15th Annual 24 Hour Build Finished

 

I finished the 24 Hour build. The kit was simple in terms of number of parts. But, the parts did not fit very well.  I know it wasn't entirely my lack of build skill as even the sample photos with the kit show large gaps, especially in the rear clip. Tamiya designed this kit so that the doors and rear clip could open. That might explain the large gaps

A nice looking engine was included in the kit, but the rest of the rear clip was not very well detailed or missing. The kit did not include the inner wheel wheels or even a whiff of the tubular suspension. I started adding some fuel lines and wires to the engine, when I realized that the the rest of the engine bay was not worth looking at. So I glued down the rear clip sealing the engine inside. The photo at the left is the last look at the engine before I sealed it up. 

It was a fun project. Having to rush to build it was both exciting and frustrating as this model would have benefited from a more careful build. 

Some lessons learned if I do this next year.

1. Pick a model type that you have more experience in building. I think a 1/56th scale armored vehicle is a good type of kit for this challenge as I know I can build and paint one in less than 24 hours.

2. I used acrylic paints for the finish. It dries fast and I had a lot of it on hand.  But acrylic paint is very hard to sand when dry and impossible to wet sand. If you need a glossy, flawless finish acrylics are probably not the way to go.

3. Pick a simple paint scheme. I did that in this case and it helped a lot. Especially when at the 22 hour mark, I had to sand and putty major gaps.

4. Car models are fun to build, but the finish can be very tricky. This was the first car model I have built since 1978 when I was living in Detroit and built some F1 race car kits.  It reminds me why I like railroad and military models. In railroad or military models if you make a mistake in the finish or have a glue glob, you can usually weather around it, add some battle damage,  or add some stowage to hide the error. That is much harder to do on on car models.

15th Annual 24 Hour Model Build

 My brother convinced me to try this challenge. This challenge is organized by a Facebook Group. Their "About" statement  says, 

This group is for those builders (and spectators) who participate in our annual 24 hour build. The object is to get together with a friend or friends or go it alone and build a model of any kind in a straight 24 hour period of time! 

Rules:

Start at noon on Sat and end at noon on Sunday during the weekend of the 24 Hours of Daytona race.

New or unstarted kit. (You may wash the parts and strip chrome ahead of time)

You are allowed to glue up to 4 pieces to body ahead of time.

You must paint your model during the build.

Please post pics during the build here on Facebook as you go along.

The #1 most important thing is to have fun.

Here is the Fotki photo site that Gary Kulchock put up where all photos of the finished builds will go... 

https://public.fotki.com/gkulchock/13th-annual-24-hour/

 

You can build whatever you want. Since this is an event based on a automobile endurance race, I decided to build a model of a Porsche 910. This kit was given to me by my brother. He got it from a guy who started to build it, made some mistakes and gave up. It looks like the errors will be easy to fix and all the parts are present. So I should be able to build it.

I will be making it car 17 from the 1967 Nurburgring. This car is somewhat historic as it was the first overall winner that Porsche had at the Nurburgring. The actual car is in a museum in Naples, Florida. It is still in operable condition having been fully restored. 

However, given that I am a model railroader and military modeler, my car will have be weathered as if it just finished the race. See the bottom photo. Note the weathering on the  car and the black tape holding down the frunk (i.e. bonnet). 

Check back in 24 hours to see if I was successful.

From the Porsche Legends website

After the race: Udo Schütz and his winning No. 17 car.

Six hundred twenty-one miles forever

While Formula One is going through a rough patch in Germany six years after the death of Graf Berghe von  Trips and twelve years after the withdrawal of Mercedes-Benz, a great age of sports-car races is beginning— with  Porsche leading the way. TV cameras are on hand to broadcast the 621.4-mile race to the world, as well as its historic result: for the first time, a race car from Zuffenhausen takes overall victory. During the race, the Nürburgring provides the requisite drama: holding a sizable lead, Lucien Bianchi and Gerhard Mitter are forced to abandon the race on the final lap with a broken alternator. Nevertheless,  sweeps the top four places. Leading the charge: Udo Schütz / Joe Buzzetta. How quickly the drama of motor racing can turn to tragedy is seen during the 1969 season two years later: Bianchi dies at Le Mans in the spring and Mitter on the Nürburgring in August.

Date: May 28, 1967

Winners: Udo Schütz, Joe Buzzetta 

Car:  910 

Distance: Forty-four laps of 14.173 miles (Nordschleife)

Winners’ average speed: 90.4 mph

What are you?

My niece asked me to explain what a "Train Goober" was after I used that phrase in a sentence. The best way I could explain it was in a flow chart, but even this isn't 100% accurate. So where do you fit in?

Is 3D Printing Scratch Building?

This question has come up on some modeling forums in which I participate.  The immediate follow up question is, "who cares?" Well, some people do, especially when it comes to contests for model builders.  The NMRA is not alone in hosting modeling contests. In fact my impression is that plastic scale model builders and figure painters are even more focused on contests and awards than the NMRA.

