Lacking the courage to build a kit

[RaceAddict]

4 minutes ago, -Ian- said:

Airfix 1/72 Phantom FG1. Not the bulding or painting though, it's the huge number of stencils (my least favourite part of modelling) which keep on putting me off.

 

It's funny how different aspects of the hobby make each of us cringe... I love decaling. Easily among the most enjoyable parts of a build for me.

 

Now, filling a seam, sanding, losing the panel lines and having to rescribe.... that's literal stress! 😬

Edited November 7, 2021 by RaceAddict

[-Ian-]

17 minutes ago, RaceAddict said:

 

It's funny how different aspects of the hobby make each of us cringe... I love decaling. Easily among the most enjoyable parts of a build for me.

 

Now, filling a seam, sanding, losing the panel lines and having to rescribe.... that's literal stress! 😬

Decalling generally I quite like, in fact applying national markings, serial numbers and other major decals is one of the most satisfying parts of a build. It's specifically tiny, fiddly stencils I find tedious. The kit I mentioned  has over 300 of the little sods.

 

Filling and sanding I actually don't mind that much.

Edited November 7, 2021 by -Ian-

[thepureness]

1 hour ago, -Ian- said:

Airfix 1/72 Phantom FG1. Not the bulding or painting though, it's the huge number of stencils (my least favourite part of modelling) which keep on putting me off.

 

Those I'm happy with, I can not think of something more fun that a set of phantom stencils, Send it to me and I'll do that part for you

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

On 11/6/2021 at 10:21 AM, RaceAddict said:

I've found myself somewhere between "lacking the courage" and "lacking the skills"...

 

My stash is barely big enough to be called a stash, but I have kits I want to build really well and I know I don't have the know-how to do it the way I want to, yet.

Are these rare kits, if not Id say build them. Then in the future revisit the build to see how your skills have improved. Ive done that myself a few times. 

[thepureness]

9 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Are these rare kits, if not Id say build them. Then in the future revisit the build to see how your skills have improved. Ive done that myself a few times. 

 

I wouldn't say rare kits but more expensive kits, some in the three figure ranges. 

Its that thought of making a costly error or the shear time to complete the kit

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

20 minutes ago, thepureness said:

 

I wouldn't say rare kits but more expensive kits, some in the three figure ranges. 

Its that thought of making a costly error or the shear time to complete the kit

As someone who has a very defined budget I kind of get this. My best piece of advice is this either you still build them, or you wait. The great thing about Plastic is it doesn't expire. My two longest builds were 14.5 and 9.5 years. Start the model of your choice. And if you get to a stage where you cant proceed stop and set it to the side. Do something else to learn the skills needed. If and when you're done with the build sit down and ask yourself a couple of questions. 1) Am I happy with the results, if yes great you challenged yourself and won the day. 2) If you're not happy can you fix it. 3) If you cant fix it box it up until you think you can or have learned the skills to fix it. Its never over till you say I give up. I rebuilt a 1977 Airfix 1/24 P-51D Mustang that my brother in law built when he was 14. I tore it down into all the original pieces and rebuilt it. So you can rebuild old kits. 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[3DStewart]

Most of my stash I'm not scared to build, even if they might be technically challenging.  If a build goes wrong I can always stamp on it and throw it in the bin.

 

What intimidates me is the handful of kits that are now highly collectable and command three figure prices.  Can I justify the financial loss in building them?  Should I instead sell them and boost my pension fund? 

 

Currently I don't have the courage to do anything other keep them in a special box with instructions to my family on how to realise their value if I die unexpectedly!

[Whofan]

On 06/11/2021 at 15:19, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Sadly one model for sure and one possible are in my collection like that. The first is a maybe Im scared vacuform kit (my first). Im a bit terrified of the cutting out process and then scratch building the interior. But think I’m ready for it after 40+  years of builds. The other is my one and only Wingnut Wings kit. The Dr.V Albatros was a gift, as they were going out of business and I knew Id never be able to buy or build one. Im terrified to start it because every attempt (6) so far to rig a bi-plane has ended in complete disaster. I don't want to not build it, and I don't want to build it without rigging. A darned if you do/don't situation. So until then it just sits there quietly waiting until someday I get the skills to do it justice. 
 

Dennis

Funnily enough it's my one and only Wingnut Wings kit, the Goering Fokker D.VII, bought as yours because they closed down.

 

I'd always promised myself I would buy one, and in addition after seeing the test shot or mock up of the Lancaster nose, I'd have one of those, too.

 

And I also share the worry over rigging, but I've got decide whether I keep it purely to be able to say I've got a Wingnut Wings kit, or bite the bullet and build it.

 

Decisions, decisions!

Edited November 9, 2021 by Whofan

[Duncan B]

21 hours ago, 3DStewart said:

Most of my stash I'm not scared to build, even if they might be technically challenging.  If a build goes wrong I can always stamp on it and throw it in the bin.

 

What intimidates me is the handful of kits that are now highly collectable and command three figure prices.  Can I justify the financial loss in building them?  Should I instead sell them and boost my pension fund? 

 

Currently I don't have the courage to do anything other keep them in a special box with instructions to my family on how to realise their value if I die unexpectedly!

Go on and build one of them, that's what they were designed for. If you don't enjoy the experience then sell the others off after, at least you'll then know for sure whether they are keepers or not. I am currently going through my stash selling off kits that I don't intend to build because I just don't see the point in leaving them sitting there for my family to deal with come the day (I will still have far too many kits after the cull but that's another issue  ).

I am put off building the WnW kits because they are currently a little outside my comfort zone rather than to do with the perceived value. I do sometimes look at the Ltd Ed "Greentail Trilogy" box and wonder if I'll make another 3 Albatros but at the moment the answer is still "yes" so it's a keeper. The way my luck goes if I thought of them as investments the next week Wingnut Wings would announce they are back and re-releasing all of them anyway making mine just plastic kits again.

 

20 hours ago, Whofan said:

Funnily enough it's my one and only Wingnut Wings kit, the Hosting Fokker D.VII, bought as yours because they closed down.

 

I'd always promised myself I would buy one, and in addition after seeing the test shot or mock up of the Lancaster nose, I'd have one of those, too.

 

And I also share the worry over rigging, but I've got decide whether I keep it purely to be able to say I've got a Wingnut Wings kit, or bite the bullet and build it.

 

Decisions, decisions!

The WnW Fokker D.VII doesn't have much by the way of rigging and it's your choice to add the rigging or not anyway. I started my first Wingnut Wings build after they had closed down (it has stalled at the lozenge decaling stage but I will get back to it). I know I could have at least doubled my money for the kit if I'd sold it on but I got it to build and not as an investment anyway. Go on and get your Fokker D.VII built, the only issue you'll have will be at the end when you realise you should have bought more of them to build when you had the chance  .

 

Duncan B

[3DStewart]

34 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

Go on and build one of them, that's what they were designed for. If you don't enjoy the experience then sell the others off after, at least you'll then know for sure whether they are keepers or not. I am currently going through my stash selling off kits that I don't intend to build because I just don't see the point in leaving them sitting there for my family to deal with come the day (I will still have far too many kits after the cull but that's another issue  ).

I was referring to the small number of valuable kits I have, not the general stash.

 

What would you do with a £300 collectable kit?  Build it, and in effect spend £300 on yourself; sell it and take the family on a great weekend away; or keep it in the hope its value increases still further? That is the quandary.

[Whofan]

48 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

The WnW Fokker D.VII doesn't have much by the way of rigging and it's your choice to add the rigging or not anyway. I started my first Wingnut Wings build after they had closed down (it has stalled at the lozenge decaling stage but I will get back to it). I know I could have at least doubled my money for the kit if I'd sold it on but I got it to build and not as an investment anyway. Go on and get your Fokker D.VII built, the only issue you'll have will be at the end when you realise you should have bought more of them to build when you had the chance  .

 

Duncan, your advice is not only robust but sound.

 

A pity you've given it to Mr. indecisive!

[JohnT]

56 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

I am currently going through my stash selling off kits that I don't intend to build because I just don't see the point in leaving them sitting there for my family to deal with come the day (I will still have far too many kits after the cull but that's another issue  ).

 

 

 

All great advice Duncan and totally agree.

 

One thing worries me though and just for the sake of clarification and my peace of mind tonight - when you write "after the cull..." are your referring to the disposal of your stash or the family disposing of you  ?!!!!!

[spruecutter96]

As things stand at the moment, I appear to be scared of just about all my stash....

 

But more seriously, the only way you're ever going to advance your model-making skills is to get stuck in to some plastic. Worrying about whether you can do a particular kit will get you exactly nowhere.

 

I'm sorry if this comes across as a bit harsh - it wasn't intended that way. No-one is a great kit builder from the word go (even though some would try to persuade you otherwise!). It takes loads and loads and loads of practice. If the first few kits you build end up in the bin, they weren't wasted if you've learnt good lessons from building them. Your skills will improve with each model you complete.

 

Good luck. 

 

Chris.  

[Bertie McBoatface]

Of course. The expensive ones, the famously perfect ones, the complex ones, the ones that require skills I don't yet have. It's normal, I think.

[Neil.C]

On 08/11/2021 at 11:31, 3DStewart said:

Most of my stash I'm not scared to build, even if they might be technically challenging.  If a build goes wrong I can always stamp on it and throw it in the bin.

 

What intimidates me is the handful of kits that are now highly collectable and command three figure prices.  Can I justify the financial loss in building them?  Should I instead sell them and boost my pension fund? 

 

Currently I don't have the courage to do anything other keep them in a special box with instructions to my family on how to realise their value if I die unexpectedly!

 

Three figure prices?? 😮

 

Just sell them and buy some two figure ones you will actually build. 

[Duncan B]

4 hours ago, 3DStewart said:

I was referring to the small number of valuable kits I have, not the general stash.

 

What would you do with a £300 collectable kit?  Build it, and in effect spend £300 on yourself; sell it and take the family on a great weekend away; or keep it in the hope its value increases still further? That is the quandary.

Yes, it does make you sit back and think doesn't it when a kit in the stash starts to appreciate in value and I guess it's for everyone to decide what's the best thing for them to do with those kits. I haven't looked but someone told me that the Wingnut Wings Greentail Trilogy that I have was going for over £600 at one point on the well known auction site.  Likewise with the other WnW kits in my stash, I haven't looked to see what they would all be worth if I sold them off but that wasn't what I got them for so it's not really a question I've needed to ask myself. So I guess the short answer is, I'd build it if that's what I wanted to do but I fully understand that's not what everyone would do.

 

I hope to build them all one day once I can pluck up the courage to face them (which brings us nicely back on topic). My current plan goes something like this, finish off the WnW Albatros I have started then do the Meng Fokker Dr.1 to get a bit more experience of the genre then get stuck into one of my WnW Fokker D.VIIs and onwards from there. That's probably 5 years worth of model making right there at the speed I build!

 

Duncan B

[Duncan B]

4 hours ago, JohnT said:

 

 

One thing worries me though and just for the sake of clarification and my peace of mind tonight - when you write "after the cull..." are your referring to the disposal of your stash or the family disposing of you  ?!!!!!

I'm thinning out my stash but that's not say that they don't have similar plans for me 🤣

 

Duncan B

[Paul Bradley]

Some folks have FOMO; I have FOMU - Fear of Messing Up....

 

I have some big, expensive kits, and have added a ton of aftermarket to the boxes in many cases - now I scare myself just looking at it all.....

[thepureness]

23 minutes ago, Paul Bradley said:

Some folks have FOMO; I have FOMU - Fear of Messing Up....

 

I have some big, expensive kits, and have added a ton of aftermarket to the boxes in many cases - now I scare myself just looking at it all.....

 

I think this is very much on the line of my trail of thought and why they intimidate me

[alt-92]

15 hours ago, thepureness said:

 

I think this is very much on the line of my trail of thought and why they intimidate me

But why buy them then?

Maybe it's easier to look at those as 'someday soon' builds. We all have those in our stash as is pretty obvious from this thread. 

[alt-92]

On 11/8/2021 at 12:31 PM, 3DStewart said:

What intimidates me is the handful of kits that are now highly collectable and command three figure prices.  Can I justify the financial loss in building them?

Uhm... there is no financial loss (other than the original expenditure) . You didn't pay the collector's price for them.

Only financial gain if you decide to sell them as collector's items. 

[IanC]

I don't have any rare or valuable kits in my rather limited stash. It's mainly relatively recent Airfix, Tamiya and Eduard, none of which I'd avoid sticking together. 

 

Rather than kits I'm too scared to build, I did have a few of those 'I did one of those once and I'm not putting myself through that again' type of kits - Dragon 1/35 tanks with a million parts, for example - but got rid of them. Everything left is modest and sweet natured. Hopefully.   

[Tim R-T-C]

43 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Uhm... there is no financial loss (other than the original expenditure) . You didn't pay the collector's price for them.

Only financial gain if you decide to sell them as collector's items. 

 

Of course the listed prices for many of these items on eBay etc. don't always reflect what people are prepared to buy them for - and of course their value can completely disappear when someone rereleases the kit or a newer version emerges.

[malpaso]

Your kits are even more scared of you!

 

But seriously, there is nothing to be afraid of.  You mess up a kit, you had fun up to that point!  Bonus point - no need to worry about display space.😂

 

For those worried about "losing" the value of a collector kit, the only solution is to monetise that by selling (if you don't your executors will be lucky to get pennies on the dollar, assuming they don't just trash the lot). The longer you stare at it the harder it will be to break out of the mindset against building it.  2 or 3 kits would probably pay for replacement roof insulation for your whole house at B&Q / Home Depot etc...

 

For those scared of "ruining" a Wingnut, I used to rag my club colleagues about them building Wingnut Lego kits.  Then I tried one and I was right  - easy peasy lemon squeezy.  That's how WNW intended and designed them.  No law says you have to contend for cover feature of "Meng Air" mag.  I did do a couple of Airfix bipes first for rigging practice and having succeeded at 1/72 its waaayy easier in 1/32.

 

Cheers 

Will

[BD757]

Absolutely!

 

I have acquired a stash with some notable kits that I have bought as I wasn't sure they would be available in the future or by the time I acquire the skills to do them justice - A Dragon 1/72 Saturn V and an IFA 1/48 Vulcan are the main ones.

 

But I also have some kits with resin aftermarket that just plain intimidate me - a 1/72 Kc-135r and RAF Airseeker conversion kit. Once I start, I enjoy the process but when my skills are not up to scratch, they go on the shelf of doom and an easier model takes it's place. Would like to finish more than I start!