Model Builders Mindset

Sitting thinking about things that can make or break any build. Does not matter if its autos, aircraft or armor. The wrong mindset going in can either make it the most enjoyable build, or make you rue the day that you opened that kit.


Positive attitude does have a lot to do with the mindset, but there are other factors. Peer pressure, expectations vs. abilities, and lack of experience all play a part.


On the note of peer pressure...it is easy to fall into this trap if you belong to any of the hundreds of model related groups on any of the social networking sites. You want to impress, you want your builds to stand out, you show your work for the approval of your peers. Sometimes this leads us down a bit of a dark rabbit hole. You spend a few months doing the best you can on a kit you are proud of, 3 minutes after posting there is some kid in the other part of the world saying how it should be better, he could have done better, you did this wrong, not enough rivets in the left wing, it should have been this color...the list goes on and on.


I am not saying that every post in every group is negative, I am saying that if you are going to post your work in a public forum like that, you better be prepared for some negativity during the learning process. We as a people, have allowed the internet to foster in a new type of ignorance, one where people can get away with blurting out anything that comes into their mind without repercussions. There used to be a time when people had common sense and compassion for others, those days are fading. The amount of bad information i see given daily in groups, i am not talking about someone simply being misinformed or mistaken about answering someones question. But more about blatant ignorance. I saw someone ask how to correct a flawed paint job the other day. The responses that were left covered everything from people actually trying to help point the less experienced modeler in the right direction to ignorant people telling the poster to 'burn it and start over' or 'throw it out and go buy a new one'.


To some of us older, more experienced builders, we learn to filter out good and bad and move on, ignoring worthless comments made at our expense for someone else trying to get a laugh. To a new or less experienced builder, this might be reason enough to not ask any more questions in the future, or worse yet...give up building all together. Asking questions is a form of learning, if you cant actually make an effort to help, don't make the dumb comments. They don't make you look cool, they don't make you look funny, they make you look ignorant, and unwilling to help someone that is asking for it.


Now onto the Expectations vs ability...this is where you have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. Is it realistic for a newer builder to buy his second kit ever and expect to go into a full detail, wired, plumbed, award winning build. Reality has to set in early. If you are a new builder, work on basics. Good paint work, clean building style, slowly increase your arsenal of abilities. I find myself 'liking' more posts with clean building styles, than i do builds with sloppy details and a ton of aftermarket bits thrown at them. I find it easiest to manage expectations by using a build sheet for each build i am working on.


An Example of the build sheet at the starting point of my Monte Carlo build:




This helps me in two different ways.

It provides me a checklist so i don't forget things i originally intended to do in this build.

It also keeps me on track so i don't go off the rails trying to add and more detail as this is supposed to be a one month build.


By making a simple build sheet, it allows you to create a game plan on how to go forward.

You can use it as a 'shopping list' if you are adding after market items. This is also a good time to review your own expectations. do you have the ability to do everything on your list?

I have seen more people walk away from this hobby because they over reached their skill set and didn't know how to either repair things or step back and actually admit they are not that advanced yet.


Work within your means, i am not saying i don't want everyone to push themselves and develop more skills. just the opposite. i want people to learn something new with each and every build, and to be happy with their progress. Ask questions without expecting to get 50% idiotic remarks. And above all else, remember, its only plastic, it can be twisted, bent, melted, cut, glued, painted, and sanded. Figure out what you want to do and go for it.