Why we do what we do

[simon1969]

Would anyone else feel cheated if they bought a figure & found they had no cleaning up to do on it?
The reason I ask this strange question is my wife asked me last night, why I still buy figures when I know I’ll have to spend at least a couple of hours cleaning up mould lines (not to mention filling, replacing missing/bad detail or adding bits to cover up badly placed joins & the like) before I even start to build the thing. I thought about this for a bit, and concluded that, for me, this was all part of the fun! Correcting/improving what the manufacturer has done is the first bit of satisfaction I can get from a figure (or any kit for that matter!)
I hope I’m not alone in this, cos I’ll feel like a bit of a weirdo otherwise!!!! >

Simon

p.s. I’m not really trying to improve my position in the top 10 posters list – honest!!

 

[LCoote]

Simon, I think that if I have to do too much to the figure to correct it's faults then I might as well sculpt my own, which is probably why I've got so many unfinished pieces :lol:

 

[Richard E]

Simon

Sort of depends, I get bored with having to carve off large lumps of resin, and I get annoyed having to get rid of mould lines across chainmail, but all in all it's part of the fun.

But I guess I prefer to buy from certain manufacturers because I know that I won't have to do too much cleaning up.

 

[simon1969]

Originally posted by Richard E@Nov 4 2003, 10:56 AM
and I get annoyed having to get rid of mould lines across chainmail

Yeah OK, I'll give you that one!!
I still have the 0.5mm draughtsmans pencil with the end filed to a "C" shape that I had to make during my Citadel fantasy figure phase! I used it last night actually, to detail a "celtic" wrist band I had to add to "Vercingetorix" to hide the poor join at the right wrist! If I had the confidence to actually see through a scratchbuild, I'd probably start to feel like Leigh does about it, (like having to re-sculpt an ear last night - that was fun, but if I was any good at doing the whole figure I suppose I'd be annoyed at having to do it on something I'd paid for)

Simon

 

[poch mahone]

I sometimes get carried away cleaning up a figure and end up converting it. I keep the figure what it was intended to be just change the style of uniform.

Brian

 

[MSzwarc]

Awhile ago, I purchased a 75 mm mounted Mongol warlord by Amati because the sale price was so low. When I got the figure, I loved the Mongol's face and posture, and the horse, but I was quite disappointed by the figure's enormous hands, his pose, the details of his coat, his weapons, some of the horse furniture, and the horse's tail. As I studied the figure, I realized that I could fix every problem with a little effort, and at the same time convert the figure to a Mongol falconer. Thus my initial disappointment turned into the exciting prospect of getting twice the enjoyment out of the one figure: the conversion and the painting. The conversion work is well over half done, and as a beginner, I've learned alot about the materials used for sculpting, as well as how to do the research on my subject. What a deal!

Mike Szwarc

 

[Guy]

Mike,
It does sound like you made a "good deal" and turned around the dissappointment when you initially opened the kit to reveal an added extra. Hope to see some photos soon as this is one of my favorite periods.

Guy

 

[MSzwarc]

Guy,
I borrowed a digital camera, and hope to get some pics posted before too long if I can figure everything out.

Mike Szwarc

 

[gordy]

got me.... i still get anxious seeing mold lines on a plastic fork

 

[simon1969]

Originally posted by gordy@Nov 4 2003, 06:46 PM
got me.... i still get anxious seeing mold lines on a plastic fork

:lol: :lol: :lol: