Blog – Page 2

The value of contests

I recently posted pictures of my high school era models. I noticed that several of them had ribbons/trophies next to them and it reminded me how much I loved the contests. They really had an impact on me. I wasn't trophy hunting for the sake of collecting, I was working hard to learn and grow and create something that would be recognized. It wasn't about the ribbon or the plaque, it was about the validation that what I was proud of was something that other people, talented modelers recognized as something "good". This meant a lot to me. I still remember the period of time where I didn't want to win in the Junior category, I wanted to compete (and almost certainly lose) in the main categories. With all the kerfuffle happening with the IPMS and judging and so many grumpy old men saying "it's just a plastic toy why are you [...]

By Jake|2023-10-10T22:41:44-05:00October 10th, 2023|Modeling thoughts|0 Comments

Building a digital stash and the future of model kit buying

Before my iPhone had immediate access to any song I wanted thanks to the iTunes store and my Apple Music subscription, before the iPod allowed me to turn my own CDs into portable music, there was Napster and my shiny new iRiver MP3 player. Finding and downloading music, ensuring it was a quality file (and actually the music I was expecting it to be), and getting it transferred to my device was a huge, massive pain in the ass. But I could see through the cracks in the clusterfuckery juuuuust enough to know that something cool was going to happen. For years before the iPhone and Apple Music, I kept saying to myself "one day this is going to be so damn easy I won't ever have to stop and think about it, it'll all just be there when I'm ready to listen". We're seeing through the cracks with 3D printing [...]

By Jake|2023-10-06T13:02:05-05:00October 3rd, 2023|Modeling thoughts|2 Comments

Intrusive thoughts, drugs, and the fine art of model making

With a blog title like that, I feel like I need a crazy Hunter S. Thompson level story to tell. This is not that story. Well... maybe? Nah, the drugs in this story are of the prescribed variety. A few months back, I started taking Zoloft every day. If you're not familiar with this particular SSRI drug, it's prescribed for depression and anxiety. I'm not positive about my potential depression, but oh boy have I suffered my entire life from anxiety. You know that show "Dexter" about the serial killer who calls his desire to murder his "dark passenger"? Well, I have one of those dark passengers too. Mine isn't of the "let's kill them all" variety (unless they are not using their turn signals, and then that's a different story all together). My dark passenger is a voice in my head screaming "YOU AREN'T DOING THIS RIGHT!! YOU REALLY SUCK [...]

By Jake|2023-09-20T17:10:31-05:00September 20th, 2023|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Review: Sd. Kfz. 250/1 (Cyber Hobby)

Overall, this is a nice little kit that built up quickly. Over one evening and the better portion of the next day, I was able to complete the model, sans-paint. There is almost no flash (more on this in a second), and seam lines are mostly in good places. The instructions were clear, with a few exceptions noted below, and the kit, despite being fairly simplistic in its part count, doesn’t look half bad at the end. [Read the review]

By Jake|2023-09-14T17:04:59-05:00September 14th, 2023|Reviews|0 Comments

A series of insulation foam tests

As you may know if you follow this blog, I have a certain obsession with learning all I can about insulation foam. Yeah, we all have our nerd lusts. When I started working on my latest project, the Model T vignette, I played around with a few materials to build the vignette base. Here are some thoughts on my findings. Foam sealer/texturizer Deluxe Materials Foam Armour Thick water based resin that sets to produce an attractive, durable, scratch resistant coating on foam to prevent dings, wear and disintegration. It dries to a surface that can be painted and glued easily and will reduce damage. This stuff brushed/spread on clear and has a bit of a rubbery texture when dry. I gently sanded it and was surprised it actually sanded. I didn't expect it to be that hard. As you can see in the picture, there was some waviness to it, but [...]

By Jake|2023-09-11T15:55:38-05:00September 11th, 2023|Random thoughts|2 Comments

Tool Hack: Pill bottle painting/storage

Simple tool hack that I'm starting to try: turn a large screw top pill bottle into a figure painting holder AND storage container. I drilled a small hole in the lid and stick the pin from the figure's foot through the hole. A glob of super glue locked it in place. I'm going to continue trying other things (hot glue for one) since the super glue required accelerator to stick... and even then it's really not sticking to the lid as much as creating a mechanical "lock" effect between the dried glue glob on one side of the lid and the figure's foot on the other side. If you travel and paint figures, this is a nice way to protect them!

By Jake|2023-09-09T21:48:12-05:00September 9th, 2023|Tips & Tricks|0 Comments

Free STL: Airbrush hanger for your spray booth

Several months back, I had the good fortune to get a few tutorials on Fusion360 from Will Pattison as I hack my way through learning how to model 3D stuff. One of the projects we worked on was an airbrush hanger for the inside of my spray booth. Paying it forward (and back) to the community that gives me so much every day, I wanted to share that file for you to download and print too. Have fun! Download Airbrush Hanger STL

By Jake|2023-09-08T17:53:43-05:00September 8th, 2023|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Everyone loves models

Steve Spielberg, JJ Abrams, Guillermo del Toro... sitting around on Sunday afternoons building model kits. So cool to be in such impressive company. Skip to 6:37 Guillermo says ... "When I was a kid and they told me if I went to Hollywood you'll be surrounded by models"... hahaha! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz_DcwPwLFU

By Jake|2023-05-21T18:59:12-05:00May 21st, 2023|Inspiration|0 Comments

This is supposed to be fun…. why the perfectionism??

I'm the first to admit that I have a decent touch of OCD and a desire to create perfection in most anything I touch. Whether photography, cooking, scale modeling, or my work, I'm not here to fuck around. I love producing results that are world class. I love playing in the big leagues, not the minors. When I was in college I had an internship with a medical product design company. On the wall of the owner's office there was a framed Air Jordan shirt that said: "Somewhere someone is practicing and when you meet them, they will beat you" I struggled that summer to understand how that was a message worthy of framing. At the end of the summer as my internship was closing, I just asked him: What the hell is that doing on the wall. He told me simply that this was a reminder that there is always [...]

By Jake|2023-03-10T09:21:13-06:00March 10th, 2023|Random thoughts|0 Comments

The Modeling News: A great site!

If you don't follow The Modeling News (https://www.themodellingnews.com/), you absolutely should. I lose track of this site from time to time and am always surprised by how much time I can just spend browsing the content. They have mostly updates about product releases, but also share links to Kickstarters, build logs, etc.

By Jake|2022-11-07T12:12:31-06:00November 7th, 2022|Random thoughts|0 Comments