Greetings all!
It's been quite a while since I posted a little bit of a thought piece? I set out to do more of these, but as I am finding, life has a habit of getting in the way of modelling time these days.
If I was a professional hoarder and stash-admirer I would certainly be winning gold medals on the global stage, but here we are.
In staring at said stash, I more often that not realise that for any project I embark upon, I have lofty aspirations. So lofty, in fact, that it often stops me dead in my tracks in terms of actually getting some modelling done. I stand there staring, and I ponder, in the words of a ditty from a little while back, "you may ask yourself, how did I get here??"
Well, I think were all somewhere on the modelling journey. And that journey doesn't end.
I've been sticking bits of plastic together since I was about eight years old, thanks entirely to my father, who used to dabble in models, and gradually got tired of his son playing aeroplane with his models and busting them up. In around 1989, I built my very first model; it was a 1/144 F-14 tomcat (inspired by Top Gun, no doubt), slapped together in about half an hour. No paint, just blobby glue, and some hastily applied water slide transfers. The landing gear lasted about 5 minutes before I ripped it off on the carpet, the swing wing mechanism didn't last much longer. But boy, call me tickled pink. The world of modelling, and the fun it could bring, was now opened to me.
Things evolved pretty quickly as my father also got tired of me pestering him to paint the models for me, so it wasn't long before I became a hazard to my mothers kitchen table and curtains, with a paint brush. The first model I remember painting myself was in about 1991 at age 10; a Matchbox 1/72 Fw-190A.
Back then, it was all about speed; how quickly could I save my pocket money to buy the next little $10 Airfix kit, how quickly could I build it, how quickly could I paint it and get it into my ever growing squadron. I'd never been, and never have been, as prolific at building. Back then it was all about the fun and enjoyment. My parents certainly fuelled the fire of creativity for me. And i've never had as much fun building as what I did back then, oh boy!
Come September 1992, and 11 year old me spies for the first time in my local small country town newsagent the Fine Scale Modeler magazine. Bob Steinbrun's gorgeous Spitfire on the cover instantly grabbed my attention, and I bought it in a flash. I still have that same magazine to this day.
My mind was blown by what I saw. Flawless finishes, infinite detail, no sticky fingerprints, no brush marks. What was this art of the devil that I was looking at? Not only was my mind boggled by the models I spied, but this tome showed me exactly how it was built, and the techniques employed. It showed me things called ?after market parts?? and ?etch?? and ?resin?? I had never seen these things before.
After that, I started to care about seam lines. About fingerprints, brush marks, alignment, historical accuracy? weathering, panel lines?. Improving my skills became the next step in my journey, ever inspired by the monthly instalment of Fine Scale Modeler at my local news agent. It still remained fun, and I continued to build prolifically until leaving home to join the Air Force as a fresh-faced 17 year old.
I paused my model building for the next 6 or 7 years as I finished university, chased girls, and embarked upon a career. But I came back to it after meeting up with some very experienced and highly skilled model builders in the Air Force. I bought my first airbrush (a Paasche VL, which is still my only airbrush, and I still paint with it judiciously, twenty-some years later).
I entered my first state competition somewhere around 2006. I sucked, but was ambitious in attempting a conversion of a Bf-109G-12 trainer... I did get a placing, which fuelled the fire even more.
I started entering more and more competitions from there, which allowed me to compare my work to others, get some critical feedback from experienced judges, and get some hints and tips from some very good model builders (ask any modeller about a technique they've used, and they'll chew your ear off).
Ever since then, I have tried to make each model better than the last (with varying levels of success).
Somewhere along the way, it became, sometimes, less about the fun. Historical accuracy, or weathering perfection, or something else always got me down, and bogged down a project, especially if there was still a long road ahead. The internet and expansion of social media gave me access to view the work of modellers of skills far greater than my own, which remains both inspiring and intimidating? and sometime downright deflating when you think that you'll never get to that level yourself. But there are still those moments, those times where a new technique actually works, and those moments of joy of having improved just a little bit more. It?s still that joy of creating something that brings me back to the hobby as much as I can.
Why am I rambling about all of this stuff? Well, we're all on a journey that's very personal to us.
These days my hobby life boils down to three things:
Expectation: That glorious rush when you buy a new kit (or finally pick one from the stash) and your brain immediately runs through all of the possibilities, and paints instantly in your mind a vision of a flawless masterpiece worthy of a gold medal. Reality usually files a complaint to management once the first part is snipped from the sprue.
Getting Better: I'm always looking for a new technique, a different way of doing something, of stretching my skills, or finding ways to not ping that tiny bit of etch off into space. These little experiments gradually take my models from "Great from afar but far from great" to "hey, that kinda looks half decent.... mostly".
Fun: I definitely want the building process to be rewarding and enjoyable. This is a hobby, and is supposed to be relaxing, after all. Some kits deliver pure joy (leaving it up to me and me alone to muck it up). Others, well, they are the straight up mojo killers. They stop you dead in your tracks, especially for someone like me who prefers to only have one project on the go at any one time. These kits can often end up in a "to do" pile, or leave your spirit broken until you grind through and get over the hump. There's definitely milestones along the way that I use to keep myself going ? getting the cockpit finished, or the fuselage together, or major construction done? priming the airframe for its colour coats, and seeing the blank canvas that awaits, is a big milestone for me. These are the points of progress that bring me joy along the way. I also try to break up complex builds with quicker "mojo" or OOB builds. These help me focus more on completion, or a new technique, or just the simple joy of building something, rather than worry so much about complexity and perfection.
Of course, everyone's journey is different - and that's the beauty of our hobby. Not everyone wants to put their model under the harsh light of peer scrutiny or competition judging. Some, like myself, relish technical judging for the feedback it provides (competitions are the source of another conversation for another day...). Some folks live for the problem-solving thrill of construction, then mysteriously lose all interest the moment its time to paint. Others treat the actual building as an annoying obstacle they must endure just to get to the painting party. All of these things are more than fine.
My point? If you're having fun, you're doing it right. Full stop.
That's my journey so far - equal parts expectation, fun, occasional despair, and slow but steady improvement to become what I would consider a 'not so bad' modeller
What's your journey? I'd love to hear how you balance the dreams, the joy, the frustrations, and the endless quest to get just a little bit better.
Until my next rant, may your paint spray smoothly, your seams be invisible, your decals settle perfectly, and your mojo stay strong.
Cheers (and happy modelling; or happy staring at the stash, whichever you're up for today!
)
Brad C
