( Intimidation ) Is one of my most terrified word. I been watching and building layout's since my son's birth in 1989. And I will tell you honestly that I'm terrified to to a $300-$1,000 Plus dollar kit and destroy it. I only built plastic and resin kit's like DPM and other's. I found 3 tote's in the furnace room in the basement and was full with kit's and stuff I didn't even remember having. My wife says I have a hoarding problem with this hobby. She said something that really hit home. (I'm never gonna finish this layout or even come close to building everything before I die and then what?) Me and the kid's will have to figure this out. I try my best to do as much as I can but really (WOW!!!) I been following Postalkarl and Karl O since the early 2000's on the other forum's and They really got me hooked.
Karl O say's he's getting to the point it's really getting harder to do things because of his hand's and stuff. And
Postalkarl well he's still 24 :) and no sign's of slowing down. I always wanted to visit George's layout but never did and I only live in New Hampshire. I look at something in front of me and just stare at it and then maybe decide or not to do something next. It should be just do it!!! May 8th 2017 we were hit head on and put myself and wife in hospital over a week for me and 2 month's for my wife of 37 years and 41 year's of her friendship. So we were laid up for most of 2017 and My wife just started to walk in 2020 and still goes to therapy twice a week.And for me I had 11 rib's broken and sternum broke and hit and perm damage the vagus nerve in my neck for my hearing and swallowing. which suck's to swallow and most never able to keep food down. Can't even eat out because scared of choking in public.
Without this forum and friend's I honestly would of gave up. You guy's are a BLESSING and you don't even know it. As they say (Life goes on) But our's is so short. At my age it's even shorter lol. Now we have today's hero's here and you all know who you are. And Thanks for your support and knowledge of this hobby. That's why I stick with this hobby. So That's what Intimidation mean's to me. Dennis
Dennis,
I can only but imagine what it took to share this — but thank you for doing it.
I'm so sorry to learn of the cause for your wife's therapy (and of your own issues since that day). An awful thing to good people. I only but hope it has given you other strengths you didn't know existed.
Intimidation is a rotten feeling. It's debilitating, depressing and worst of all — demotivating. I toss and turn at night with intimidation in my professional work. It's a creative job and I'm my own worst enemy. But here's the thing: I'm only ever going to fail at the things I don't start. You can have the best ideas in the world, but they'll only ever be that if you don't do anything with them. And I have to remind myself of that everyday to put food on the table (and more kits in the totes!).
There's a lot of searing truth in what your wife said, and the last thing I would want of anyone is to look back on their life and have a hard time seeing past the regrets.
But you've already made the change to what you're worried about: you just finished your first craftsman kit. Don't stop now. You've made it past the hardest part: convincing yourself to start. Keep going. Use the hobby for what it's their for: enjoyment. Pleasure. You are only going to get better by keep going from here. You'll learn something new every time — and you'll get drunk on that, and it's here that you'll get the ability to ignore your intimidation.
They are your kits, Sir. Make them your own and don't worry if you don't get something right.
Remember this one thing: it's only wood and paper. Don't prioritize it over your own enjoyment in this life.
Craig
Dennis
A few facts about the members of this forum. We all have a problem with more kits on the shelf than years to build them. And that doesn't count all the scratch build projects in-between kit builds. I have been under a few layouts with 100's of built kits on them that have just as many on the shelf stored under the layout. I'm sure there is a medical term for it but modeler just works fine.
As for messing up an expensive kit. Do a test for me. Take a piece of clapboard siding and paint it. And then paint it again. Keep doing it until you have so much paint built up that it starts pealing. Now build something with it and you will win a Narrow Gauge best of show for the weathering job. That's what old buildings look like. Now if you use chalks and pigments, like I usually do, a little alcohol whipping and you have a fresh piece of clapboard. I think of a kit as a box full of parts with a great design that I can build, or change. The kit maker did the cutting for you. About the only thing you can do that may require a new part is brake it or cut it wrong. But you can always make a new piece. Trust me, everyone on this forum has glued a piece in the wrong place and broke it getting it unglued. Just get out a new piece of material and scratch build that part. Know one will know. ;)
As for the cost - here is what I told my wife. I can golf in my retirement or do model railroading. If I golf it will probably cost more and I will have drawer full of score cards, in my case with very high scores because I like to get my monies worth. That drawer full of score cards will be worth nothing when I go - just the memories of having fun, if you enjoy golf.
