So whe do you stop trying to fix your mistakes

You stop trying to fix the mistakes when you scream "DAMNIT IM DONE"

Personally i stop trying to fix mistakes once i start decaling. if i catch any after that then they cant have been too obvious so i dont worry about it.

"Mistakes"???

What is the meaning of this word?

I make "rustic flaws"!!!

"

when I started to go to the D I V O R C E lawyers

I used to "strive for perfection" the result was me getting frustrated when I had te fix the mistakes I made during fixing mistakes....

Nowadays I focus on the proces of building, it is not the result that count but the proces (which is of course the fun of modelling) As a result I complete more builds a year and my results have gotten better because I build more (getting the hang of something like airbrushing is difficult when you do it twice a year)

Most things that you feel are terrible flaws on your build (mind you, looking at it for a month while building it), usually don't come across as terrible to most people watching your work.

I learned to accept flaws on my builds as they will almost always and inevitably show up each and every build; learn from them and try to give that problem more attention next build.

It is your mistakes you learn from most so don't be afraid to make them i would say

Just my 50 euro cents there.

Richard

This applies to more than model building, it is a valuable life lesson.

Yet building models sometimes a reoccurring mistake happens, the key here is better damage control coupled with patience & experience to minimize the 'oops'

I find taking pictures & posting here helps find minor flaws. Asking for frank advice & opinions has made my models better.

A recent build of a 1/144 scale 38(t) a outdoor photograph showed white / light under the fender above the track. I pondered the flaw until the idea occurred to use a syringe & needle to 'inject' a thick mix of acrylic flat brown. It worked well! The key was patience and thinking out the solution instead of attempting to fix in haste.

Sure under normal viewing the flaw would never be seen, yet I did due to this photograph and elected to fix instead of ignore.

"Mistake" is subjective, I call it correcting an error on the original. After all, the designer just didn't realise they had done it wrong in the first place. Fortunately hindsight is very helpful when making models :)

I think my worst area for confusion is in the assembling of softskins frames. And considering recent comments, I don't think I will be in a hurry to do any Dragon made softskins hehe.

Usually after I shout "***!, why the **** did I try that.  It was **** better before!"

Might want to try looking at the model in a mirror... This changes your viewpoint of the model and allows you to spot things you never noticed before... Your eyes develop a "memory" causing you to gloss over some things, and the mirror image will help eliminate that tendency...

It also helps to know when to say "when"...  This is a valuable ability that all experienced modelers have developed over the years... I've been building since the 60's and hope one of y'all will lemme know when you find it...

Hans von Hammer

Might want to try looking at the model in a mirror... This changes your viewpoint of the model and allows you to spot things you never noticed before... Your eyes develop a "memory" causing you to gloss over some things, and the mirror image will help eliminate that tendency...

It also helps to know when to say "when"...  This is a valuable ability that all experienced modelers have developed over the years... I've been building since the 60's and hope one of y'all will lemme know when you find it...

Good call with the mirror trick Hans. One of my design instructors demanded that we look at "final" layout proofs for printed materials upside-down, to change the prespective of a project that we may have invested hours if not days in - your eyes tend to see what they expect to see after awhile.

At some point my brain says "you've spent how many hours on this????", and I have to move on for sanity's sake.

...after I open the box and look at the instructions.

For me, it depends on the severity of the mistake.   If it's not fatal, then I'll usually live with it if it can't be seen or minimized in the final result.   More often than not, my mistakes occur during the painting stages, so there have been a few buckets of paint stripper used before starting over.

Just depends on what level of tolerance you have to your own errors. 

The bottom line is this:  Some of your models are going to turn out great and some aren't.

There are so many, I never stop.

I don't think there is ever a time when I could say everything is perfect. There is no such thing. You just need to be happy with what you have and move on.