Interesting Commentary

planetFigure

Help Support planetFigure:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Jim Patrick

A Fixture
Joined
Dec 21, 2003
Messages
2,022
Location
El Paso TX
I found this the other day while surfing through the IPMS/ USA website. I thought it was pretty interesting.

DISCLAIMER This commentary doesn't represent the views of any of the pF staff, it just interesting (and refreshing) to see some other viewpoints.

First, YES, it is an article about an aircraft kit but it doesn't take much of an imagination to see how this applies to all facets of the hobby, not just painting figures.

Second, believe it or not, this very same discussion is currently going on about several armor models, more than just one aircraft kit and, as we have all seen, more than just one figure. You don't need to get wrapped around the axle about this guy's commentary, just take it for what it is. HIS opinion. After all, we all have this right don't we? Yes, he does seem a little hostile at times but some of you should see what has been typed/written about this kit. Look closely, I think you'll be able to see the parallels between the two facets of the hobby.

Third, if you have a bone to pic, please feel free to do so. While at times it may seem that we're going backwards in our "discussions", I beg to differ on that point. Quite the contrary.

Ok, the was copied and pasted here on pF with the full consent of the IPMS/USA webmaster. Here is link to their regular column, The Modeling Miscreant. It's a pretty good column that I recomend you guys have a look at when you have the time. Hats off to IPMS for even running a column like this. Lot's of websites would completely stay away from something like this. Kudos to IPMS.

Any questions, gripes or concerns can be sent directly to Bob Hester (IPMS/ USA webmaster) at:

[email protected]

Enjoy,
Jim Patrick



Spoiled Rotten Modelers...

Whaaaaa!!!! Somebody call my lawyer, somebody call Geraldo Rivera…wait, I know…let’s get Jerry Springer on this!!!!

What is wrong with people today? Remember back in the day, when we built FROG and Airfix and Revell kits that were chocked full of inaccuracies and sink marks, flash and crappy decals? Sure, we paid $1.35 for them, and we usually blew them up with firecrackers, but damn it, we actually enjoyed this hobby!!

Tonight I sat in front of this infernal machine and surfed around the various model sites…I went to HyperScale and read a thread that sent me to Modeling Madness…and the talk of the town right now isn’t about how great the new Trumpeter Me-262 or Fw-200 is, or the incredible looking 1/72 Hasegawa Lancaster, or the great new Dragon 3-in-1 Tigers…no…today, the topic on ‘Bad modeling moments’ Channel 199 is all about the Accurate Miniatures Vindicator and those pesky sink marks…

It’s a well-known fact that Accurate Miniatures is a Class A company, they’ve released some of the finest detailed kits on the market today. Ok, sure, they don’t have the financial fire superiority of a Tamiya or Hasegawa, but hey, my hat’s off to them. Still, the ungrateful bozos are coming out of the woodwork on this one…

Whaaa!! I spent $30 of my hard-earned cash from collecting aluminum cans in Peoria to buy this model, and now I actually have to use what’s left of my spoiled-rotten brain to figure out how to fix some sinkmarks…whaaahahahahaaa.

Lemme tell you something here putty-boy…I’d personally like to pop someone in the mouth the next time I hear this.

On any given day, I can drop $30 in a bar in an hour. An average dinner will cost you $30. So will a great hotel room in Hong Kong, or a bad one in Omaha, or a tank full of gasoline for your rusted Toyota pickup.

I’ve heard things about boycotts, "treasonous acts", "I'm getting ripped off", and countless other things… lemme put this into perspective for you, ok rocket boy?

Someone 5000 miles away yanked the sprues from the molds too quickly, and put them into boxes. Would you care about sink marks if you were making $12 a week salary and living on rice and kimchee?

Ya know…I’ve seen a lot worse…hell, I’ve paid more for a lot worse. What makes you, the individual Level 1 modeler, so damned special that something like this makes you want to raise arms against a company that’s done nothing but support your stupid whims and habits with wonderful kits?

Grow up people. Maybe I'm too harsh, maybe you’re not ready to face the reality of the modeling world. Where’s the challenge in building the perfect kit? When was the last time you were challenged by a Hasegawa, Tamiya, or, dare I say, even an Accurate Miniatures kit? You’re not challenged anymore…because you’re spoiled. You want to shake the box and have a Nationals-award winning model drop out. Sorry dude, it ain’t happening. So…if you bought the AM kit and you’re whining…take some advice…shut up, sit down, and wait for them to fix it instead of running around half-cocked like a banty rooster crying and whining. Or get out your putty and sandpaper and fix the damn thing.

A.L. Lehron

The Modeling Miscreant

PS: I built it, and it looks fine. If this half-baked retard can do it, then all you experten should be able to handle this….whaaaaaa!

PPS: Ok, so maybe I'm a little too intense. I can blame it on lack of sleep, stress, too much caffeine, and far too many hours in a poorly ventilated spray booth with nothing but Floquil lacquers in the air. But ya know what? My panties aren't all twisted up in knots over this...because I know they'll fix it. I'm FAR more concerned with how I'm going to explain those two Fw-200s and Me-262s to my wife.
 
:lol: ROTFLMAO
I love it--this guy is the Lewis Black of modelling!
Great post, Jim, and a pleasure meeting you at the show last month.
Cheers
John
 
theres is something to it, lots in fact, maybe we all can look in the mirror and see something of it.

Robin
 
HA ! HA ! HA ! GREAT POST,Jim;yes,sometimes we all need the "tiny flaws" evident in EVERY kit to make life more interesting for us ! To "perfect" a kit tends to spoil the fun a bit,don't you think so ;) ? Cheers !
Kenneth :lol:
 
that is great. I build armour models as well as figure models and I must say the level of nit picking reaches new heights in the armor camp. This should be required reading for the rivet counters. But they would probably copmplain about the grammer :)
 
He's right you know.
I model mainly WW2 Allied Armour and Figures and I'm pleasantly surprised by the lack of complaints about kits here on PF. I don't mind people complaining but what's the point in moaning to your fellow modellers about the small flaws in kits - with the addendum "I hope someone at DML (or where ever) reads this" Why not do it direct to the manufacturers. They all have websites with customer care links who will pass on comments to the research and development people.
And anyway what's wrong with using plastic card and putty once in a while to fix something?
 
I am of several minds on this subject myself as it relates to figures.

Minor casting defects, pits and seams I am okay with. But, anything much more than this and I am unhappy. It's not the darn $30 that I spent. It's the disappointment and more importantly to me is the time I'll have to spend to correct the problems. I prefer to paint rather than assemble. That's just me :)
I have pretty limited painting time so fixing the figures defects I perceive as wasting my time. As I said, "disappointment". :(

I have bought two figures made by a big name company that starts with and "A". The first one had huge (to me!) gaps on the coat. The second one was a 90 mm figure that is seated leaning slightly forward. Well, when this second figure was dry fitted there was a big gap between the upper and lower torso. So bad in fact that if it was not filled in, his face would have been almost horizontal rather than looking forward. My wife told me to leave as is and title it as "Sans Culottes Barfing 1798" So, both of those figures are now on a shelf. And, I won't buy another figure from "A" Could I have fixed them? Sure. Just did not want to spend hours doing so.

So it comes down to perceptions again!

Keith
 
lets face it.
If there were no pin marks, missed rivets, millimeter inaccuracies or fit problems, the next complaint would be: "I payed 45 bucks for this kit and Dragon still expects me to build and paint it"...

mike

"fit problem? nothing more glue can't fix!"
 
Back
Top