I think that I can safely say that every modeller has had a love / hate relationship with the hobby and many, myself included, have walked away completely and at some point gotten the spark back.
However, in today’s world it is even easier to get discouraged, not by the quality of the kits or your self perceived lack of skill, but by social media.
With the plethora of online modelling forums, and the inevitable negative posts common to all social media forums, it’s not hard to fathom why someone would have no desire to get into the hobby, let alone dare to ask for help. It’s even worse when the OP is a novice or beginner model maker and their first taste of social media in their new hobby is negative.
Now I am not painting all people on groups with the same brush (modelling pun totally intended here). There are far more positive and encouraging people out there than negative, but bad experiences stick with us far longer than good ones. So how can you, good reader, help with this?
Thumper’s Dad – That’s how!
“If you can’t say something nice….don’t say nothin’ at all!”
It’s simple advice – maybe too simple – but let’s discuss this further. If someone posts something online, this is not permission for you to say whatever you want. I dare say that you wouldn’t do that in person, so why would you online?
“Now hold on a second! They put that online! That means I can say whatever I want!”
Wrong! Sometimes people just want to throw stuff on the interwebs for fun, or for inspiration, or for a ton of other reasons that are not connected to you and your need to comment. If you don’t see a line asking for comments and criticism (more on that part later), assume they don’t want it.
Ok – you still want to make a comment, but what is ok to say or ask? Well this is where you need to use your head a bit and figure out some stuff on your own, but I will give you some helpful hints. Look for the positives of the model. Who cares if this is their 1st or 50th model – find something you like that they did well, colors, construction, weathering, etc. and give them a heartfelt compliment! People who get positive feedback are far more likely to stick with it and want to improve.
Now what if they throw down the ole “C&C requested”? This is not a free for all for negative comments. You can tell someone that they have areas of improvement without being a jerk about it. Refer back to my earlier comment about something nice to say before giving some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. That means you give them some idea of how to improve on their next model.
For example –
“Your construction is really great, you really nailed the base color, but your filter / wash was a bit heavy and is hiding that great detail. Next time why don’t you try using a smaller brush to apply your wash and be more selective in where you put it, rather than all over the model?”
Or
“Your paint job is really great, but next time, maybe try sand down your nubs just a bit more so that you get a better overall fit for gluing?”
Those are just a couple of really simple example that literally took me 10 seconds to think up. It wasn’t hard and I still was able to give some guidance to the model maker on what, IN MY OPINION, thought could be improved on. And just remember, someone else might think you are totally out to lunch and your advice is wrong! Imagine that – a stranger on the internet not agreeing with me! How dare they!
Now I can hear you now – “I am doing my part, but Person X is being a jerk! I can’t control that!” You can’t…but you can call them out for their behaviour. I am not saying to be rude or to call names, but a “hey – that was uncalled for! Please don’t talk like that here!” is a pretty good start and will encourage others to follow suit.
You can also report the comment to moderators. Any moderator why cares about the quality of their group will be quick to respond and ban persons who are being rude and discouraging others from having fun with the hobby.
More, now that ever, with a world wide pandemic, we are seeing people looking towards model making as a way of combating the boredom of lockdown. Now is the time that we can encourage the next generation of modellers to stick with the hobby we all love, and share all the tricks and tips we have acquired over the years.
My challenge to all of you is to not be one more negative voice in a sea of many. Don’t make that comment and don’t tolerate those who would!
