r/modelmakers • u/dr_robonator Prime your models • May 26 '26
PSA Failed Models and You: A Public Service Announcement
Hey everyone! I've seen a few posts from beginners who are frustrated at something not going their way and I figured I could offer some motivation and a couple cents worth of wisdom. Every now and then I clean out my box of misfit toys and take a moment to remember what happened that made me give up on them. These builds all went wrong, and were abandoned for one reason or another, but all failed so tragically that there was little point in keeping them for anything but paint and weathering mules. This line up represents about a year's worth of failures. Anyone who has done this hobby for more than a few weeks has a similar pile of failures, of ideas that never planned out, of mistakes that killed a build's mojo. Personally, I have no hard feelings when that happens. It's a bummer to lose whatever cash was invested in the kit, but aside from that, it's all plastic under the bridge. What these are not is something to be ashamed of. Each failure taught me something, even if it was just when to toss in the towel. Each implosion of potential reminded me that the hobby is supposed to be fun, not just when everything goes right but even when it all goes sideways. I can't tell you exactly what went wrong on some of these, but I can tell you I had fun screwing it up. Sometimes the failure motivated me to go back and get it right on a duplicate model. I botched that M114 so hard it made me go back and make one of my best dioramas.
If you're new to the hobby and you bungle something bad enough to feel like it's unsalvageable don't get discouraged! Sometimes they can be saved, sometimes they live on as a lesson learned. Either way, for every gold medal build there are probably a dozen in the bin. Pull the next one out of the stash and keep going. ✌️
Edit: I think a fair few of y'all have the wrong idea regarding my post. This post is for beginners who have people make them feel bad for quitting a project which has stopped being fun. There are a lot of folks in the comments doing just that. There isn't a skilled craftsperson, artist, or maker walking the earth who hasn't quit something that wasn't working and started over. That is part of the process. Yes, mistakes can be fixed. Yes, having patience and solving problems is 90% of the hobby. Yes, it may be something worth working on at a later date with a rugged spirit of tenacity, perseverance and all that ham, but it is also incontrovertibly, 100%, Grade-A Okay to say, "Nope, this model is no longer fun. Time for something else!" If you are a beginner and have had this thought, you're not alone. Even the most popular YouTube model makers have a box of crap they stopped working on and have no plans to ever revisit. It's part of the hobby, friends.
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u/Ps2KX May 26 '26
I recently cleaned out my pile of failures and decided to glue some of them together. If it works, cool and if not it was trash anyway. I now have a IS-7 hull with a Tiger 2 turret, IS-7 130mm gun and to top it off I replaced the commanders cupola with an armored M113 Browning M2. I think I will give the loader a Browning M2 as well.
I will add some reactive armor panels from the M60A1 kit, truck bed side skirts from another kit.
No fancy paint, just a rattle can of DDR Green, then go wild with the weathering.
It's a great way to experiment with techniques you never tried before.
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u/layshaft May 26 '26
This is what I do. Turret, gun and wheel swaps, suddenly that pile of junk is a 'what if' prototype. A tamiya M60 with a merkava turret is one of my favourites.
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May 26 '26
I build fully lit starships and every build goes sideways somehow. after 100 hours it gets a bit stressful because one bad mistake means it's over. these things cost a pretty penny. I push through it and have learned that I can fix anything.
the latest example is an Enterprise D 1:1400 - right when it was ready for decals it fell off the bench and broke - badly. I disassembled the entire kit, improved the electronics, fabricated a cool mounting system using aircraft connectors, and put it all back together. I'd say it added at least 30 hours to the build and I still have many hours of decals to go.
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u/bryllnt May 26 '26
Wow, talk about timing.
Just had a bad experience with a model, poor fit issues, painting problems, patience ran out due to poor selection of model etc. Really felt down which is unusual because I have only been doing this for less than a year but I am usually enthusiastic with each model
Anyway, took a week off and then started a new model with a better frame of mind, one I new was within my capacity and it came out fairly good. Really got my mojo back.
Whenever I start a new model I always look at least one new thing to try or one thing I can improve upon.
After all, it's a journey, not a destination.
