I'm going to try to take of my FSM hat and put on my modeler hat, because it's raised a few questions that I've pondered myself.
Adding details or spending money on aftermarket serves three purposes. We do it because we want to enhance the basic kit, convert it to a similar variant, or correct a problem. When it comes right down to it, there's nothing that says you're obligated to do any of those things, so it falls on a matter of personal preference. Some guys don't like to build OOB because it's not challening enough, so they'll add as much detail as they can. I don't think anyone is arguing that.
And, as someone noted previously, FSM covers a wide array of subjects, and caters to a very diverse audience. We have armor, ship, and aircraft modelers whose personal preferences range from 1/72 WWI tanks to nothing but 1/32 F-15 variants.
With that in mind, ponder this if you would. As a community, "average" modelers today are far more skilled than "average" modelers were 10 or 15 years ago, and the "average" kit is better-fitting and detailed. Couple this with the fact that the same modelers we have today are the same group we had 10 tens ago, it's inevitable that our abilities are going to improve over time.
We also have to admit that new modelers are not joining the ranks they way they did in the 1960s and 70s when we were youngsters. Those of us that stayed with the hobby have learned lots of new techniques and skills, and we're the ones that are increasing the average skill level of the modeling community as a whole. But that comes at an expense too, namely in that not enough new modelers are filling the ranks. Inevitably, we all stop building models.
The new modelers coming into the hobby are also learning considerably faster than we did, because they have access to vast resources that we didn't. In the old days, we'd go to model club meetings once a month, we got the early issues of Scale Modeler (I'm talking the mid-late 70s for me, long before FSM evolved), and that was about it. We learned by making mistake and ruining models. We didn't have the internet and modeling websites like Hyperscale, Armorama, and Steelnavy. We didn't have forums like FSM where we could post a question and have an answer within minutes.
So new modelers have it made in the shade, and most new modelers that are serious about the hobby don't stay new for long.
The quality of the average kit today is also incredible compared to what we were building years ago. Sure, that stuff is still great and fun to build, but could you imagine what kind of impact a Dragon 3-in-1 Tiger, or a Tamiya 1/48 scale P-51 would have had in 1977?
And putting my FSM hat back on for a moment...
I admit I build OOB, usually more often than not. That's the part of the hobby I consider fun. But when you try to convey that enjoyment with the photos and the written word, something is lost, because the reader isn't sharing the enjoyment of the build, or the results. So the stories that grace the pages of FSM have to accomplish something, they have to inspire and motivate, teach you something, or "wow" you. In an ideal world, a good story will do two of those things, and a great story will do all three.
Sure, you can be "wowed" by a basic build with minimal superdetailing like Matt's Vette (which is even prettier in real-life). I definitely learned something from it, and it motivated me a bit because I'm a self-proclaimed car-model wimp who can't spray gloss paint worth a hill of beans.
But the reader
expects to be impressed by our stories. Sometimes he's not and we hear about it, and sometimes he is we hear about that, too. It's a rare occurance when an OOB build teaches, inspires and educates at the same time. And it's no fault of the author or modeler, it's just that many of our readers don't need to be motivated or inspired, or even educated, by every page they read. It's inevitable that every issue is going to have something that someone doesn't care for, hence the "too much armor, too much aircraft, not enough ships" threads we see on a regular basis.
Back to the average modeler hat again...
A long time ago, when I was a rookie modeler, I used to complain that I never placed at contests, that no one ever commented about my models at club meetings, and that many people were just too serious about this hobby. Well, I still think that some of us (myself included) take this a bit too seriously. But I've kept those models I built all those years ago, and when I look at them today, I wonder to myself how I could have thought that this was a Best of Show candidate when it obviously wasn't. But my skills have improved because I've motivated myself to learn new techniques, I've spent money on tools instead of more kits, and I've spent a lot of time here and on other modeling sites, reading and asking questions.
This is supposed to be fun. If you think building OOB is fun, then more power to you. If you think adding every aftermarket part is fun, go for it. Each to his own. Personally, even though I'm pushing 40, I'd rather play hockey than golf or tennis, and I can't stand NASCAR but I'll watch Formula One. I fall asleep watching basketball, but I'm rabid at hockey games. It's that same individuality in our everyday lives that makes this hobby so interesting, because we all look at it from a different perspective. I don't think any less of anyone who builds OOB instead of scratchbuilding. At this point in my life, I'm more likely to learn something from the scratchbuilder, but that doesn't mean that I can't improve my basic skills too.
No matter how you look it, it's a GREAT time to be a modeler. We've got more kits than we ever dreamed, the quality is getting better every year, and technology has brought the modeling community together like never before. I can chat with a ship modeler in Australia, or an armor modeler in Germany as easily as sending an email to Matt in the next office.
So there's my long-winded theory on the evolution of Joe Modeler...lol.
Stay tuned, film at 11 :-)
Jeff