What do you skip when building model kits?

[McColm]

If it can't be seen don't put it in. As I usually end up with a thumb print on the cockpit canopy I tend to leave this out.
Aerials and stencils, however with this will change with some of the future builds in the pipeline.

[zenrat]

Stencils - a good reason to build in 1/72.

I rarely build kits that have many stencils therefore it's a novelty to put them on.  Mind you, the amount on the red phantom nearly drove me (further) bonkers.

I never wash the bare naked sprues (well, unless they feel greasy.  Surely its wrong to use so much mould release that it remains on the sprues - are you listening A Model).  Apparently this is the first thing you should do upon starting a model.

[Snowtrooper]

I'll wash the parts before assembly & painting if it's white metal/pewter, any kind of resin, or the kind of "plastic resin" / hardened PVC more recently used in boardgame figures. Regular polystyrene, never. I suspect that the amount of mold release agent in the latter is negligible compared to the former, as personal experience has shown that paint will readily stick on unwashed styrene but less so on the others.

Cockpit detailing - I use what the kit has, if it has nothing but a bang seat, at most I will scratch an instrument panel and joystick. Belts, belt buckles, ejection seat handles... good thing that I build in 1:72 so I can pretend they do not exist if the kit does not have them

Making the seeker heads/lenses into proper lenses eg. using blobs of PVA glue cut to shape? Mmmmmmaybe one day...

Rescribing raised panel lines - no thank you.

Rigging - never done this yet, but in 1:72 I think I could get away with just drilling holes in wings and using thin fishing line, instead of having PE loops and turnbuckles and special model rigging wire.

Primer? On figures, yes. On model kits, only if the plastic is brightly coloured (ie. pre-bankruptcy Matchbox, Red Arrows/Blue Angels mouldings destined to be something else, anime kits getting a non-canon paintjob).

So far, I've skipped shading and higlighting except figures - but will do that with the ten or so kits perpetually under construction and any kits after those, along with weathering.

Also, excessive stencils I "forget" to put on (especially on things under the wings). "The camo was just applied and the crew didn't have the time to repaint the stencils yet!" Of course, modelling WW1/WW2 planes would be easier in this regard (if I've understood correctly).

Decal softener? Decal setting solution? Pardon my French. Though considering the age of my stash, I might have to give in and start using decal film (or simply gloss varnish sprayed on the sheet) to prevent the decals from disintegrating when dipped in water.

As a kid I never did the gloss varnish - decals - gloss varnish - weathering - matte, satin or gloss varnish cycle, just slapped on the decals, however as a grown-up, I have at least put on gloss varnish first and gloss/matt varnish on top, that since the silvering is unbearable otherwise.

[Nick]

I will skip most 'No Step' stencils, just using enough to give the impression there's a whole set.
Same goes for bomb loads as I always seem to get one that hangs at an odd angle.
Canopy frames are hard to get right so I avoid those when possible.
Instrument panels just get painted black. A colourful pilot figure will distract from that!

Last few years I seem to have skipped everything after the initial build.... 

At the moment its finishing them     

Gondor

[NARSES2]

I might have to give in and start using decal film (or simply gloss varnish sprayed on the sheet) to prevent the decals from disintegrating when dipped in water.

Just had to do that for the first time on some white stripes I want to use. They kept shattering into tiny pieces. Still to see if its worked or not.

[PR19_Kit]

Oh yes, I don't skip the dreaded 'pre-shading', I AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE! 

Nothing makes a model look more like a model and less like a small version of the real thing than 'pre-shading', YEUK!

[Dizzyfugu]

It depends... most of the time I use anything OOB and add personal details like pitots (using thin brass wire), rigging (I prefer heated sprue material, torn into thin wire - has the benefit that I can use normal plastic glue and avoid the problems with real wire (never straight) or fishing line (needs some tension)) or other things, beyond whiffy mods. Concerning decals I also tend to use whatever I can get hold of - but it depends on the manufacturer. Older Italeri decals are prone to silvering, whatever I try, so I either try to find replacements or even paint illegible stencils and small markings on by brush. Sounds crude, but at a certain small size it's just enough to "have something" in the right places.
With my brushes-only style I also do no pre-shading, rather post-shading as a kind of a standard dry-brushing routine. But I have found that the effect can dramatically enhance the look of a kit, beyond weathering effects, so I tokk this routine up into my standard repertoire - as well as a black ink wash that helps emphasizing details and helps avoid a clean, toy-like look of a model which I personally do not like.
Concerning brittle decals: I found Metallizer fixation (probably an acrylic varnish variant) to be very effective, also for home-printed /short run decals. One layer is normally enough.

[Radish]

I leave out whatever I can get away with. Adding a dinosaur as pilot also fills space well.

[Thorvic]

I leave out whatever I can get away with. Adding a dinosaur as pilot also fills space well.

Damn I was sure Radish was going to say 'Clothing' !!!   

[kerick]

There are days I would skip painting all together! Can I hire out that part?

[zenrat]

Oh yes, I don't skip the dreaded 'pre-shading', I AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE! 

Nothing makes a model look more like a model and less like a small version of the real thing than 'pre-shading', YEUK!

Yes.  I've just reached the Jet Provost build in the April issue of Airfix Model World.  It's pre-shaded and in the leading pic for the article it looks to me like the panels on the nose are falling off.  Not good.

I've just remembered some more things I skip;

Painting the interior colour of the canopy frames.  IMO not worth the bother in 1/72.
Putting decals on munitions.  I don't do this because i'm too idle to gloss all the bombs and missiles before decaling and then gloss them again and then satin.  Too much work so I leave them off.

[NARSES2]

I agree re pre-shading, it's not something I do. When done well it can certainly enhance a model especially in the larger scales but if overdone can make a model look toy like to me. It is something that does seem to be, being taken to extremes on some models in recent publications.

Painting the interior colour of the canopy frames.  IMO not worth the bother in 1/72.
Putting decals on munitions.  I don't do this because i'm too idle to gloss all the bombs and missiles before decaling and then gloss them again and then satin.  Too much work so I leave them off.

Agree re interior frames. I have enough trouble with the external ones 

Munitions ? Sometimes I will, sometimes I won't, but then as I very seldom do anything with modern missiles and their whole host of stencils it's not much of a problem.

[KiwiZac]

I'm beginning to think I don't belong here - I do it all! Except for shading and weathering. I've even started using thinners and decal solution...

[Rick Lowe]

I'm beginning to think I don't belong here - I do it all! Except for shading and weathering. I've even started using thinners and decal solution...

BURN THE HERETIC!!   

[zenrat]

I'm beginning to think I don't belong here - I do it all! Except for shading and weathering. I've even started using thinners and decal solution...

BURN THE HERETIC!!   

Agreed.  But steal his models first, they're too good to burn.