With model railroading you can have the layout put in a dumpster, if I go first, or call these guys (list of contacts) and they will help you get rid of it. And this guy here can sell any of my unused kits for something - I guarantee it will be more than you will get for my golf clubs and a drawer full of score cards. The bottom line is that I enjoy modeling.
Dennis just keep building those kits, and if you can afford it, buy some more when the mood strikes.
Keep building them until you are not intimidated. Your first kit looks great and every one you build from here on out will look better in some small way that only you will know. Just have fun doing it.
I have a related problem, "frustration". That happens when I do something and I decide I don't like the result, it's not what I expected. That generally causes me to step away not from that particulard project, but from the hobby as a whole. Usually that only lasts a day or 2, but sometimes it'll last a couple of weeks. The one thing I've been getting better about is accepting that not everything will be perfect, and in particular that viewed from a distance by the average user, the problems won't jump out and say "He blew it!".
dave
Dennis,
I can honestly say, you have been to the River Jordan and back. Intimidation is only a word and you shared your fears with us and survived. One can't really imagine what you and your wife have been and are going through.
Over the years while employed as a law enforcement officer, I've faced many intimidating situations. I've met with POTUS, Heads of State, Foreign Dignitaries, worked with the Secret Service, FBI, CIA and the State Department and often members of the Department of Justice.
I played golf to a 2 handicap, carried a 212 bowling average and my pontificating will stop here. All the stuff mentioned above means absolutely nothing. We can do our best and that should count for something. It certainly sounds to me that is exactly what you have been doing.
All that being said, nothing has given me more satisfaction than being the best husband, father and modeler I can/could be. As Craig said, "I am my own worst enemy."
This hobby is one my wife supports and she definitely knows I'm a kit and brass loco hoarder. Yet, for some reason she never complains.
This is a very soothing hobby for me. I still lay awake some nights with visions of what I've seen people do to each other.
Stay in the hobby and try your best, we all are here to support each other. :-X
Remember, the only kit you never mess up is the one you never attempt to build.
Sincere regards to you and your family my friend.
Tom
Dennis....
Thank you for sharing your story. I will offer here what support I can from several thousands of miles away.
In 1999 I was diagnosed with a leukemia that they told me was NOT going away. We played the chemo game for 12 years and then I fell into a stem cell transplant protocol that had me living in Seattle for most of a year and a year after that sequestered with a slowly growing back immune system. This last year with covid has not been a whole lot different than that year at home.
My best modeling and the ability to share with this forum has largely occurred since that year in 2013. Many of the modelers on this forum supported me during that time and I am greatly thankful. And.... by the way.... the leukemia is gone.
Allow me to encourage you, as John has, to open up some of those kits and venture off. If you are still uncertain, order in some raw materials from Northeastern scale wood in Mass. and some doors and windows from Tichy in NC and build some simple (crude) shacks and simple structures, loading docks, fences, and other not complicated things and learn your way around handling the materials.
Oh yeah! Order in a BUNCH of #11 xacto blades.
If I can do this stuff anyone can.
Again.... thanks for your part in all of this and let us know from time to time how you are doing and how we might help.
see ya
Bob
Dennis,
I sent you a PM ref. kit building.
Tom ;D
Dennis,
What you wrote struck a chord with me on so many levels.
Several years ago I was skidding firewood logs out of the woods with my tractor when I was struck by a falling tree. My right (dominant) arm and wrist were broken, and I had two surgeries to repair the arm, now held together by two plates and numerous screws. I suffered nerve damage to my hand, something that persists to this day. To this day my hand and arm will go numb, and in fact my arm is numb as I type this.
This plays into my decision making when choosing kits to build. I don't want to damage or destroy an expensive offering because of my physical limitations. So, I often procrastinate opening those kits, usually sticking to smaller readily available kits rather than limited edition offerings. I have promised myself to do better in that area, as in most cases the kit components can be replaced if necessary.
