Stop creating Facebook groups!

When Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to the West sometime around 1440 it was a revolution in mass communication. Within years, anyone with access to a printing press could disseminate his ideas, no matter how prescient or cockamamie they might be, to hundreds or thousands of people. Similar revolutions occurred with the invention of the radio and television and when Al Gore invented the Internet. Today anyone with an Internet connection and a Google account care publish a blog and spew all kinds of crazy ideas. And yes, I count myself among those who believe we have something interesting to say.

Most recently, hoodie-wearing hipster and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has made it even easier for any yahoo to gather likeminded enthusiasts using a Facebook group that can be created with a single click of a mouse. His minions of programmers have gone so far as to proactively suggest groups that you might create! (Suggested to me this weekend was “Friends Who Like Trumpeter & HobbyBoss.")

But before you click that Create button, please take this suggestion: Stop creating Facebook groups!

Here’s the thing. There are too many groups. They overlap each other, share the same content, or dilute the content that’s out there. We've gone too far. There are even groups for Internet forums, discussions about discussions, if you will. It's all so...meta. Let’s take a look at the insanity that’s out there right now.

Note: I’ve retained the oddball capitalization and spelling of all of the groups you’ll see below.

Maybe you’re one of my favorite types of modelers, the kind that builds anything and everything. There’s no shortage of what I would consider generalist Facebook groups; I found roughly 25 with a quick search. Two are informally branded with the Facebook name, Facebook Scale Modellers and Facebook Scale Model Society. Four make it clear they’re all about plastic scale models, lest some capricious fool confuse them with groups whose focus is say, paper models: The Plastic Scale Model Making Group, Plastic Scale Modelers Group, Plastic Scale Models, and Plastic Scale Model Builders. Scale models is the focus of these seven groups:

Scale Modeling Tips, Tricks and Advice

Scale Modeling Workshop

Scale Modelers

Scale Model Society

Scale Model Kit Review

Scale Model Hobbiest

I can only infer from the names of Military In Miniature and Scale Military Models that cars and things without guns are of no interest to their members. Two – The Scale Modelers Critique Group and Accuracy in Scale Modeling: Rivet Counters Unite – I assume,are intended for those who take the hobby a little more seriously than the rest of us. For those who still feel a childlike enthusiasm for the hobby, “I Love Scale Models" (with quotes) looks appealing. Hippies might be enticed by Hobby Beat for scale modelers. If you're among those who incorrectly consider scale modeling to be art, you’ll probably appreciate what the artists in Painting Scale Models With Light have to say, but let's pray your workshop doesn't lose power. If you’re the kind of modeler who needs a pair of OptiVISOR to distinguish a 1/32 F-16 exhaust can from a coffee cup, check in with Old-timers and newbees scale plastic model and The Grumpy Old Scale Modelers Group.

Speaking of old guys, if you realize you’re too old to build all those models in your stash, or if your dementia suggests you have plenty of time, you’re sure to find a bargain in one of these groups:

Scale Model Trader

Scale Model Raffle

Military Model Sell and Trade Area

Military Model Graveyard 

Plastic Scale Models and Hobby Auction

1/32 Scale Model Truck Buy/Sell/Trade

ANYTHING GOES HOBBY AUCTION

Plastic Scale Models For Sale & Swap U.K.

“But I like building only aircraft models,” you say. “Is there anything for me on Facebook?” Friend, do I have options for you! There’s Plastic Scale Model Aircraft, Aircraft scale modeling, and Scale model planes…for passion. If you want to be assured of communicating with modelers from around the world, International Plastic Scale Aircraft Modelers seems appropriate. If you don’t want to be bothered with pictures of boring old Cessna 152s and slick airlines, there’s the Combat Aircraft - Scale Model Builder Group. Do you focus on large scale aircraft? There’s 1/32 Scale Plastic Model Airplanes. Too big, you say? Try 1/48 Scale Plastic Model Airplanes instead.

