Do you model for looks or realism/accuracy

[lacrosse dad]

So, working on my present project I'm laying down decals, AND looking through my spare decals I found some warning decals for this or that from an old Vigilante kit and I decided to put them on the F-14. Purists might disagree but man they are looking cool.....what say the masses?

 

[urumomo]

there are no rules

 

[Eagle-1]

So, working on my present project I'm laying down decals, AND looking through my spare decals I found some warning decals for this or that from an old Vigilante kit and I decided to put them on the F-14. Purists might disagree but man they are looking cool.....what say the masses?

Who bought it?

Rob.

 

[BarleyBop]

Who was there, Sarge? You or me?

 

[Edbert]

To me the requirement is that it looks real, as if you were transported back in time, or forwards.

If it replicates an original historical thing down to every last detail...

That is cool AF.

If it is something you totally made up, but looks "right".

That is cool AF.

If it makes me think Aliens-2 is a documentary?

Yup, cool AF!

 

[BarleyBop]

...Cool Air Force, I like that!

 

[MJY65]

I don't mix decals from the "wrong" aircraft, but I've certainly been known to skip some of the hundreds of tiny stencils that are present on some (F-4). Either way, it's not 100% authentic. If the audience is you, who cares?

 

[Recurve]

To me, model building is art and a form of expression, I've had the exact same questions but decided.... I'm going to be the one looking at it on my shelf, so I'm doing what I think is cool,...plus ...99% of the people who will see it won't know the difference anyway.
I enjoy taking WW2 pinup girls and placing them on my more modern aircraft ...looks great

 

[the Baron]

A little of both, for me. I like detail and accuracy in a kit, but I'm not a Hyperscaler. I don't like the stylized panel line shading so beloved by IPMS builders and judges, for example. Or the overdone shading on figures. It might photograph well for box art, but it's not what a person looks like, in normal lighting, viewed outside. And there are reasons for using some techniques, to depict something very specific, out of the ordinary, let's say.
But generally, I like detail, but I'm not a rivet Nazi.

 

[Jakko]

It depends. I build a good number of models to replicate specific vehicles from photographs as closely as I can, but others as completely generic. Whichever strikes my fancy, really.

Some example of the former:

And of the latter:

 

[Mopar]

If it makes you happy, that's what counts. I served 21 years in the Army, so I'm more for realism and accuracy.

 

[Recurve]

It also might depend on how you present it...

 

[BarleyBop]

Sometimes it's just about trying something you haven't done before, new subject matter, new technique...
it's great to post pics,
get feedback,
but in the end,
it's me,
working at the bench,
getting into that groove,
riffing on some detail,
or feel,
or reference pic,
relating what I read or learned about
a vehicle,
a regiment,
a battle,
a locale,
to that object in my hand,
with only my tunes,
a cup of something tasty,
and my thoughts for company.

 

[Jim62]

I went to a garden party and learned you can't please everyone so you gotta please yourself.

 

[Steve Ski]

Ruck On, I say, Ruck On! and again, I say, Ruck On!

 

[Droopy]

It's all about what you like... People are fickle. Even if you are building for competition, there's no guarantee the judges will view your 'realism' the way you do. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has seen absolutely magnificent works not even place, because the contest judge thought the weathering was 'too heavy'. One contest in particular sticks out to me from year's ago. A buddy was building super detailed 'World of Outlaws' Sprint Cars, spending a year or more to complete.He would even scratchbuild his own heim joints. One contest he didn't even place because he did not add a gloss clear coat. He just polished up the paint and applied the decals.
Well...if you know anything about racecars...all those sponsorship logo's on the real cars? Those are vinyl stickers... there's little to no shine to them at all.

Talk about a kick in the teeth..

 

[Pantherman]

So, working on my present project I'm laying down decals, AND looking through my spare decals I found some warning decals for this or that from an old Vigilante kit and I decided to put them on the F-14. Purists might disagree but man they are looking cool.....what say the masses?

It's your model so do whatever you want with it. It's OK to be fairly accurate but sometimes you just have to let loose. Pantherman

 

[TimM63]

It's your model so do whatever you want with it. It's OK to be fairly accurate but sometimes you just have to let loose. Pantherman
View attachment 135975View attachment 135976

I love this tank!!

 

[Airborne01!]

If it makes you happy, that's what counts. I served 21 years in the Army, so I'm more for realism and accuracy.

21 years? Brit or US? I served two years in the Merchant Navy followed by 24 years in a couple of Regiments/Corps (Para/Int Corp etc). I then joined the Boring Bastards Brigade and qualified as a Civil Engineer - no wonder I retired at 60! I go for the 'if it looks right, if it feels right, if my mates think it's 'right- then it probably is and I'm satisfied! approach.
Steve

 

[Recurve]

You can be accurate to a point but to me this is an art form, and art is expressive, so be creative and have fun, in the end you are the one looking at it more than anyone else

 

[airdave]

It's your model so do whatever you want with it. It's OK to be fairly accurate but sometimes you just have to let loose. Pantherman
View attachment 135975

oh man, this is beautiful!!!
that colour is out of sight.
and it really shows how much fun you can have with any subject.

 

[Pantherman]

oh man, this is beautiful!!!
that colour is out of sight.
and it really shows how much fun you can have with any subject.

Thanks. Fun is the reason we do this, although sometimes the kit kinda takes the wind out of your sails. Pantherman

 

[locomotive]

I build as an art form. Which sounds really ******* pretentious!
But I mean I don't strive for total accuracy. I want to portray an emotion, a sense of location, of size, of disrepair or any one of a dozen other things.
I always take the position that when you look at real thing, a tank for example, you see it from several metres (or feet for our colonial cousins) and that's how I build. As of a scale me was several cms (or inches) away.
So build as you like. Sod anyone else!

 

[Littlemarten]

So, working on my present project I'm laying down decals, AND looking through my spare decals I found some warning decals for this or that from an old Vigilante kit and I decided to put them on the F-14. Purists might disagree but man they are looking cool.....what say the masses?

What is this reality of which you speak?

Seriously, this is supposed to be fun. I generally prefer as much realism as can be gotten from a scale model, but even with a microscope (Yes, I have used one on several builds. ) there's a limit. On the other hand, if you are modeling SF or fantasy, what is "real?"

And there are times I like a "factory fresh" or museum appearance.

De gustibus non disputandem est.

 

[MJY65]

And there are times I like a "factory fresh" or museum appearance.

That's always a dilemma for me, especially when doing subjects like Cold War jets. The real life examples you see are often either perfectly restored (probably better than factory fresh) or sitting outdoors with 50 years of sun and bird droppings having faded and destroyed the finish. There's also the variability from where it was deployed. A jet that spent much of its life in an alert hangar in the northern part of the US is going to look a lot better than one that lived on a carrier deck at sea.

 

[blakeh1]

I do both.

I have slavishly copied stuff, and other times done total free-for-all

In the end I do not think anyone would bat an eye or even notice as long as the decals look the part.

There is also lots of room for "what-ifs"

 

[Heavy 7]

,Likewise, both as close as possible.

Pep

 

[Rockin' Rob]

View attachment 135934
Who was there, Sarge? You or me?

You build TOY PLANES....???

 

[Wig41]

I agree with letting loose from time to time!

 

[Down Time]

I kinda lean towards that fresh off of the assembly line look.