David over at DB Scale Model Studio wrote up a nice piece that nicely sums up an issue that has plagued some modelers at one point or another: the fear of failure. David goes on to describe a series of partially completed kits and the reasons why the builds stalled (spoiler alert: a fear of failure!) But most importantly, he comes to the right conclusion and rethinks the fear of failure. It is all about the journey and learning from these kits. All in all, it is well worth the read.
I think the fear of failure can manifest itself in other ways aside from the accumulation of shelf queens. First is that one kit or twelve in the stash that won’t be started until we have the “right skills” to do the kit justice or to simply not ‘mess it up’ and have to throw it out. Years can pass and that model is slowly buried under countless other models that require similar or even more impressive skills to complete. Hey, at least with the shelf queens the builder gave them a shot. In this case, the fear is such that a shot will never be taken.
The second example of fear of failure is less obvious but just as related. Sometimes a builder’s skills have plateau-ed and every completed build is essentially a xerox copy of the last one. Now, it can be that the models are finished to an excellent, dare I say, perfect standard. But the builder is stuck. He or she has not taken a shot at trying something new for fear of messing up a perfect build so close to the finish line. After all, trying a new technique, paint, or finishing style involves risk and potentially a learning moment the first time.
So, in addition to David’s advice relating to the shelf queen phenomenon, I think it applies to these other examples of the fear of failure. Yes, no one wants to feel overwhelmed and mess up a kit or strip all the paint off when something goes sideways. But, to quote David: damn the results, and enjoy the hobby!
Last Thing
Mike and Dave over on the Plastic Model Mojo have discussed this fear at length with an elegant solution: setting out a plan to get better. I fully believe that what isn’t planned will never accomplished. But remember, one actually has to execute that plan. Or take that first risk into the unknown.
And if you mess up? Well, then you just learned something. And you will be better next time.
I, myself have this beauty of a Special Hobby Super Corsair. A kit that I bought well over 10 years ago. And I have also accumulated some extra special bits for it. I got the big doghouse scoop and the correct big prop for Racer #57. What has stopped me from trying it is that beautiful red sunburst finish. Boy oh boy does that ever look cool. Especially when it is all shiny and new. My fear is less about the flawless polished red paint and more about those decals. Will they work and settle into the details? Are they opaque enough? Those damn kit decals. But, then again, what is the worst thing that can happen? That I have to strip off the decals and try again with paint masks? C’mon man, I’ve got to give it a shot!
So? What about you? Are you afraid of failure? What is holding you back? I’d love to know about that and if there are things you have done to combat this fear, I’d love to hear about them too.
MODEL AIRPLANE MAKER 
50 year-old decals… That’s my biggest fear.
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Completely justifiable!
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That’s good explanation for my oversized stash of kits!
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A long time ago (when I had hair somewhere other than my nose and ears) I had to deal with fear of failure when I started studying karate. Failure had noticeable affects. Bloody nose, busted ribs, dislocated fingers and toes, it’s a long list. In the beginning I failed a lot. I healed a lot. I kept at it and eventually the fear eroded until it was gone. I got over it.
Every so often, that old fear starts to climb out of its coffin when at the workbench. Same fears as many of you have, I suppose. What happens if I bitch this up totally? No bloody nose (though my poor left hand, which is generally holding what I’m working on when something sharp slips, gets in the way of something that wasn’t as sharp as it should have been so there’s still some blood) or any other impact-related reminders. But there are triggers…
No, not the sort of trigger that can cause a cascade of psycho/emotional reactions. The kind of trigger that sets off a chain of events. An example can be building a detailed AFV. The interior gets done first and the way I do things, there’s a lot of work to that. Then comes the day when all the subassemblies have been cleaned up, assembled, detailed, painted, and glued to where I want them (which can sometimes mean they’re glued to where they go…sometimes not). Next step is to marry the upper hull to the lower hull. The very same lower hull that I often spend months on, certainly lots of weeks, populating with bits. Glue the hulls together and access to those bits are at least difficult and sometimes impossible to modify if I forgot something or did something I should have done otherwise. And there I sit, sipping coffee, scratching the cat (because don’t all modeling shops need more cat hair?), and contemplating what I’ve probably forgotten (if one can contemplate something they don’t know). I do know that once those hulls are married, that’s it for diddling anything inside. And I sit there in contemplation, or fear, until I accept that this build stops here unless I pull the trigger and put the hulls together. And since I will not start another project until the one I’m working on is done (my P-51 was the only exception), the hobby stops here, too. Pull the trigger. Do it. Fix it. Figure out how to fix it.
