Modeling Psychology 201

[Michael]

Pop Quiz:What is a habit? *Why are these detremental to modeling skills. *How can they be a positive influence?

Habit is the name for religious garb as worn by monks and nuns.

They are detrimental to modelling skills since those in the religious life take vows of poverty and so cannot afford models, and in the case of cloistered orders they cannot get out to buy them.

They are a good thing as there is an excellent retirement plan - it last for eternity!

Just ask Brother Heller.

[stringbags4ever2]

Right you are, Michael. I have a bad habit. It's called lack of patience, especially when it comes to masking canopies. For instance, I tried last night with Tamiya tape to mask a 1:72 Tamiya canopy from a Mosquito. I used a fresh #11 blade for my x-acto knife, but I still couldn't get sharp edges, as the masking tape tended to tear. Arrrrrrghhhh!!!! > > > So I tore off the tape in utter frustration and swore I'd go to Michael's (an art supply store) and get myself a No. O liner brush and hand paint the cockpit framing. See? Bad habit on my part. Guess I'll never learn to airbrush cockpit frames properly as making them is too much of a pain in the keister for me. It breaks the heart.... :'( :-[

[stringbags4ever2]

Doktor Humbrol and Great Aunt Dymphna as actual personas, eh? Verzy innterrestink. But shtupid!

[NeilE]

Doktor Humbrol and Great Aunt Dymphna as actual personas, eh? *Verzy innterrestink. *But shtupid!

Stupid eh? Tell that to poor old Frau Von Humbrol who stills lives a blameless life in Berne even today.

Professor Lawson is partially right in his theory of projection, but not in relation to the Good Herr Doktor. If only he had related this thought to modelling. I think there is some truth that the modeller projects aspects of his personality into his/her models. No I don't mean big model = small etc etc, but that the models we choose to build reflect something of the way we deal with the world. It reflects our creativity, as you say Pete, your current lack of patience, my competitive nature, etc etc. we can't help this its just what we do.

Even the dread disease AMS is more or less a personality reflection as well as a (slight) misuse of ofttimes great skills.

The Institute and its personnel exists as a way to explore some interesting questions in modelling (And I don't mean that scarlett woman Dymphna).

Now to habits: We at the Institute have found habits to fall into a number of broad categories:

1) Functional habits: these enable the modeller to be productive and sometimes efficient in his build routine, enabling the completion of a satisfactory number of subjects, leading to satisfaction of whatever needs lead her/him to make models in the first place.

2) Overt Dysfunctional habits. Most of us have these to one degree or another. These may be concrete such as not holding the scriber in a way that gives us the best results, to adopting a particular build sequence cos we like it, to a tried and true way of doing things that we like but may not be the optimium way of doing things. It may relate to emotional habits such as a low frustration tolerance leading us to rush things and build at less than our best.

3) Covert Dysfunctional habits. Most of us have these too. These are habits, routines that appear functional but in fact are not. AMS may be a covert dysfunctional habit before we become paralysed by it. We want to build our best with as much detail as possible in order to do the best job possible. After awhile this becomes fetishized (not fetishes like PETA models for example) behaviour with the detail becoming an end itself rather than the means to an end, which it properly should be.

4) Creative Habits. This relates to allowing our creativity being led down well worn paths we have been down before. Some may find this controversial or confronting but it means building regularly the same type of models that exercise the same discrete skills to the detriment of developing new ones. I.e. theme building without a unifying principle behind the theme. Building outside the comfort zone can be good for all of us at some time.

There are others too that can be discussed here (such as CMAS) but it is tea break here at The Institute and I always like to have a cuppa and a digestive biscuit with Matron as it were.

All the Best

Neil
Glencoe Institute
(usual blurbs)

[NeilE]

Stephen;

That was a very poignant story you realte re your friend. I think I know of who you are referring to. Its sounds more extreme than what most do but only by extension.

I hope hsi widow ended up okay.

All the best

Neil

[topgun56]

Neil,

Can't you make a short post, recap or something.

I hate canopes, I do them free hand with a large brush, small tip, paint inside and out, then use a tooth pick to remove extra paint.

[NeilE]

Nah...its good for your attention span....

[StephenLawson]

Greetings fellow enthusiasts, research fiends and devotees. *What are Habits? *Thanks to our star pupil Neil_E we have several good starting points and I'll reference them here.

To be accurate and on the same page, a Habit is an application of procedures that are predetermined by education or experince. *Or the shorter answer 'a fixed way of responding'. *Two immediate *topics come to mind, 'good' habits and 'bad' habits. *The sub-topics for these categories are 'Practical' *and 'Study'. *

1. Functional habits are both applicable to practical and study (or research) for a modeler. *These do enable the modeler to be productive and sometimes efficient in his build routine (especially for those of us working on a budget), enabling the completion of a satisfactory number of subjects, leading to satisfaction of whatever needs lead her/him to make models in the first place.

2. Overt Dysfunctional habits. Most of us have these to one degree or another. These may be concrete such as not holding the scriber in a way that gives us the best results, to adopting a particular build sequence because we like it, to a tried and true way of doing things that we like but may not be the optimium way of doing things. It may relate to emotional habits such as a low frustration tolerance leading us to rush things and build at less than our best but build more. The cause for this type of habit is most often time restraint.

3. Covert Dysfunctional habits. Most of us don't have these. These are habits, routines that try to take over in your Functional Habits and lead directly to AMS. We want to build our best with as much detail as possible in order to do the best job possible. After awhile this becomes fanatical. *It is these types that appear to regularly take Judges Grand National standing in the IPMS Nationals. They build one model every 1-3 years. *

4. Creative Habits in its best definition is means building regularly the same type of models that exercise the same discrete skills in order to keep the level of the build high, but chosing one or more components and stretching your skills. *Adding a complete engine, actuating the control surfaces, scratchbuilding a new component. As Neil_E has said '... Building outside the comfort zone can be good for all of us at sometime...' *To do this we must think outside the comfort zone. Here are some that I use:

A. Using pastel colored highlightersI color code the steps on an instruction sheet. *Pre-planning I decide what I will;
Delete = in Yellow.
Scratchbuild or alter = in Green.
Replace with an existing conversion or detail set ( or even another part from a whole different kit.) Blue.
completed= Pink to show that I have done this and can move on.

Pop Quiz: What is the OD approach?

[NeilE]

Hi All;

I'm not sure about "The OD Approach" but it does remind me of "The Old Dragon", the Good Herr Doktor Von Humbrol's favourite English Pub and the site of the Good Herr Doktor's first meeting with Dymphna following the Oxbridge Boat races in 1924. from what he said later it was the site of many a late night tryst away from the jealous eyes of her embittered crippled air ace husband Bob Cardinal (later to shoot himself at Monte Carlo in '28).

Ah those were the days....

Neil E.
Glencoe Institute
(you know the incantations)

PS Stephen - "The Olive Drab Approach"? - you can make any model you like as long as its colour scheme is olive drab (read metal finish, RLM, etc etc) - Theming gone mad, Yes?

N.

[NeilE]

correction: - "Later to shoot himself at Monte Carlo in 1928."