A slight rant

[Guest]

I have to agree, it does annoy you when you read the articles within a magazine or on a forum that is dedicated to model building, that the builder has decided to throw a lot of money at it in order to enhance the kit.

I also agree that the choice is down to the modeller how he or she should build their kits, and if that means adding resin or pe items, then that is their choice, but i would also like to see more models built straight from the box.

Not everyone has the funds to be able to buy pe or resin items to enhance the kits that they are building, and it does appear as if the so called expert builders are implying that this needs to be the way, the kits are expensive as they are, and as most folk know so are the resin and pe items!

They should do more in these articles within the magazines to let modellers see that when you are building a kit you dont have to add lots of pe or resin to make the kit look good, simple things such as weathering and chipping goes a long way in making any kit come to life as does a good paint job!

Tom

[stona]

Concentrate on building and painting a model well. You can throw all the after market goodies money can buy at a kit but it won't improve it if it is badly built and painted. It will just make it a more expensive badly built model :sad:

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Although I completely understand the rant that kicked this topic off, I've got to say I think stona (Steve) makes a lot of sense in reply #11

In the most part, reviewers do comment as to why they may be using AM stuff, and it serves the double purpose of giving an opinion on the OOB item and the AM item, helpful to many modellers I would have thought.

Although I build only OOB, I find reference to AM stuff quite interesting.

[Gern]

It would be really nice if the reviewers showed us the original kit parts as well as the extra bits. Then we'd be able to decide for ourselves whether we think the kit needs them to satisfy our own personal desire for detail. Not everybody wants/can afford replacement parts that only add miniscule details which can barely be seen.

And like Steve said, you'll get much better looking kits by using good building skills rather than by throwing money at them.

Gern

[stona]

I've put in a few resin/PE cockpit sets in my time. Now I can't see them and don't even remember which models they are in! Buying parts to alter a base kit into something else is another matter entirely. I believe it was Trey who did a great conversion using vac-form parts recently. After market decals,for me,fall into this category.

There are other parts which are sometimes worth improving,a nice set of metal,turned,barrels on a Ju87 'kanonenvogel' for example. We all have to decide where we want to draw the line.

I think we are debating the emphasis of many reviews. I don't mind them using AM sets but they should not lose sight of their primary aim which is to review what's in the box. That is what most of us will buy.

I think Allyne is quite right to complain that many reviews lose sight of this.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Could you imagine other subjects getting the same treatment? I can't imagine a car magazine doing a road test along the same lines. The new Fiesta is only any good if you replace the engine, totally gut the cabin and add another, then relpace the suspension just for good measure. Not exactly a fair review of the product you are thinking of buying!

[stona]

Could you imagine other subjects getting the same treatment? I can't imagine a car magazine doing a road test along the same lines. The new Fiesta is only any good if you replace the engine, totally gut the cabin and add another, then relpace the suspension just for good measure. Not exactly a fair review of the product you are thinking of buying!

It's a good point and made me chuckle. A lot of car reviews are of a top of the range model which may cost twice as much as the basic model and you won't get all the bells and whistles in the basic model. You could argue that they suffer from a similar problem. Why would the manufacturer offer the basic model for review when they can send one with all the (expensive) extras?

Most modellers just want to know what they get for their money in the box. I'm sure someone buying a new car wants the same!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

I think that it should not be lost in all this that the produces of models Airfix, Revell etc. give us a very reasonable deal.

Although we moan, a lot, we get a box of plastic which we transform into into something which we appreciate perhaps passable others a work of art.

Not seen any of them making out that there product it is something it is not. It must be, after you have bought all the essential tools, one of the cheapest pastimes there is. £5 for a 1/72 model the cost of a gallon of petrol. Recently I bought a PBY Catalina 1/48 some 24" wide for £25. The 1/72 keeps me occupied for a month. The Catalina who knows ? Great value & from which we all get a lot of pleasure far in excess of most or perhaps anyother other pastime. Do not think you can beat it.

Although my eldest son keeps chickens & he thinks that is more rewarding. Problem is the things cannot fly !

Laurie

[saguy]

this is rather an interesting thread - when i re-started my modelling a year or so ago i had never ever heard of after market bits and pieces and photo etch parts .... when looking at models on this site and others, I used to marvel at the detailed cockpits and the seatbelts wondering "wowee ... how talented is that" not realising that they ... in some instances .. had been bought. I have only ever built out of the box and whilst I consider myself a below average modeller i quite like looking at my end product as it parks on the shelf, and the fact that i tried using different painting / weathering techniques. Maybe one day when i buy myself that 1/32 all the "bells and whistles" model I will treat myself to some trendy seatbelts but until then it is definitely oob for me .........Lindsey

[stona]

Lindsey you've hit the nail on the head. It's what makes you happy that counts. If you don't enjoy the hobby why do it?

Noone should ever feel they have to go out and buy expensive extras. It is important to know what comes in the box as I suspect the majority of us will build just that.

Laurie you are right that it is a cheap pastime. I spend more on books than I do on models! As I tell SWMBO,it could be worse,at least she knows where I am and what I'm up to. I've mentioned before that I have a friend who used to race hydroplanes,now that was expensive!

Cheers

Steve