I also have a stash (hoard?) of more kits than I will ever have time to build. Each time I bought one of the kits I felt enthusiastic about how great it would look on my future layout. Every single kit I complete leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment. Every kit still on the shelf represents a chance for time well spent. So what if I do not finish them all, each brought value into my life.
As far as not finishing a layout? While every modelers' goal is to finish their layout, within the journey lies the prize. Every structure, every road, vehicle, figure, tree, and scene is a source of enjoyment and accomplishment. Sure, I want to finish my layout, but every single part of it I build (well, maybe not the wiring) leaves me feeling better mentally and emotionally. When that is the case, how can I be disappointed if it never quite gets finished?
A few years ago I went to an estate sale for a modeler. It was sad to see the layout being dismantled by his son and his items sold. Still, I left that day with a positive feeling. I remembered seeing Bill at a train meet a couple years prior to his passing. He told me he still worked on the layout a couple hours every day and that he enjoyed every minute he spent modeling. I picked up four of his unbuilt Campbell kits at the sale and was thrilled when I found his handwritten notes on a couple of the instruction sheets. I like to think that I am honoring his memory when I work on one of those kits. I hope some day when my models and kits are passed on the next person will not only enjoy the construction, but will also feel the joy I had when building or planning to build them.
One last thought. Almost every modeler I have seen interviewed, when asked what he likes best about the hobby says, "the people". In this unusual time, while physical contact is limited, it is truly a blessing for each of us to be able to share our hobby (and our lives) with like minded people on this forum. I'm glad you felt you could share your feelings with us.
Craig thank you for the support. It means a lot to me and it's been a long journey. Dennis
John, I appreciate that. I will keep going and as Craig and you said. My first kit is about done. lol I made some changes now and will post picture's tomorrow. Dennis
Dave. Thank you very much. Frustration is a big part of a lot of things. This is a great forum. Dennis
Tom, Thank you, It's been a long road of recovery and my wife will never not be disabled.
I'm glad he and we didn't die. Here's the link to it from our new's channel. Dennis
You might have to copy and paste this in your web browser?
https://www.concordmonitor.com/tilton-nh-crash-puts-pittsfield-nh-sanbornton-nh-men-in-hospital-9747789
Bob. Thank you for the kind word's and I honestly didn't know they had a cure for leukemia?
I'm glad your doing good and here. Yes this forum is something else. These guy's and girl's are the best.Dennis
Dennis, I'm sorry to read about you and your wife's misfortune. It's good that you have a hobby to enjoy. Yes, some of the kits can be expensive, but the cost per hour is actually quite reasonable compared to other hobbies (golf, like Tom mentioned). It's especially cheap per hour if you build things as slowly as I do. ;) There are relatively inexpensive wood kits from manufacturer's. Start on them and work your way up. My first two wood kits were Campbells. I then built an FSM kit. I too was VERY intimidated by opening the "yellow box kit". Following George's excellent instructions, I felt I did a pretty good job. Took 3rd place in a local NMRA meet. Like others have said, you can get blank walls and stripwood and repair almost anything. Good luck to you and your wife on the health front.
Jeff
Let me second what Dr Jeff said. A Campbell kit is a great way to start out, that's how I learned as a kid, and when I restarted the hobby the first thing I did was build another Campbell kit to brush up my skills.
If you shop around, you can often find them at a bargain (particularly at train shows, if we ever get back to those....)
dave
Jerry, Thank you sir. My wife's left arm is held together with a plate and screw's when she hit the windshield. I'm glad we were driving our Trailblazer. I believe we would of died if we were driving our smaller vehicle. I appreciate your feelings and your survival of that accident. It's weird how things happen. One foot either way and Things could be so much different. I will keep your word's to heart. Dennis
Here's a picture of our suv and my wife was flown to Boston Hospital from here in Tilton NH.
Thank you Jeff and Dave. I will get to George's layout if ever allowed to reopen. I will get wall's and other material in the next couple of day's. Thanks Guy's. Dennis
Dennis,
Modeling is like the highway of life here, so let me pile on as well. Besides, it sounds like we're all in the same lane. I'd love to sit here and tell a different story from all the others told here, that I'm a gazillionaire by trade, never made a single mistake (just double ones), always knew what the women in my life were thinking, always made the best decisions and investments etc. etc. etc., but I digress...not so of course.
