SPA Modeler

Announcing a new forum area on Scale Plastic Aircraft Modeler. This area is for all members to post a Build Log or a narrative of their builds.

The build log would provide a single post, from start to finish with all the bumps and bruises you encounter. It should be to the point, honest but not inflammatory - you know, play nice. Aftermarket would be ok, out of the box is fine. However you choose to build your kit.

Why?

All of our members do amazing work in all areas of scale model making. We have members that build at all levels from novice (me!) to a “you got to be kidding me” level (everyone else). The Work-in-Progress threads you create are always informative and entertaining. Let me stress that you should continue to create these threads. Many times, though, they can get a bit cluttered with all the comments. I am guilty of heading off in all directions. All that is great and how it should be. These WIP threads are the life-blood of our forum.

The Build Log area would be a reference tool. Taking the WIP that you created, pulling the commentary and pictures together in a single document or post. Right now, comments would be allowed, but only as a new post. The idea is to keep the build log as a "clean" document. We would encourage pros and cons, gotchas explained, tips and tricks…whatever you encountered during this build.

What paints did you use? What glues/cements? Aftermarket? Photo-etch? Resin? We want to hear your thoughts on the work.

I will post a build of my latest project, the Squadron Cessna T-50 “Bamboo Bomber in 1/48 scale. Perhaps this would provide an example. You will see all of my mistakes, corrections and bumbling around. There are plenty around on the web, so those would provide good examples, too.

I love the WIP threads. They are so much fun to read, but there are times when I want to simply read of the build processes themselves.

If you want to participate, please do. The only caveat is you would be encouraged to still post a Work-in-Progress thread and when finished, copy that to a Build Log thread and clean it to contain only the build….with any changes you may have made.

Cracking idea Lyle - it would indeed be a very good reference.

and move over there a bit in the Novice section, I'll come and sit with you. (actually - sombody that can knock a passable build out of that Bobcat kit is no novice my man).

Stuart, you are too kind, and I thank you. Your work has progressed many miles for the better over the years I've observed it. But, I'll save you a seat....

On doing these logs....Perhaps making a single post in a single session is too much. I don't know. You can do them in Word or a similar word processing software and paste them to the forum. You can also start a Build Log and simply edit that original thread and add to it. (Thank you Captain Obvious for that one). We certainly don't want to make it an onerous task, but man o man, would this be a killer build reference area. We would be the talk of 8 or 10 city blocks.

You guys are the best. I am a dork. I posted this a few days ago and forgot to change the permissions on the forum to allow it to be used by all. Duh.

I like this! Like reading a book of ones build!

Excellent!

That is pretty excellent. My Maddog Manufacturing Thread is a lot like that. However, I think I need to sit in with you and Stuart in the Novice section since my work is all OOB and almost never has any corrections and certainly no aftermarket additions unless someone supplies me with something that will allow me to finish a model.

Sounds good Lyle. It will give me a place to document my water process (with all the mistakes) so I don't have to retype it if someone PM's me. All I will have to do is attach a link to the post.

Lyle quick question on this, should we have this be a comment free section until after the OP finishes the thread? As is you make a post, but break it up into a couple replies to your own thread and everyone else needs to not reply until a signal is given? Maybe a “feel free to comment and ask questions” on the final post?

The comment thing is tough. I am not smart enough to figure it out. Two options come to mind...

1. Build the document in a word processor, like Word, after the build is done and import it. Extra work, though.

2. Create your post and simply use the edit button to add to it. This way any comments don’t break the flow.

I like to see these as a complete piece of work, but that is just my opinion.

I agree with you on that being a complete piece of work. Guess we will hve to wait and see

I suppose either way would work just fine.