Gino, I agree with you 100% about giving constructive criticism when it is warranted (and when is it ever
not, really?
). I've often considered broaching this very subject myself here in the forums. Personally, I would sincerely appreciate more constructive criticsm.
I do my best with every build I look at to try to find something to comment on that will help the builder to improve his or her skills. Sometimes, however, I'm just kinda blasting through the forums, taking quick looks at things here and there, and I don't really have time to formulate an in-depth critique of a build. When I'm in that mode, I'll drop in a quick "looks nice" just to let people who I'm familiar with know that I did indeed take the time to look at their work. Also, when I'm in that mode and I do come across something that really
really needs a lot of work to bring it up to what most modelers would call a decent standard, I do not comment at all. I make a note to come back when I have more time to make some constructive comments.
I believe the key word here is
constructive. Sure, if we post a build here, we should expect some criticism, but it might be quite hard for a newbie to hear a lot of harsh, unconstructive criticism (for example: "That looks like crap!"). When we offer a critique, to any level of modeler, we should be honest, but not offensive. As Steve mentioned above, we should try to use plenty of qualifiers with our comments ("In my opinion..." "I think..." "Maybe..." etc). Anybody wanting to improve their abilities should be happy to hear such criticism. I know I would!
Gino, have you actually had someone tell you
NOT to critique their work? If so, that's quite unfortunate, given your skills and practical knowledge of actual military stuff.
The selfish viewpoint: What bugs me more than seeing a "crappy" build getting showered with "unwarranted" accolades, however, is when
I post one of
my builds here and get
no criticism whatsoever (and I explicitly
ask for it!).
Now, I'm fairly confident in my modeling abilities, and I certainly do not think my stuff is "crap," but I know there's gotta be
something about my builds that someone can give me some criticism about!
Don't get me wrong, it sure does feel good to hear a lot of nice comments about one of my babies, but I really would like some pointers, too.
Actually, good ol' Shermanfreak did tell me to tie down the stowage on a Sherman, once. Sage advice, kindly offered, and well taken.
As should all constructive criticism be taken: in the spirit of improving your craft.