open challenge to all modelers!

Just so I understand this correctly, we'll all build a kit in the same subject and scale using the basic tools. Aside from the subject and scale being the same, the kits could be different?

I'm open for any subject. I think it would be fun. If we did a couple of these throughout the year, we can switch subjects so everyone's favorite subject area is covered. For people who normally stick with one subject matter - who knows, they might find that they actually enjoy doing other subjects but would have never tried it.

It would also be a great learning experience. For someone just getting into modeling, it might be fun to pick up the same kit as someone else and discuss the building of it as they go along.

Great idea!!

Thanks B.R.,

Personally I'd like everything to be equal including the kit. I did not want to be to confining and scare people off. Majority rules. If we can agree on a specific kit then I'm all for it. It would be fun to see how each individual tackles the same kit. Lots of learning potential here. I agree that we should do different subject matter to make sure everyone is included.

I think if we can agree on a specific subject, for example a 1/48 scale F-15A, you can build anyones kit of a F-15A. It may be to restrictive to expect everyone to buy the Tamiya, Hasegawa or whomever you want to name kit.

If anyone has a specific subject they want to nominate then have at it. I'll start off with a 1/48 scale F-18C. All the other things that I listed still apply.

Thanks for the input
Darren

Absolutely agree about no aftermarket stuff. Just the basic kit, as found in the box.

I think it could be a 'rolling' kind of exercice, with different kits to build at different times, including, why not, things we have never ever thought of modelling.. But for the first 'episode', we could all build, say an aircraft. In a month or so, it will be a car, then a ship, then a figure,...

Could we add toothpicks to the list of tools..?

I would enjoy participating in this, what shall we call it, "community build project" ?

Anyway, the idea of having builds regularly and rotating subjects, etc. is great too.

My first vote for what model would be not a vote, I'll go with anything, especially with the idea of rotating subjects over time.

I wonder if gathering interest in a relatively short period of time will be a challange, however, as people need to see the thread, etc.. I wonder if there is a way to 'broadcast' an announcement to all forum members, or am I getting to complicated. Just thinking out loud...

I was thinking of "Community Build Challenge" - but thinking about it now, "Community Build Project" would most likely get more people to participate. The word Challenge would imply competition and that's not the purpose of this. The idea is for anyone and everyone to get involved regardless of experience and skills. One of the primary objectives is to have fun with it.

I think once the details are finalized, in regards to the list of tools, subject, scale and deadline, FineScale may consider posting something in their announcements area. Participation might be low initially due to the short amount of time to prepare and also because some people might want to see how the first project turns out. If things go well with the first project and people have had an opportunity to follow it's progress, I believe we would see more participation on the next project.

Plus - anyone can join at anytime. It's not like everyone has to start on the same exact date.

Let's get going on the details!

- I'm not sure if we want to have a 'coordinator', but if so then I nominate darrenbb as he is taking the most initiative with this project. I don't think it would be a big job, just gathering names and documenting the rules/etc.
- I agree with darrenbb and suggest the 1/48 F-18C. That should be a popular kit that's available in most areas. Let's go! If people want to 'join in' later on, then great.
- I think the tools list so far is as far as we should go (including the toothpicks)
- I propose we use some 'common sense' when it comes to paints, etc. I think the concept here is to stay 'basic', so personally I'm not going to use decal setting solutions, metalizers, or other 'special' type items that a starting kit builder wouldn't likely use.
- is there any ability to post 'photos' on this forum?
- let's keep it 'light' and have some fun!

If I don't hear any objection, I'm going out to find an F-18C kit and get to work.

M.

