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Are Price and Quality Related?
We’ve been having a pretty fun discussion over in the Scale Modelers Critique Group over the past few days about the relation (or not) of price and quality. Driven to an extent by Revell’s 1/32 P-51...
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Refreshing the Bench
A modeler’s bench is constantly shifting and evolving, almost like a living thing. Or at least that’s the case with mine. From the time I came back to the hobby with a cheap folding table from Costco,...
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Double Trouble
Recently, SMCGer Jon Bryon shared an interesting post about increasing his productivity at the bench. It’s a thought-provoking read, but one part in particular has stuck with me: Build in batches Now,...
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It’s Called a Flightpose. Jesus.
When you run a Facebook page with more than 13,000 followers, you get some…tedious questions. I generally try to be understanding. Facebook’s algorithm can mean that only a few thousand people see any...
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Decals – Clear Coats, Insurance, and Thick Carrier Film
A few years ago, I wrote about how Decals are Magic, and I still stand by that sentiment. Due to the variety of printers and substances and setting solutions, there is something in the way of alchemy...
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Some Slapdash Market Research
In the early days of my career, I specialized in secondary research and analysis. A lot of this involved combing through massive reams of established research – the Census, Forrester, RL Polk and so on...
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Mind Games
I am a mess. It’s tempting to say that it’s just something that happens this time of year. Or to blame it on the heat (even though that’s abating now). But, I know better. The thing that’s fucking up...
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Closing Thoughts on the Tiger ERC-90 F1 Lynx
Back around the beginning of August, Patrick at MBK-USA asked if I’d be willing to take Tiger Model’s 1/35 ERC-90 F1 Lynx for a spin and share my thoughts. I typically don’t do the whole...
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The Vision Thing…
In my recent post digging into the various mental hangups and obstructions that have been screwing with my ability to get kits off the bench in a completed state, I touched on the idea of vision: Now,...
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1/32 Italeri F-104G Part 1 – The Pre-Build
Two and a half years ago, I put the finishing touches on Italeri’s big F-104, which I’d built as an Italian F-104S ASA. At the time, I was not particularly kind to the kit. The kit has just enough...
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Welcome to the Stressed Skin Era
Over this past weekend, news broke wide open that Wingnut Wings, prolific maker of excellent World War I kits that aren’t Nieuports or SPADs, is developing a 1/32 Avro Lancaster. Somewhere across the...
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How to Focus Stack Your Images
If you’ve ever taken a photo of a model, you’ve almost certainly experienced it. A depth of field too shallow to show your entire build in sharp focus. While it’s easy to mitigate on certain subjects,...
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1/32 F-104G Part 2 – Painting a Distressed Finish
The worst part about working on a 1/32 scale F-104 is contending with its shape. The combination of a long, cylindrical body and short, stubby little wings makes maneuvering the thing to different...
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2018 – A Year in Review
2018 is just about over, and I don’t see anything coming off the bench in the next few days, so it’s time for the obligatory end-of-year post. What a Year 2018 was an…eventful year. Before I get to...
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KA-BLAM!
When Tamiya announced they were doing a new tooling of the M551 Sheridan, I had something of a mixed reaction. The M551 is one of my favorite pieces of esoteric American armor – up there with the M18...
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Modeling Rabbit Holes
Around the modeling interwebs, it seems like everyone is suddenly kung-fu fighting about “basic modeling skills” and, honestly, I have no desire to join in. It’s all stupid for a few reasons. There is...
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Too Damn Hot
When you live in central Texas, the heat is part of the bargain. Yes, we get breakfast tacos and more queso than you can shake a tortilla chip at. Amazing BBQ, some damn tasty burgers, and a spring...
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Fetishizing the Enemy – 4 Years On…
Four years ago, I wrote about this hobby’s fascination (to put it mildly) with German WWII subjects. And it elicited a lot of discussion (again, to put it mildly). And this was all before Trump....
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A Decade of Doogs Models
In mid-2010, nearly a decade, two kids, two dogs, and six jobs ago, I was restless. With our daughter’s birth weeks away, I was casting about for something I could do at home, and that I could easily...
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Musings on Quarter Scale
It’s 2020, and this year I’m doing something a bit different. After years focused on 1/32 scale, I’m kicking the year off with a pair of 1/48 WWII subjects. If you don’t immediately recognize them,...
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