Have you ever smashed a model?
I mean really trashed it.
And not to recreate a prototype photo or to model an effect. Have you ever been soooo FRUSTRATED that something wasn’t working out the way that you wanted it to, that you just said ‘F*%K-IT‘ and smash…you destroyed it? I admit it, I have.
If by some super-human feat of self-control you have not, I bet you’ve been close and wanted to.
But here’s the thing. I don’t feel that way anymore. And I have the hobby of model railroading, in part, to thank for that.
This is a hobby for patient people. I’ve learned that projects can’t be rushed, steps need to be followed in logical and methodical, well thought out order, or mistakes happen. First fill, then wait, then sand and wait, then prime and let dry, then paint one thin coat and let dry, then repeat… dear God can’t I get this done TONIGHT? And when I inevitably do try to shortcut the process, and the model gets ruined, I have a choice. Trash it or fit it.
Funny thing is that it can almost always be fixed. And fixing the mistake is sooo satisfying. I really enjoy the feeling of working through the fix and coming out the backend with something, that in some cases, is even better than the original.
And for those unlucky models that don’t quite work out, as the pic above shows, there is always a creative and prototypical way to use those rejects on the layout.
This might just be the beginning of a series of blog posts titled, ‘Lessons I’ve Learned from the Hobby‘.