Hello all,

Just a couple of things tonight. I like the name "community build project", it's simple and to the point. DJ we absolutely can add toothpics to the list. Those are simple enough. As far as the short notice issue goes. I don't think it will be a problem. There is a lot of activity on this site on a daily basis. Most people that are interested in doing this will come on board with in the next few days. As was already said, there is no cut off point. People can join in at any time. As far as posting pictures, I'm pretty sure that we can. I seem to recall someone posting a pictue of an A-10 they had built for their girlfriends child around christmas time. I'm not sure how to do it though. We can figure it out. I assume we're all reasonably intelligent people. This first project may end up only being the five of us. People may want to see how things go. I wouldn't let it discourage us.

Thats all for now. It's been a long day. My thoughts and prayers go out to the crew and family of STS-107. They now fly with the angels for all eternity.

In regards to pictures, this post explains how to do it.
How to add pics..?

To recap the rules originally proposed by darrenbb:

---

Community Build Project - Feb 2003

Subject/Scale: 1/48 F-18C

Tools:
exacto knife
tweezers
sand paper
cuticle file/emery board
liquid cement or tube glue
CA glue
filler
paint brushes
spray can or bottled paint
toothpicks

Deadline:
30 days from starting date - Starting date of 02/07/03.

Other:
Keep cost of kits under $30 US. Straight from the box build, no aftermarket stuff. If it doesn't come in the box, then it doesn't go on the kit.

---

I know this might sound a bit picky, but in regards to the exacto knife, is this limited to certain blades or any blades and/or attachments - like I know they make little saw blades and other stuff available.

BTW, I added toothpicks to the tools list.

Once we agree on this, which I think we all do, then we could start another thread discussing available kits 1/48 F-18C, kit reviews and that type of stuff. The subject might be "Community Build Project - 1/48 F-18C" or "CBP Feb 2003 - 1/48 F-18C Kit Reviews"? Should we keep the discussions under General Discussions or have them in the specific Subject Forums and prefix our subjects with "CBP"? Maybe we can ask for a new forum area titled "Community Build Projects"?

It might be worth advertising what the next kit to build would be, so that people in remote areas have time to look for it, or order it... I'd like to propose a Ferrari car for March... Up to the challenge, guys (and dolls)..?

Other than that, I think it could be a useful thing to debrief once the models are completed, just to compare notes on building, painting, problems and solutions...

Ok, as I understand its time for me to go look for that 1/48 F-18C kit!

Just a hint, and/or clarification ( not disagreement )... someone mentioned no decal setting solution, and I thought, o yeah, I would have grabbed for that without thinking about it. Now I am thinking, I guess this means no spru cutters also.

My point or hint is, get everything off your workbench except the allowable items or before we know it we will have all built like with whatever our normal routine is, sit back, slap our forheads and say, Oh no! I disqualified myself! ! :)

I'm trying to make this funny if it sounds extreme, except I am partly serious. I know I will need to get all items not on the tool list deliberately out of the way. ( not that this modeler uses much more than the list anyway at this point) But then I have one of those two signs of old age, forgetfulness and...and...what was the other...

O yes, a Ferrari in March sounds good to me.

No sprue cutters? I just bought one.
...no problem though, lots of other sprues to cut with it.

I agree with the others, Ferrari in March. Maybe I'll get my stepfather involved on that one. He's been a car nut and would probably enjoy it. He used to put together models a long time ago and I think he's been wanting to get back into it.

After that we need to do a tank or a ship.

One additional thought. I know I've began to refer to these as Feb 2003, March 2003 - but I was thinking that implying that we would do one kit a month might be a bit much - especially if we're trying to get many people involved. So we should leave it open. Plus allow time between projects to debrief and go over techniques and compare notes like DJ suggested.

I'm excited about this!!

Yeah, I think we should allow 6 or 8 weeks between projects, leaving only 4 for the building, then 2-4 for posting pics, discussing things and get ready to start the next one... I'm all excited too, guys!

Hi all,

I definitely think a break/debrief period between projects is a great idea. Time to discuss the build pros and cons will be needed. I too will vote for a Ferrari for the next project. What model? F-40, Testarossa, 308 etc...or is any model ok? I would like to caution everyone, myself included, about getting to far ahead of ourselves. If we schedule a CBP one right after another we may get burnt out soon. We can play it by ear.

A ship in the near future could be fun. The only one that I've done is Tamiya's 1/350 Enterprise. That would be a nice
change of pace. So much for not getting ahead of myself.

One question I do have. I set the start date for 2/7/03. I think we should not start building until friday. That way we are all on the same time frame. I think it would be fun to see the different levels of progress that everyone made over the 30 days. I'll be lucky if mine sees paint I think. What do you guys think?

Its very encouraging to see the interest being shown about the CBP. I was surprised anyone else wanted to do this. We may have to deal with the same old kits that keep getting cranked out cookie cutter style. But this is a nice diversion to add some spice to our modeling life. Hey, I'm a poet and don't know it (LOL).

I have been inspired by recent discussions about how long it takes to build a model. In near record time (for me at least) I'm getting ready to paint my Tamiya 1/48 scale F4U-1D. Over the course of the last 3 weeks I've spent about 15-20 hours building it. I lost a week due to a broken part. Thankfully another forum member bailed me out and sent me a spare he had. (THANKS DAVID). I hope to have it done by the end of the week. Time for me to get painting.

Darren

Darren, you're right about getting too far ahead of ourselves. We'll definitely do the F-18. I think we can still discuss the Ferrari project though.

The F-18 project will be a learning process as to how CBP's will work. So for everyone, please bear with us!!

BTW - I'm sure some have noticed that I started two posts for each project. We can discuss kit choices and stuff there. For the Ferrari project, we can discuss which model and scale.

Community Build Project - 1/48 F-18C
Community Build Project - Ferrari

Hope you don't mind me jumping the gun and posting those - I'm sort of excited about this, if you can't tell.

I agree with everything that has been added since my last post. Hey, I even agree with my last post!

On the F-18C, I'm not sure where I will get it yet, web or hobby shop, but I was using the web to research what is out there. The only 1/48 F-18C, specifically, I have see so far i a Revelle Monogram; is that the case? Not saying that is a problem, just looking for background on kit avaiability, to not spend time looking for any other option, if there is no other option.

I'm in for the Ferrari too. I like that we're mixing it up with different subjects! This is gonna be fun!

M.

QUOTE: Originally posted by dariencharlie On the F-18C, I'm not sure where I will get it yet, web or hobby shop, but I was using the web to research what is out there. The only 1/48 F-18C, specifically, I have see so far i a Revelle Monogram; is that the case? Not saying that is a problem, just looking for background on kit avaiability, to not spend time looking for any other option, if there is no other option.

Looks like that's the case so far. I posted what I could find in the CBP thread for the F-18. It looks like there's two kits from Revell Monogram. I haven't wandered through any of the local hobby stores yet.

I'm wondering if opening it up to any type of F-18 would provide us more options? Or would the differences between the different versions cause some confusion?

Was wondering too about what F-18C to get... Maybe Bayonet Recon is right and we need to open it up to any F-18 in 1/48.. Will visit the model shop tomorrow, will see..

By the way, my wife thinks we're all sad people.. HAHAHA! (She's American, you know!). Life must go on...

I would vote for allowing any variant, just for the potential of making it easier to come up with the kit. I can see advantages to both approaches, I think either way fits the spirit of the project.

I'll try to get to my hobby shop tomorrow also and see what is on hand. I'll aim for the F-18C and see if/what they have. One shop I know could tell me on the phone, another I think I would have to go there myself and peruse.

Hello again,

The reason I picked the F-18C was that I see it at the local wally world ( walmart- a large inxepensive retail store for those that are not familar). I just assumed that if they had it then it should be pretty easy to find. I agree with everyone about doing any model F-18. I will try for the "c" model at Walmart though, it cost something like $10 .