Growing up I was a navy brat so we moved around a lot, sometimes several times in a year and others several years in a row. So I got to always start a new layout, diorama (not a good thing always) or discover how many parts were broken off my trains since my poor packing was always done last minute.
So then we lived on a farm for 4 years (age 14-18) with plenty of room for me to build 2 layouts (one for shows) and (one for in the barn). Wow! Right~. Life was finally stable(?) until I came home from school one day at 16 to find my dad moved out and divorce papers on the table signed (his fault). Well I did what any kid would do. I sunk all my time, money and energy into my trains for the next two years.
Only to come home one day from school (a month before my 18th birthday) to find out my mom has a boyfriend for a couple months (who turned out to be a good guy for her) to meet him and he was moving in. (ok). Well a month later (the weekend before my 18th birthday) they decided to take a trip to see her mother to introduce him to the family (ok) and upon their return a couple days after my birthday (whaat?) my mom told me she was married (on my birthday) and she was selling the farm and moving in with her husband in another state and oh,... since I'm now 18, I could make my own way and should be out along with her in a couple weeks. Isn't life the best!...........
No intimidation from a drunk angry father who threaten to tear down my trains with beer in hand or a mother who focused on herself. So I did what any kid would do. Throw it all in the trash and pack up and start over... Fast forward to being successful on my own at 26 and then got married (stupid) and then built a big house with a 22,000 sq. ft. basement for trains once and for all right! (really stupid).
While during the time of building the house myself (over 3 years and working two jobs). I slipped on ice and permanently damaged two dics in my lower back and was paralyzed on my whole right leg and while I couldn't feel it or move it for 3 months I was in a lot of pain. I'd learn to walk again, and go back to work and working on the house (because I got an empire to build someday) then I'd slip and it all started over again with the paralyzed leg (this happen to me three times in 3 years).
One day while working on the house for a wife who's now a full blown witch with two brooms and still I'm healing my leg, the wife's best friend came over and told me she didn't like all this talk of me building a train layout and wasn't going to allow me to spend the money on it to which later turned out to be my wife being jealous of me not devoting all my time and money to kissing her anal cavity and keeping up with the jones like I did for a half a decade before.
Well when I took a stand and said I'm building a layout from now until I retire, well let's just say- I was not shocked to received the divorce papers the same month we moved in and that she was keeping the house I built and the following week the local police were so kind to let me return with a rental truck to pack up once again all my stuff. (again life is the best!...........
So I did what any guy with bad luck and a love of trains in life would do. I started buying all the trains, books, videos etc. etc. etc. of all the trains I could afford and lived, eat, drank, breathed trains, trains, trains. So I packed everything in boxes and got a climate controlled locker and finally protected from having to throw out any more trains.
Then I met a little Russian woman (wait for it?) who just so happens to like trains in general (yeah). We take train rides all the time (cool), she likes brass trains over plastic (bonus), she doesn't care what I spend (my) money on like trains (bigger bonus), and she has her own place and she doesn't want to be married and doesn't have a problem with me staying home and building trains while she's out sight seeing her beaches for the millionth time and collecting rocks/sea glass (lottery ticket holder I am now) or am I?
So now that I'm many years older and hopefully smarter to life's challenges, I have all my trains, we live together, she's independent, she likes my trains, she doesn't' care how I spend my day being happy, she loves me and I her, her place is a condo with (no basement) (everything in life comes at a cost I guess) and all those trains and everything train related sit there in storage where I can go anytime and look at them sit there! Ha,
So while I'm no longer intimidated or allowing myself to be intimidated ever again. One thing is for sure in this game of life we all are playing. Watch what you look for because you just might get it, and if you own it, be sure to own the space you keep it in, and when you put your foot down make sure you can lift it up again, because one thing I've learned in my 57 years is life is not fair, no one owes you a damn thing, and if you don't seize the moments you have, protect what's yours, someone else might try to control it or take them away from you! (This sound's a lot like this country at the moment huh...)
Thanx Thom....
