SPA Modeler

JimD wrote: More of a jest than sarcasm. I respect your advice and knowledge. Admittedly, I'm a little stubborn and lazy. Simply put, I bought resin missiles. They looked better than plastic ones. I used them. In retrospect I'm a little upset I was too lazy to switch, and I've learned from that. I'm getting better about dealing with things like this too. Someone gave me some pointers about things to correct on the A-6 and I spent a lot of time doing that.

Have to admit that I got your comment in the wrong way at first read. But I stand here corrected.

"And if there is anybody criticizing my load out he shall be burned on a stake of unbuildable kits"
Holy Book of Modeling; Chapter 7, Line 28

mostrich wrote:

JimD wrote: More of a jest than sarcasm. I respect your advice and knowledge. Admittedly, I'm a little stubborn and lazy. Simply put, I bought resin missiles. They looked better than plastic ones. I used them. In retrospect I'm a little upset I was too lazy to switch, and I've learned from that. I'm getting better about dealing with things like this too. Someone gave me some pointers about things to correct on the A-6 and I spent a lot of time doing that.

Have to admit that I got your comment in the wrong way at first read. But I stand here corrected.

"And if there is anybody criticizing my load out he shall be burned on a stake of unbuildable kits"
Holy Book of Modeling; Chapter 7, Line 28

I love your load and want to see you deploy it...

JimD wrote:

Stikpusher wrote: Really? Sarcasm I do hope... But it does illustrate the point of someone making a valid critique becoming the proverbial "fart in church".

More of a jest than sarcasm. I respect your advice and knowledge. Admittedly, I'm a little stubborn and lazy. Simply put, I bought resin missiles. They looked better than plastic ones. I used them. In retrospect I'm a little upset I was too lazy to switch, and I've learned from that. I'm getting better about dealing with things like this too. Someone gave me some pointers about things to correct on the A-6 and I spent a lot of time doing that.

The true danger of the internet. words without the inflection of voice or facial expression. Stubborn and lazy? Yup, I see that guy in the mirror every morning. And at least you have your model building mojo flowing right now. I have just about zero going for the past month or so now... I am looking forward to seeing that Intruder all done...

I've been lurking on this thread since Jim first posted it. Mostly out of curiosity to see how it would flow. I'll have to say, I'm impressed and happy.

Let me explain why. Since first joining the internet model forum community, I have joined and dropped more sites than I care to remember. Mostly because of the juvenile "I know you are, but what am I?" flame wars. One of the main reasons I joined here, was due to being invited by Stik after an interesting turn of events on a large scale site . Of which I am no longer active, thanks to the rivet counters who saw an M1025 Humm-Vee once and knew more than the guy, (me), who spent a large chunk of his Army life using one as a Military Policeman in various countries under less than friendly conditions. I'm not one to prolong an argument via the forums, so I just quit the site.

So far, since I've been a member here, some subjects have come up that would spark an all-out war on other sites. Yet here, they have been discussed in a reasonable, tactful way. That speaks volumes. Dare I say that we have a collective maturity?

As for pats on the back? I don't need them, but I do enjoy when someone else likes something I did. Especially if it was something I debated on. My forte is armor. Primarily WWII US, so anything else, I have to really research well. Thankfully, with the number of images available, I will scrutinize a vehicle or aircraft in use to glean what I need, be it stowage, wear and tear, load-out, markings, etc... My goal is an accurate representation of my subject. Like Carlos, I too can get anal about certain things. For example, if you look closely at my halftrack build, you'll notice I placed the spare tire far to the right side of the hood, so as not to block the driver's view. To me, those are the things I like to focus on. When I look at others work, I try to look at more than one example. This gives me an idea of their skill level. Unless I see a blatant mistake, I'll focus on what I like and comment on that. If I see an area for improvement, I might suggest a technique that I've learned. To me, sharing what I've learned is what this hobby is all about.

From what I've seen, every person on here has wonderful talent in so many areas. I know who to ask about painting figures, German armor, Ships, etc... I know my weak areas, and will be the first to point out where I think I could improve, (as my recent Me190E3 build shows), and the next time, will find that person on here that can help me do better.

'nuff said

Oh, and I don't post or comment much because most of my time on here is while I'm at work. At home, I'm either building or planning. Usually I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing, I forget to take pictures. I'm hoping to change that when I start the Hs129 in the next few days. There seems to be interest in a WIP on that bird, so I'll make the effort to remember.

lawman56 wrote: Dare I say that we have a collective maturity?

You so may dare...

more like collective insanity at times here... but somehow we make it work... everybody says their piece and eventually moves along.

Well, I finally stumbled on this Thread, What I have to say applies only to me, but if you recognize some of it in yourself then you'll know what I'm saying.

Yes, I love compliments. Mostly because I so rarely got them as a child, except in certain circumstances. Beyond that, I love getting them because of the validation I feel that I did something right. Furthermore, the more I receive comments, the more motivated I am to continue building; and painting; and weathering.... I don't know if anyone has noticed, but when the comments slow down, so does my productivity, relatively speaking. Sometimes Life just causes it to slow down too.

That being said, I also state at the end, "Thanks for looking in. Comments are welcome." Yes, that means if you see something I do wrong or that needs to be addressed, then say so! Now, I won't correct a kit flaw that requires extensive surgery on a kit; and it may appear a lot of times that I don't try7 a new technique on the model(s) I'm working on. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate those comments or that you wasted your time giving them to me. I don't make much money; in fact, I don't make anything unless I get calls for home repair work. As it is; I haven't worked on anything in almost four months now. So, when I'm working on a kit that tends to cost something; I am reluctant to try a new technique on it if doing so would cause me to screw it up so badly that it becomes unbuildable. Especially one that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to replace in that event. I do take all constructive suggestions for improvement and make extensive notes on them to try out on cheaper models that I don't mind messing up on that can be easily replaced. As for trying to correct inaccuracies molded into a kit; my skills are far too poor to even try extensive surgery to correct something like that, so if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck; it's a duck. Even a cheap kit would not be worth cutting up in my opinion.

I do like to hear about mistakes I make that can be corrected. A crooked wheel, floating roadwheels, misaligned wings, etc. can all be fixed, especially if caught early on in the build. Sometimes I'll even mention something I've seen when I post the pics. I'll fix it then, and you'll see it in the following pics.

Finally, I build a large and sometimes eclectic collection of stuff mostly to try out new techniques; but mostly to keep other projects fresh that I want to make extremely well. Changing thi9ngs up while waiting for something else to dry allows me to go back to something with fresh eyes to correct or improve on something done earlier. Sometimes I may not even do well on some of my projects simply because I just want to get them done! I hate having thing sitting on my workbench for too long. In a case like that, I'll post everything and see what people have to say. Kind of a "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" kind of thing. Besides, it is sometimes fun to see people's reactions when I get a lot done; or finish a whole bunch of models at the same time; especially when it surpasses most peoples' productivity! LOL!

Anyway, that's my opinions and comments based upon my own experiences. I have learned that being critiqued is not a personal attack (unless someone specifically calls me a poor modeler or too stupid to get it right). When my model is critiqued; it simply means someone saw something that could be improved and was considerate enough to point it out so that I could improve. At the Nationals in 2013; I watched as one modeler was explaining which models in that category would be cut and why. He was very specific and professional, not at all condescending or critical of the modeler in his evaluation. I also saw that he pointed out several of my own aircraft as examples of things the judges looked for. When he got done and the other person walked away, I went around and asked him to repeat his critiques of my models in particular without telling him they were mine. Afterwards, I told him they were mine. He tried to apologize, saying that he didn't mean to offend. I told him that he had no reason to apologize; I asked for the info he gave and I had no reason to be offended as his critique was valid and informative. He gave me what I wanted: an unbiased, straightforward and honest evaluation of my work and that is why I didn't tell him they were mine until he was finished.


I hope you all keep that in mind as I continue to post my work. Just don't forget the praise as well; such validation keeps me fired up to build more and better!

Someone called me out on my Tucano. Now if it's a mistake of something that I missed, it's all good. Thanks for pointing it out.

But he told me that the LGB's on it are wrong and shouldn't be there. Ok, well let's see about that. Did some research and damn! They can carry them!! Posted a link to the info and never heard anything else from him.

JimD wrote:
Had this argument with an egomaniac at another place and he thought he'd be smooth and find one of my builds and call things out...I think it caught him by surprise when I didn't get pissed and agreed with most of is. BWAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Oh, was that you over at FSM???