TJTX Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 Ok, what is your model building achilles heel? What is that one thing, no matter how hard you try, you just can't conquer? For me its jet intakes. I've tried everything, I've read everything, and watched videos of every technique and i just can't get them to look good. I end up using intake plugs. That's fine except I have so many neat in flight ideas I just cant complete. What is yours? 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Decals. Clear coat, no clear coat. Microsol, Solvaset, or Mr Mark Softer. Wet cloth. Kit ones or AM. Doesn't matter what I try, I almost always end up with some silvering. Which is one reason I like masks so much. Especially for things like roundels. Carl 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Decals too, not only because of the reasons mentioned by Carl, but to make it worse, decaling mostly is one of the last steps, while finishing a project. Problems with decals, which I have with every build are a pure mojo killer. The only cure, use Aviattic Lozenge or linen decals. With proper preparation, they work perfect and that's to me a little miracle, given the huge areas they cover. Cheers Rob 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Dust. No matter what I do... there's always some mote stuck somewhere in the finish. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to everything. But dust frustrates every build. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Finishing a kit .... nuff’ said Hubert 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJTX Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 1 hour ago, GazzaS said: Dust. No matter what I do... there's always some mote stuck somewhere in the finish. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to everything. But dust frustrates every build. Yes! I see these super clean finishes and wonder if guys are working in vacuum sealed rooms. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 For me (right now), it's lozenge decals. I can never get themto my satisfaction - particularly on the leading and trailing edges. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasProbert Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Natural metal finishes. I’ve tried and I’ve tried but have never been happy with one. I now done everything I can to avoid them. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 35 minutes ago, ThomasProbert said: Natural metal finishes. I’ve tried and I’ve tried but have never been happy with one. I now done everything I can to avoid them. When I was a 12 year old boy I painted a Monogram P-38 with Testors silver paint. It was so ugly that I decided I would never do NMF again. After a long hiatus I returned back to models 4-5 years ago. And I found a website on how to cover an aircraft with aluminum foil. Although a tedious process, each build gets easier and easier as you build muscle memory and learn how the foil reacts to manipulation and how to weather the foil. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I'd agree on the NMF but having just discovered AK's Extreme Metals I'm determined to give it another bash. They're easy to use and seem to give a bomb proof finish, so if I can sort out the right shades then I foresee another Trumpeter P-47D in the future. Back to the topic at hand, I f*****g hate PE harnesses, especially for jets. Anneal them folks say, I'd be better melting them! Thank god for fabric belts but they only seem to exist for WWII and earlier. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Yeah, PE for mine as well. Can never get clean bends, and never seem to keep it attached no matter how much superglue I use. S 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I'd have to say pe belts and actually finishing a model.....harv 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 Just a PE idea I've been using lately. I use a bit of CA, then I give a tiny amount of canopy glue to help fine parts stay put. It's kept my PE seat belts in place... but FYI.... I did anneal them first and bent them to fit the seat before I glued them... Oh... and after I annealed them, but before shaping them... I sanded the back side to give more gripping surface/texture. I'm still learning PE... but the canopy Glue is a sanity saver. It dries clear to a semi-rubbery state. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 8 hours ago, harv said: I'd have to say pe belts and actually finishing a model.....harv Ah... finishing a model... For the past two years, I've completed 12 per year. I'm going to fall short this year. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 Can I have two heels .......the first would be decals, everything I lay down silvers, tears, is misaligned by thousands of an inch etc etc......tried all the softeners, gloss coats, Matt coats .......... second is weathering of aircraft and worrying about messing the whole thing up late in the build............ 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 References and related material, I have the tendency to get stuck at one point of unknown and then abandon the whole project. There must be diagnose for that 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Getting lost in details and giving up and putting it on the shelf of doom for one. Not being able to justify time to work at the bench is the biggest. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Mine is staying on one project at a time. I'll work on a kit for a little while- a few days to a few weeks then put it away for whatever reason. Usually to let something dry or simply loose interest in it then I'll jump to something else and do the same thing again. I have anywhere from 8-10 projects in rotation at any given time and once in awhile 2-3 models get finished in quick succession. That's one reason I rarely do WIP threads, it would get drawn out waaaay too long in-between updates. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJTX Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 11 hours ago, ScottsGT said: Getting lost in details and giving up and putting it on the shelf of doom for one. Not being able to justify time to work at the bench is the biggest. Yes, I'm finding time at the bench to be very difficult to find right now. And even more so, time to airbrush. That's slowing me down more than anything since I cant just steal 15 minutes to remove a part/glue a part/put on decal, etc... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 scribing and re-scribing panel lines whatever i do looks pretty mediocre at best 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I will add that there has to be a certain mental state I have to be in to enjoy my time at the bench as well. I have several situations going on in my life right now that just won't let me relax like I need to. I used to build models to get away from all these mental things like an alcoholic uses alcohol to forget things. I've got to shake a few of these "demons" before I can enjoy building again. 1) Mom passed away back in September after caring for her in Assisted Living and then a Nursing home and now I'm knee deep in all the Probate stuff and trying to figure out how I'm going to get rid of 1000 sq ft storage of her QVC/HSN collection and dealing with past family issues. This will take a year at least. 2) Wife is wanting to pack up and move to a lake home, so I'm looking at having to pack up everything for potential storage short term so I'm afraid to start anything new. I have too many hobbies, and my shop/basement is packed. We're currently culling old furniture right now. 3) Son is moving to Colorado with the Army, so I'm involved with packing up all his firearms, ammo and liquor he cannot ship with the movers. I'm staging it all for his move Thanksgiving weekend. I have to take next tues & wed. off to meet with them to take what they can. 4) I've got to make a decision on my '66 Mustang GT Fastback. I've got to finish the rear end gear swap and rear brake swap and start driving it or sell it. It's that simple. So far I'm using it like a model I built. Get it to a point and put it on display. It's a car. It needs to be driven or sold. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 57 minutes ago, ScottsGT said: I will add that there has to be a........ That’s a lot to have your plate, try and stay sane...... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Having spent the last couple of days farting about with the fiddly panels on the chin intake of the Airfix 1/24 Typhoon and all the filling, sanding, etc I have a new entry - RESCRIBING. I hate it, I'm crap at it and just why???.... Surely there are better and easier ways to engineer a kit. I know it's so you can have the option to leave everything open and on display but it's a PITA if you don't want to go down that route. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1to1scale Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Sinkmarks in seams, they seem to show up months after I finish a model. Still have yet to crack the code, every filler I try has issues. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Fran Posted November 25, 2020 Administrators Share Posted November 25, 2020 Well, for me, it´s the dust when I getting the oils on the sufarce... I really dont know where it comes from!! Pff.. I also dont like scribing, as I`m always expecting that everything goes wrong. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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