The Imperfect Modeller

When I issued my recent post on my trip to the Bovington Tank Museum it occured to me that from time to time there are perhaps somethings to say which are model or modelling related but which don’t necessarily relate to a specific model that I am working on at the time.  With this in mind I thought it might be a good idea (you may think differently!) to occasionaly share these musings as a seperate suplementary mid week post.  In any event I have decided to give it ago and if it holds no interest either for me or you the reader then I can simply drop it.  In short, nothing to lose by trying.  So welcome to the first, and quite possibly the last, of The News at TIM!

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Is creativity is a dangerous thing?

Until I started this blog, incredible to think that was almost a year ago now, I was pretty diciplined, which is to say I generally worked on one model at a time.  Now for the first time I find myself working on at least six different projects, mostly small items it must be said, with an ideas bank of at least another couple of dozen or more.  The danger is that either I will rush what I am doing in order to start the next idea or, possibly worse still, fail to complete some or all of my current projects.

Now judging by my fellow enthuiasts this is not something peculiar to me alone.  Some, for example, Steinberg Shed Space, have adopted the approach of creating a plan and awarding himself positive points for when he ticks something off the list and negative ones when he goes off track.  So far he’s on +9 and all is well.  Others, Azazel I think I am right in saying, have been wonderfully creative in establishing monthly challenges aimed at encouraging participants to revisit and complete unfinished works.

Doubtless there are other schemes which can be adopted too that will rekindle interest in forgotten and set aside projects but what dear reader is right for me?  Truth is I do not know but I fear I am on a slippery slope.  I have therefore decided to do the modelling equivalent of going cold turkey.  In short I have set myself the objective that next weekend I will complete and outstanding WW1 model.  More than that I will complete another outstanding WW1 model for the week after!  After that I’m not so sure but for now something has to give.  To infinity and beyond!

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To base or not to base that is the question!

Should tanks, vehicles and the such like be presented on a base with groundwork?

As some of you may know I am not particularly into vehicles of any kind, I’m strictly a figure guy and in all forms be it modelling or the female form.  That’s not to say I don’t like vehicles because I do.  I also have the utmost respect for those that make and paint them, they posses skills I do not have.  The truth is kits need glue and glue and I do not get on.  The last time I did a kit I must have been about 11 or 12 and when I had completed it the ratio of plastic kit to glue must have been in the region of 3:1 in favour of the glue.

OK it was a long time ago and it’s partly because of this that I have just purchased a Rubicon 28mm Willys Jeep which also includes 4 US army figures.  There is another reason for doing it too.

At the model club I go to a number of the members produce some fantastically well made tanks, planes and other vehicles but they do not present them on a base with some ground work of any kind.  They are just a free standing kit.  Perfectly made but to my mind they just don’t look finished.  Is it just me that thinks this?  Now I get it when some of the war gamers don’t base their vehicles as they need to move the pieces about but even then their vehicles are positioned on base boards which are often works of art in their own right.  But when its sole purpose is just to sit there wouldn’t it look better in a more natural type of setting befitting its period?

Of course at the end of the day it’s all a matter of personal preference and I respect that.  However, I’m on a mini crusade and thus have decided to take a journey over to the dark side.  My Willys Jeep will be built, the excess glue will be weathered and made to blend in with a small amount of base work and then it will be taken to the club for comment.  I expect it to be derided but in any event I will keep you in formed.

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You don’t know what you don’t know but somethings are bleeding obvious!

Having recently posted an article on How to Build Fir Trees Azazel kindly commented with a link to a fellow modeller and blogger who amongst other things was also into scenery making including trees.  If you check out the comments on that article you will also be able to follow the link.

As it turns out one of his methods was largely known to me and I had in fact produced a similar post of my own some while ago.  Having said that the method employed was a little different to the one I had been using, the stand out difference being that filler was applied once Sea-foam had been attached to the wire armature thus covering up the join.  This step was missing from my approach, I applied filler to the armature first then attached the Sea-foam after.  The more I think about it the more I can’t believe I missed the bloody obvious!

Now I appreciate if you are not familiar with making your own trees that this may not mean a great deal to you but that is not really the point of my raising the subject.  The real point is that we don’t know what we don’t know until someone points it out to us either directly or indirectly as was the case here.  The truth is since starting this blog I think I can say I have learnt something from everyone I have engaged with and I have no doubt that I will continue to learn from you all in the future too.

Constructive comment and shared knowledge is a great thing.  Thank you!

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Further musings for another day?  Let’s wait and see!

All the best.

TIM

I had intended to publish two posts this weekend but this has since grown to three of which this is the second.  An update on my first ever trip to Bovington grew beyond a brief paragraph into a separate article which may or may not be of interest, particularly to anyone who may wish to attend a future event.  The next one is scheduled for the 13th and 14th October 2018.

Bovington for those who do not know is a Tank Museum.  We’re talking real tanks and loads of them.  I don’t know if it’s the biggest tank museum in the country, or else where for that matter, but I’d be very surprised if even the biggest tank enthusiast didn’t leave tanked out by the end of their visit.  There was also an excellent WW1 display but whether this was permanent or temporary I do not know.

The first thing to mention is this was the first time the event was held over two days.  In the past the model show has just taken place on one day with exhibitors and stall holders in attendance.  The aim this year was to have people stay over for both days and I’m not sure this proved a success.  I was only there on the Saturday and the event was very well attended although not by that many stall holders.  By contrast I’ve been given to understand that Sunday was generally poor.  It may take time for the revised concept to get off of the ground but my advice to anyone thinking of going in October would be to go on the Saturday.

