Where Did All This Stuff Come From?

While looking through my unbuilt collection of models I came across a few other boxes.  These boxes fell into three categories.  The parts box, the scratch building box and the other box.  What is all this stuff and where the heck did it all come from?

The parts box or the spares box (there are probably just as many names for this as there are modellers--partners of modellers probably call this the box of crap, but that's another story) came about from the extra parts that are included with models.  Some models have different parts because they can be build different ways (the 2 in 1 or the 3 in one model).   I have a 57 Fairlane that can be built stock/custom/or with optional parts.  Some have parts left on the parts tree from earlier versions of the model kit.  I have drag bars because one of the 66 mustang kits I've built had a previous life as a dragster kit.  I couldn't throw them out, so now their in the parts box.

The scratch building box is collection of stuff that I thought might one day might fit into my models.  Often I think of building unusual train car loads, or wild science fiction ships. This probably came about from searching out the stuff under the title Maschinen Krieger, or watching the great Japanese TV show Plamo Tsukurou--if you haven't done so, you should check both of them out.  Either way, I suspect all modellers look at stuff destined for the trash or recycle box the same way.

The last box, which I have labelled the other box, in my case is a bunch of models that I have decommissioned.  Maybe they fell from their shelf in cleaning.  Maybe they broke in one of the many moves I made.  Maybe they weren't as well done as I would have liked and became euthanized.  In the case of one of my top fuel dragsters, I broke some pieces putting it together and became so frustrated that I stopped building it and sent the strong parts to the box.

So what am I going to do with all of this?  Besides the aforementioned flatcar loads, I have the same dream as many modellers do.  I plan (and plan is a good word, as it may never get beyond the planning stage) to build a great diorama.  These parts will look excellent it that.  These parts will make that diorama look amazing...I hope.  This diorama will most likely be some kind of car shop diorama.  The extra car parts (the tires, the engines, the seats, should all fit in perfectly.  So I guess that means I will be holding onto them for a little while longer.

What about you readers?  What do you do with your parts boxes?  I would love to see some examples.

My initial reactions on having a spray booth

 

I had been planning on purchasing a spray booth for quite some time.  I finally took the plunge and got it set up in my reorganized hobby room.  (See last post for reorganization)  The booth is portable and sets up pretty easily.  I have the complete venting hose so I can run it outside with only a small window crack, which is important when you are living in Canada and it is winter.

My initial reactions are quite positive.  The things that strike me conclusively are:

• better air quality  (a major plus!)
• better visibility with the light attachment
• less overspray

I have only used it twice, but have felt good about it.  There are some things it doesn't do.  It doesn't:

• improve the way I mix the paint and set the air pressure--improperly mixed paints and incorrect settings cause splotches and poorly atomized paint spray.
• improve my painting technique--practice makes perfect
• hide my mistakes--you'll notice that I didn't use the macro lens.

I certainly don't regret my decision.  I have other areas to improve upon, but having the right equipment is not a mistake.

Getting Organized

The first step in getting back to my model hobby is to earnestly get my hobby desk in order.  While that sounds like a good idea, until you have to move about 30 small paint bottles, little by little, you don't realize that this is a bit of an undertaking.

I have included a before and after shot, just so you can see what I am working with.  It isn't as brightly lit as I would like...but I shouldn't complain.  It isn't like I can't go buy another lamp.

 



Before

If you are interested in my thoughts on organization, and want to read more, please check out my other blog. https://todaysperfectmoment.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/the-better-organized-me/

It isn't really about hobbies, but some of the better writing I have done lately is there.

More organized
 



As you can see by the shot, I have made the decision to purchase a spray booth.  From a health perspective, this was a no brainer.  While all of the paints I use say they are "non-toxic" I fear that a phrase like that, translate through lawyers and other legal jargon, really means, "not as toxic as poison, so you can't sue us, but still not great for your lungs."  I haven't used it yet, but hopefully today or tomorrow.







Hobby Hacks: Hobby Hack Number One

 

While I am waiting for my model helicopter parts to dry, I thought I would share something with you.  I have decided to call this a hobby hack.  These are useful tips that one can use while making models or other hobbies.

I can't remember exactly where I bought these clips, but I am pretty sure it was a dollar store.  I can't guarantee it was in Canada because it might have been from a 100 yen shop in Japan.  Sorry.

I am pretty sure I bought them to clamp something together, or hold something together while the glue was drying.  The funny thing is that I have never used them for that.  I think the clips are a bit too strong and could harm or scratch something (probably not, but you never know).  Instead I found a cool use for them.

They make a great stand for parts sprues while they are drying.  Let's call this hobby hack number one.

Hobby Progress

I just wanted to update people on my hobby progress.  Quite a long time ago I featured the painting of a train building I was working on.  It is finally finished and I thought you would like to take a look at it.

This was the only the second train building I have made, so it is not perfect, but I am happy with the results, and I will continue to make them, hopefully improving every time.  I haven't added any roof details, but I purchased the kit, so perhaps sometime later today.

I am not sure this will go on my layout, because I am hoping to build better one--perhaps adding some window details or signs. 

The model featured is Design Preservation Model, Haye's Hardware.  It was painted with Polly Scale paints, and the roof is done with Woodland Scenics coal.

When Something Needs Stirring...

 

 

We've all said it.  You've said, I've said it.  Like I said, we've all said it. You buy average tools all the time, and you buy quality tools only once.  Or maybe you said, the right tool makes the job easier.  The question is, do you really believe it?

I was doing some painting yesterday.  I noticed the paint needed to stirred up.  So I reached for my official Tamiya paint stirrer.  Yes, that's right.  I have an official paint stirrer.  I could have used a tooth pick, but I employed the paint stirring tool.

At a 300 yen price tag (actually I bought it for 240 yen...and I won't tell you where just in case Tamiya takes their recommended sales price overly seriously) I could have bought a box or two of toothpicks.  All I can really say, is that it was definitely worth it.  Two hundred and forty yen is just shy of three Canadian dollars, when tax is figured in.  Of course, I bought it in Japan, so if I include the price of airfare the overall price really skyrockets.

It isn't so much that it works better than a toothpick, or that I couldn't have MacGyvered something similar with a coat hanger, but I just feel that much more purposeful.  I feel like I am really working on a project and that the project is not working on me.  It is one less thing to worry about while I concentrate on the real task.

Sometimes you just need to have the right tools.  In my various hobbies, I have spent the money sometimes, and cheaped out sometimes.  Sometimes I have been creative and found very workable things at dollar stores.  Who knows?  All I know for sure is that the money I spent on the paint stirrers was not a waste.

Lindberg's 1949 Tudor Coupe 1/32 scale

 

Usually shopping at Dollarama means looking for scratch building supplies or looking for some container that I need to organize my hobby stuff.  Today I came across a model kit for sale.  The price was a reasonable three bucks.  Hard to complain about that.  Of course, I once got a 1/24 Scale Ford Fairlane for $2 from Walmart, but since they don't have models anymore, that was probably an unannounced clearance sale.

I really don't need any more models.  I've got a shelf  full of unbuilt kits, and dozens of other hobbies to pursue--not to mention umpteen household chores that have been the victim of procrastination.  I guess curiosity got the better of me, and by writing this, hopefully it won't get the better of you.  You will be armed with knowledge before scouring the Dollarama.

 

So, what came in the box?  Watch the YouTube video if you want to see the unboxing.  It will give you a good idea of what is inside.  Basically, this is a bare bones kit if I have ever seen one. No chrome, no rubber tires, the body comes in three pieces (and those other pieces are the sides, not the hood and truck lid) no engine and no decals of any kind.  The wheels are all plastic and need to be glued together.

Is this a good kit?  Well, for three dollars, I wasn't expecting a Tamiya masterpiece.  I am pretty satisfied with the contents of the box.  The mould lines look good, and I don't see any sink holes or injection marks....so I really shouldn't complain.  With some good painting, and putty to fill up the gaps, this will turn into an acceptable model.  I will post pictures when I can.  I've got some bare metal foil to make the bumpers and grill, and I certainly have enough paint.  Mostly, I am probably worried more about what colour to paint it.  Red looks good, but I have never painted a red model that I have been satsified with.

The Dollarama in my neighbourhood had 3 different models:  two convertibles and this one.  If anyone finds different ones, please post here.  If anyone has completed one, feel free to send some pictures.

Limits

When I tell people I have a lot of hobbies they mostly ask what they are and leave it at that.  The more adventurous ones might wonder how I can afford it.  Funny though, no one wonders where I keep it all.

I have written a couple of blogs about storage, but that's common to all hobbyists.  We've all got tools and supplies and various other equipment.  It takes up space, but most of that is "out of the way" or stuffed into a closet.  There is always room for that stuff.  What nobody really stops to consider is what do you do with the finished products.

If you have a hobby that results in some finished product, you might want to display it.  In some cases you've got to display it.  Sure, you can give some of it away--some people do crafts that turn into Christmas presents.  But, how many times do your family and friends want that stuff?  If it is a quilt, you probably don't mind having six or seven of them, but how many wool sweaters do you want?  How many hooked rugs do you need?  How many paint by numbers can adorn your walls?

Okay, some of these crafts are beautiful.  Hence the reason I wrote that you've got to display them.  Sometimes these crafts are so integral to your life that everyone expects to see them on display at your house.  No problem there.

I, Jack of all hobbies, however, have so many hobbies, and do not often produce things of display quality.  What do I do then?

Limits.  I have limits.  There are only so many of one thing that I can have before it needs to get pared down.  If I make a good car model, it usually displaces a model I am less happy with (though some parts end up in the parts box for that diorama I am going to do someday).  I've only go so much shelf space, and the better models make the bad ones look rather poor.

New magazines displace old ones--or more likely, deluxe editions of books put out by these magazine publishers displace the magazines.  Realizing that they had me paying twice, I read the magazines at the library and only buy the books....but this is a topic for another day.

Train stuff....well, I can always make more room for train stuff.  I am into N scale, and that doesn't really take up  a lot of room.....besides, you've got to have priorities, and you've got to rationalize.

Take my latest puzzle.  I did it because I liked trains.  I thought about putting it up over in the room where there will be a train...but then I realized that wall space was at a premium, and I had already done a couple of other train puzzles that I thought were better than this one.  So what could I do?  Despite my pack rat nature, I am going to pass this puzzle off to someone else who will have to figure out what to do with it once they are done.

Too Much vs Not Enough

 

 

If I didn't include the vast amount of "things Japanese" that I am interested in, I would have to say that building things (plastic models, nanoblocks, etc) is my hobby.  I built cars, motorcycles, trucks, military vehicles, planes, ships and even buildings.  I think model kits and the like are just fantastic.

I am wondering, though, what exactly is "enough".  I have watched some great TV programs (plamo tsukuro--a Japanese model program that you should be able to find on YouTube if they don't delete it, which is truly fantastic) and been to some shows to see the expert work of some people.  In the show I mentioned they labour for a long time over small details.  They spend vast sums of money on detail parts.  It is truly incredible.  As stated before, I have never completed a model I was truly satisfied with.  I have had one or two really good paint jobs, one or two good ideas, maybe even one or two of my decals has actually gone in the right place..... but never anything approaching expert level.

Is it because I am not enough of a perfectionist?  As already demonstrated, I get bored easily, and quickly change to other hobbies and interests.  I don't really want to do the same thing for too long a period of time.  I have had a couple of models on my workbench, and I am thinking that I would rather just chuck them out, than complete them (though that won't happen, they may have to go back in the box for a while).

One of my friends is a perfectionist.  He will spend a lot of time on one model.  He has been working on one warhammer figure for a long time now. (I won't tell you how long, because in all fairness, I have no idea)  Needless to say, when he gets done, it will be fantastic--show worthy.  When I get done, I am not sure if it is even personal showcase worthy.  Sometimes, I just chalk them up to a "personal experiment."  Which is probably a euphemism for mistake.

Spending a lot of time and money on a hobby isn't really bad.  When you figure the dollar value versus the time you spent, there are certainly other interests that cost more.  An hour or two at the pub costs more than a model and paint.  Which one takes more time....well for me, the model will last months.

The question remains.  How far should you take it, and what are you willing to settle for?

Things Get in the Way

Life gets in the way of hobbies.  There, I said it.  Most of you were thinking it, but you didn't want to say it.  It isn't the adult thing to do.  Hobbies are supposed to come after everything else in life, not the other way around.

Perhaps that is true......but I don't always think that way.

In a perfect world my hobbies would be my job.  There would be a way for my hobbies to support me, and fund themselves in the process.  By the way, if you think that is what this blog is for, you'd be partly right.  Someday, someday far in the future, I might have enough readers that this blog makes money..... but that isn't the case right now.  Right now, this blog is more like writing practice.  It would be wonderful if it became more than that, but I don't know if or when that will ever happen.

