A Jmn Admission:

cthulhu77 · June 28, 2007, 07:57:43 PM

Greg Eats Crow: JMN Anon

After all of these years, yep, it happened to me. About a month or so ago, it became time to gear up for the local IPMS convention...our regionals.
I started to schedule build times, printed out a schedule as to where I had to be in the projects by each set date, and chose which models to enter, based on their merits per the IPMS readout: seam lines, decals, proper literature, etc...
The last few days before the contest, I slept less than two hours per night, scrambling to make sure that everything was perfect, dustless, no flaws.
When a clear coat cracked on a plane, I flipped out, and frantically sanded off the finish with 1200 grit, telling my wife I had no time to eat dinner with her, I had to get this kit ready for Saturday!
I showed up half of an hour late for the Make-n-Take, because I had to flat coat a 1/72nd Captain figurine for the Schnellboot...it had to be perfect.
During the show, I often added in commentary to people looking at the kits and asking questions, correcting one gentleman about the history of the Horten flying wing, and snorting when someone had the temerity to question my positioning of the Albertosaurus's hind leg..."No, it is NOT a T-Rex!"

Yep, I had become a JMN. I had forgotten the basic rule that I have always valued, that of modeling being a fun hobby, not a soul sucking joyless event, done solely for the gain of the trophy, the award, the standing around with other jmn's and chuckling.

It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized what had happened...this morning I was going through paperwork to see what I could enter in the nationals, and under what category. The projects I had been having fun doing were gathering dust, because I had been concentrating on the "winners".

Self-loathing came about soon enough, and those "winners" were shelved, and my old favourite projects brought out...the Danish Carrier, the Ekranoplan...things that I really loved working on . Don't get me wrong, the Albertosaurus was a fun build., I have an immense fascination with dinosaurs, but having to rush the build to make it to the contest destroyed the fundamental aspect of doing all of the research, cutting, chopping, bondoing, and psr...it reduced it to a "project", rather than something I was enjoying.

Well, enough of my introspection , I suppose...I did want to haul myself before my peers, and apologize for letting ego take the place of styrene. My bad, and hopefully, never to be repeated.

Greg

Eddie M. · June 28, 2007, 08:16:36 PM

Admitting you have a problem is the 1st step

.... A true JMN would NEVER admit such a thing. There's also the delivery of said information you are passing on to John Q. Public. Using condesension and arrogance will leave a person feeling defensive and deflated. The right delivery gives a person the feling that they learned something new from a cool guy at the model show. Don't worry Greg, I bet it wasn't as half as bad as you believe. We all want to put our best foot forward and you're no different I'll bet. If you can spot your own mistakes, you've already learned from them. Cheers!

:salute:
Eddie

dragon · June 28, 2007, 10:05:45 PM

You see, the part you don't understand, is that with your flawless masterpiece you either cheese off or fool (see that thread on the Argentine Sturmovik) the JMNs. That is your general goal. If you must do a real world subject, make it something rarely seen (in the US anything that isn't in the US Military inventory or its standard colors will do). In my case I also try to do the cheesing off by category, my next target for the next regional is the car guys. I am building a (drum roll please) "Roach Coach" (correct name is Catering truck) in 1/72- just to use up the parts I don't use from the countless Hasegawa US PILOT/GROUND CREW SET X72-7 kits I have purchased over the years. I can't wait. :dum:

As for the Albertosaurus, at least no one pointed at it and said "Look! Barney!" B)

Maverick · June 28, 2007, 11:15:45 PM

C'mon Greg, don't be too hard on yourself. We all have our moments I'm sure, some a little more than others.

Like Eddie said, you have self-introspection, that something that a real JMN doesn't know the meaning of.

I've seen some right pillocks bleating away about the nitpicking details of the latest Tamigawa uberkit only to trot out the same hackneyed phrases that they think everyone else thinks. Unfortunately, this blind adherence to the end result, etc means that they aren't above making mistakes which look all the worse because of their arrogance.

If someone said to me... look at the lovely Spitfire that flew with 617 Sqn, well, I know the Dambusters didn't have 'em, but I'd certainly not go out of my way to make the point, whilst if some know it all twit said the same thing, I'd take no end of delight in letting him know the error of his ways.

It's a reason I don't do the club thing to be honest and another why I love it here, no Colour Police, no millimetre measuring Nazis, just different ideas for different people.

Congratulations for being able to see it in the first place, that's the true sign.

Mav

nev · June 29, 2007, 12:53:49 AM

Don't worry Greg, we forgive you.

We'll still have to burn you at the stake mind. We must purify you by fire....yesssssss, feel the cleansing of the flamessss.........

NARSES2 · June 29, 2007, 01:40:24 AM

I think we all have our own little "speciality" which leads us occaisionaly to this type of thing - the important thing is to admit it and then forget it.

Chris

Nev - I'l bring the matches

Howard of Effingham · June 29, 2007, 01:56:13 AM

just relax, and find a friendly CPN.

everyone has got to be normal once in a while. ^_^

my poor 1/2pennyworth.

trevor

Brian da Basher · June 29, 2007, 04:13:09 AM

Well now you can go back to having fun again, Greg!

Brian da Basher

P.S. The panel lines on that dinosaur were all wrong!

Damian2 · June 29, 2007, 05:25:32 AM

I expect that that 100 lines of "I will never again become a souless JMN again." on my desk Monday morning.

Captain Canada · June 29, 2007, 06:16:37 AM

I've never been to a show or contest so I have no idea how people act. I can say from attending airshows that everybody seems to be a know-it-all about aeroplanes....which makes it kinda tough to keep from saying things to those types !

Just get yourself going on a simple 12-kit program....once you're done building those, you should be fine !

Captain Canada · June 29, 2007, 06:17:31 AM

Quote"Roach Coach" (correct name is Catering truck)

Around here it's known as the 'Gut Wagon'

ysi_maniac · June 29, 2007, 08:05:54 AM

QuoteThe panel lines on that dinosaur were all wrong!

Very good, indeed

philp · June 29, 2007, 12:31:19 PM

Greg,
I learned my lesson a few years ago when rushing a project made it just not come out how I wanted it. I now try to quit modeling at least 2 days before the contest and a week if it isn't something that just needs a tweeking.

cthulhu77 · June 29, 2007, 02:47:14 PM

Quote
QuoteThe panel lines on that dinosaur were all wrong!
Very good, indeed

Oh yeah?, I have the schematics from 62,000,000 years ago...so there.

Sisko · June 29, 2007, 05:34:09 PM

You have no need to apologise at all. Mate your work is some of the best arounrd and your subjects are quite diverse which is a skill in itself.

Striving to make the best model possible does not make you a JMN. Attacking other people's models because thier work might not be up to par or slightly inaccurate is.

Keep building the best models around, and if you want to go the extra to achieve a great model then go for it. We all love your work and it certainly gives me inspiration to try new things.

Just a point on the Dino I am sure that the head is the wrong shape!! To correct it I have a ludicrously expensive resin upgrade kit and I am waiting for some more refernce material before starting. :dum: