And that really was alright because after 50+ hours, the model owed me nothing. I’d had my entertainment, which was really the point of the exercise. The fact I didn’t have a completed model was neither here nor there.
31st January 2025.
Well good afternoon everyone. We made it through the 715 days of January! To all of you that are still here with me and my nonsense: congratulations. It takes a degree of fortitude to get through January, let alone reading all of this, so well done!
A late start today after having to take mum to hospital for a routine check-up. The trip there was not too bad, being only 15 minutes or so, but my god, the parking! Are all hospitals so utterly soul-destroying when it comes to landing your car? Today, I managed to find a space on a grass verge which was fine until I turned the front wheels, lost traction, spun the bloody things and then sprayed a huge amount of mud up the side of the car and over the roof. I was actually pretty impressed to be honest by the amount and mud and the distance it travelled, so much so, I considered photographing it for future weathering reference. I was perhaps less impressed with having to get it cleaned also soon as I dropped my mum off at home. C’est la vie.
Having spent a few moments in Costa having a coffee and reading a little more of Robin Olds, superb book, my mind wandered back to a post I had seen earlier on Instagram. The video was essentially describing how it’s okay to fail during a project and we should perhaps just accept it and move on. The artist in question, though incredibly talented, was struggling to get a fair likeness to a Warhammer 40K character, so much so, that he called it quits and moved on.
It was at this point that I considered how much personal perception comes into our hobbies. Despite looking amazing to my eye, he wasn’t happy and with it and that was that. No amount of arms and around shoulders and positive platitudes were ever going to change his mind. And that’s where my own experiences came to the fore, especially last year as I tried to build the Monogram 1/48 B-26. Having worked on it for some time, I started to really dislike everything I had done with it, to a point where I really didn’t give two hoots about the hours I’d used up. I didn’t like it and was never going to like it, so in the bin it went.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!
If you are enjoying this website, please consider subscribing! It’s free and it will keep you informed each and every time I post something new!
Having made this decision and discussed it with followers on my Book Of Faces, many seemed genuinely upset by this rather ignominious end to a project, they had followed for a few weeks. There were plenty of modellers keen to tell me how great it looked and that I should have finished it off. All of that was very nice and I was genuinely flattered, but none of that mattered to me. I had to be happy with my work and the fact that I had reached a point of no return, meant that nothing I could have done bar stripping the whole thing down and repainting it, would have made the blindest bit of difference.
You see all of this is was and always will be, perfectly okay. You can fail. You can screw up a build and you can admit defeat. Yes, I get it that kits are expensive and that no-one wants to waste money on something that won’t be finished. I felt guilty because my friend Tony had given me the Marauder and I felt almost duty-bound to get it over the finishing line, but I simply couldn’t. And that really was alright because after 50+ hours, the model owed me nothing. I’d had my entertainment, which was really the point of the exercise. The fact I didn’t have a completed model was neither here nor there. At some point I will build another, use this experience to help its completion and hopefully, have a model I can be happy with and display.
Away from random thoughts about the hobby in general, I have worked on the Anson and have a partially complete cockpit that I plan to finish of tomorrow as I listen to the football rather than watching it in person. So far I’m more than happy with my paintwork, so I hope it will look okay in the images that I have to take. Much of the work has involved that interior green colour, washing around the detail and then highlighting some of the goodies so that they will be visible when sub-assemblies are joined and fuselage completed. I really think the Eduard SPACE parts will add immeasurably to the look of the model, so I can’t wait to get them in place. Pictures, when they are in place, tomorrow…
DAY’S MUSIC CHOICES
Today has been a day of rock music that has included s number of albums I’ve not heard for a long time and one, the Adventures that I’d only heard the two lead singles from. What a great album. Anyhoo, here’s the list:
U2: War
Simple Minds: Street Fighting Years
The Adventures: The Sea Of Love
Then Jericho: The Big Area
Johnny Hates Jazz: Turn Back The Clock
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Excellent, Spencer… and excellent reading, one of the best books I, ve ever read of such a superb fighter pilot… some going P38/P51, missed Korea because of his wife then totally supreme in his F4 in Vietnam, fantastic pilot… and whilst I, m on it such a sad day yesterday in Washington, as pilots I think we feel it a great deal when our brethren are lost. Amen to the fallen and passengers on such a sad day
LikeLike
Everyone knows there’s only 5 days in January Spencer. You get NYD on the 1st, the 2nd is a bit of a vague memory and then, the next thing you know it’s the 29th!
Right, I’m off to listen to Johnny Hates Jazz. I remember having the CD back in the 80s, my memory being jogged by your photo, but I can’t remember a single song. There’s probably a good reason for that !
Have we had Prefab Sprout/ Steve McQueen yet?
Bruce
LikeLike
I’m still mourning the loss of the B-26….good music choices once again. 👍
LikeLike