# What was your most difficult build?



## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

What model or project had you cussin' & moaning endlessly? Or one that you just quietly suffered until it was FINALLY over?

For me, I'd have to say it was the Galactica model I originally made in 1980 that I reworked last year in an attempt to get it as screen accurate as possible. Two months of agonizing & cutting & sanding & cussing & hacking & fabricating a hundred tiny pieces.... well, you get the idea.

I stopped when I realized I'd have to tear apart the landing bays to make them a millimeter or so wider.
Anyway, here it is, and I like it immensely, but it just ain't _perfect_.










So, tell us _your_ tale of woe.:lol:


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

a 1/6 scale corvette..the model was easy to build... but painting that big body was and is a nightmare to do... I have repainted the hood 7 times in 2 years.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

chuck_thehammer said:


> a 1/6 scale corvette


No picture?


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

sorry...a 78 corvette... NO picture...no Digital camera. I am lucky I can use a computer. 
I could not build a model like the one you did..let alone make is better to match the movie.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

chuck_thehammer said:


> ...a 78 corvette...


_'78?_ Oh no, don't tell me that you got it because of "Corvette Summer!":jest:


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

NO for many years I owned a 79...custom Silver metal flake...Imron...


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

Maybe not THE most difficult build ever, but the big Moebius Seaview. I glued the two haves of the forward & aft sections separately and when I tried glueing them together they didn't line up! Lots of filling & sanding, filling & sanding.

Helpful tip: glue all four pieces together at the same time!!

Another challenge, masking the chariot canopy. I wanted to try doing it myself, but I'm definitely going to get Henry's masks. Aeryn's awesome build has inspired me to get started on that again! Masking the side windows on the moonbus has put that build into limbo as well. First attempt didnt come out very well, still psyching myself up for another try...


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## cozmo (Nov 29, 2004)

Hmmm...the Galactica didn't rate with me as difficult. time consuming though, yes.

Though not sci-fi, I would have to say the USS Texas rates as the most difficult, 2 1/2 years of building:









The Scorpion would come in second. This was in the mid 80's, when there were no kits of working submarines:









And the Valley Forge was a total learning experience. The fear of doing it again might just rank it as number one:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Good stuff! The pain is worth it, sometimes!:thumbsup:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Chuck Eds said:


> Lots of filling & sanding, filling & sanding.


Ouch! I feel for you, I really understand.
We suffer for our art....:thumbsup:


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## Daikaiju1 (Apr 26, 2005)

Chris, thats a lovely Galactica!
My most difficult build was my AMT Keaton Batmobile, cos the dog kept chewing bits of it. Modified the jet exhaust, he chewed it. Machined another, he chewed it. Made new spray nozzles, he chewed 'em. Took me over a year to build this fairly simple kit, dispairing over building the same parts over and over. We had some discipline issues.... All good now!


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## aeryn43 (Sep 23, 2009)

*seems like everything I touch!*

Everything seems to have its own little problems, Most tedious cutting out all those little triangles on the Serenitys engine.....oh and working out that you couldn't get to Anara's shuttle from the gantry in the cargobay!!.
Rebuilding the Gunstars engines.....that blasted Chariot !!..why wouldn't it let me finish:tongue:
But hey thats what makes this a fun hobby!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

This thread needs more pictures....:freak:


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## galaxy_jason (May 19, 2009)

I think in my case its pretty obvious....

http://galaxyphoto.com/jw_ent.htm


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## chuck_thehammer (Oct 24, 2007)

Galazy Jason.. that is not a Hobby build...the is an EXTRA PRO BUILD. I could not do that if I could live for 200 years.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Generally with me it's whatever I'm currently working on as I like to push the envelope a little with each new kit. However for sheer head-in-hands moments I'd say either the Halcyon Aliens Dropship, for poor fit/poor moulding/disintegrating decals, or the Halcyon Aliens APC for the same reasons and also the worst instructions I've yet seen. Both turned out OK in the end though....


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Chuck Eds said:


> Masking the side windows on the moonbus has put that build into limbo as well. First attempt didnt come out very well, still psyching myself up for another try...


If it's not too late, try painting the frames white first then installing the glass...that way you can just fill the recess with a liquid mask, paint the rest of the body then peel off the mask.
I actually replaced my windows with acetate but it should work with the kit parts too.
If you already installed them, use thin tape such as Tamiya tape to mask the edges...you can trim any excess with a sharp blade...then fill in the centre with liquid mask.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

miniature sun said:


> the Halcyon Aliens Dropship, the Halcyon Aliens APC


Yeah, they did turn out great!:thumbsup:


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

miniature sun said:


> If it's not too late, try painting the frames white first then installing the glass...that way you can just fill the recess with a liquid mask, paint the rest of the body then peel off the mask.
> I actually replaced my windows with acetate but it should work with the kit parts too.
> If you already installed them, use thin tape such as Tamiya tape to mask the edges...you can trim any excess with a sharp blade...then fill in the centre with liquid mask.


I'm open to just about anything at this point, thanks! I spent an afternoon masking them, thinking I was doing a pretty good job, but wasn't happy with the final outcome. I think I was having trouble due to the small size of those parts, will definitely get back to it though! Other than that it's pretty close to being finished, just some detailing on the exterior...


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

My other head banger was a kitbash I did quickly in the nineties that I discovered in 2010 in a box & decided to fix up a little:










After endless sanding (my favourite thing:freak of new pieces fabricated from Sculpey, it looked like this:


















But it was irritating all the way, especially for what is essentially a 'toy', not a replica. But, what does not kill us makes us stronger, I guess.:thumbsup:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Lunar Models "TV Conversion Seaview". Come to think of it, just about every Lunar Models kit I've ever worked on. I was always happy with the results, but the builds themselves were tedius.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Seaview said:


> Lunar Models "TV Conversion Seaview". Come to think of it, just about every Lunar Models kit I've ever worked on. I was always happy with the results, but the builds themselves were tedius.


Interesting, but *begs at this point* picture????


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Probably my AMT Enterprise. It's not the most accurate Enterprise but it's got a lot of extras like a detailed shuttle bay and lights. The warp engines also spin. Worked on it for a year and a half.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

OOPS, Got to find the pics...


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

My Atomic City 2001 Space Pod ... not a problem with the kit, just my own obsessive need to make everything perfect.


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

My 1:350 _Enterprise _refit. I did all the lighting myself (no kit) and it was my first lighting project ever. Nothing like starting at the top, eh? While there are many, many things I would do differently now, it came out quite nice and draws lots of "oohs" and "ahs" from friends and family when I light the old girl up.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

.......pictures......


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Chrisisall said:


> Interesting, but *begs at this point* picture????


 
Sorry, but I don't have a camera (or even a Cell Phone) either.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Seaview said:


> Sorry, but I don't have a camera (or even a Cell Phone) either.


Forgiven then.:thumbsup:


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

This thing...AMT's Amtronic.

I Can't even Imagine building this thing with tube glue. The fit of the parts was better than I anticipated. I think, if you are happy with the results, you forget how much work something was....I remember every minute of this one..

































I didn't have much fun with the Chariot either..it's STILL not finished..










You never EVER have to ask me for pics...lol
better to say, everybody but Steve send pics..
Steve


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

STEVE DELIVERS, IN SPADES!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

If I thought the clear parts would survive, that car would go straight in the brake fluid.

Orange Shiny dart
Leers from it's place
On my shelf

Steve


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## Scorpitat (Oct 7, 2004)

Well, I guess my 1:350 NX-01 was a chore. Hull plating painting, all those small decals, parts alignment, etc. It was a few good months off and on to finish that puppy, which also entailed contacting the manufacturer for a replacement upper hull piece, and after all the work, finally being happy with the results.

On a good note, it DID sell for a nice price on evilbay, to a starship collector, who was very impressed with my work and attention to detail. I even posted it over on SSM when it was done. I hated to sell it, but it went to a good home for display, and made room for more kits I can build. ( I DO have a smaller version around here somewhere, to build in the future )

Here's a link to the SSM post:

http://www.starshipmodeler.org/gallery12/bf_nx01.htm

Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Scorp.

"Boldly GO!" :wave:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Scorpitat said:


> Well, I guess my 1:350 NX-01 was a chore.