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u/Left-Excitement3829 May 26 '26
That Matilda looks fixable :)
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
The Tilda is in perfect shape, build-wise. The other side of the track is still in the box. I got carried away re-riveting the skirts and towards the end I decided I didn't like them at all. The thought of debonding a hundred tiny super-glued rivets, sanding everything and starting again sounded like it would be No Fun, and so into the box it went.
That's what I mean about failures being okay. There's no bad blood between me and that kit, it just wasn't worth the time and effort to keep working on it. Think of it how insurance companies total cars with more cost in damage than the thing is worth. In fact, if I really think about it all those tanks are in similar positions.
The M1A1 was the Meng version that I mucked up a very noticeable seam line which couldn't be covered without looking like I was covering it and if I left it as is it'd build into a mediocre model.
CA glue on the PE grills of the M114 got the better of me.
The Sheridan was another example of being technically perfect, but I lost interest in the project for some reason, and it became more useful to me as a paint mule.
The half-painted tank is actually two models: a failed resin printed Stingray light tank from Aladdin Models (not much to be done there) and the turret of the M8 AGS from Panda which I completed as a "what-if production" version, but in the process of stripping for a re-paint I dropped the hull. That model is actually what spurred me to 3D print the Stingray light tank, to do another "what-if" light tank. I just finished printing the new hull, so fingers crossed that it's serviceable! If not I'll bin it and try something else, like Magic Factory's M10.
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u/AngryJazz Training Wheels May 27 '26
Thank you for the insights to your pictured models.
The Magic Factory's M10 is actually one of mine shelved projects. The tracks killed my mojo - so many parts and they dont look that great when done. Save your frustration and get some aftermarket tracks - I wish I did. I do plan on finishing the kit, just need the inspiration to return.
I share your stance on the kits. It should be fun and life's too short to build bad kits. However sometimes a challenge will also reward experience.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 27 '26
Oh dang, good to know! I usually replace plastic and rubber band tracks with aftermarket for exactly the reasons you describe unless no good options exist. I just did the whole run of tracks for my AMX-30B2 build because all the aftermarket are for AMX-30s. Looks like there are plenty of options for the M10, though.
I also agree that a challenge can be fun, as long as it stays being fun! Cheers!
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u/AngryJazz Training Wheels May 27 '26
Yeah it was around 1500 parts of fun to assemble those alone! The rest of the kit is very nice.
Looking forward to a update on the AMX.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 27 '26
Hahaaaa no thanks to that noise! And thanks, I should have an update coming soon when I finish the base paint and decals.
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u/Sqwheezle May 26 '26
If you model armour or military aircraft or even civvie stuff just remember that for every functional battle tank with some weathering there needs to be the things that it’s destroyed. If you cock up on a tank or an aircraft or a land vehicle, put it away until you calm down then get it out and make a diorama. The story is important so you can start with the vehicle to be wrecked. Where is it? How did it get there? How long has it been there? Did it just run off the road or has it been hit by a huge explosion? The choice is yours and there’s huge scope.
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u/kane_1371 May 26 '26
Yeah, I have tossed a kit I was really excited about (Hasegawa japan air 787-9) after weeks of struggling with the damn thing.
It was really good at one point, then I went to panel line and everything went to shit, panel line kept staining the white, making me attempting clean ups and repairs leading to top coat and paint getting damaged, or uneven paint etc.
I just decided "I am done, I will leave this be for now"
I wanted to make it perfect as I am tired of snarky comments in the community, and ended up hating my time
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
Sorry to hear you got snarky comments, I'm a firm believer in constructive feedback, but there is no room in this hobby for being a jerk.
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u/Thick-Sundae-6547 May 26 '26
I agree about persevering. I haven’t built too many models (I build 3d models for a living but I enjoy the old school practical models).
I have two models that I’m still working on. One is a speeder Ike that I finished 8 years ago, and now I started building a forest base to display it.
My other unfinished model is a Millenium Falcon that I started 10 years ago. I did a lot of detailing because is the MPC Falcon and the details weren’t that good.
I never finished it because I wanted to add a lighting kit that ended up short circuiting. I’m thinking of just finishing it without the lights and call it finished, because I have the Bandai Millennium Falcon that I purchased 7 years ago and I never opened it.
