KIT BUILDS, WEATHERING AND LIGHTNINGS TOO…

One thing is for sure: I need to find a way of building something that takes me back to my hobby and away from my professional responsibilities for a while.

What an intriguing week it’s been.

It began on Sunday I guess, when I took time out to visit the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, that yearly gathering of all things military. The show itself was fantastic with plenty of hardware to see both in the air and on the ground. Highlights included the incredible Me262 replica and the sight of Harriers from both Italy and Spain. The weather, although sunny for a lot of Sunday was marred later on by a couple of very sharp showers that had us soaked to the skin, putting a dampener – literally – on our enthusiasm. Never mind, it was still a fantastic day and a great chance to spend time with like-minded friends. – I even managed to buy a kit in the form of Arma’s superb 1/48 Hurricane IIc!

The rest of this week seems to have been dominated by all things F-35 both in miniature and full size. As part of my workload for Tamiya Model Magazine International, I spent the first few days finishing off Tamiya’s very nice 1/72 F-35A, a curbside offering that I guess works well alongside Academy’s release of the same aircraft in this scale.

Though I have no particular affection for the F-35 as a subject (after all it’s a grey and rather bland looking jet, with nothing in the way of bright markings to liven it up) by the end of the project, I rather liked kit, the completed model and the possibilities available from it. I’m not sure if I would have felt the same had it only been offered in ‘Stealth Mode’ but the fact that it offers plenty of underwing stores that break up that grey finish with some colour when in ‘Beast Mode’, means that the model looks pretty interesting now that it’s finished and sat in my display case.

Although dominated by my miniature F-35, discussion this week on my Facebook page (The Kit Box) also concerned itself with the real thing how the aircraft that I saw at Fairford, were, if not entirely immaculate, were very close to being so. I posted a photograph of the aircraft and mentioned that I was modelling what I saw on the day and I so my model would be almost entirely unweathered. In so doing, I mentioned that modelling in the 21st-century is defined in many ways by the paintwork that we apply to each miniature that we build. Seeing many of these models appear online, comments are often made about the weathering or lack thereof on each one, almost to the exclusion of everything else: assembly, painting, the application of markings – that kind of thing (I appreciate that this may be a sweeping generalisation, but in the main, that’s how I see things).

When I mentioned it on my Facebook page, I was rather taken aback by the number of comments both for and against the weathering of models. Though I had been specific in my discussion, or rather, I thought I had(!) it seemed that once again, this was a jump off point for a much wider discussion on this aspect of a hobby. Working my way through the comments, it was not difficult to see how this subject inflamed passions amongst modelmakers with everyone having their own distinct and understandable position on what has become a touchstone subject, over a number of years. Personally, I have no strong feelings on the subject one way or another. I’m happy to paint models weathered and I’m happy to paint them clean, in neither case, would I dare to assume or announce one method as being more acceptable than another. Why would I? We all build models for our own personal reasons and so your approach should follow your personality, your needs and your desire to have a completed miniature in your display case.

I’m not sure will ever get past this subject, and I’m not really sure that will ever reach a consensus when it comes to the painting of our models. And that’s fine. I think it’s reassuring that modellers are passionate enough to stick to their own thoughts on a particular subject. The arguments that it can raise and the heated nature of some of the discussions are perhaps not so pleasing, but I think that probably goes with the territory! As long as we are all building models and all enjoying the process, that’s really what matters within this hobby of ours.

Having allowed the F-35 discussion to run its course, I was able to deliver the completed article and then spend some time reworking my studio. This is always an important part of any project, that need that I have to tidy everything away, clean the studio down and prepare for the next build, whatever that should be. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I have a small hole in my schedule, so I plan to do something for myself rather than doing a model either for features within my own books or publication within the titles that I work for. I mentioned in one of my Facebook updates this week that I couldn’t remember the last time that I built a model that was only for myself. Not for any professional work, for publication, to be photographed or part of a commission. Just something that I could build for myself simply for relaxation.

Though I never started out to do this, over the years I think I’ve become so attuned to the idea that all models that I build need to be for a purpose, it’s now hard to simply sit at my desk, open a kit box, glue the parts together and then paint the results, with no endgame in sight. Indeed, when I do get the chance, I spend so long deciding what to build, I more often than not, do nothing at all. What this means is that personal projects, those kits that I buy occasionally with distant hopes of completing them one day, are sidelined for those purposeful projects that I know will generate income.

Having thought about it for a while, I’ve decided that over next 12 months I’m going to try and fit in and around those professional projects that I need to complete, some of the models that I’d like to do just for me. For instance, I have plenty of cars that I’ve bought over the years, replicas of F1 racing machines, those Tamiya kits that I loved when I was a kid and would like to build again. Maybe some science-fiction subjects? How about some civilian dioramas? Perhaps even that huge scratchbuilt spaceship that I’ve wanted to do for the last 30 years, but never gotten around to. Who knows, I may even build some of those 1/6 scale motorbikes that keep taunting me every time I go in the loft! 

One thing is for sure: I need to find a way of building something that takes me back to my hobby and away from my professional responsibilities for a while. The plan is to build these models free from the public eye so I can just to sit at my workbench, glue them together and then paint the results without ever having to think about taking photographs, writing text, or offering progress shots online to generate likes and comments. Essentially, I want to turn the clock back to when my modelmaking was a truly solitary hobby and not one that I felt the need to share at every possible opportunity.

See you next time.

I HAVE A NEW BOOK OUT!

Several weeks ago I announced that I had a new book ready for release. Dedicated to Monogram’s collection of Century Series aircraft, the book takes the modeller through three projects that will allow the completion of the F-100, F-101 and F-102 in miniature. If you would like to see more of this book please click the following link which will take you to my earlier update.

thekitbox.org/2023/07/13/monograms-century-series-classic-kits-of-iconic-aircraft/

I will be closing the sales of this new book next week. As it is printed to order, if you would like a copy, the above link reveals everything that you need to complete your purchase of this exciting new book. I certainly look forward to hearing from you!

All the best and have a great day!