| What's a 'Decent'/ Average /Competition Standard (Winning ) Length for a Build ? | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 10 2015, 03:17 PM (1,015 Views) | |
| fs2005 | Jan 10 2015, 03:17 PM Post #1 |
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I know this is close to the ultimate 'How long is a piece of string' question but I'm curious about others experiences and thoughts .As a kid and reborn modeller it seems a month or two feels about 'right' and maybe double that if you had competition aspirations .Of course the are so many variables like how much time per day you can ( or want to ) spend at the bench . On the one hand people talk about 'weekend ' builds or even online there are a few groups that will build something in a timed hour or two .Then there are the guys who will spend a year working on something that requires Zen levels of devotion /effort . As a second time round 'beginner' ( well it's actually 5 or 6 years since I bought that Revell P51B from Marks Models - and took months if not a year to complete it ) I'm finding that one of the things that separates the real old pros from those who can turn out something half decent is speed and consistency .I can spend weeks sanding , painting and resanding ad nauseum to get a joint line right, they splash their Tamiya Ultra thin on give it a rub of wet n dry and it's done . As an example I was spending ten times longer at fitting rails on ships than I needed to ?I know Michael spent 6/7 months on his Corvette .Im curious how long Pat and Filip spent at their competition winning Sherman and Bristol Fighter . I can't decide for sure if simultaneous builds are a distraction or blessed relief against 'challenging' kits / hurdles .Probably the latter though . Hopefully going to finish my 1/400 destroyer today after 6 months .Admittedly I turned out a 1/72 Seehund sub , painted some viking archers and ( just about) started a pair of Fokker Triplanes as well during the period but it seems a long time . There are quite a few aspects of it that I am not entirely happy about but then again I've learned a few new tricks and techniques . So do you have an average build time or does it vary wildly ? Edited by fs2005, Jan 10 2015, 03:18 PM.
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| FiSe | Jan 10 2015, 03:30 PM Post #2 |
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Heil Mickey!
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I suppose, that you can see how long it took from the post dates in whichever thread... Not an easy answer, because the length of time spent on build does not necessary translates into success on the show/s. There are many factors in the build like, what sort of aftermarkets are being used, what has to be done with the kit itself to accommodate those, the quality of the raw kit and so on. And let's not forget that winning any competition is very, very subjective matter and it largely depends on the judges themselves. I'd say that 2-3 months is reasonable time to turn a kit into an 'award' winning model. |
Filip . . . .![]() | |
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| Michael M | Jan 10 2015, 04:36 PM Post #3 |
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That depends on the class we're talking about. In ships it's from about 3 months ( submarine and i mean proper submarine not some modern cigar tube ) up to lets say 2 years.
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| fs2005 | Jan 10 2015, 05:32 PM Post #4 |
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Not just looking for how long people spend at competition entries /winners .I know quite a few of the 'magazine ' article modellers say how many hours they spend at the end of a feature .around 24 hours seems typical . I've been at the bench here now from round 11am to 430pm and feel as if I'm making progress .Maybe typical 'session length' is the key . |
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| Karl187 | Jan 10 2015, 06:16 PM Post #5 |
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I think this is a very interesting discussion- definitely something I feel depends entirely on the modeler though. Just relating my own experience- I spent around 2 months doing a bust and it won nothing at competition- then I spent two weeks doing one in a kind of rush-job and it did win something. Personally I was also more pleased with my own finish on the two week bust and the two month one. Simultaneous builds also sometimes work in your favor- you could be letting the glue dry on a build while painting another. This is sometimes what I do- like building a tank while painting a bust or vice versa. Then other times I think splitting my bench time will be a bad idea and then I just focus on one thing. You also mention how long you spend at the bench- 11am- 4.30 is one long session! I would need to take a break and do something else every couple of hours. I would usually spend two hours at a time on something. But as you mentioned I may feel like I am getting nowhere if progress is low or I find myself re-doing something. This can then lead to the old 'modelers block' which I have at the minute- hence I haven't been at the bench for a bit. The Hollywood GB will be forcing me back to it which is a good thing as I need to get on with stuff! I would also add that creating something unique and interesting helps to focus the mind, in my opinion, and makes you push to win that competition. For instance if I build a tank and paint in one color with little weathering I will feel that it is a bit boring and I likely wouldn't enter it into a competition. But if I decide to build a scene around it or maybe go to extremes with weathering I will likely find myself focusing more clearly on what exactly I want from the model and I think that definitely helps in building something that would be worthy of entering in a competition. |
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Karl N. Hoy On The Bench: Ethiopian BMP-1 (Trumpeter 1/35) ![]() ![]()
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| Manxman | Jan 10 2015, 07:01 PM Post #6 |
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Ah the ultimate universe question. I think like Karl, it firstly depends on the kits, modeller, their skills and experience with the subject and how much time they can devot per session. For example I think so far on the meng I've put in between 13 and 15 hours in the last 5 days on this build and the kit is going together without any issue. I'm not saying I'm building it to win prizes or even submit or show it at any event. I just think it be hard for anyone to give a definitive answer as everyone like every kit is different. And everyone builds in different ways, or paints as for example I spent 2-3 hours today painting the interior of the Bradley with a brush and that's just the first initial base coat, someone else could of done it in half the time with an airbrush. And like Karl said I don't think I could do much more than 3-4 hours tops in a session without needing to put it aside for a break. In truth and I'm probably the worst judge of myself if I was thinking of submitting to competitions I could be taking months or years to get a model to a state I'd be happy with. But for now I'll take as long as I need to finish a build until I'm happy with it just for myself. Examples are my cigar tube subs I think tools less then three weeks, not sure of hours. The Abrams well it not finished as I'm waiting on an airbrush to spray on a total varnish before weathering. But that has been 2-3 months to just get it to that stage. Edited by Manxman, Jan 10 2015, 07:07 PM.