A similar question arose when digital photography became available. At first the film advocates argued against digital photography in contests. Now, 15 years later, film is dead and no one thinks twice about digital photography. I suspect the same will happen in model building.

The NMRA has addressed the subject of 3D printing in its requirements for Achievement Program judging.  From the NMRA website, 

The term "scratchbuilt" carries the implication that the builder alone has accomplished all of the necessary layout and fabrication which establish the final dimensions, appearance, and operating qualities of the scale model.  This definition does not prevent the use of any tools or jigs as long as the builder alone has done the work necessary for the tool to make the part.  This would include drawings or computer files to control CNC, automatic lathes, laser cutting machines, 3-D printers, and other tools.  If a third party changes the builder's inputs, then the parts are not considered to be scratch built. 

Meanwhile, other modeling contests have taken a different approach. For example, The rules for the  Bandai Hobby Open, a modeling contest for models made using parts from Bandai kits, says, "a part which is made by 3D printer or 3rd party resin will be not judged." Now this may be because they are trying to promote the use of their own kits, though they will allow, "scratch built parts." So clearly they lump 3D printing in  the non-scratch built category.

If you frequent modeling forums you will see a split opinion on whether 3D printed parts can considered be scratch built. For example, one fellow made an interesting point that it is much easier to make a perfectly symmetrical part when 3D drafting and printing, so called additive machining, than by traditional subtractive machining. OK, that might be true. So what. Use the right tool for the job I say.

I view 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC milling machines, computer controlled paper cutters simply as additional tools in the model building arsenal. If you start with raw materials, you do the design work,  and it becomes a part, then it's scratch built. If you buy a 3D printed part, or you download a stl file to print on a 3D printer, then that is not scratch building any more than buying a commercial injection molded or cast part would be.  That pretty much is in line with the NMRA guidelines.  

I suppose one gray area might involve a person that designs a part, but has a commercial house, such as Shapeways, do the printing. That might not meet the NMRA guidelines.  I know from my own experience that printing the parts on your own machine can take a fair amount of experience and skill. 

3D scanner in action

I am not sure how 3D scanners fit in this category, as those seem to be more like a copying process. But, I suspect there is a lot of art and skill involved in making a useful 3D scan that can become a 3D printed part, so I will remain open minded on that. I read that the new iPhones can do 3D scans, so the technology is becoming more and more available.

Kit bashing is a gray area that lies between scratch building and not.   The NMRA allocates a variable number of points for scratch built content in contest or judged models, so they recognize there is a continuum is this area. Furthermore, the NMRA did adapt their AP requirements to allow super-detailing, especially diesel models, as an acceptable way for a model to gain points in their scoring system.  

In conclusion, this is not an question that I get too worked up about. I do find it an interesting subject and thought it worth some discussion.  I am not a big advocate of model contests in general due to the great amount of subjectivity it involves. I think the NMRA merit system is actually a pretty  good approach. 

ACWRRHS Group Build

We recently announced this on the ACWRRHS. I am posting it here too for general information. Some folks have already started. 

For the first time ever the ACWRRHS is holding a group build event.  In this event, anyone that wishes to participate will build a model under a specific theme.  The theme for the premiere event is “Civil War Era Box Car.”

This is NOT a contest. It is a way to get us involved in building and sharing our work, even if you don’t have a layout.  All skill levels may participate. Any materials may be used. You could start with ready to run model and re-letter and weather it it. You could build one the the kits available from our vendors. Maybe you want to 3D print something, that’s fine. just about any idea you want to try is OK. Get creative. You can display the model on a plain background, ot show it in a diorama full of troops and supplies. 

So you like the history, but are not a modeler? Try it anyway. You might enjoy it. You’ll end up with a memento of the group to display in your office or den. If not, at least you’ll get to marvel at everyone else’s work. 

You only do computer modeling? Fine, make a box car in your computer.  

You like to use cereal box cardboard for construction material, go for it. 

All you have to do it decide to join in and make what you want as long as it somehow relates to a civil war era box car. 

Now, for the rules, such as they are.

Starting date:  January 15, 2021. 

Ending date:  April 30th,  2021, just in time for the spring campaign seasons

Allowed themes: Everything is allowed from every theater of the war, any railroad, any setting,  as long as it involves a Civil War Era box car. Again, be creative. If you are not sure wether or not your idea fits within the frame, ask the group.

How it works:  If you plan to join in you can start a message thread on groups.io with the following Subject, “ACWRRHS 2020 Group Build, <Your name here>”   The thread will be where you describe your project and show progress. You can post pictures as you go. Others can comment on it as they see fit. 

The last  hard rule:  it must be a new project you are starting. You shouldn’t use a model that you have previously built. 

At the end of the time period, the group moderators will do a consolidated message showing model photos and or videos of all the models, finished or not. There are no prizes or penalties. That’s it. 

We look forward to seeing your builds as they progress.