I rarely start a build I know how to finish. I’m doing one now (Crankenstein) that is all kit-bashing and scratchbuilding. I am SO DEEP into the I-don’t-know-what-the-fornication-I’m-doing realm that it’s ceased being either funny or scary. And ain’t I just learning things! Aka, yeah, ain’t I just screwed up a bunch of this [insert part/process here]! Nah. I’ve only screwed up if I stop here. If I don’t, then I am going to learn something (starting with how to fix it). And ain’t I just learning, and learning, and learning.
It’s not always easy, frequently things don’t go as planned, and often it’s quite frustrating. Sometimes (often) I give vent at these times. Once I stop screaming, cursing, whining, and kicking my little footies my roommate will remind me of something that I can sometimes (often) forget…
“Don’t you do this to yourself because you like it?”
Oh. Yeah. That.
Fear? Well, not so much. I don’t have a large stash (and at 74 I still have more than I’m going to live to build) but they’re all things I want to build (not to mention live). I often remind myself that I don’t have to grow these things because if it’s growing and gets screwed up, the permanent fix isn’t very easy if at all possible. But building something? If I screw it up (when I screw it up), I either fix it, trash the part, or take it apart and start over. My ego isn’t invested in this and if I like what I’ve done, I don’t much care if anyone else does.
Wow…do I ramble…must be old.
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I find myself being more interested in a build the more I don’t know how to do something. My current project had to be stripped when I really messed up. But I did learn something!
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As in many other aspects of life, this is something usual. I have, maybe 10 kits, many for years on end, in diverse state of building, waiting that I gather enough courage to finish them. Just now I’m waiting for the weather to improve for airbrushing a destroyer kit I got unfinished for about 11 years.
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All comments here are so comforting…
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Hi!āI have to say I agree completely with what that other David guy said ;).āI still think It IS fun when I build a new model and I think the passion comes down to a few key things –
It’s usually a subject that I haven’t built before so there’s the excitement of learning about something new.ā
I’ll admit, I’m drawn to esoteric subjects such as the Krupp Raumer S vehicle or the Morser Karl, the more unusual subjects.āI’m not one to build a fleet’s worth of F-14s or every Sherman variation, sorry not my thing.āIt sounds like guaranteed burn-out to me.āI try to vary subjects and that always brings enough new challenges and differences to keep it interesting to me.
To have a plan or to keep a schedule of when I have to model (an hour a day??) seems to go against everything I think fun should be.ā
If I can fit some time in, great.āIf I can’t, well, maybe tomorrow.āIt should be spontaneous and something you look forward to.āTo be on a schedule just seems more like an obligation or a chore – the opposite of what a hobby is supposed to be.āWhy add the stress?
Another point I’d like to comment on is this drive to get ‘better’ – what have you done to improve?
Does improving my finesse matter or do I have to master a new technique?āHow do you measure that?āI’m pretty sure my latest tank looks better than my first (or maybe not, don’t ask my fellow club members).āDid I do a better job on the camo?āMaybe.āRepetition brings improvement so I think that counts.āWhy add that unnecessary pressure?
Mostly I build because I like to keep my hands busy and woodworking gives me splinters.āIt’s fun to take a 1,000 piece kit and create something awesome out of it all.āTo see it all finished and know that I’ve built that.āTo paint it how I think it looks pretty damn good.āIs it a guarantee I’ll finish everyt model I start?āNot really, mistakes happen.āSometimes I grow tired of working on the same kit after a month or two.āI’ll put it away there may come the day I’m inspired to work on it again.āMeanwhile, there’s this other new kit I’ve picked up…..
I hope you all still find the joy in the diversion we call modeling.āIt’s our escape from everyday life.
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“Another point Iād like to comment on is this drive to get ābetterā ā what have you done to improve?”
I hear you and agree that no one must get better at a hobby (my horrible kayak skills being front and center) but keep in mind this is the response to the statement “I’ll get to that kit when I get better.”
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Thank you for your response.āI just believe that it’s supposed to be fun and we all have fun in different ways.āThere’s no wrong approach.āI think the pressure we put on ourselves results in the opposite of fun.āAs far as waiting until you get better, I say jump in and build it!āThat’s how you learn!ā(btw, I returned to building armor with Dragon kits from 20 years ago, nothing fazes me these days)āhahaā
Besides, if you screw it up, you can always get another and now you have spare parts!
Happy modeling!
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