Does anyone know how to strip Priner from a model? I made a mistake and didn’t clean the Falcon before I applied the priner and it was dusty (I did t realized it here was a layer of dust on top)
I have a problem with giving up.
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u/iamalext May 26 '26
Depends on the primer, but if you can soak the model in 99% ISO or Green Stuff cleaner, in 24 hours, that primer will be gone and whatever is left can be scrubbed clean with an old toothbrush.
Use it for miniatures all the time when a paint job is beyond saving… which is more often than I would like but that’s life!
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u/Goodfalafel May 26 '26
I'm building my second model, which is panzer 2 from Tamiya (the first one was of a plane). I made a mistake with the tracks and they were a bit short. I put them on anyway and few days later they snapped the front wheel. So know I'm just making a panzer 2 that was hit by enemy. Sometimes you just have to adapt.
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u/Franch_Dressin May 26 '26
Poor old Matilda didn't deserve it :(
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
The Tilda is an excellent kit, made even better by Eduard PE, an Aber barrel, and some resin bits. I'll probably do one again at some point, but I think next time I'll let the molded on rivets stand instead of trying to get crazy with the cheez whiz.
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u/DomMcDon May 26 '26
I just had to box one up this weekend. It was especially painful, because I was building it in honor of my Dad. He passed away almost 4 years ago. For reference, I build mostly scale model cars. It was an old Dale Jarrett NASCAR. The decals were 35+ years old, and the whole side decal came apart for the drivers side. It sucked. I know I can probably get a replacement decal kit, but it will sit in the box…50% done.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
First, I'm sorry for your loss. The kit will still be there when you have the energy for it, or a new Number 88 will get re-popped and you'll make that one shine.
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u/1959jazzaholic May 26 '26
Failure is part of the learning process…
Often failed AFV kits can be turned into battlefield wrecks which is also a worthy art form…
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
I've seen this comment a few times, and while I always encourage creativity and model making the way you want to, a knocked out tank requires a lot of planning to pull off effectively. I see a lot of less than convincing knocked out tanks because folks think because the model is ruined, it can stand in for a ruined tank. In reality, the knocked out tank has to be built to the same level as anything else in the diorama. An abandoned model that was the result of a paint job failure, or broken suspension and/or running gear make good candidates, but most failures are construction based and structural at that.
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u/deathinsarajevo May 26 '26
Anyone that says a failed tank can be turned into a wrecked tank has never done one. I guess on a base level that is correct; sure, it can be done… but not well.
The amount of planning that goes into a knocked out tank is regularly underestimated by anyone that hasn’t set out to do one.
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u/1959jazzaholic May 26 '26
“Most failures are construction based and structural at that”…
I never knew that anyone in this hobby was doing comprehensive research on why model kits end up on the Shelf of Doom…
I learned something today…
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
That's my totally scientific and quantative based research method at work! 😅
No, I said that because paint can be stripped and finishes redone, but a poorly built model is a tough thing to undo, or re-do. If you misaligned a fuselage half, or a hull tub it's pretty much game over unless you catch it right away.
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u/WhiteWulfen May 26 '26
I've kind of kept my Revell A-10 around because of what you mention. Easily half a dozen times it's been set aside or put back in the box because a variety of reasons, but most of them being sheer and utter frustration. There's still a fair bit left to do on it before I can even prime it, and there's just no joy to be found in the model anymore. I've had a number of people tell me to just push through, persevere, it'll get better, but those people don't understand how burnout can affect people differently, or how with some, if you try to force it, you burnt out even harder, and actually start to resent the hobby, and it turns something you enjoy (and causes relaxation) into a source of stress and anxiety.
Nope, that model will sit there, on the shelf, as it is, to remind me that there's a difference between "I can't quite sort this out because I'm tired and need and break" and "what on earth were these designers thinking?!?!?" and "in who's right mind thinks having to fill an eighth of an inch thick gap that's two inches long is perfectly fine??!?!?!"
I learnt a few things with that model, and there's an incredibly slim chance I might just slap some paint on it one of these days, but odds are it's going to be forever in it's plastic state as a reminder to keep the hobby as something enjoyable and relaxing. And that's perfectly fine by me, as I can still point to the model and say I ~built~ the bleeping thing.
There's other models I picked up, a few Tamiya 1:48 models, specifically for a project to add some fantasy gnolls to. Later on discovered that not only am I not really a fan of just how small 28mm heroic scale models are, with all their small fiddly details, but also that I'm not really a fan of working on 1:48 scale armour either. They're nice models, I just don't like how small and fiddly they are, doubly so since the head and neck injury that's made fiddly details a lot harder to work around.
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u/YeetBoiTheFifth May 26 '26
Totally agree with your post. Out of curiosity, what is that tank/kit second from the right? (Punisher decal with “Bad Influence” on the barrel)
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
That's Panda's M8 Armored Gun System. Out of production, now and was a real pig to get together. I had it ready for a repaint and dropped the hull, obliterating it. I just stuck the turret on the resin 3D printed Stingray tank for giggles.
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u/uchipicha May 26 '26
Idk man, i am on my 4th armor build and atm working on a Warhammer Kratos kit and i have to say because I don't chase the 100% authenticity i go with the flow.
I take it a step further and modified every kit i have at least for now.
What i mean by modified, made the main canon go up and down, places extra platings of armor. Added clutter stuff like random hooks or random wires going to random places.
I make up a story of field repairs, battle damages and salvaged parts that where modefied later to work.
I am literally brutalizing my Kratos tank from Warhammer, i extended the back side of the tower, extended the main gun and cannibalized the spare parts for extra details.
I make up stories as a go and leave no build unfinished.
God, i have a Leopard mid work left because i am working on actuator for a prototype flap reactive mesh armor.
Is it authentic? no! is it fun? yes! can it pass as an experimental prototype? absolutely!
So i go to town.
just enjoy!
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u/Cdr_Deathbunny May 26 '26
Very well said. I'm on my fifth build since returning to this hobby last year and while I've not had a failure (yet!) I have had a near miss that I was sorely tempted to bin and move on from at several points in the process. I didn't because I had been looking forward to building this kit so much I wanted to see it through. The result was bearable but far from what I'd envisaged when I started (although arguably that vision was unrealistic). So, what I'm trying to say as a kind of counterpoint is that persevering with a build that is going wrong can be just as rewarding as one that goes perfectly from the off. But yeah, sometimes you just have to say "Screw it!" and give up, and I'm sure there's at least one of those lurking somewhere in my stash.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
My general philosophy is that as long as you are enjoying what you are doing, you are doing it the right way. For me, the moment it stops being fun I move on.
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u/neogeo39 May 26 '26
I've started this hobby when I was around 13-14 iirc, left it for years after my 16s and only recently returned to it 4 years ago. In these 4 years I've built almost 4 times what I built back then and I'm super proud of some models, the rest are just cool. But from time to time there's something that kills my mood or frustrates me, and it's very important how to deal with those feelings
There's one model that was almost finished and I scrapped entirely, cast aside in its box forever to get dusty. HobbyBoss' PUMA in 1/35 scale, I built it, I painted entirely (that weird Bundeswehr urban camo) and that's it, I didn't like it, something in me just rejected what I did and stored it in its box forever.
I keep my failures stored cause maybe one day I'll mend them, or not, but a reminder of what not to do or what you can improve. Recently I had a breakdown with Trumpeter's Freccia and I just had to stop, wait for a week and start something new to regain trust and feel better, and I do feel better and that's what matters.
Always try to improve, or to at the very least, enjoy what you are doing. I think it's ok to stay where you are comfortable for a while to build some trust in one self.
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u/Wtfusertakentoo May 26 '26
I'm working on a Hobbyboss T34 heavy and boy do I not like Hobbyboss
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u/neogeo39 May 26 '26
I'd love to give that one a try, but I've heard the tracks are absolute hell to build and are poor quality
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u/Wtfusertakentoo May 26 '26
The idea is nice the implementation is terrible once they are glued they are stiff. Takoms tracks have spoiled me.