Now I wouldn’t describe myself as a tank person but seeing these things in the flesh was pretty impressive.  Up close and personal and you get a sense of the scale.  This was particularly true of the Tiger tank display.  I have seen a few tanks in the flesh over the years but never a Tiger.  To be perfectly honest with you I normally associate the word Tiger with either large cats or prawns.  Both particularly deadly as far as I am concerned owing to the fact that my dad carries an Epipen for his sea food allergy.

In searching for the right words to describe Tiger tanks I decided to settle on the less than subtle “they’re f***ing enormous!”  I’m not sure I would describe myself as brave nor would I say I was a coward but I take my hat off to anyone who came up against one of these in action who didn’t foul their pants.  Everything else by comparison looked rather pathetic and left me wondering how the allies ever won the war.

If tanks are your thing then I would recommend Bovington.  I would also recommend going when there is a model show on.  You don’t pay extra on the admission price and it adds a lot to the day.  Personally I enjoyed wandering around seeing what other people had painted and built, a great source for inspiration if any is needed.  It was also an opportunity to pick up some tips.

As an exhibitor with the Plymouth Club I decided in modelling terms the general public fell into three categories.  Those that were only interested in tanks and planes and the like, those who prefered figures and dioramas and finally those that were intrigued by all that was on display.  On numerous occasions people simply passed my figures and dioramas by without so much as a glance but every now and then someone would show a genuine interest and engage in conversation.  I enjoyed the chats with the folks that I had but a couple of times I got stuck with people who I can only describe as a complete nerds.  Now I know that to most people we are all nerds in our own right but I’m guessing (let’s make that hoping!) that all of us draw a line at some point.  In my case the following conversation defines my line.

Member of the General Public (MGP) – “I’m doing a figure similar to that one myself”

Me – “Are you?  How are you getting on with it?”

MGP – “OK but I’m struggling to find the right Pantone colour for the trousers.  I’m looking for a brown mahogany shade but the Vallejo colour is to dark and others I have found are to light.  What colour did you go for?”

Me – “Burnt Umber”

MGP – “Oh, are you sure that was the right shade?”

Me – “No but it’s the only colour I had and it was good enough for me”

Nice chap as he was his interest in accuracy went far deeper than mine.  Nothing wrong with that but to me paining well is more important.  I don’t go out of my way to do the wrong colours but unless you really know your stuff then who takes that much notice?  Not me.

For those of you who like pictures a couple of Tigers, not big cats, not prawns but tanks!

TIM

I have mentioned on more than one occasion in recent posts that the Plymouth Modelling Club which I joined back in April/May of last year hold an annual club competition at the end of every January.  Well this years event took place on Monday and proved to be yet another whole new experience for me.  Before going into the competition night in greater detail I thought I would first share with you some personal information.

I am a competitive person.  I am also an unsuccessful competitive person.  Allow me to elaborate.  As a kid and as an adult I was sports mad.  I played just about every sport going but at best I was a jack of all trades and a master of none.  I won matches but never reached finals.  I was ambitious at work but was often overlooked for promotions I felt I deserved.  I’ve never won a raffle and gave up playing the lottery years ago.  If I gamble I lose.  I’m not depressed but I am a realist, I’ve simply learnt to live with the shit the fan of life throws at us all from time to time.  I have a lot to be grateful for, not least of all the fact that I am part of fantastic family, have a great home and live in a wonderful part of the country.

The simple truth is there are winners and losers but in reality most of us fluctuate between the two.  In the past, like most of us I guess, I’ve been asked if I am a glass half full type of person or a glass half empty person?  I tend to reply with the line “there is nothing in my glass at all” just to piss them off!  So why mention any of this?  Well on Monday I came first in the categories for best single figure and best diorama and am on course, so I’ve been told, to become the clubs Modeller of the Year too.

At this point I’m sure there are some of you who are thinking this is all about blowing my own trumpet but you could not be more wrong.  I am of course pleased to have won, particularly having won nothing of any nature in the past but this post is more than that, for me it’s more about my journey as a modeller and coming out of my modelling shell.  Since joining the club, exhibiting at a few events and, perhaps the most important of all, starting this blog, I have gained so much more.  I had no idea if my work was good or if anyone had the slightest interest in anything I do but it seems that there are a few people out there who are interested and to each of them, thank you.

In the big scheme of things the Plymouth Model Club is small-scale (pun intended).  As a group it comprises of no more than 25 people so my achievement needs to be very much kept within this context.  However, these people, along with those who are kind enough to follow my blog and comment on my posts are my peers and that in itself is significant.  The next question is how does my work rate outside of the club itself?  Truth is I have no idea but what I do know is I have the confidence to now to try to find out.  I’m not under any illusion, there are way better modellers and painters out there than me and I am in awe of much of the work I see being produced by fellow bloggers and club members.  The important thing is not to give up.  As a kid my parents always said “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again” and that’s the real message of this post.

Below are the photographs of the models I submitted for judging under the single figure and diorama categories.  Only one model counted, the one which gained the highest score, in other words you could come first but not second as well.  The RAF pilot won the best single figure but in my opinion the Mexican is the better figure and was certainly the tougher paint job.  The Mountain Deer Hunt won the best diorama but there was much more work that went into the Wells Fargo Way Station.  I would have scored both the other way around but who am I to judge!

TIM