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Are modelers getting a lot better?; Your thoughts welcome
Topic Started: Aug 14 2017, 02:28 PM (1,124 Views)
John Thompson
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Hero
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I love buying aftermarket... #embarrassed

John
i cant brain today - i have the dumb
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RexTN
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Accidental CAG
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I might be the exception, but the aftermarket spurs my own creativity. It doesn't stifle it.

Here's what happened with one aftermarket line, to me anyway.

Spectre came out with the 1/72 US Nuke line. I bought a bunch of them from the first production batch. I only bought the externally carried bombs, not the internals.

Then the sister company, Wolfpak Decals, came out with a decal set with Nuke carriers on it. But, there were only 3 on there that fit my USN genre. That spurred me on to find photos of other USN/USMC carriers of his bombs. Then I had to create markings for them.

In the process, I decided to scratch my own Mk 8 and Mk 12,,,,and to convert one of the Mk 7 from him into a BOAR. So, I wound up searching for decals, and making some again, for aircraft to carry those. And to find photos of the Genie test on the USAF Phantom.

With those few aftermarket bits, I got inspired to do 10-12 more models that I otherwise would have just added dumb bombs on MERs under the wings.

And the aftermarket engine cowlings for the Tigercats sure didn't "stifle" my skills or creativity,,,,,since the cowlings don't fit, but the engines are great,,,,,,,,,I will be cutting and sanding the horrid kit cowl faces to build the Tigercats. The existence of aftermarket bits and conversions for the Monogram kit added 3 more models to my collection.

Of course, all that aftermarket is "wasted" on my models, since I don't weather my aircraft, lol. Because we all know that "weathered, but wrong shapes" is MUCH more important than "correct shapes, but unweathered" when it comes to "realistic model building." (not weathering is the reason my models don't appear online very often)
yep, one of each USN squadron

http://hangardeckview.blogspot.com/
http://z15.invisionfree.com/Hangar_Deck_Re...dex.php?act=idx
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kingofmen
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Least
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Rex, you need to fly your unweathered freak flag higher. I, like you, don't do much of anything in the way of weathering. I'm not doing dioramas, and my personal backstory is that these are museum aircraft which don't really have much exposure (or much of a loadout for that matter). IMO it is never healthy to worry overmuch about what others think of your models. Get em out there and people can praise or ignore them at their convenience.
Kevin Callahan
Auburn WA USA
Visit the re-energized 72 Land blog at http://72land.blogspot.com/
All hail 1:72!
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Aaron_w
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Toady
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I don't do a lot of weathering either. One I'm not really good at it, but conveniently I also buy into the theory that serviceable aircraft won't have that much visible weathering at our scale anyway.

I do appreciate the skill involved, and it can be interesting from and artistic view point. I just don't really think it is necessary in all but the most abusive environments or perhaps depicting an aircraft freshly returned from a difficult mission.

I try to keep my car clean and I expect my 1/72 ground crews to do the same. ;)
Aaron Woods
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Mark Schynert
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Yeast
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Honestly, this is one area where I don't see much evidence that modelers are getting a lot better. Weathering involves a variety of techniques, and requires a fair amount of practice, but there is also an issue of using one's judgment, or else to end up with something where the technique is employed correctly, but the molder's perception of the result is flawed. Arguing about color, or probable markings, or half a hundred other visual details is part of what we do, even if only in our own minds, but weathering seems to tumble over the reality tripwire more often than anything else. Maybe the point is that weathering you notice has probably already been overdone, with rare obvious exceptions.
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softscience
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Hero
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I agree with what's being said about scratch-build creativity and aftermarket coexisting side by side. My initial comments came off too bluntly.

I also agree about over weathering.

A certain element of modelers.who congregate on Facebook and like to act all tough, seem to have taken an intense liking to a very soiled looking method of weathering. They back it up with reference photos, which look to be shot at high contrast. While the models match those particular photos, I don't think they look particularly nice. Heavy weathering also looks especially harsh in 1/72.
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Greetings from beautiful Maryland,
Ralph K.
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Moggy
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softscience,Aug 24 2017
05:01 AM

A certain element of modelers.who congregate on Facebook and like to act all tough, seem to have taken an intense liking to a very soiled looking method of weathering. They back it up with reference photos, which look to be shot at high contrast. While the models match those particular photos, I don't think they look particularly nice. Heavy weathering also looks especially harsh in 1/72.

You're quite right!

1/72 demands a light hand when it comes to weathering. Otherwise it looks like a refugee from the fire dump :P

I've always felt that "less is more" regarding weathering specially in 1/72. So seem all of the 1/72 classes' winners I've judged do. ;) The important part is (again) to make your models the way you see them - not what the guru du jour says you should :D

As for the posturing "toughs" - a prime example of arrested development. Eventually they are left to posture alone. Bad manners and no social skills (with a little bullying thrown in for good measure) is not "tough" - it is pitiful.

Cheers, Moggy
Cheers, Moggy

WIP: HAS F-86D RDAF, HAS Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune ANA, ITA G.222 AE-260 Argentina, SH Meteor Mk.4, AX Bristol Freighter Mk.1 FAA
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dixieflyer
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Hero
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Well said Moggy.

Warren
"History is the lie we all agree upon."
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J.C. Bahr
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Hero
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And then there's THIS jack-wipe's style of building stuff like it would look sitting restored in a dusty old air museum somewhere! :P ^_^
J.C. Bahr

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy
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RJ Tucker
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Ack, Oop, THPPFFT Baby
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J.C. Bahr,Aug 26 2017
01:23 PM
And then there's THIS jack-wipe's style of building stuff like it would look sitting restored in a dusty old air museum somewhere! :P ^_^

Is there supposed to be a link?

RJ
Phantoms phorever!


Flag Plot: My virtual model display shelf
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softscience
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Hero
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J.C. Bahr,Aug 26 2017
05:23 PM
And then there's THIS jack-wipe's style of building stuff like it would look sitting restored in a dusty old air museum somewhere! :P ^_^

I think I know which jack-wipe you're referencing, but your link is dead.

Or did you mean me?

I'm more of a turd-burd than a jack-wipe :)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Greetings from beautiful Maryland,
Ralph K.
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softscience
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Hero
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...and banned! <_<
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Greetings from beautiful Maryland,
Ralph K.
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J.C. Bahr
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Hero
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Was referring to MYSELF guys! :lol:

Sorry, guess nobody picked up on the humor. :(
J.C. Bahr

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy
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dknights
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The court of LAST RESORT!
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J.C. Bahr,Aug 28 2017
03:59 PM
Was referring to MYSELF guys! :lol:

Sorry, guess nobody picked up on the humor. :(

Sadly the internet is an imperfect vehicle for humor.
David M. Knights
Fortes fortuna adiuvat

14 Finished: Special Armor V-2, Airfix P-51
15 Finished: SBS Gladiator engine
16 Finished: Brengun C2 Wasserfall, Merit SS-N-2 Styx, World's smallest diorama, Airfix Hurricane.
17 Finished: Japanese Carrier Deck, Belcher SS-4, Italeri AB41, PLAN Type 039A (not 72nd scale)
18 Finished: NONE
The bench:Platz T-33, Trump. T-34/85, Meng F-106, Airfix P-51 #2, Airfix P-40
Revell MiG-21F-13, Ace Citroen V-11
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