That's not a model, that's a career

nice guy. i met him at the nats. he's a vendor too, so he really does make a job out of models.

I think my only problem would be that I would get burnt out on it, I mean, I get tired of working on the same one all the time, and its really not fun unless I am in the mood for it, I don't think I would last 100 hours on it, much less 4700 hours! Your right Phil, that is pretty insane, but I guess if that is your career, you probably have the time to work on it?

IMHO, he could have saved some time by not applying the most overdone and unrealilstic preshading jobs ever. All I see when I look at that are black outlines on a gray model. Sadly. that being on the cover will encourage more builders to try to be like that and use even more excessive preshading. Take a look at any aircraft or picture, up close or at a scale distance and you would never see anything  near that level of demarkation.

I'm reminded of the spoof article FSM did last April maybe of grouond crews applying preshading to their P-47's to make them look more, well, I was going to say realistic, but I think the term should be MODELISTIC.

I have to agree with ajlafleche about the wheathering, I think its way to dark and looks overdone. Its not a bad looking model by anymeans.

I have to argee with the above. My dad was crew chief on C-130's and i used to go down to the flight line with him on the weekends and i never seen any panel lines that dark as a matter of fact you had to get real close just to see the panel lines. and the thing that stuck out where all the zert fastners this is the screws that hold the panels on.

I really liked the model. I do agree on the preshading comments, to some extent. The plane looks old, and doesn't look "overdone."

I actually like the artistic licence applied to the overshading of the panels. The model is a spectacular piece. THe inside of that engine is just unbelievable.

I agree with most of the people here - It was a fantastic job of building and detailing but  my personal opinion is that the "grundge job" detracted from the final product.  In 35 years as an aircraft mechanic, I don't remember ever having seen even an air tanker or spray plane that looked remotely like most of the models I've seen in the past few years.  Worn and chipped paint is what usually shows up most on a well used 1 to 1 aircraft.  Again just my personal opinion.

qmiester wrote:

I agree with most of the people here - It was a fantastic job of building and detailing but  my personal opinion is that the "grundge job" detracted from the final product.  In 35 years as an aircraft mechanic, I don't remember ever having seen even an air tanker or spray plane that looked remotely like most of the models I've seen in the past few years.  Worn and chipped paint is what usually shows up most on a well used 1 to 1 aircraft.  Again just my personal opinion.

From what I have read on here, if an aircraft's panels had gaps that big between them, they would have to have some serious work done to them! Another thing I have read is that panel lines on models are more for visual affect, because the panel lines on 1:1 aircraft aren't visable when they are fairly new and only after some use can you see them when you are close to the aircraft. Everyone who has told me this either worked on or around modern aircraft, including my uncle, who loaded bombs on A-6's and A-7's during the Vietnam war. I don't argue that it isn't a nice model, I just feel the shading is way over done?

I had an interesting discussion with my gf about this model last night. I showed it to her, and we read through the article quickly together. It became very obvious from the start that she was not very impressed. Oh, the model was great and superb, but she could not fathom the 4700 hours spent on it. After a little bit, I kind of came around to her opinions. I gotta say, 4700 does seem like fanatacism and obsession, rather than a hobby. Do you guys thing there are others out there that just carry this hobby "too far"?

Personally, I love the hobby, I will continue it forever, but I can't imagine sinking thousands of hours into a project, and can imagine it even less when eventually I have a wife and a child. I mean, that's a LOT of time NOT dedicated to ones family. Does this level of conduct eventually make one a social recluse? Or is it that we men are doomed to live a life of celibacy once children are in the picture, and need some other obsession to keep us sane? Even further from my understanding is that of fanatical accuracy, such as the one being discussed here, or the ever present armour guys discussing whether muzzle brakes should be blackened or not. Seems to me we make our own geeky image. Sorry, don't mean to make this into a rant or a thread jack, but 4700 hours....

On a similar note, I just recently found out that Shep Paine, one of the modelling world greats, is still a bachelor. I guess I just don't understand the dedication one must have to this to forgo other things in life, things that in and of their own right, have quite a few amusing qualities. I mean, when is hardcore just too hardcore.

zokissima wrote:

I mean, when is hardcore just too hardcore.

It's "too hardcore" when and only when the person who is doing it thinks it is. "Taking it too far," "spending too much time/money," etc...all of those judgements are those of the individual hobbyist, and cannot be decided by anyone else. Each hobbyist decides his or her own limits. 

For me personally, spending 4,700 hours on a model would be...well, impossible. I simply couldn't do it. This guy, well, he could do it! And it shows in his amazing build. I would agree that the panel shading is not realistic. You don't even see junked aircraft in the boneyards in that kind of shape! But it is very striking.
Modeller's license, excercised at the discretion of the modeller.

The limits of a hobby can only be defined by the individual hobbyist.