Wow, that's really pretty!!! The hard work paid off! :thumbsup:
And I'm not even a fan of the design. Good job.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Chrisisall said:


> .......pictures......


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Trekkriffic said:


>


OUTSTANDING!!!!!:thumbsup:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

miniature sun said:


> Generally with me it's whatever I'm currently working on as I like to push the envelope a little with each new kit. However for sheer head-in-hands moments I'd say either the Halcyon Aliens Dropship, for poor fit/poor moulding/disintegrating decals, or the Halcyon Aliens APC for the same reasons and also the worst instructions I've yet seen. Both turned out OK in the end though....


Yea. That's just a so-so, run of the mill APC dio and Dropship...........
(I would swim over to you, if I thought I could see those in person! I need to go put my eyeballs back in now.)

:woohoo::roll::woohoo:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

galaxy_jason said:


> I think in my case its pretty obvious....
> 
> http://galaxyphoto.com/jw_ent.htm


Chrisisall-Galaxy Jason has a video of that model. But be prepared with a clean pair of shorts if you decide to watch it. 

Full screen-sound up!
http://www.youtube.com/user/galaxyjason#p/a/u/0/jmS5ft1f3o0

Last time I had that many goose pimples, I was in a really good worship service at church.........


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> http://www.youtube.com/user/galaxyjason#p/a/u/0/jmS5ft1f3o0


O M G.
I think I just peed my kilt.

Unbelievable.....:freak:

I ... I ...
no words are coming.... 

STUNNED!!!! That's it!:drunk:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I love the little guys doing a leisurely repair, with photon torpedoes firing away. Ha! Classic!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> I love the little guys doing a leisurely repair, with photon torpedoes firing away. Ha! Classic!


Huh? Oh yeah..... still stunned here.:freak:
Jason is my new master. 

What is thy bidding?


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

There is certain difficult or tedious work for almost any model with much detail to it. But I would have to say that the Moebius Invisible Man was the one I put the most effort into overall. It was my first major project after my return to modeling and I wanted to do it "right" and learned a lot as I went. I bought the TSDS decals for it and applying them to the books and painting the books as well really was a slow, detailed, and tedious job but really made the model stand out. I also won a third place with it at Wonderfest 2010 so the work paid off and I consider it my best model personally. There was just an amazing number of pieces and detailed work for that model. But it fit perfectly and I have no complaints about the quality of the kit, just accolades.










Bob K.


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## galaxy_jason (May 19, 2009)

Some incredible builds here!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

galaxy_jason said:


> Some incredible builds here!


So Jason, was _your_ most difficult build your 1/350 refit?:thumbsup:


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Nice to see that Invisible Man....mine has been in and out of the box more times than I care to remember...can't face doing all those jars and bottles.
As for my APC, I built and finished it with the intention of putting it on the ramp into the atmosphere processor then stalled and put it in a box. Ten years later (no, really!) I dug it out and put it in the Sulaco hangar diorama.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Chrisisall said:


> So Jason, was _your_ most difficult build your 1/350 refit?:thumbsup:


That refit... takes... my breath away... every time...


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Trekkriffic said:


> That refit... takes... my breath away... every time...


I don't even wanna show that to my Son; he thinks _I'm_ the greatest model builder... :freak:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Chrisisall said:


> I don't even wanna show that to my Son; he thinks _I'm_ the greatest model builder... :freak:


Well you are pretty good. 
Scratchbuilders like GJ are on another level though. 

Yep...

I have to put great scratchbuilders at the top of the modeling heap.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Trekkriffic said:


> I have to put great scratchbuilders at the top of the modeling heap.


I totally agree!


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

rkoenn said:


> There is certain difficult or tedious work for almost any model with much detail to it. But I would have to say that the Moebius Invisible Man was the one I put the most effort into overall. It was my first major project after my return to modeling and I wanted to do it "right" and learned a lot as I went. I bought the TSDS decals for it and applying them to the books and painting the books as well really was a slow, detailed, and tedious job but really made the model stand out. I also won a third place with it at Wonderfest 2010 so the work paid off and I consider it my best model personally. There was just an amazing number of pieces and detailed work for that model. But it fit perfectly and I have no complaints about the quality of the kit, just accolades.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bob, that's such a great build up. I have seen so many good ones. I just love that model. You guys do such great painting. Man, I gotta try a figure kit.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I think for me, difficulty level is equivelent to time period. Stuff I struggled with years ago I think I could handle now, but then stuff I DID do years ago I think I might not want to do again!! LOL!! Does that EVEN make any sense?!! Sometimes tough builds are what you create for yourself, all by yourself!!!!!