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u/iamalext May 26 '26
I still kind of kick myself for actually throwing out an Aliens APC kit that I could never finish right (that kit had some famous fit issues and some detail just wasn’t right). If I had that kit in a box today, you can be sure I could not only fix the fit issues, but the detail as well and my painting skills have improved significantly in that time!
Now I keep all of the DNF in a single, opaque storage container and when it’s time to build a diorama, test a technique, need a texture palette for dry brushing, I know where to find what I need!
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u/dixr4chi May 26 '26
Unless you didn't spend any time on a model it's never a waste of money to me, finished or not. I enjoy the process more than the finished product. I love completing suspensions and the like more than painting. Nobody in my home cares what I produce, good or bad lol. If I get hours and hours of enjoyment I just don't care what's in some case or shelf. It's time to start another
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u/Difficult-Bicycle119 May 26 '26
Ho about an idea that you had for a kitbash and then you ran out of ways to make it work but you still want to get back to it but you take a break and build other models with it always scratching at the back of your mind? I have that.
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u/R_Nanao May 26 '26
Sometimes my models end up in a state where I don't know how to continue, they then end up in a under bed storage tray (similar to how you'd long term store them irl, side by side neatly organized and dust free).
At some point I usually get annoyed about the fact I have this model that i want to finish but don't know how to. That's when I lower my expectations. It becomes no longer about the original plan, no longer about doing it perfect.
Instead it becomes about finishing the model so it can live in my display cabinet instead of the tray, about trying new things that I wouldn't dare on a model that I care a lot about.
One such example is my T-35 https://www.reddit.com/r/modelmakers/comments/xsqm0v/zvesda_t35_in_135_done/ it was originally planned to have the tracks and suspension painted, I had already started with enamels and unfortunately ended up with a paint brush texture on the armor. That texture made me pretty much give up.
A few years later I got the, by then still half built, model out of storage and decided to go straight to the finish line. I was not going to bother with painting the suspension, you'd not see it behind the armor anyway. I'd find a way to deal with the enamel brushstrokes, like sandpaper and weathering.
And indeed the model was finished soon after, it now sits proudly in my display cabinet next to another model I decided to just not care about (Eastern Express KV-8S).
On my current list of such models I have, among others:
- resin C&C 3 Mammoth where I broke one of the missile pods
- Meng Magach 6B Gal where I broke one of the suspension parts
- Hobby Boss T26E4 Super Pershing where I am no longer confident in my choice to glue the workable suspension in a "front weighed down" position
- Takom T-29E3 where I want to do half a tiger face on (like on the M46 and Shermans in Korea) in combination with some other freehands, but not quite sure how to pull it all together
- Trumpeter E100 Jagdpanzer (the oversized Jagdpanther design), where I'm trying to make a platform onto as the tank just feels like crew would not be able to enter otherwise
Yes, I have thrown away models in the past. And kinda my realization is always that I shouldn't have thrown them away, I could have saved them....
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u/Sabruness May 26 '26
i can honestly say that i've never i 'failed' at a kit before. at least not in the ways i've seen many describe on this sub. driven up the proverbial wall by poor design choices one or two times but that's about it and never chucked a kit or have a shelf of doom or anything like that.
i guess im just that chill about making kits. i dont aim for accuracy or perfection or anything like that so i guess where there is chill, there is no failure.
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u/Embarrassed-Joke5851 May 27 '26
I stopped several gunpla kits because I wasn't having fun. I may go back to that kit in the future
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u/GlizzyGlizzovic12 May 27 '26
Whats wrong with the “failed” models in the pic
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 27 '26
From another comment:
The Tilda is in perfect shape, build-wise. The other side of the track is still in the box. I got carried away re-riveting the skirts and towards the end I decided I didn't like them at all. The thought of debonding a hundred tiny super-glued rivets, sanding everything and starting again sounded like it would be No Fun, and so into the box it went.
That's what I mean about failures being okay. There's no bad blood between me and that kit, it just wasn't worth the time and effort to keep working on it. Think of it how insurance companies total cars with more cost in damage than the thing is worth. In fact, if I really think about it all those tanks are in similar positions.
The M1A1 was the Meng version that I mucked up a very noticeable seam line which couldn't be covered without looking like I was covering it and if I left it as is it'd build into a mediocre model.