Tom, Thank you very much. Made me smile. Wow You hit the nail right on the head. Sound's like my family back then, Not moving because of service. Other reason.s. Father left when I was 8 and the oldest out of 6. Life was grand back then. That story of your life was close to my 59 years here.Dennis
Quote from: Dennis Bourey on March 09, 2021, 07:58:32 PM
John, I appreciate that. I will keep going and as Craig and you said. My first kit is about done. lol I made some changes now and will post picture's tomorrow. Dennis
Dennis
I'm looking forward to the pictures. By-the-way I'm always making changes to my builds. I made some changes to the Brambell's build I did 4 or 5 years ago, just today. I'm working on the scenery in that area and looked at it at a particular angle and said that has to be fixed. Photographs are the best way I know to critique your own work.
You will have them tomorrow my friend. Fresh film in camera and scanner hooked up. lol I love the way your build's come out over the years. Dennis
Dennis,
You tale is certainly a poignant reminder of how one's life can be turned upside down in an instant. I, for one, am thankful you survived and joined our band of merry modelers.
I won't try to restate what others have already said so eloquently. I'll only mention that I got over the fear of messing up those big buck kits (with one small exception). I realized long ago that the fun, for me, is in the process of building the kit. The cost divided by the hours I spent building a kit turns out to be a pretty cheap way to entertain myself. :) If I end up with a nice looking structure when I'm finished that's a bonus. ;) The one small exception is that I really worry about messing up a kit is when I'm building it for someone else. I get to enjoy the process of building it for them and want to do a good a job.
You've done a stellar job on your first build. I'm looking forward to what you do next.
Dennis,
I read your post and the responses posted last night. My delay in responding stems from being overwhelmed by the entire thread. So here I am at 8 AM, coffee in hand and I'm still speechless (an amazing exception to the norm). You displayed and enormous amount of intestinal fortitude to simply post the story as did many of the responders.
Thanks for the proverbial foot to fanny. Downside is, you (thankfully) destroyed a lot of my miserable excuses for not having accomplished more in the hobby.
Does anyone know how to bookmark this thread for later re-reading?
You can bookmark this URL:
http://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=5703 (http://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=5703)
In reading through these posts I realized that another great thing about this hobby is you never face the day building a model railroad where you have to stand back from your layout and say - well that's done now what?
The day this hobby is finished is the day my family and friends will be mourning my passing.
Craig, I feel the same way...Dennis
Thank you BandO, John, Craig. Dennis
Intimidation...
Where to start...when I got home 45 years ago to the smell of Floquil paint and followed it to the dining room to see my spouse with 20 open bottles of solvent paint painting the FSM castings that were primed by not started to get finished by me...hint...if your not going to build all those kits on the shelf...then I will...still married after 47 years... and after the Campbell shingles were installed on another kit...she advised me they were not straight and to do it over...
When putting a Campbell roof together the metal roofing sheets where put in upside down...noticed after the model kit was put together...Having to move 3 times in 21 years...twice at 1000 miles each time...do you know what that does to your built models...left for work one morning and did not know there was ice on the driveway as I slid out down the driveway to the curb... spouse watched me slid 60 feet and had a good laugh ... staining wood in a kit that came out shinny...purchased some new lumber and did it over...
Hearing my spouse had a golf ball size brain tumor that was ready to cause a stroke...that was removed over 16 years ago...that was found by accident when she threw a disk out after one of those moves...When I went into the same hospital a year later for 5 days due to weird blood work and was told by a team of 5 doctors that cancer was a possibility...the dead gall bladder was 24 hours from taking me out...receiving a call from the police that one of my daughters was in a bad car accident and was being air lifted from our area to the city ... lost a kidney and had an almost severed spinal cord ... had to have metal rods put in... so my advise is to take everything in stride...go see the FSM layout soon...maybe join the Seacoast Division in NH and meet some model RR'ers...and have a good time with our remaining time here...keep sharing with all on the Forum too...
Dennis, et all
It is hard for me to understand the trials and tribulations some of the forum members have endured. My heart goes out to those who have suffered and are still suffering.
