the leader suggested I play first this time, I was so frightened I had to have a good hard look at myself and try to work out why...  long story short, it wasn’t my trumpet playing that was the problem...  it was other things which had a detrimental effect on my trumpet playing.

Cheers,

Hugh

Offline Alexis

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2021, 03:29:02 AM »
Hugh , it takes a very brave person to talk about events from the past which had an impart on their lives . Opening up is never easy and you are a beautiful person for doing so and I glad you have found happiness .  :)


Alexis
Hurra ! , Ich Leben Noch
Body and life is a vessel we use to travel the planet . Femininity is the gift , The miracle comes from what we do with it .

Offline WD

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2021, 10:48:09 AM »
Hugh,
         I'm a little late to this conversation, but I'd like to let you know you're not alone in this. I've come back to modeling several times it seems. I get a ways in, and then, like you, something in real life interferes. I've had to start over several times, and having to re-learn skills becomes such a chore that sometimes I ask myself "is this honestly fun?", and then I lay it down. Keep plugging at it, ease up on yourself, and try to enjoy the ride and re-learning. I know it's easier said than done, but I've been there.

WD

Offline hrcoleman66

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2021, 09:24:12 AM »
Hugh,
         I'm a little late to this conversation, but I'd like to let you know you're not alone in this. I've come back to modeling several times it seems. I get a ways in, and then, like you, something in real life interferes. I've had to start over several times, and having to re-learn skills becomes such a chore that sometimes I ask myself "is this honestly fun?", and then I lay it down. Keep plugging at it, ease up on yourself, and try to enjoy the ride and re-learning. I know it's easier said than done, but I've been there.

WD

Thanks WD.

I enjoy it.  I really do.  But sometimes the skills I thought I had just seem to have gone missing.

I used to tell my self I had almost infinite patience...  Turns out, I don't.  But I'm enjoying what I'm doing, the research, the pottering...  and after all, that's what it is.  Pottering.  Me time.  And a lot of it is problem solving.  Sometimes the problems take a while to solve, sometime, the solution comes easily.  And sometimes you have to put something to one side for a while and then come back to it later...  I reckon some of these skills that I am missing at the moment, are simply learned and just take practice.  So these first few kits, kits that didn't cost much and I don't have a lot invested in (and there are some kits in my stash that I have investment in that isn't monetary,  Kits I've boxed up and stored and carried from house to house as I moved around (about 5 now)), will be my learning builds.

Cheers,

Hugh


Offline rolanddvi

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2021, 12:52:25 PM »
Hello Hugh,

I agree with all that has been said. The truth is it just takes time when getting back into the hobby. Each person will have their own schedule if you will, so you just be you and eventually you'll find your happy place!! I had lung cancer surgery in August of 2020. Things went well but it has been tough getting back in the swing of things. I sometimes sit at the modelling bench and will maybe paint one piece and I'm done for a few days!! Weird stuff but it will pass. So hang in there and as others have said if you need help/assistance, anything this is the place!!

Mike

Online Rip Van Winkle

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2021, 02:27:17 AM »
I can relate to your dilemma. I was away from the hobby for 45 years. That is time for a lot of changes.  I am retired and still build in 1/72 scale.  My main problem is consistency.  I have good and bad days with this hobby.  I look at every build as part of my learning curve.  I will make notes on each build so next time I do not make the same mistake over and over again.  I also have several projects in different stages of build. If I don't feel like rigging I will work on some other build stage.  I use this forum for guidance and inspiration knowing that I am only human and that some of the beautiful work shown here I will never be able to replicate.  It gives me something to shoot for.  Also do your research on your particular model before you begin.  There are usually project reviews that will give you hints and give you an assessment of model quality.  I can  avoid a lot of problems before I even open the box.  Keep on building!

Offline WD

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #13 on: March 07, 2021, 02:03:15 AM »
Hugh,
         I'm a little late to this conversation, but I'd like to let you know you're not alone in this. I've come back to modeling several times it seems. I get a ways in, and then, like you, something in real life interferes. I've had to start over several times, and having to re-learn skills becomes such a chore that sometimes I ask myself "is this honestly fun?", and then I lay it down. Keep plugging at it, ease up on yourself, and try to enjoy the ride and re-learning. I know it's easier said than done, but I've been there.

WD

Thanks WD.

I enjoy it.  I really do.  But sometimes the skills I thought I had just seem to have gone missing.



Hugh,
         That right there for me. "Where is it, I thought it was here a minute ago".  :o

A friend of mine has a modeling blog. Not long ago he used a quote those of us in the ground-pounding end of the military use: slow is fast. In other words, going slowly, and deliberately with patience results in something getting done quickly, or at least more quickly than it would otherwise.

Like you, I enjoy the research, etc. I used to enjoy history by recreating it in 1':12" scale  ;), but now I'm too old and decrepit to run the woods like I did when I was young. Somehow, sleeping in a muddy trench in the cold isn't as much fun as it was in my youth. So, I turned back to modeling to recreate history, but in miniature. I missed the research I did for my historical impressions. Also, I enjoy flight sims. The first software I bought for my first PC back in '94 was a flight sim, and I enjoy them still to this day. Flight sims are what made me want to model a/c again, I want to model what I fly in the digital world, especially since obviously no one is going to let me fly any of the TVAL a/c, etc.  :)

WD

Offline hrcoleman66

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Re: Coming back to modelling...
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2021, 06:46:44 PM »
Quote

Like you, I enjoy the research, etc. I used to enjoy history by recreating it in 1':12" scale  ;), but now I'm too old and decrepit to run the woods like I did when I was young. Somehow, sleeping in a muddy trench in the cold isn't as much fun as it was in my youth. So, I turned back to modeling to recreate history, but in miniature. I missed the research I did for my historical impressions. Also, I enjoy flight sims. The first software I bought for my first PC back in '94 was a flight sim, and I enjoy them still to this day. Flight sims are what made me want to model a/c again, I want to model what I fly in the digital world, especially since obviously no one is going to let me fly any of the TVAL a/c, etc.  :)

WD

The very reason I started a Dave Hurrell 1/6 Scale BE2c...  Still a work in progress eight years later.

Cheers,

Hugh