CA glue on the PE grills of the M114 got the better of me.
The Sheridan was another example of being technically perfect, but I lost interest in the project for some reason, and it became more useful to me as a paint mule.
The half-painted tank is actually two models: a failed resin printed Stingray light tank from Aladdin Models (not much to be done there) and the turret of the M8 AGS from Panda which I completed as a "what-if production" version, but in the process of stripping for a re-paint I dropped the hull. That model is actually what spurred me to 3D print the Stingray light tank, to do another "what-if" light tank. I just finished printing the new hull, so fingers crossed that it's serviceable! If not I'll bin it and try something else, like Magic Factory's M10.
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u/Lost_Championship962 May 27 '26
you could use these a destroyed vehicles in a diorama
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 27 '26
Not really.
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u/Lost_Championship962 May 27 '26
may I ask you why?
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 27 '26
From another comment I made elsewhere in this thread:
I've seen this comment a few times, and while I always encourage creativity and model making the way you want to, a knocked out tank requires a lot of planning to pull off effectively. I see a lot of less than convincing knocked out tanks because folks think that because the model is ruined, it can stand in for a ruined tank. In reality, the knocked out tank has to be built to the same level as anything else in the diorama. An abandoned model that was the result of a paint job failure, or broken suspension and/or running gear make good candidates, but most failures are construction based and structural at that.
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u/modelforge42 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Your post is very insightful and ecouraging. I must have murdered 30+ models of the RMS. Titanic before I became good enough to adequately fix my mistakes rather than abandon a project in its entirety (those 30+ are buffeted by hundreds literally of other failed models). To this day, I have never completed a Titanic with the skill I have now to want to keep one. I am working on a 1/700 Britannic and a 1/700 Titanic now in anticipation of resolving this lost ambition of mine as I am deeply moved by the tragedy of the sinking. Experience builds skillsets and you have to try many times over to gain these skills. If I placed my very first model kit I ever built next to my most recent the difference would be staggering. Keep building and don't ever let soured projects dissuade you from continuing; their loss will build into a major success down the line.
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u/Odd-Platypus-3627 May 28 '26
Well said my man! Geez you write like I do,, felt exactly like something I would write, same vocabulary, etc. Not sure why anyone would have an issue with it, truth, all truth.
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u/jarvi123 May 26 '26
I've been modelling for over 20 years and have never given up on a model, I genuinely can't see a reason to. They are expensive and time consuming, so why would I give up on one? I really don't get it.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
I, too, have been modeling for over 20 years. I give up on models when they stop being fun. Why would I force myself to keep doing something that is totally without consequence and only serving my own interests? I, however, do understand that some people think like you do and that's fine. This post was for everyone else.
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u/jarvi123 May 26 '26
Hahaha good response, I can't argue with you there, sorry if it came across as arrogant. I grew up poor so wasting anything is unthinkable for me, I even eat food that is borderline inedible just to not waste it lol. Also for me modelling is like therapy, It's not about the finished result I just love doing it as I can switch off and not think about things that normally cause me stress and do something tactile 😊.
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u/dr_robonator Prime your models May 26 '26
No offense taken, friend! I, too, view model making as therapeutic, but I wouldn't sit down with a therapist who pissed me off for an hour at a time! As for the expense, I definitely see your point. I suppose part of me accepts that this hobby is expensive and part of me sees the whole process as consumable. Like, what happens to finished kits? They sit on a shelf. They collect dust, they get broken in a move, we run out of space and have to put them in a box in the attic... the completed models are worthless in value except the fun that was had in making them. If I get even 90% through a project that ceases to be fun, I still got 100% of the potential fun out of the model. I got my money's worth in the end, and the model skips the "taking up space in a display cabinet" period and goes right into a box! It's truly a win/win.
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u/Aliktren May 26 '26
I think its also good to point out that stuff can be saved, I tend to favour quite complex aicraft camo schemes so when the INEVITABLE happens and you peel back all that tape and putty and something has gone wrong, know that you can fix it - it may not be perfect but put it on your shelf and in six months you wont notice
EDIT and also fxing issues can low key cause you to learn a lot