The Chariot isn't a hard kit per say, it's that damned canopy that is such a bear to deal with!! I destroyed my first one, but thankfully the good folks at Moebius sent me another, and with Aztec Dummys masking sheet, success! I would highly recommend springing for that thing, well worth the money!!!









This thing drove me crazy because I hacked it up so much, and I made those headers from solder!!









This super-rare kit, the "Laramie Stage Ghost", I did as a commisioned job for a friend. It was a partial build (by a kid no less) and required some major repair and fixing as I went along. 3 months work, but it turned out great!
There wasn;t to many things that didn't get reworked.


































Yet another scratch-built nightmare I ventured into.... It's the "Martian Spider 2", a tribute to an old Barris car.... 










I milled those rims from billet aluminum.... It weighs a ton!








I could go on, but I'll wait until later..... LOL.


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## kenlee (Feb 11, 2010)

One picture says it all, the Moebius kit wasn't the hardest part. It was built with little modification, just an opening outer airlock door, scratchbuilt utility room and I made the landing gear removable so It could be displayed gear up or down. The hard part was all the scratchbuilt launch site extras.

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/509/Jupiter_2_launch_site.JPG


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Tim Nolan said:


> I think for me, difficulty level is equivelent to time period. Stuff I struggled with years ago I think I could handle now, but then stuff I DID do years ago I think I might not want to do again!! LOL!! Does that EVEN make any sense?!! Sometimes tough builds are what you create for yourself, all by yourself!!!!!
> 
> The Chariot isn't a hard kit per say, it's that damned canopy that is such a bear to deal with!! I destroyed my first one, but thankfully the good folks at Moebius sent me another, and with Aztec Dummys masking sheet, success! I would highly recommend springing for that thing, well worth the money!!!
> 
> ...


I love them all!


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

kenlee said:


> One picture says it all, the Moebius kit wasn't the hardest part. It was built with little modification, just an opening outer airlock door, scratchbuilt utility room and I made the landing gear removable so It could be displayed gear up or down. The hard part was all the scratchbuilt launch site extras.
> 
> http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/509/Jupiter_2_launch_site.JPG


I'm crying tears. I promised myself I could hold it together! Kleenex, give me a tissue!


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

If these are the tough kits, I'd like to see the easy ones! Amazing work. I'd second Bob on the Invisible Man, but it was/is this Comic Scenes Lone Ranger that really gave me fits. Got it off ebay, all the little parts were off the sprues, several broken, though the kit was advertised as "mint." Silver/White Stallion/Zorro's horse (they're all the same) is notorious for gaps and poor fit. I used Testor's putty in those days which didn't help matters. Anyway....


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

The one that I work on and off on is the Lunar Models 2001 Discovery Astronaut. This is the one of the astronaut on the moon reaching out to touch the monolith.

Well... issue one (and the main issue) is making sure all of the nicks, pin holes and dings on the figure are gone. If not... they will show up once the silver hits it. Still filling those in to this day. 

Next... the size of the monolith is wrong. I have gone to a glass place to have a plexiglass one made to the dimension that I feel is correct (based on stills and such).

Next... the tubing for the helmet and such... they suck. Been on and off wrapping wiring around copper and also using bass guitar wire as a replacement.


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## galaxy_jason (May 19, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> So Jason, was _your_ most difficult build your 1/350 refit?:thumbsup:


Hey Chrisisall, 
I never built the 1/350 refit, just my 1/175 scratch built.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

galaxy_jason said:


> Hey Chrisisall,
> I never built the 1/350 refit, just my 1/175 scratch built.


Ooops, wrong scale- my bad. 
I just showed your video of your *1/175* to my Son. 
His jaw fell just like mine did the first time I saw it!

So, was it your most difficult build?


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