If you’re into World War Two aircraft, there’s no shortage of options. Look for Scale Model Fighters & Trainers of WWII, but hear me now and believe me later...don’t even think about posting a picture of a bomber! (The gall of some people!) If that’s your thing, join Scale model Medium/heavy Bombers of WWII and talk about B-17s and Lancasters to your heart's content. If you like meatballs, someone has kindly created Scale Model WW2 Japanese Aircraft. If 1/72 scale is too small and 1/48 scale too large, 1/48 scale WWII model aircraft is just what you need. If you can list the inaccuracies of the Dragon and Eduard 1/32 Bf-109s, you’ll be among friends in Large Scale Luftwaffe Modelers.

If you like aircraft that saw combat in your lifetime, how about Scale Model Cold War - Modern or Fighter/Strike/Interceptor Trainer jets, or Aircraft of the Cold War, Cold War Model Making & Photos or Cold War Soviet Aircraft?

Maybe you’re a brand loyal kind of guy: Scale Model Grumman Iron Works and Scale Models of Lockheed’s greats. My mother briefly worked for the former, so I should probably join.

“But I’m from South Africa,” says the guy from Pretoria. You’re in luck! Look for Scale Model Aircraft Fanatix South Africa. His friend a few continents over might join ModelArt Australia or Scale Model Builders (Australia).

Do you like the F-4 Phantom? Of course you do. You’re in luck! There are nearly a dozen groups dedicated to this venerable old fighter, where modelers and enthusiasts like you share photos and stories. Here they are, in case you need a little direction:

The F-4 Phantom II

The F-4 Phantom’s Group

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

McDonnell Douglas F-4 “Phantom II”

F-4 Phantom Apprciation Group

British F-4 Phantom Aviation Group

Phantom FG1/FGR2 and F4J(UK) Group

McDonnell Douglas Phantom plastic modelers

USMC F-4 Phantoms

F-4 / QF-4 Phantom

Friends of the RAAF F-4E Phantom II

“I build tanks,” explains the guy wearing the AMPS “Tanks for the Memories” t-shirt. May I suggest AMPS’s own group, Armor Modeling and Preservation Society with its 1,800 members, or The Armor Journal: Scale Modeling Group or Military Truck and Half Track Scale Modeling? If you’re trendy, you should belong to 1/48 Armor Modelling.

Armor modelers with a penchant for a specific era might look to Modeling WWII, Pacific War Armor Modelling Interest Group, or going way back, the The Great War/First World War Armor Model and Discussion group. Fans of Soviet armor like me belong to the Sovetsaya Bronya - Soviet Armor Modeling Group or Soviet/Russian Scale modeling.

If you’re into German armor of World War Two, there are groups to quench your thirst for Panzerspähwagens and Heuschreckes. It’s all about the panzer at The Panzer Page, Panzer Model, Panzer Fakten, and Tanks and Panzers in Focus. Other groups are more specialized, such as these two groups for the Panther: Panzer Kampfwagen V Panther Medium Tank and (Sd.Kfz.171.)Pz.Kpfw.V. “Panther.” Others are similarly focused, such as TIGER KING TIGER JAGDPANTHER PANTHER (looks like someone's caps lock key is stuck), The Armor Journal Medium Panzer-III and –IV, and Tiger Panzer and other tanks & places.

If you’re interested in more recent conflicts, how about Modeling the Vietnam War or the Vietnam Allies & Adversaries Scale Model Group? Or Military Vehicles of the Syrian Civil War or the Syrian Army (1945-present) special interest group?

There are even groups dedicated to scale models of one manufacturer:

AMK (Avantgarde) Model Builders

Bandai 1/48 Military Scale Models

Monogram Scale Models

TAMIYA FUJIMI AOSHIMA Model Kit

WingNut Wings Fans

Airfix Modelling Club

ITALERI

And may the gods save us, Hasegawa EggPlanes. Seriously. This is not a joke.

Do you want to show photos of your workspace to make other modelers jealous or show off your stash and entice geeky thieves? Look for Modeling Man Cave or Scale Modeling Work Spaces.

So there you have it, roughly 90 groups to meet your every need. So the next time you think about creating a new group, think twice. Look around for one that's close to your idea. I can appreciate your special affection for the De Havilland Vampires of 45 Squadron of the Indian Air Force circa the Indo-Pakistani War, but do you really need a new group for that? Do you reckon that maybe the existing De Havilland Vampire Appreciation Society group might meet your needs? I bet it does.

Wine and models

In my 2015 year-end review, I briefly mentioned my interest in wine. I started teaching myself about it about 20 years ago when I was on a date and mistakenly ordered a glass of white wine that I thought was red. I’ve entertained that interest off and on over the years and got back into it when my fiancée and I realized we shared the same interest in all things grapes. A vacation to Napa in November kicked it off in earnest.

As you might imagine there are a huge number of blogs and discussion groups related to wine, and I’ve been reading them in between my daily checks of Hyperscale, ARC, and Missing Links. I was pleasantly surprised to find at least one similarity between wine and scale modeling, that oenophiles collect more wine than they can drink just as we buy more models than we can build!

This thread on the Wine Berserkers forum highlighted other, similar problems that we face as scale modelers. Here are a few lessons these wine enthusiasts learned last year that we might scale modelers should consider as well. Replace wine with model and drink with build, and you'll see that they might as well be talking about us.

• I still allow others' opinions to influence too much of my purchases.

• If you order a bunch of wine, you are going to outgrow your storage.

• If you order a bunch of wine, you need to start drinking more.

• I get more enjoyment from sharing wine with curious and grateful friends with limited wine knowledge than with fellow cognoscenti who fuss over and dissect every nuance of the wine.

• Drink your good wine. You may go to the doctor and find out you have a problem you never knew you had. The wine in your collection won't matter if you're dead.

• It's okay to pass on wine sales, even if they are great sales. There will be more.

And my favorite….

• Wine seems to attract people with very strongly held opinions. When some dip starts talking about wine and doesn't have a sense of humor about it, he's someone to avoid.

It’s a small world. Drink wine and build models!

Espionage or imitation?

There's yet another "wish list" thread over on one of the forums, a reminder that each of you has no shortage of ideas for the airplanes, tanks, ships, or vehicles that you’d like to see produced in kit form, and I'm no exception. (Does anyone care that I'd like to see a 1/32 L-17 Navion?) In fact, a tiny motivation behind my creating this blog and talking about product decisions and trends was a hope that I might one day parlay this experience into a product management position in the industry. It’s a long shot, I know, but the opportunity to actually choose the kits that are brought to the market is an intriguing prospect.

Besides the huge responsibility for the financial investment in a new kit, I'd have to be keenly aware that another manufacturer could release their own kit of the same subject, an occurrence that's become uncomfortably common over the last few years. My long-time readers will remember my biggest surprise of 2013 — three nearly concurrent releases of the obscure Soviet Object 279.

And the trend has continued. For example, we now have two kits each of the T-10 and SCUD-C (not counting the old Dragon offering of the latter), as well as the 9A52 Smerch Multiple Rocket Launcher. Two companies have announced 1/72 kits of the F-106, and we have or will soon have multiple 1/48 scale kits of the Su-33, MiG-31, and Super Etendard.

What's going on among the Asian manufacturers? Is there corporate espionage in the industry, employees within each company feeding information to the others? Or are product details disseminated as soon as designs go from the manufacturer to contracted production facilities?

Even if there’s no outright espionage, there may be an element of imitation that’s common within the Chinese economy. In the technology industry, being first to market doesn’t always offer an advantage, and the same may be true in the hobby market as well. Announcing a new kit is risky. Will it be accepted with enthusiasm by modelers? Is it the right variant? Are the features (think open access panels) desirable? It might be safer to let a competitor announce a new kit, assess the market’s reaction, and then announce your own.

And as this article suggests, Chinese business leaders often make decisions to justify a return on their investments, particularly with an eye to making a quick profit, even if it means copying another company’s product. The author writes about the consumer electronics industry, noting the belief among Chinese corporate leaders that "all products are the same, and it’s all about taking that product, change its color, tweak a few corners and perhaps its shape and resell it." There’s less chance for failure. A colleague who went to college in China told me that it’s common for a new restaurant to open in a neighborhood — one that specializes in, for example, ramen — and when it does well, other entrepreneurs come into the neighborhood and open restaurants with similar menus.

There’s been a history of imitation within the Chinese culture for hundreds of years. Copying is seen as a way to learn, whether you’re memorizing Chinese characters or learning how to paint.
Students, even, will copy articles verbatim. As college professor Austin Williams explains in Global Briefing, "There is nothing wrong with plagiarizing the 'correct answer' from a respected expert, instead of spending time trying to give their interpretation of the answer that could be wrong."