My story is actually boring. I have suffered from "high functioning depression" for the most of my life. It all started when I was a early teen, but did not get diagnosed until I was 63 years old when I had a breakdown. Luckily my doctor noticed is then and are having treatment for it. Drugs and getting involved in kit building. My wife encouraged me to return to the hobby and is highly supportive of it.
It was when I was in the middle of building the SWSM Shipyard kit I finally got peace and broken-down in tears. Not because the kit was challenging, but because I finally realized that me being an anxious tight A** could be focused into creating wonderful structures without and worries. They all flushed from my system like a good bowel movement.
Since that day I created a realistic outlook to my life and began purging the non-joyful elements of my life, including eliminating things that cluttered my life focus, like kits and parts I don't need or want anymore. My small layout, or I think of as a large diorama, has enough in it that I can build over the next few years.
Building structures is "therapeutic" and rewarding and a cheap way of patting yourself on the back.
Now which structure should I build now?
PS: Early in my married life, the day after we were married, her mother told my wife that she could inherit a Huntington disease gene and our children would get it also. The disease would shorten her life by 20 + years and be very challenging for the last 10 or so years. Cutting a multiyear story shorter, we have experimental tests done and when the result came back they said it was inconclusive she would get it. At that point we went out an bought a new TV and lived and planned each new day.
She is over 65 years old without any signs of the disease and is the mother of two girls with a bright and Huntington free life. Was it luck or was the constant prayers my dad had for us? Either case we are grateful and waiting for the next FineScale to meet all you guys and celebrate our victories.
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on March 10, 2021, 11:17:17 AM
Intimidation...
Where to start...when I got home 45 years ago to the smell of Floquil paint and followed it to the dining room to see my spouse with 20 open bottles of solvent paint painting the FSM castings that were primed by not started to get finished by me...hint...if your not going to build all those kits on the shelf...then I will...still married after 47 years... and after the Campbell shingles were installed on another kit...she advised me they were not straight and to do it over...
When putting a Campbell roof together the metal roofing sheets where put in upside down...noticed after the model kit was put together...Having to move 3 times in 21 years...twice at 1000 miles each time...do you know what that does to your built models...left for work one morning and did not know there was ice on the driveway as I slid out down the driveway to the curb... spouse watched me slid 60 feet and had a good laugh ... staining wood in a kit that came out shinny...purchased some new lumber and did it over...
Hearing my spouse had a golf ball size brain tumor that was ready to cause a stroke...that was removed over 16 years ago...that was found by accident when she threw a disk out after one of those moves...When I went into the same hospital a year later for 5 days due to weird blood work and was told by a team of 5 doctors that cancer was a possibility...the dead gall bladder was 24 hours from taking me out...receiving a call from the police that one of my daughters was in a bad car accident and was being air lifted from our area to the city ... lost a kidney and had an almost severed spinal cord ... had to have metal rods put in... so my advise is to take everything in stride...go see the FSM layout soon...maybe join the Seacoast Division in NH and meet some model RR'ers...and have a good time with our remaining time here...keep sharing with all on the Forum too...
I spent several years in the Northeast Region of the NMRA and can testify to the fact that Seacoast has a lot of great folks in the division and a lot of very talented modelers.
FWIW.
Marty, Tom, BandO, Thank you guy's very much. I can't believe the family-oriented it is here. I personally want to thank everyone here. My heart goes out to those that worse off then me. Dennis
Hello Dennis, I read your post with great interest and I'm glad that you and your wife were able to survive that ordeal. I can't add anything to all of the responses that have been posted, except that a common thread is that our hobby helps keep all of us a little bit sane. No completely sane of course. I mean grown men playing with trains ! What's that all about ? Seriously, our hobby should be giving us enjoyment and through this forum, encouragement from others like us. I enjoyed your first build thread and I hope that there are many more to come. Keep modeling. Jeff
Thank you Jeff very much and true word's.
Hi Dennis.....I am amazed and inspired by the way you and your wife have come thru this ordeal and are forging ahead with your lives. Many people would not have the strength to move forward and keep on thriving, given the situation y'all have been handed.
One of the most interesting observations I've made in life is that the people who continue to plow ahead, no matter what life hands them, are usually the most successful and content in their lives. That seems to fit your situation and that of many others on this forum.....mainly that life hands good people difficult challenges and they always manage to persevere and overcome.