I don't know if you guys will agree but , I think we should keep our posts for the CBP limited to this thread for now. As it stands people can now read about this topic in 4 different threads. That is fine for those of us participating but may get irritating to those not interested. Also, I don't want to spread us to thin. If we concentrate all our posts to one thread people may want to see what all the fuss is. Just look at upnorths post, it has taken on a life of its own. We may be able to draw more people in this way .

I'm surprised that more of the regular contributers haven't chimed in. Thats ok, I think we have a good cross section anyways.

Thats all
Darren

The choice of the F-18C due to it's availability at Wal-Mart make sense - so does the price (can't beat it). I bet the majority of us will end up doing a C version. However, if it's not available the use of any variant is understandable and acceptable.

I setup the other threads betting on the possibility we'll get a forum dedicated to CBPs. If that occurs, we can get the CBP threads moved into the new forum. Then I think it will be okay.

Another reason I started the other threads is that I was thinking once a CBP gets going, there could be a lot of discussion for each specific CBP. It would be nice to keep everything contained in it's own dedicated thread. Even with a handful of people, we'll generate a good number of posts for each CBP. This would still be the primary for discussions about CBPs, criteria, tools, etc. And next time I'll let Darren start the CBP threads.

I think we'll see more of the regulars come Monday - people going back to work and all.

B.R.

Don't get me wrong, I want everyone to contribute to this. I am in no way in charge of this. The credit should go to mkish, he started it with that challenge stuff. I was just a deer caught in the headlights (lol). You make valid points about seperating the threads for each CBP. My primary is concern is not bothering others around us. Maybe FSM will start a CBP thread. I like that idea. Maybe one of us can put a bug in someones ear over in FSM feedback.

Please post away!!! Your much better at it than me. I haven't even figured out how to link stuff in a topic yet, oh well

Darren

I was just joking about the posting thing.
= joking

I can help in getting this organized, but once the modeling begins, I'm afraid I'll be taking a backseat. Seeing that I've primarily done miniatures the past couple of years, some of this will be new territory for me. Which is great - I'm excited.

BTW, you need to give yourself credit for seeing this idea through and taking the initiative to start this thread.

A few things:
- agree with opening it up to any F-18. The spirit is the same...
- I deny any accusations about starting this whole thing. It came to life on it's own.
- I'm sure we'll pass the 'torch' around as this whole thing goes on, but my vote is for darrenbb to lead the way! Nice job spreading the word!

I haven't been down to pickup a kit yet, but hoping to get there tomorrow!

M.

Well, it can't start now. Are we just prepping for it, like telling everyone its gonna start so get you r supplies ready. I know I can't do it if it starts now, I don't have any extra kits on me and I wont be able to hiot hemodel store in time. Tell me when we have another one.

Col. Kurtz,

We are not "officialy" starting until this Fri. 2/7/03. I put in the quotes because I suspect some of us may start a tad early. Hopefully this will give you the time you need. It's ok if you get started late also. There is no cutoff date for joining. Me, I'll start Friday, I need all the time I can get.

B.R.

Bear with me, I'm a little slow on the uptake .

I was able to pick up the Revell F-18C today.

We said the build time ends, end of February, right?

Maybe silly question, but would Future be considered on or off the list? I take it that its no different than clear acrylic paint, if there is such a thing, but thought I'd ask.

Once building starts I may be more quiet here also, just for the reason of time.

I like this idea a lot, I'll have to pas on the first couple of rounds though. I'm trying to get a few lingering projects on my bench done before I take on any more, but I'll keep my eyes open for upcoming community builds in the future.

Great idea, Darren, hope this can be an ongoing thing.

Future is such a modelling 'staple' that I just assumed it would be a given. I'm not sure any modeling project would be lefit if Future was not allowed. Here's the twist though: if we don't allow airbrushes, then that means you gotta brush it on.

My opinion, but I'll go the way of the group...

PS. I went to the hobbyshop today to pick up an 1/48 F-18 and they didn't have any in stock!! What ???!!! Nothing by any manufacturer. I guess I'll try hitting Wal-Mart, etc...