Old dog learning new tricks

Welcome aboard.

I don't build cars, but i find quite ofetn there will be somthing i feel is wrong. I have to ask myself, will trying to fix it make it worse. Some times you just have to live with it and move on and tick it off as a lesson learned.

Welcome to the forums!  

Ideally, if I learn something new, I'll apply it to the next build. I have plenty of times tried to make something "perfect" and end up making it a mess!

I'm looking forward to seeing your builds.

Welcome. I build a car every year or so, just to keep it fresh.

I find car models to have much worse fit problems than other types, except for Tamiya cars.

Your model is ten years old, which isn't that long ago, but things are rapidly improving in models. Of course a $ 10 car kit is going to be of less quality that a $ 50 one.

Yes, when I get out a car model and shove the ships aside, it does humble one.

One real positive is that research information is readily available. Besides forums like Scale Auto, there are so many of the real deal; images abound.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the Forums!

Welcome!

I am in the process of building my first car in 50 yrs after building a bunch of aircraft.

Nope, everything is not perfect. Especially the overall finish of the body. I was going for 'that wet look' gloss. I got wet with micro-cracks instead!

Though I am not one of them, there are some excellent car modellers here and they are great at helping out.

Welcome, Photo-mack

I just finished my first kit in about 30 years for the Weekend Group Build. RAF Hurricane 34th Squadron in India, 1944.

Yes, I tended to focus on the imperfections (lifting paint, paint leaking under masks, torn decals and a mess of a canopy) but I always took a small break, a deep breath, and tried to figure out what went wrong and how to best fix it so I could finish in 48 hours. I quickly learned what worked and what didn't. What I could do and what I need to work on (or around). The biggest thing was just having fun and remembering there was always tomorrow and the next kit. 

If you ask me, most of the modelers on this forum seem like they're pros. They all make some really awesome builds whatever their subject. But when you read enough posts and start to recognize some of the names you'll see them struggle as well. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they fail. We all have a Shelf of Doom. 

We're all creative souls and we're all human. So we're all going to have some home runs and some strike outs. Concentrate on the stuff you do well and build on that. That's what I've learned here on the forums.

Can't wait to see your builds.

Bish

Welcome aboard.

I don't build cars, but i find quite ofetn there will be somthing i feel is wrong. I have to ask myself, will trying to fix it make it worse. Some times you just have to live with it and move on and tick it off as a lesson learned.

 

Thanks Bish, great advice! I ask myself that question a lot; unfortunately my most common answer is, "you never know until you try..." right before I make things worse. Cheers! 

hogfanfs

Welcome to the forums!  

Ideally, if I learn something new, I'll apply it to the next build. I have plenty of times tried to make something "perfect" and end up making it a mess!

I'm looking forward to seeing your builds.

 

Thanks Bruce! I've made plenty of messes on this build, but I'm eager to apply my experience to the next one. Cheers!

GMorrison

Welcome. I build a car every year or so, just to keep it fresh.

I find car models to have much worse fit problems than other types, except for Tamiya cars.

Your model is ten years old, which isn't that long ago, but things are rapidly improving in models. Of course a $ 10 car kit is going to be of less quality that a $ 50 one.

Yes, when I get out a car model and shove the ships aside, it does humble one.

One real positive is that research information is readily available. Besides forums like Scale Auto, there are so many of the real deal; images abound.

 

Thanks GMorrison! I definitely ran into a couple fitting problems that I should have discovered much earlier in the build than I did. Lesson learned, test fit everything you can as early as you can, and learn where to look for the biggest potential problems. In my case, the hood doesn't open/close the way it should, which could have been alleviated by sanding the sticking points on the bottom of the hood BEFORE painting and applying decals. Cheers!

Greg

Welcome!

I am in the process of building my first car in 50 yrs after building a bunch of aircraft.

Nope, everything is not perfect. Especially the overall finish of the body. I was going for 'that wet look' gloss. I got wet with micro-cracks instead!

Though I am not one of them, there are some excellent car modellers here and they are great at helping out.

 

Thanks Greg, sorry to hear about your micro-cracks. Did you discover the root of the problem? I was also going for that wet look gloss but got "shiny bit of orange peel" instead. My next paint job will be smoother, so will yours! Cheers!

Daddyman

Welcome, Photo-mack

I just finished my first kit in about 30 years for the Weekend Group Build. RAF Hurricane 34th Squadron in India, 1944.