Now that I think about it, I could make the same observation within our hobby, that many of us are openly copying the painting and weathering styles of respected modelers such as Mike Rinaldi and Adam Wilder, made all the easier thanks to their books, which explain their techniques in detail. Maybe imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, even if it results in a bland sameness in the technology we use in the office and at home or the models we see at the hobby shop.

Whatever the reason for these multi-kit releases, it must be incredibly difficult for any one company to corner the market with a model that will be truly unique on the shelves. I’d like to believe this puts a new pressure on the manufactures to produce the best, most accurate kits possible, but experience has told us that there is a market for less-than-perfect kits, but AMK's 1/48 MiG-31 and a new 1/48 MiG-25 may point to brighter days ahead.

Takom announced a new tool AMX-13 series in November. Is anyone placing bets on how long will it will be until another manufacturer announces their own kit?

Year-end reflections

It’s been a while since I wrote anything new for the Soup, so I thought I’d just check in to say hello and share a few thoughts during these final days of the year.

It’s been a busy few months here in my neck of the woods. In early November I spent a week on vacation in Napa Valley indulging in my newest interest, wine, and soon after was consumed with planning a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 at my house. Then it was all about planning for Christmas and doing some spring cleaning around the house that didn’t get done back in the spring. My workshop is a mess at the moment, serving as a staging area for clutter that I’m moving from one room to another.

While these things have distracted me from working on a model, I’ve remained engaged in the hobby thanks to the interwebz. Every day I read my favorite forums, check the 65,451 model-related groups in my Facebook feed, and contribute a comment or two here and there when I have something substantive to say.

Beyond my home a lot has been going on these last couple of months.

Scale Model World has come and gone in Telford, and based on the photographs I saw of the competition and display tables (iModeler had particularly good coverage) it’s clear to me that I really need to prioritize a trip to England in the next year or two, even if it means skipping the IPMS Nats to do so. The vendors room looked amazing, and the quality of the models was exceptional. The models coming from the hands of our European friends are truly something special; I'll have more to say about that next year.

With Telford and the nearing of year-end, many of the manufacturers have announced their 2016 releases. The good times continue with a huge variety of models in the pipeline, so I recommend each of you ask your boss for a raise. Everyone is raving about AMK’s MiG-31, and I’m sure that if I were to nominate one model as the model of the year it would probably be that one. In addition, a friend tells me that Flyhawk’s new HMS Naiad is “amazing,” high praise for a tiny 1/700 kit; one reviewer on Model Warships says the light cruiser, "sets new standards for injection molded kits in terms of quality and value.” The most ironic announcement for me was Tamiya’s Su-76. Literally the day before I told a friend that it was about time we saw a new-tool kit of the SPG.

Some of you took advantage of Squadron’s Black Friday Sale, and many of you once again complained about their prices. If you made your selections carefully or collaborated with friends and shared an order it was easy to find value in the sale. Personally I saved $80 on my purchases, not to mention the shipping. No complaints here!

Out in the real world, beyond the comfort of our workshops, we've been intrigued by Russia’s involvement in the Syrian conflict. Nobody in their right mind wants war, but it’s been interesting to see the Su-34 in particular used in conflict for the first time. And with the typical Russian star insignia painted over on most of the aircraft, that’s one less decal to apply to our model and one less opportunity to screw up the finish! The Aviationist has provided good coverage of the operations, particularly here and here.

Finally, and most recently, we all cringed at Steve Harvey’s mistake naming Ariadna Gutierrez as Miss Universe and her short, four-minute reign as the most beautiful woman in the galaxy (with the possible exception of Rey from The Force Awakens). To put a scale modeling spin on the event, we can learn something from Ariadna’s response to the mistake. She handled it with class and grace, posting a very kind statement to Facebook, which we should remember the next time we feel slighted at a model contest.

With that I shall sign off for the moment. For those who share my passion for music, I’m going to post my list of my favorite musical albums and songs of 2015 in the next few days. In the meantime, I wish you again a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

P.S. A sincere “welcome” to all of my new readers now following me on Facebook. I’m surprised at how many new Likes I’ve received despite not having posted much over the last two months. Thank you for your support!