As far as your modeling goes, we have all faced the challenge of moving from the basic beginners kits to the more complex craftsmen kits. I have been in and out of the hobby numerous times and have always had to start small and build my skills up over time, after time away from the hobby. Heck, I have had less trouble designing and building real 8,000 sf homes or commercial buildings than I've had with some of the kits I've started.
After reviewing your posts on the Keen build, I can't imagine you will have any trouble getting to the point where you can build any of those kits that intimidate you now. I'm sure, with sufficient practice, you will also get to where you will feel comfortable slapping one of those great yellow or red boxes together.
The suggestion by others, to start out with a simpler Campbell kit, that comes with great instructions, is spot on. I'd also suggest a few of the smaller (and cheaper) B.T.S. and Laser Kit by American Model Builders kits. They both have an extensive line of kits of all sizes and complexity.
I also would like to join you in adding my appreciation to the miscreants that inhabit this forum. They are a bunch of great people that are always willing to help out and support others with the problems we all have faced thru the years. I really enjoy seeing the work of all those who post their efforts on these pages and it has been a good moral enhancer during the years since 2009 when the industry has had some major challenges.
Keep up the fight and I look forward to seeing you build your empire and continue your journey.
What an amazing and powerful thread. Best wishes to all of those forum members who have or are currently facing these kinds of physical, mental, or any other kind of hardships and who have found peace and comfort in this beautiful art form.
To add a bit...Bar Mills and even Fos kits (along with the others Greg mentioned) are not as difficult or intricate as you might assume. I still haven't built a yellow or red box but I have had fantastic results with Bar Mills and Fos. In fact, I'm kind of frightened of the Jordan plastic kits in the drawer as I feel much more comfortable with wood gluing, painting, and weathering processes than plastic at this point. Dive right in, take your time, go twice as slow as you want to and walk away before you need to...I've found so much satisfaction in a job well done and I see the meditative benefits of doing a little bit of work more often...I also don't beat myself up (much) when I ignore it for weeks or months. I try to only get frustrated at allowing myself to get frustrated (or beat myself up for beating myself up)
Sort of related thinking(but as it relates to golf)....2 thoughts that increased my enjoyment of golf (I hardly ever play but still)...
1.) Lou Holtz tells a story about how he was playing in a Pro-Am and would shank it into the trees routinely, followed by a spewing of profanity and frustration. Eventually, the Pro said to him (after a similar mess of a shot and violent reaction), "Where'd you think it was going to go?" ;D Point being-be realistic, enjoy the wins and don't worry about the mistakes, recognize your ability and do what you can -and celebrate it...After all, we ARE grownups playing with toys-no matter how we might spin it. Just enjoy. Keep proper perspective.
2.) I bring a LOT of golf balls and I don't spend a lot of time looking for lost ones. I just move forward optimistically...wreck some kits, who cares? The sun will rise and Fos will make more.
As far as intimidation, this forum and its predecessor, really helped. Seeing, meeting, and sharing with other mortals as well as modeling heroes has made me much more able to believe I can build nice things too. I used to read the magazines the same way I would watch the NBA..."I can go play basketball too, but it's got very little in common with these guys". Going to the various Craftsman Structure Shows and NNGC's really made it plausible and realistic. I have been to George's a few times and his creation is unfathomable, as a whole, but when you start to hear him and other modeling heroes describe the small steps, you start to understand it's more a function of vision, patience, lessons from doing, and determination than God-given magic. (Maybe Magic with George ;D ). Anyway, thanks so much for sharing and I hope your continued thoughtful introspection will lead you to a hobby life that is peaceful and satisfying to you. I know my hardships and concerns are tiny compared to some here, but I hope my contribution is also useful.
John
Hi Greg and John. Thank you both, Very powerful and true word's. Dennis
Jim, Thank you for sharing your unfortunate events also. My wife was so active before and now not. hiking kayaking swimming riding bikes. Now she struggles to climb stairs with a cane. This forum is one special place with special people. Dennis
https://youtu.be/5R8vJZD3opg?t=28
Good one TC.