Constant fear and anxiety of failure

[William1707821657]

I have been modelling for the long part of 2 years now , and I never used to care how my model looked , but the more I progressed and wanted a smooth finish on everything which I did eventually receive , but now it's the constant fear of messing the kit up and I can't stop worrying about the outcome , like I'll get all anxious if a part doesn't fit , or if there's gaps just wondering if you veterans could shed some light , many thanks 

will

[peebeep]

That's onset of what old hands refer to as AMS - Advanced Modellier's Syndrome. It's at its most serious when you get to the point of not being able to actually finish anything. The best treatment for it is to build something simply for kicks. Something you like the look of, not necessarily in your usual genre or genres. Build it out of the box, don't worry too much about parts fit, paint it, even if you don't have all the correct paints, use the kit decals, but have fun doing it. Stand back and admire your latest creation with all its imperfections, it will feel good. Bring back the joie de vivre to your hobby, because honestly, if you're not having fun what's the point?

[Padefc]

I can relate to wills post as I returned about 2 years ago the more you do the better you become the higher your expectation of you self,even filters down to tools/accessories you have even paints you own.the desire to achieve the best possible outcome can become all consuming.

i don't quite obsess over poor kit fits I simply make them work as best for me with what skillls I have on the other hand I've taken painting to a obsession since lockdow I've had tonnes of time were before I'd snatch a few hours a week now it's daily so painting has become the all important quest for perfection hence my airbrushing start and Vallejo paint buying spree I've spent hours online researching planes,tanks,decal, pilot uniforms to achieve some sort of improvement on a model by model basis.i am still along way off and have many floors to my game so to say but I really enjoy this hobby if you can call it a hobby maybe a passion would be more fitting.

as long as you enjoy it have fun that's the most important as without either you'd soon lose interest I know all round skills will improve you have to be patient some tools you do will make you happy and want everyone to see others you will consign to the bottom shelf just keep going it will come .

[Peter s]

There's very few of my models that don't have some minor issue somewhere (some have some big issues too!). 95% give me a lot of pleasure making them and I'm usually happy with the end result but I'll describe them a "B+" then end up doing the same kit again and again. Beaufighters are one I'm never quite satisfied with... A4 skyhawk is another. As long as your current project is as good or better than your last one you're winning. I'm an amateur at photography and photoshop but even knowing a few basic tricks (plus only showing the best pics) tells me that when you see "pro-" models on websites you're seeing a lot of post-model improvements. Its like photos of fashion models being touched up. A pic of Kate Moss in Vogue isn't what Kate Moss looks like at home! Proper lighting, proper lenses, filters etc can make a huge difference. I also avoid close up pics. When I snap a plane usually its far enough away that the whole plane is in frame. Close ups are like looking down a magnifying glass and show up faults you can't see on the shelf.

That said a really nicely tooled kit makes life easy too. I did the old 1/72 JU-88 recently and the kindest thing I can say of the final model is that it looks quite like a JU-88. It needed a lot more work with the part fit than the new tools. The German cammo hides many sins. If it was a bare metal finish model it would have gone in the dustbin. As it stands when I finish my Battle of Britain project it'll be behind the DO-17 and HE-111! in the pics! 

[William1707821657]

thank you all for the replies since reading Pauls comment i decided not to worry about things as much , also heres a slightly off topic question but my humbrol acrylic matte 78 when put on a pallete and thinned after a while it looks funny , like theres yellow streaking and stuff , almost like it has un stirred itself , any ideas?

[Sailorman]

Hi Wills, yes as Paul said you've caught the dreaded AMS! 

There was a time some years ago when I simply couldn't finish any kit.  I'd find issues with the shape the colours etc etc.  I was happy with nothing.  I finally built a 1:76 tank out of the box and finished it.  Not being particularly interested in tanks I wasn't bothered with extra details or whether the shap was quite right.  The important thing was I finished it.  I then found I was able to get back to building other models and moved on to scratchbuilding which I find very satisfying.......HOWEVER, after finishing one of my ship models - which tend to take me a good 9 months or so - I  usually find I need to build somehting quickly.   Mostly small tanks.  It's satisfying to build them in a week or so.  That sets me back in the groove.  I've now built virtually every airfix military vehicle and a fw others besides. 😀 Best cure I've found.

[Discostu]

Hi Will, despite getting back in the hobby around seven years ago, l still get a touch of anxiety around Luftwaffe planes. I've never successfully finished one. I've had two 109's and a Ju87 end up in the bin because I've stuffed them up. It's made me more determined to get a German plane on the display shelf. I'm actually on the home stretch of building an Airfix 1/48 Bf109E and its coming together well. I just approached it all with the attitude that it's just a hobby and there's bigger things to worry about. Also l thought that if l keep plugging away, I'll eventually build an excellent BF109 . Some day! When l do, the champagne will flow and I'll post photos on the forum.       

Cheers, Stuart.

[Peter s]

BF109s have been my achilles heel. I just posted pics of 2 that are "OK" and thats a big improvement for me. I've also just posted my finished Stuka pics. The Mods have been really fast recently so hopefully approved soon. I CAN do "big builds" like B17s but these days I find myself doing a lot of single seaters fast as they're fun.... also dumping one isn't a big deal. Good luck! 

[david_hughes2]

Wow!  What a great post.  I thought it was just me.  I found my hand trembling as I tried to connect EZ Line for aeriels on my recent Bf-109 becuase I had actually done some splinter without completely making a mess of it.