Yes, I tended to focus on the imperfections (lifting paint, paint leaking under masks, torn decals and a mess of a canopy) but I always took a small break, a deep breath, and tried to figure out what went wrong and how to best fix it so I could finish in 48 hours. I quickly learned what worked and what didn't. What I could do and what I need to work on (or around). The biggest thing was just having fun and remembering there was always tomorrow and the next kit. 

If you ask me, most of the modelers on this forum seem like they're pros. They all make some really awesome builds whatever their subject. But when you read enough posts and start to recognize some of the names you'll see them struggle as well. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they fail. We all have a Shelf of Doom. 

We're all creative souls and we're all human. So we're all going to have some home runs and some strike outs. Concentrate on the stuff you do well and build on that. That's what I've learned here on the forums.

Can't wait to see your builds.

 

Thanks Bill, I appreciate your encouragement! I had a few strikeouts on this build and maybe a home run or two - next one will be better! Cheers!

Welcome aboard!  I joined a figure group years ago and they had a theme at one of the meetings where everyone brought in their first figures.  I was a novice at the time and brought my first and only figure and found that I was right in the groove with some of the master builders in terms of their first figures!  We all start somewhere, and get better (ideally).  I find it funny that I spend more time fixing my blunders than I do building a kit, begs the question - what is your hobby ;)  Sometimes it's best to call a model done, take your licks and as others have said, use that experience on the next one.  Post pics!

Just like in golf if you focus on the bad shots you keep hitting bad shots. Focus on the good stuff and the other stuff will follow along that same path as you progress. The first couple of models I built are now paint mules and I couldn't be happier that I have those to practice new techniques on. It's helped a lot since there are so many new techniques out there to try. Good luck and just paint mule that bugger or if you don't want to since it was a gift from your brothers, then buy a cheap model and assemble it for that purpose. It really helps to have a practice dummy available.

keavdog

Welcome aboard!  I joined a figure group years ago and they had a theme at one of the meetings where everyone brought in their first figures.  I was a novice at the time and brought my first and only figure and found that I was right in the groove with some of the master builders in terms of their first figures!  We all start somewhere, and get better (ideally).  I find it funny that I spend more time fixing my blunders than I do building a kit, begs the question - what is your hobby ;)  Sometimes it's best to call a model done, take your licks and as others have said, use that experience on the next one.  Post pics!

 

Thanks John! I'm still tweaking some final details, but here's a cheesy preview. Once it's done I'll take some pics with some real scenery. Cheers!

Looks good dude!  Is that Grabber Blue? Huge mustang fan.  Had a 65 GT coupe in Rangoon Red.  Currently have a 2013 Boss 302 Laguna Seca.  Look forward to more of your builds!

Welcome to the Forums! Glad to have you aboard.

I've been building for 72 of my 78 years and still need a bit of help every once in a while (sometimes more). I've been building whatever strikes my fancy at the time and my wallet says OK. Favorites are WWII planes followed by sailing ships. 

Enjoy.

Jim  

Howdy !

Photo-mack

I built a dozen or so flying model rockets around 20 years ago,

Me too ! ...... ( My last one is "STILL" in a tree, 50 feet up !  Been there since 1977. )

Photo-mack

I find myself focusing on the imperfections instead of the nice parts. Is this common among the community?

Most of us here, have become our own worst critic's. So yes, it's pretty common.

Have no fear, I looked at your car that you posted, and didn't see a single Thumbprint on it !  Nice job !

Welcome to FSM.

Welcome to the forum, Mack!

Your Mustang looks sweet!

I've got respect for car modelers, for that finish they achieve, and the work it takes in sanding and polishing to get there.

I look forward to seeing more of your builds!

Best regards,

Brad

Welcome from us over the pond in the old UK. Good looking Mustang you have there. I build cars/bikes and trucks, no killing machines.

I turn a kit out about once very forthnight or so! Have fun, use your imagination, I change most things with each kit I build it's great and I'm only 70! So just 25 years to go!

Welcome aboard! The Pony car looks pretty good so pat yourself on the back. I'm not a car collector but have built and painted a couple of Blue Angel aircraft that have that super glossy smooth finish.

How I got that glass smooth finish was to spray on the gloss enamel paint as smooth as possible, extar thinning the paint works well for me in getting less orange peel. The next day I sprayed several wet coats of clear gloss enamel and set the model to cure for a couple of weeks. I then used Novus #2 to polish out the paint. Here is what one of them looks like:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/m/online/1580989.aspx

Welcome to FSM Forums,

Tosh