What had happened and I’m more than happy to hold my hands up and admit to this, is I lost focus when other things in the background had grabbed my attention.
26th May 2025
The late great Bob Ross used to refer to mistakes as “happy little accidents” those odd moments when things don’t quite go accounting to plan, but can be turned into something worthwhile, nonetheless.
Today, as I was painting the first part of the lengthy commission that I am completing, I noticed a mistake. It was not an accident. I was far from happy. And the chance of turning defeat into victory without anyone noticing? Zero.
I’d love to describe this cock-up as a happy accident, but it was in truth anything but. It was nothing short of a disaster. One caused entirely by my lack of focus and my desire to press on with a project without the kind of care and more importantly, attention, that it needed.
In essence, I’d completed the door surround, added all the detail and made it look as uniform as possible without noticing that the roof of the surround, an important part I’m sure you would agree, was round 10mm lower down that it should have been. That, in combination with other factors, threw out all of the geometry and made the upper floor appear higher than it should have been. I was, to put it mildly, furious.
What had happened and I’m more than happy to hold my hands up and admit to this, is I lost focus when other things in the background had grabbed my attention. For instance, I’d had the football on, on my phone. I then had the F1 on, again, listening to it in the background and then watching it when something interesting caught my ear. Add in Messenger, Facebook, Instagram and all of that other nonsense that takes me away from my work when I should really turn it all off and just focus, and you can see how this mistake happened.
So this evening having noticed the error after started the painting, I was left with no choice but to remove the offending area completely and rebuild a brand-new section. That roof, yeah, that was a real treat. It had taken me three attempts to carve it on Saturday before I had it the way I wanted it. Removing it, tore it in half so I had to create a new part. That took five attempts – I kid you not – before I had a part I could use. It was the least fun I’ve had with a build in years.
As we speak the façade is now on my desk, drying out. All being well it will be set in the morning so I can fill in any gaps and then repaint everything and I do mean everything. Two hours that I’d spent working on the paintwork was wiped out in less than five minutes, so on top of the time it’s taken to rework the detail, I will have lost almost a full day because I couldn’t see the wood for trees past the glare of my iPhone and its streaming sport. Lesson. Learned. And yeah, I’m still furious with myself…
Away from the façade – that I’m a half-competent modelmaker, if nothing else – I’ve managed to finish the painting and decalling of my Jaguar. Much has been written about it over the last week, so suffice to say that it now finished in its Desert Sand plumage and Op Granby decals.
You may recall that I was keen to recreate the finish of those wartime big cats as closely as possible, with little in the way of over-weathering or stylisation. Yeah, well, best laid plans and all that. It looks as though I will be flipping the coin to create both a stylised model, and one with heavier weathering in place than I had planned. It’s not necessarily what I wanted to do, but I think the model will look okay despite the shift in direction and style. I’m certainly happy with the way it looks and despite the sparse nature of the markings, I think it will be attractive once complete.
And finally…
This boxed set was released on the 26th of May 1997.
But what does that have to do with modelling?
Well, exactly one month later I received it as a leaving present when I swapped working for the Land Registry to working at Traplet publications as the editor of Military In Scale. That means that next month, I will have been a full time modelmaker, editor and writer, for 28 years. Where on Earth has the time gone?! Oh and that box-set. Still the greatest…
See you tomorrow.
SOME RECENT POSTS FOR YOU TO ENJOY!
- A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: WHY HAVE I NEVER BUILT A LIGHTNING?
Is it time to build BAC’s masterpiece at last? - A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: A TRIP TO BRISTOL…
A trip to a bakers on the rain will be remembered because of a young man on a bridge… - A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: A RELAXING DAY…
A day of Christmas shopping and time on my PlayStation… - A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: HOW MANY MORE KITS DO I HAVE, HALF STARTED?!
When I found a half-built kit up in the loft, I wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed that I forgotten it, or happy that most of my work was already done! - A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: 2025 ALL WRAPPED UP!
After a very busy year, I’m finally on leave for Christmas.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
I’m sure I’m not the only one who is curious to see how bad this mistake was .Anyway more cracking music selection .Thats a heck of a going away present ! Currently listening away here …I’m retiring next year and would love something as clever and well chosen as that ! They must have liked ya !
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