It's time to be thankful

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, so I thought I’d take a moment to share what I’m thankful for...in our hobby. We spend a lot of time griping and complaining throughout the year, so I think reflecting on the good things we have is time well spent.

I've always liked the Soviet T-64, so I’m thankful for the many variants of the tank that Trumpeter has released over the last couple of years. It's a reminder of how far we've come since the primitive Skif kit. I could say the same about their T-62 and T-80 series. Looking more broadly across the hobby, we should all be thankful for the deluge of kits that have hit the shelves over the last few years. A friend recently pointed out that pretty much any tank he wants to build is available in kit form. These are the best of times. The biggest risk to the hobby now? Running out of subject matter!

I’m grateful for contests. As much as I like looking at your models online, nothing beats the experience of seeing hundreds of models in the flesh. No matter you skill level, you should be entering contests and sharing your work with me.

I'm grateful for rivet counters. Yes, you read that right! Despite the lack of pay and the heat they take from armchair modelers, their contributions are important to the hobby. Rivet counters tell me things about kits that I would never discover on my own, and there's great value in that.

I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made in the hobby. My best friends are guys I met in IPMS clubs or contests. Unfortunately, most of them don’t live near me, so it’s a treat to meet up with them at contests or during family vacations.

Lastly, and most important, I’m thankful for simply being in this hobby. Building models gives me great satisfaction, and I’m not happy unless I spend time at the bench. It always strikes me odd when I meet people who don’t have hobbies. How do they spend their time? What do they spend time thinking about? I feel bad for them.

Count your blessings.

Plan or plan to fail

This month’s topic from the Sprue Cutter’s Union is:

“Do you plan and prepare for every step of your build’s process, or do you wing it as you go?”

My answer is a simple one...plan!

As I’ve gotten older, now in my late-forties, I increasingly find it important that I plan my builds with more diligence than I did in my younger years. I blame this on a poor memory or simply the aging process. Whatever it is, when I “fail to plan,” a phrase Jon used in his introduction to this month’s SCU topic, I usually forget something important.

For example, I forgot to add the control columns in an F-15B I built a couple of years ago. I forgot to remove the masks from the under-fuselage observation windows on my F4F Wildcat build earlier this year. I assembled a Rafale fighter without first considering how I would fill and smooth various seams after subsequent parts were attached. And I installed headlight guards upside down on an M117 Guardian.

I almost always begin a new project by studying photographs of the actual aircraft or vehicle (as well as particularly well built models), reading conversations about the model across the interwebz, and studying the unbuilt model. I’m looking for areas that I can improve and areas that might prove to be troublesome. I look at the aftermarket and photoetch parts that I will use and make notes about how they’ll be added to the kit. I mark up the kit instructions using a red pen, noting changes or additions I intend to make and refer to them throughout the course of the build. I also make notes to myself as I build the model, reminding myself to add this or that piece, to scribe a new panel line after fuselage assembly, etc.

This planning process is now very important to me. Planning reduces the chance that I’ll forgot something important and be left with a model that doesn’t get built or wastes my time. And the gods know that time is the one thing we never have enough of.

Remember the The Five P’s that I learned in the military…Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Contact them directly!

I don’t understand people. The internet puts the world at your fingertips -- literally -- yet we fail to use the resources that are just a click away.

This guy has two phones an an email account. Why is he posting questions on Hyperscale?

I often see modelers post to the forums asking for information about a particular vendor or web site. Here are some I’ve seen over the last few months.

• Why doesn’t Lucky Model have Trumpeter or Hobby Boss kits in stock?
• Will Brookhurst Hobbies charge me postage at cost for a single sheet of decals?
• Has anyone heard from HLJ about their Mosquito pre-order?
• Any news on if/when we will see the next issue of MMiR?
• Squadron shows three prices on their website: List Price, Our Price, Lowest Price. Are they offering it at the Lowest Price?

These are all valid questions, but they should be directed to the respective companies not the modeling community. With very few exceptions, every company with a web presence has contact information, usually an email and sometimes a phone number, for just these kinds of questions.

I understand it’s easy to quickly post a question on your favorite forum, but I strongly suggest we start communicating with companies directly before reaching out to the modeling community, which, by the way, is full of misinformation. If a business fails to respond (and shame on them if they do), then a more public inquiry is warranted.