It got to the point that I needed to use both hands on the tweezers as I held it in place for the super glue to take.

[Malcolm Hobbs]

Hi I'm having the same issues, sometimes my models turn out better than expected, however i'm struggling a bit with my airbrush, i'm very much a novice as far as airbrushing is concerned, tried my hand at freehand camouflage, with my iwata neo, using vallejo paint, however it was a disaster, so i cleaned everything up and put it all to one side. I guess its striving to complete a model like those in the modelling magazines, and when it doesn't happen i get frustrated. Like previous replies i tend to pick up a small basic kit and just build it and not worry about any imperfections. I'm working up to build the Eduard Tempest 2 series and keep putting it off for fear of messing it up.

[markwdavies]

I have just come to modelling through my son during the Lockdown, as something to do with my son. 

 

Some kits are very frustrating but I come away from them when I am feeling like that. I have been doing them in the garden and find such surroundings help with concentration. Just enjoy the time you spend.

[Sailorman]

Hi I'm having the same issues, sometimes my models turn out better than expected, however i'm struggling a bit with my airbrush, i'm very much a novice as far as airbrushing is concerned, tried my hand at freehand camouflage, with my iwata neo, using vallejo paint, however it was a disaster, so i cleaned everything up and put it all to one side. I guess its striving to complete a model like those in the modelling magazines, and when it doesn't happen i get frustrated. Like previous replies i tend to pick up a small basic kit and just build it and not worry about any imperfections. I'm working up to build the Eduard Tempest 2 series and keep putting it off for fear of messing it up.

I'm sure that if you ask any modelmaker he'll moan about the models he builds.  It's natural.  When you build a model you know where all your defects are.  Others seeing it probably won't notice what you call defects.

I've been building for over 50 years and there are times when I want to through everything out of the window!!  The Titanic kit I'm building now is a case in point. I'm comparing to a BEAUTIFUL 1:200 model on the Modelwarships site to mine and seeing everything I do as bad.  A bit unfair comparing I suppose because that one is 3 time the size of my kit ...... but that's human nature.

 

  

[dogsbody]

For me, it's the main painting stage. I can brush paint all the interior/cockpit details, no problem! But when I get to the exterior painting stage, I freeze up. Do i use the hairysticks or the airbrush? I've had so many failures with both, it just messes my head up now.

Anyway, I've been over a years waiting to paint my 1/72 Airfix Hurricane. Now that warm weather is finally here and the garden/lawn work is done, I think I'll break out the airbrush and give it a go.

 

 

Chris 

[S M 1962]

Think of a model like a master work painting.  From a distance my model looks like a Rembrandt or a Constable, you can see what it is supposed to be and it looks magnificent, get up close and it is all blobs and missed bits.

[peebeep]

From a distance my model looks like a Rembrandt or a Constable

 

Sometimes referred to as the 'two feet' rule. 

[Ratch]

get up close and it is all blobs and missed bits.

A Salvadore Dali

[Nahska-358229]

I see it’s been a while, but I’d like to say - don't be too hard on yourself. Mistakes and imperfections are part of the learning experience. If something doesn't fit or there's a gap, take it as an opportunity to problem-solve and find creative solutions. Often, these "hiccups" can lead to unexpected discoveries and unique touches that make your model even more interesting.

[Ian-358801]

I feel your pain.

I recently took up the hobby again after over 40 years away. The kits, ancillaries and standards achieved have changed out of all recognition. My skills and achievements are like paint-by-numbers to a Rembrandt, which all those YouTube videos, the social media, the magazines in Smiths shout at me. That alone would cause me your pain, without the medical condition that makes even simplest tasks a mental and physical struggle.

More than once I’ve put everything away, demotivated by the gap between my achievements and aims. But each time I come back stronger by imagining myself as a journeyman Sunday park football player, having fun before retiring to the pub to watch the Premier League players on TV. If anyone thinks my efforts in this hobby are poor then that says far more about them than it does about me.

This is a few years on from the first post. I hope you’re having fun.

[Aleksandar-361422]

I have been modelling for the long part of 2 years now , and I never used to care how my model looked , but the more I progressed and wanted a smooth finish on everything which I did eventually receive , but now it's the constant fear of messing the kit up and I can't stop worrying about the outcome , like I'll get all anxious if a part doesn't fit , or if there's gaps just wondering if you veterans could shed some light , many thanks 

will

 

 

Interesting discussion. Often anxiety is not caused by modeling itself, but by something else in our lives, modeling being just one of the areas affected by anxiety.

With that being said, I suggest you go for a psychological testing in NYC. Such tests can assess the severity of anxiety symptoms and their impact on various aspects of an individual's life. It can provide objective measures of anxiety levels, cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships.

 

 

Not to complicate things, or to dramatize, but even if anxiety symptoms may be apparent, they can overlap with symptoms of other mental health conditions. Psychological testing can help differentiate between anxiety disorders and other conditions such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

[feanor]

Ayup All,

Don’t worry about ‘failing’. We all do, we’re human and it’s part of the human condition. If you can work out why you ‘failed’ at something, and not do it again, you’ve won. If you do fail again a second time, ask someone you trust to look at what you did and ask them to see if they can work it out and give you advice. But never give up, and keep trying. If you don’t, that’s when you’ve lost. And you’re good enuff to win ! As the song says, ‘pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again !’ Good Luck. Good peole will always be there to support you. Even if they’re not family.