A case of anal retention?

[EW]

Yesterday was the monthly meeting and competition at the local IPMS chapter and it wasn't exactly the first time I attended, if you catch my drift. Anyway, I brought my 1/48 Bf 109 G6/R6, painted in German desert camo*, which has given me some considerable headache and frayed nerves. Must also add that it is the first German a/c I built as an adult.

 

The only pre-determined rules for the contest is that each member has to grade each model between 1 to 4, where 4 is the highest mark. Other than that it's up to each individual to use their own critera to define a "good kit". So if you don't like "Tom" for some reason, just give him a "1" and so on.

 

Sat in one of the couches BS'ing and explaining my conspiracy theory about the "Evil megalomaniac Danes that wan't to conqour Sweden" when I noticed at the corner of my eye, that one bloke had produced a f****** flashlight and started doing a "dental exam" of each kit. And just like vultures under the gleaming beam, the hardcore Germanophiles gathered at my 109 and had a vivid discussion. I couldn't hear what they said but by their body language I could tell, that they were "commited". As a comparison the judges at the Nationals don't use flashlights and other instruments.

 

My 109 ended up in second and the winner earned it's rightful place. But the question is as follows. What's acceptable behaviour? I could really "go on and on" about what I think about modellers and social skills, and a/c fans in particular, but I refrain from that in respect to the other members here, that I haven't met in person.

 

*One of the "experts asked me if it was a Marsielle machine

 

EW

 

 

 

[Edited by Ensign wanker (05 Feb 2004).]

[Jacques]

You are not the only one who distress' and is annoyed by the flashlight and dental mirror crowd. I feel it is going too far on a hobby that is supposed to be fun. I think these particular people have lost perspective, and that this aspect of the hobby is the only way, in their mind, to exert some power. That being said, and knowing some of these people personally, they also generally fall into the "I still can't believe the German's lost WWII" crowd.

 

And, for comfort's sake, i have personally seen Shep Paine take a penlight away from a judge and tell him he could have it back after the judging was done. I almost cried out of joy.

[DougRichards]

I remember reading the instructions that one model club gave to everyone who was thinking of competing.

 

It included bringing in comprehensive references for the origianl of the model that is being portrayed and thejudges also had to see the instructions that came with the kit.

 

So much for scratch building or kit bashing to get the desired result.

 

Also, the model was not to be fixed to a base, as the judges wanted to ne able to look underneath all models.

[EW]

Sorry for starting this rather pointless topic, since there's no solution to this phenomenae/problem. Anyway, I find it rather "ironic" that the "Messerschmitters" own behaviour, to a high degree limits their own artistic freedom as modellers. I mean, are there any more grateful objects, than German WWII a/c, for a creative mind? All these beautiful camos and color schemes and so on.

 

Recently we have endured several threads about the "correct" weathering of a/c at our forum (of which I've choosen not to participate in) I find it astonishing that some individuals persist to formulate their opinions as "absolute thruths" and "facts". I mean how often do we come across these so called "absolute truths" in real life? My stance is that if "you" wan't to weather your P-47 so that it resembles a tank, I've got no problem with that and so on. Live and let live.

 

Finally, I just don't understand why this "issue" is so sensitive? Everytime this topic is brought up, the emotions runs high. It's almost like people are discussing religion instead of weathering/modelling. And we're supposed to act like adults So if someone can offer some theories that sheds some light on this childish behaviour, I would like to hear them.

 

EW

 

<Clumsy fingers>

 

 

[Edited by Ensign wanker (08 Feb 2004).]

[DougRichards]

I think that one of the problems may be the way that people look at the hobby, and the extent of their own lives.

 

To me, a model is a representation of an object, whether that object has ever existed in reality or not (otherwise science fiction and fantasy modelling should simply not be considered as part of the hobby). Sometimes the representation that is not strickly 'accurate' can be better at representing something than thea 100% accurate minature likeness. An example are figures, some one which, if blown to to life size, would not look at all realistic, but when reduced to 1/35 or whatever are entirely believable.

 

Another aspect is 'scale colour' that is, when we look at a real object from a distance it is a different shade than when we look close up. Does the modeller have to decide at what distance his creation is to be viewed before he or she starts painting it?

 

And I can just imagine the arguments at the judging stage of competitions:

 

Judge: "That paintwork isn't dark enough"

Modeller: "That is because you are looking at it from 50 scale feet away and you are meant to bhe looking at it from 150 scale feet away!!!!"

 

And so you remember the old arguments over panel lines? All those aircraft with highlighted lines that you would never see in reality, when an etched line, without highlighting but in the right light to provide just a hint of shadow to show the accurate location of the real line.

 

Ah, the rivet counters too, and how many people can even see all the rivets on a real aircraft 288 feet away? ie 4 feet in 1/72 scale.

 

I could go on.

 

[Edited by DougRichards (08 Feb 2004).]

[Michael Eastes]

Having been a hobbyist in several hobbies, I can forthrightly say that there are a lot of nutcases involved in all of them.

 

It doesn't matter how great the model is. Anytime someone brought in a superior model to display at the S.Calif. store where I worked briefly, some self-appointed expert would pipe up with, "But that's supposed to be a LEFT- threaded foistboinder on that version! This modeller is an idiot!"

 

It grew tiresome, but never went away. Hobbyists are fanatical by nature, so don't expect these sorts of practices to fade away.

[Jacques]

fade away...no...but there are some mighty EXPLOSIONS! I still remember the story people tell about Lious Perneau and his tantrum at the MMSI show...

 

...probably the main reason people get so "bent" is that it takes a lot of work and effort to get all those details right, and then to have so many overlook all that effort in light of the more superficial aspects. What was the rule to winning a contest...big and red? I too have thrown "pearls before swine", but I guess I did not take it too seriously. It is hard to hear people prefer a, sorry to say this, obviously inferior tank (I mean, for crying out loud, he painted it with a BRUSH, real brush hairs still stuck in the paint) to one of mine just because it looked, and I quote "cooler". Of course, the guy judging was fromthe RC dept, soooooooo

 

I just laughed it off. I was glad to see all the young people involved and as long as we keep getting some younger people in, I think we are all good.

 

But if I start to turn into one of "them", somebody intervene....

[Steven P Allen]

Originally posted by Jacques:

It is hard to hear people prefer a, sorry to say this, obviously inferior tank (I mean, for crying out loud, he painted it with a BRUSH, real brush hairs still stuck in the paint) to one of mine just because it looked, and I quote "cooler".

 

Well, as many real tanks were painted with mops (I've got pics!), a brush more accurately reflects their paint job in scale, and I have no doubt that some of those mops lost strings (that then stuck to the tanks). . . . .

 

[ShotMagnet]

So if someone can offer some theories that sheds some light on this childish behaviour, I would like to hear them.

 

As mentioned, people who devote a lot of time and effort to their hobby(ies) run the risk of simultaneously losing perspective. I do a lot of wargaming, the same thing happens to these folks. The realism and historical accuracy arguments are enough to make one's head explode.

There is, to some extent, a real benefit to getting the details right for any hobby. Where it falls down is when the individual fails to maintain proper perspective.

I recently completed a Pz IV, electing to go with split TC cupola hatches even though I knew that the split hatches were incorrect for this particular variant. I did it because I liked how it looked, and I could even justify doing on the grounds that the original cupola could have been shot off/damaged/otherwise in need of replacement, and the only option was to replace it with an earlier model. This is actually authentic; the needs of maintenance will dictate, on a fairly regular basis, the substitution of earlier components.

Will a contest judge appreciate my respect for maintenance authenticity? Probably not. Do I care? Again probably not.

Fanaticism is inevitable in every hobby. So too are the appearances of hyper-critical 'experts' for whom the enjoyment of the hobby has long ago been perverted into a continous exercising and display of that one's knowledge of the subject at hand. That's the bad news.

The good news is that it gives the rest of us, the people with a little more equipoise, something to laugh at.

 

Shot