Bit of an abstract topic.

The other day I found myself idly scrolling through buildings kits for sale on a website, and a thought occurred to me. After doing a certain amount of kits, and a certain amount of scratch-building, including (sorry) some ships which is my other thing: I now know that I could in theory scratchbuild most all of these structures.

I don't mean that I could just rustle up a precise and detailed professional model railway building right now, oh no, but that, given sufficient time, sweat, and frustration, such a thing would be possible. Not to mention small things like crates, loads, etc.

Whereas at the beginning this seemed like crazy talk, and I assumed that all scratchbuilders were actually architects for their day job. The realisation that what one human has done, another can, in theory, do. I was no longer a total noob. I was a small % less noob than I had been ...

This got me thinkin'. What are some other things you only realise about the hobby 'after a certain point'?

That me and electrickery will never be a match made in heaven :'(

That I'm infinitely better at starting things than I ever am at finis

I think the point arrives when you decide you're going to have a go at scratch building something. When it all (literally) falls apart you keep on going. Then, all of a sudden, you realise it hasn't fallen apart and you've got in front of you that building, tree, item of rolling stock or even loco is just what you hoped it would be.

Cheers

That a lot of tasks needed to make a model of a railway are pretty simple ones, if looked at objectively - I think people get scared by looking at the whole picture and not "bit by bit", therefore they won't push themselves to do what they most probably are capable of

Quote from: njee20 on July 24, 2015, 10:09:40 PM
That I'm infinitely better at starting things than I ever am at finis

   

One of the joys of the hobby...

The leaning of new skills and the sense of achievement when it goes right for the first time...

Quote from: JasonBz on July 24, 2015, 10:43:19 PM
That a lot of tasks needed to make a model of a railway are pretty simple ones, if looked at objectively - I think people get scared by looking at the whole picture and not "bit by bit", therefore they won't push themselves to do what they most probably are capable of

That's me although slowly finding my modeling skills, thing I have found for me is getting stuff I think I need before I actually do! I have finally learnt don't get it until I know I need it! may take a little longer and a few more trips but saves the pennies!!

That I really could lay and wire track in more than a simple oval...

Quote from: acko22 on July 25, 2015, 01:26:14 AM

Quote from: JasonBz on July 24, 2015, 10:43:19 PM
That a lot of tasks needed to make a model of a railway are pretty simple ones, if looked at objectively - I think people get scared by looking at the whole picture and not "bit by bit", therefore they won't push themselves to do what they most probably are capable of

That's me although slowly finding my modeling skills, thing I have found for me is getting stuff I think I need before I actually do! I have finally learnt don't get it until I know I need it! may take a little longer and a few more trips but saves the pennies!!

I do the opposite... Serependitiously purchase bits and pieces (usually from the sales bin) which look kind of neat, and work out what to do with them afterwards. I suppose it would be different if I was modelling a real location, but I'm making it up as I go along. Case in point - a while back I found a pair of Peco tunnel portals, and as they were dirt cheap and you don't find much Peco stuff in Japan I snapped them up with no particular plan, anyway after a while it occurred to me they would - suitably "bricked up" - make an excellent "dead end" for part of my layout and right now I'm building a hillside to embed them into.

I started off about a year ago with literally nothing, and it's actually taken me this long to start actually doing some scenic stuff. It definitely helps to have acquired a whole lot of bits'n'bobs including tools, generic scenic bits and the aforementioned random purchases. I've also been ferreting away a variety of non-modelling-specific items which look like they might be handy (my wife gives me odd looks - "what do you want with that junk?") such as some coffee-stirrers which have just come in handy.

Umm, anyway not up to scratchbuilding quite yet, but the more I mess around with this stuff, the more I can some point in the dim and distant future when I could have a crack at that.

Squid,

I had the general idea and when I saw something that look like it would fit the idea I got it then by the time I got home realized nope it didn't so now after doing this too many times I go out looking for that something I want not getting it because it may fit in lol!

To be honest I can see myself getting to that point pretty soon .

For me it's. If you want to do something get the right kit first. It costs a bit more up front but saves time and money in the long run.
This learnt when I tried soldering wire to my track with an old large soldering iron no flux no stand no chance ended up with a lot of melted sleepers and no connection

When I first came to this scale (not so long ago) I was of a mind to model a canal.

So wanting a quick solution as one does at the start 'cos you want to see the trains running I was taken by the 'Lyddle End' canal models which were obviously already well out of production.

Over a couple of months I managed purchased all the necessary bits from that well known web site where the price in not always right and chasing rarer items all over the country.

And Now? well you can guess, not now suitable for the current plans and I could have scratch built a better example.

Oh well, 'No fool like and old fool'.

Quote from: colpatben on July 26, 2015, 06:48:06 AM
No fool like and old fool'.

I say this to myself every morning as I look in the mirror, my wife agrees!

What does she know she's older than I am!

Nevertheless, non-finishing of projects is an inherited trait in my family!