BadCase Scenarios

[Ace Combat Zero]

1. Academy 1/48 Su-27

So, you buy this kit, and you construct it with dad. Dad says that you shouldn't paint the cockpit. You only have three artists paints.

You know nothing About Modeling. So you finish the model quickly and paint it up. You then start looking at pictures of finished 1/48 Su-27s a few months later. You get the idea that everything you did was wrong!! BTW you destroyed the decals because you used cyanoacrylate. Then, you start researching on your own. So, let's skip ahead to after you join ARC Discussion Forums and Zone Five. So, now that you know what you are doing, you strip the paint using a special artists acrylic paint remover. You then learn about paintbrushes and airbrushes. You had gotten an airbrush over the summer of 2013. You test it using enamels. You mess up the airbrush in the sense that you don't know what you are doing. You get some Eagle Strike decals. You get some MM Russian Flanker Paints. So then, (you know the model is fully assembled) you remove the nose and rip your cockpit out, because it has literally sloppy and a piese of trash. What should be done?

2. Academy 1/48 F-15C/D

Meanwhile, during the Su-27 struggle, you enter a new thing. You make the model fast,and make the same mistakes as you did with the Flanker! So you strip the paint off with this, and, luckily, you did not use the decals. You want to make a plane from the Ace Combat series: Galm 1, Ustio Air Force, 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit. You get model paints, finally. What should be done?

3. Revell 1/48 F-14D

This one has major issues. The same mistakes from both models. The sweepable wing has loosened itself and still comes out. The cockpit was horribly detailed and the canopy has a cyano stain and looks weird. Decals, once again, have been monked up. So, you, and your happy self decides to take out the cockpit and breaks the lower frontal fuselage from the airframe so the tomcat looks like an open mouthed bird. You only wanted to fix up the cockpit. What should be done?

**HINT HINT- This is my predicament.

[White Wolf]

Methinks you're trying to run before you can walk. :unsure:/>

Get some cheap 1/72 kits first to learn the basics first before tackling the bigger, more expensive kits and models with special schemes you want to do. Things like removing and cleaning up parts, cementing, painting, applying decals. The 1/72 HobbyBoss easy assembly kits are perfect for this. IMO Italeri and Academy kits also work well. For the first few models, don't think about getting them to look like the ones you see on the net, just do the best you can, learn something, and then apply it to the next model. Take your time and don't rush through a model, it'll show up in the final product. Get a good set of tools like nippers, side cutters, tweezers, sanding sticks, etc.

Don't get disheartened by seeing all the awesome looking models here, most of the people have spent decades to get to where they are. Just go at your own pace and enjoy the hobby.

EDIT: Dry fit parts first before gluing them. Put the two parts together without glue to see how they look and to get a rough idea of how the parts go together, make adjustments if needed, and only apply glue when you're happy and absolutely sure with the fit. Much better than prying cemented parts apart if you're not happy with them.

Edited November 28, 2013 by White Wolf

[compressorman]

Dont have a whole lot of advice on what you should do with your current planes. Although you may want to consider using them as practice painting surfaces. You cannot practice painting techniques or airbrushing too much.

As for your future modeling I have your answer...slow down. I know that you want to 'hurry up so you can see it done' right? Keep reminding yourself while you are building 'I bought this model to enjoy building it and have the pride of accomplishment on a nice completed model'. When someone rushes a build they cheat themselves out of those enjoyments. They dont get a lot of build time (think: value) out of their model and they will often end up with a finished product that is looked on with a little regret 'I wish I had spent more time on that cockpit, or those wheels, or that paintjob, or, or, or. Tell yourself while you are building 'Shortcuts almost never result in quality work'. I know you are young and young people have a tendency to rush things, dont do it. Slow down and enjoy the trip. It is usually more fun than then destination.

Chris

[jfmajor60]

Ace I'm glad to see young people such as yourself still interested in the hooby, trust me everyone here on this forum has experienced your frustrations, but don't let it get you down White Wolf is right you have to walk before you can run its a learning process, don't worry about comparing your work to others, build because you enjoy it and your interested in the subject, and keep asking questions

[sluggo2u]

I agree with the others.

You should tackle your weaknesses one at a time. Try a couple small kits and don't worry about painting them to improve your assembly skills. Get some card stock or semigloss photo paper to practice your painting technique. Once you understand the mechanics of the paint and application you'll find it much easier to deal with. Painting a blank canvas allows you to concentrate on the application and not the outcome.

[toadwbg]

Like old girlfriends, move on to the next one to get over the old one. Life's too short to Frett over them and there are plenty of fish in the sea.

[billw]

Like the others have said here... slow down and don't rush your work. Building plastic scale models is all about having patience with yourself and the model. Almost every time I've messed up something, it was because I rushed something or tried to take a shortcut. It almost never works. Getting some cheaper/simpler kits to practice on is the best advice. Learn your basics and move on from there. I've been building models for 40 years, and it took several years before I got to the point where I was really pleased with my builds. It just takes time.

BW

[dragonfly]

Just keep building and don't sweat it. There's no substitute for experience. Soon you'll see improvement on each build. You've got the passion and that's good. Learn from your mistakes and models will dramaticly improve. Don't expect a show stopper. You'll get there.

[sharkey]

I did exactly like you've done when I first started. I wasted a lot of money on kits that I ruined or couldn't finish cause my skills weren't adequate enough. I too, ruined an airbrush, I didn't even know you were supposed to thin the paints hahaha. You just have to keep going, search these forums daily, look for new ideas and techniques that you know or think you can do. Modelling just doesn't happen over night, but really years.

[balls47]

Hey ACE, Your getting good, more like great advice from everyone. Just slow down. When I started, I bought cheap kits and practiced my skills one at a time. I brush painted my first couple of models. I learned how to keep streaks out of the paint. To be honest with you, I wouldn't even worry about applying a wash right now. The first thing would be building. That would include dry fitting. Don't apply any glue until everything fits right or as good as you can get it. After gluing, you can work on filling seams, sanding joints, etc. Then, work on painting that model. Airbrushing takes practice and patience. I can tell by your attitude that you have what it takes to build very nice models. It would be nice if you had an IPMS club that was close. You could join and you could learn first hand, up close and personal how to build models and finish them. Right now, you should work on going as far as applying and sealing the decals. You might even consider sealing the decals with a gloss seal such as Future. Then, go on to the next model. After you get that part down, you will have a stable of nice, glossy models that will be ready for finishing touches. There are a lot of guys that don't completely finish their models. They add the decals and then add a flat or glossy finish. After a light wash to bring out the detail, they are done. A lot of the models that you look at are built by modelers with years of experience. Those models are built on commission(someone pays a modeler to build it for them) or for a model contest. You'll get there, but it's like playing basketball. You don't start out like Michael Jordan. I can tell that you have what it takes, bud, so just hang in there and it will come. But, you will make boo-boo's just like everyone has and still does. Remember this, there will never be a perfect model. It's like sports, in that it's a game (or in this case a hobby) of mistakes. Whoever makes the least mistakes is the winner! Hang in there and you will do just fine. Take care and be safe,

Tim

Edited December 11, 2013 by balls47