My Failed Entry

[El Gato]

I took the day off yesterday started at 9:35 am with the intent to finish it by 9:35 am this morning. So I failed. I got as far as the glosscoat. It is still missing decals and the dulllcoat. I have to get ready for my day, so that's as far as I got. Here are the pics:

9:35 am, Friday, the day started with such promise. I was going to do The Delta Quadrant's Cardassian Galor. I had finished a Keldon weeks ag, sans paint. The only prep work I had done earlier was washed it (part of a mass wash of models on April 16) and pre-drilled a hole for the magnetic stand (again, part of a mass drilling of models weeks ago):

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0581.jpg

At 11:27 am things were looking good. Sanding was done, and this casting didn't have many air bubbles to fill. It was ready for assembly:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0582.jpg

11:59 am: I had learned a few things from building the Keldon. One was that the aft disruptor (the tuning fork-like tail) sits so precariously on the edge that the stub tends to break off, so I used the McGyver multitool (a paperclip) to give it more strength. I had also drilled a hole for the forward disruptor using Terry's idea of drilling a wide hole and filling it with AVES so that you don't have to worry about getting the mating hole perfectly aligned with your pin:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0583.jpg

1:14 pm: Assembly is mostly done and putty applied. Magnet has been inserted but not filled in:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0584.jpg

1: 26 pm: Magnet covered up:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0585.jpg

2:14 pm: Assembly done, ready for priming:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0586.jpg

3:49 pm: Primer applied and sanded with 400 grit:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0587.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0588.jpg

5:26 pm: Lost a lot of time because I grabbed the wrong can and accidentally applied a pearl glosscoat on top of the primer. So I had to wait for that to dry before applying the base coat. Of course, you have to allow for that to dry too:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0589.jpg

5:49 pm: Another time sucker - Used a fine tipped point to apply the panel lines. Didn't like the results:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0590.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0591.jpg

8:03 pm: At 6 pm I applied another thin sheet of basecoat before leaving for dinner on date night. That was plenty of time for the paint to dry and I started again when we returned. The panel lines were de-emphasized. Here are the results:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0592.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0593.jpg

8:41 pm: Aaaaand time sucker #3 - I used a dark brown for the panel lines. Didn't like it in the least:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0594.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0595.jpg

10:48 pm: I used a brown wash to de-emphasize the panel lines I drew. Didn't like these results either. But I loved the Soviet Orange over the basecoat, though:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0597.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0598.jpg

11:00 pm: Applied a thin coat of basecoat and went to bed...

7:29 am Saturday: Picked up where I left off:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0599.jpg

9:32 am: I did like the effect on the panels, but needed some more punch. So I used a combination of reddish brown, Soviet orange, khaki brown, light blue and black wash to highlight detail:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0600.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0601.jpg

To be honest, the weathering I did was a little heavy for my taste, but from far away it looks good And after seeing pics of the filming model, I was surprised how heavily weathered it looked, so I guess my brain went there.

At 10:43 am the glosscoats were dry. I was disappointed it took away some of the more subtle weathering I *did* like. But here it is, again without decals or glosscoat. I failed in getting it done in one day but I figured you guys wanted to see it:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0602.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m ... C_0603.jpg

[Lonewolf]

Nicely done! I have one sitting in my stash to be built.

[southwestforests]

To be honest, the weathering I did was a little heavy for my taste, but from far away it looks good And after seeing pics of the filming model, I was surprised how heavily weathered it looked, so I guess my brain went there.

Take a picture at 1995 television screen resolution and see if that doesn't tone down the weathering a bit.

[Bellerophon]

Too bad. It looks pretty good for such a quick build.

On the upside, you can tone down the weathering at your leisure.

I guess building a model in 24 hours is like rescuing hostages. You have a narrow window of opportunity. The attempt must be well-planned, but you still risk a negative outcome. (Fortunately, in modeling no one gets killed. Unless you sever a major artery with your X-acto knife.)

One lesson I get from this "failed entry" is this: Say you can get it "done" in 24 hours, but you're not satisfied with the result. What's to stop you from working on it afterwards? It's your model! Most of us have probably done more work on models that were already finished.

I will try to clear the decks to do a one-day build on Sunday.

[nicholassagan]

Eh, I'd say close enough. A+ for effort on the 24 hr push.
I like those highlights though, if you were to do a really light overcoat it might cinch them up perfectly.

good work!

[El Gato]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback! Nice to know that maybe I didn't go overboard.

I guess building a model in 24 hours is like rescuing hostages. You have a narrow window of opportunity. The attempt must be well-planned, but you still risk a negative outcome. (Fortunately, in modeling no one gets killed. Unless you sever a major artery with your X-acto knife.)

That's exactly right and it's my takeaway. I didn't spend much time doing the bane of my modeling existence (sanding) because I had a dry run with the Keldon. But because I hadn't painted many models lately, I didn't go in with a game plan. That proved to be my downfall. So plan ahead and run the scenarios for every step in your head before taking the challenge. That way on the day it's all execution.

I plan on doing it again on June 29 (I have a furlough day I have to take) and see where that gets me. It'll be either PNT Models' Reliant, Gizmo's KBOP or Sci Fi Miniatures Defiant

[Lonewolf]

I'm gonna try to maybe work on one next weekend, but it's going to be tight. We have a memorial service at church on Saturday morning, and a church picnic with friends that afternoon. I don't participate in the contest, but it's still fun to see what can be done in a day. This weekend is out. I'm working an auction for my in-laws all day on Saturday, and Sunday is already booked as well.

Building a kit in 24 hours does take planning. It doesn't help when you're rushing and grab the wrong bottle/can/dispenser (so says the guy who grabbed the regular Rustoleum rather than the quick-drying stuff! ).