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Pete On the bench - What isn't 😀
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| fs2005 | Jan 10 2015, 07:18 PM Post #7 |
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Just finished that session at around 6pm having been modelling since 11am but these only happen for me maybe once or twice a year (maybe 5-6 tops) .I will probably do another hour or two later tonight to finish before midnights KUTA GB deadline .(At severe risk of tempting fate I think my little destroyer is home and dry!) Im far more likely to do 60-90minutes at a time . The airbrush has many advantages but needing quite a while to set it up , clean up and disassemble - 10-20 minutes (?) aint one of them ! While its the first commandment of modelling to walk away when getting fed up , if youre in the zone its nice to be able to keep going ... |
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| Prenton | Jan 10 2015, 10:58 PM Post #8 |
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All depends on how much time, in (say) a week you can get proper modelling time. If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated "man cave" or modelling space, free from interruptions, then this effectively depends on what time you have available away from work and "home duties". On the other hand, if you depend on "colonizing" a space within the home for your modelling (as many of us do!), then it often depends on what alternative uses are planned for those spaces...such as expected guests, Christmas and New Year festivities, Easter etc. etc....You can only use the space when these other "distractions" are not present...... If you have a clear run at such a place, then in my experience, it's best to have 2/3 kits on the go at a time, and expect to finish them within about six months. Depending on the quality of the kit, that figure can vary - a Tamiya kit might be less than two months, a Special Hobby or MPM kit might be closer to eight. But having a Group Build helps to concentrate the mind, as does the imminence of a show (IMMS, D3/4 or Telford), where you might be entering the competition --- or even just the monthly Dublin Chapter meeting, as it is often nice to produce something (even if not finished) to prove that you are - actually - a modeller.... Philip Edited by Prenton, Jan 10 2015, 11:43 PM.
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"To boldly go..." | |
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| fs2005 | Jan 11 2015, 12:55 AM Post #9 |
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Jeez Philip is anyone at risk of having a scissors taken to their membership card for lack of output ?! I'm in the clear anyway with a couple of things to take in for next Saturday !I will keep an eye out for any of these fake modellers infiltrating the meeting Herr Oberstumbahnfuhrer ! :-) As a kitchen 'coloniser' I sometimes have to cease my modelling activities when 'normal people ' appear but that may be more got to do with who wears the trousers than lack of space !:-( Edited by fs2005, Jan 11 2015, 12:56 AM.
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| FiSe | Jan 11 2015, 10:55 AM Post #10 |
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Heil Mickey!
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Scaremongers I've built MPM bi-plane in a weekend, including paint and rigging:
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Filip . . . .![]() | |
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| fs2005 | Jan 11 2015, 06:55 PM Post #11 |
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I ordered an MPM / Special Hobby 1/72 Ju87A as a comeback kit around 2007 on Ebay .While I noted that these 'new' interesting rare subjects were expensive I figured they'd be crisply moulded.I , took it out of the box , took one look at vac form canopies and general crude moulding and didn't buy another kit for about two years !
Edited by fs2005, Jan 12 2015, 06:32 PM.
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| Parkadge | Jan 12 2015, 09:51 AM Post #12 |
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I don't have a dedicated workspace and I don't have a modelling routine so I honestly have no idea how much time a particular model takes to finish- sometimes years anyway ![]() If something interests me I'll spend more time at it like replacing sunken weld lines on an old Sherman with raised ones using sprue and liquid glue or adding casting numbers and foundry marks. Stuff that someone looking at the model might not even notice might take up the bulk of the time spent on tha model. I tend not to build towards competitions but look at what I have a couple of weeks before a compoetition to see what I can finish. I'm also very prone to losing my mojo with lots of unfinshed builds. I've been very slack lately even with plenty of free time I'm finding it hard to get any modelling done. Edited by Parkadge, Jan 12 2015, 09:58 AM.
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Pat McGrath Work to become not to acquire ![]() | |
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) up to lets say 2 years.


I've built MPM bi-plane in a weekend, including paint and rigging:


3:27 PM Jul 11