Besides that necessary evil called work, life is full of things that take the hobbyist away from the hobbies.  Household chores, inside and out, are a huge impediment to getting down to hobbies.  If clean clothes and dishes are not a big priority, perhaps some more hobby time could be squeezed in.  Of course, here in the Great White North, if you don't shovel, you won't be able to leave..... perhaps that could lead to more hobby time.

Most of you, have other responsibilities that eat away at hobby time.  If not responsibilities, there are other things to get in the way.  Today is the Daytona 500.  Anybody who likes modeling cars, might want to watch the race.  Take those hours out of the hobby time.  It has been said many times, something's got to give.

I want to hear from anyone who reads this blog.  How do you set aside time to pursue your hobbies?  What gets in your way?

An Easy Place to Have a Conversation

I don't spend a lot of time talking to random people in public.  I am friendly, just not that outgoing.  I don't really want to bother people.  The funny thing is, that usually doesn't apply to visits to the hobby store.  In the hobby store, or at hobby shows, I find myself drawn into all kinds of conversations--sometimes not even about hobbies.

 

 

If I had to guess, I would say that there is something special about hobby shops.  The atmosphere lends itself to conversations that you might not otherwise have.  This is true of other hobby related shops as well.  I have had some rather interesting conversations at comic books stores...but since everyone has seen episodes of The Big Bang Theory, this is no longer a nerd only shared mystery.  Some people might think that the show is an exaggeration.....how wrong they would be.

The hobby shop, or comic book shop, or some other specialist shop, is an easy place to have a conversation.  Most people have too much knowledge to contain within themselves for too long, so they have to let it out.  Most of the time the advice I have received has been wonderful and amazing.  Some times I took it, and sometimes I didn't--sometimes that was a smart move, and sometimes I regret not taking it....such is life.

The most interesting of these times for me were in Japan.  Hobby nerd that I am --I wish I could say hobby professional, but until this blog is seen by thousands I day, I can't really do that..... but I digress.  Hobby nerd that I am, I have been to hobby shops in Japan.  I have been to model shops, train shops, electronic shops.  Yes, I have been to the nerd Mecca of Akihabara.  My Japanese is pretty good, but I always feel better when I can strike up a conversation in a hobby shop.  I come away feeling pretty good about my skills, and I have usually picked up quite a few words to add to my vocabulary.

For those of you who are even less outgoing than myself, but still want to strike up a conversation, I suggest wondering something out loud.  It should work like a charm.

New Years Hobby Resolutions

Most people make resolutions for the New Year.  These usually involve promises to quit smoking, or join a gym, or other various forms of condemnation of procrastination.  I am not immune to this.  I have made those same kinds of resolutions (losing weight etc) but these are not really about hobbies.  For hobbies I have a separate list.

1. Don't start new hobbies if progress has not been made in other hobbies.  Nothing is worse than having a bunch of stuff gathering dust on a shelf or in a closet.
2. Don't become a collector.  Collecting stuff means having more than you can use.  Most hobbyists, myself included, have more model kits than they can build, more trains than they can run, more books than they can read, more paints than they can use before they dry up, and more money invested in non moving stock.
3. Have more patience.  Nothing can ruin a good hobby than lack of patience.  I can't count how many paint jobs or decal applications that have been ruined because I didn't take my time.  Sometimes a near perfect paintjob was ruined because I wouldn't let it sit long enough--the results were good CSI quality fingerprints.
4. Get a better handle on this whole blogging thing.  I have enjoyed blogging, but I don't quite know how to expand the audience of this blog.
5. Take better pictures for the blog.  I haven't done a bad job, but a quick tour around the World Wide Web, clearly indicates I could do better.
6. Enjoy my hobbies more.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my hobbies, but I think there could always be room for improvement.  Enjoying life fully is not as easy as people think.  While hobbies are supposed to be a relief from pressure, they often create their own pressures. (see the previous five points and then tell me if I am wrong)
7. Complete more.  If you've read this blog for a while, you might conclude that the sheer number of hobbies I have means that I don't complete a lot, and you'd be right.  I hope that 2013 is different.

 

Happy New Year Everyone