Model Maker’s Rules#2

If there are model maker’s rules number 1, than logically there should be rules number 2 as well. I was asked this question a few times, which made me thinking: “Really, there are should be rules that are also important, but less in use, not so much life and work saving ones. More like tips to do a good job”. I started to memorize what else I say to my crew relatively often and I came up with this:

Be in control.
Training crews I did a stunning observation. The most common reason for making a not so good job, inaccurate and not clean, is that inexperienced model maker lets material, tool, glue or other factor to control him rather than controlling the factor. When you make a model, every operation should be done as you need it, not as it comes out. If a material does not give you a result that you need, take another or figure other way to treat the material. If a tool does the same, take another or, sometimes, make another one. If a glue is too thin, or thick, or curing too fast or too slow, use another glue or figure a way to force the glue to lay and work as you need it, maybe use a combination of glues instead of single one. In any case you have to be in control.

Don’t turn operation into a process.
Let’s define operation and a process. Operation is a single, relatively simple action. Process is a more complex part of model building which includes a series of operations, and therefore takes more effort and time. For the sake of simplicity, building a base for a model is a process. Painting of this base’s trim is an operation. Knowing and understanding your objective and requirements will ensure that particular operation will take as much time as it should and not more. Knowing your methods, tools and aids will work the same.
Say, you have to mask the rest of the model in order to paint a trim (which is also an operation – a preparatory operation). You selected wrong masking tape, less adhesive that you need. It did not stick well to the edges, plus you neglected to cover well the whole model – there are gaps in masking. A masking tape started to peel off during the painting, you have to glue it back on, reinforce with another layer, which already affected your calculated operation time. When you took off the mask you see that the paint went over the edge to the masked area and on top of that paint broke through the gap and affected the model itself as well. Simple operation from now on is turning to be a series of painful and unfortunate touch ups and clean ups, a two-three hours process instead of  10min operation.
Very often model maker or the crew spending time on cleaning up, finishing and painting areas of a part that falls into an invisible zone of the model because they working automatically, without clear understanding of the part on which they are working. Sometimes, sadly, the crew is just simply reluctant, working without counting the hours. It is a job of head model maker to stay on top of what the crew is doing and limit a time spending.
Remember that each occurrence of operation, that went wrong and turned into a process is money streaming right out of your pocket.

Think forward.
It is one of the very important abilities of a model maker – to think two, three, four steps forward, to premeditate a particular operation, no matter how simple it looks. Surprisingly even a simple operation has its order and may contain a threat to the outcome. Once such threat is not premeditated an operation will fail, trapping model maker into  wasting time to be fixing a mistake that should not be happening in the first place if a model maker would do this operation first in his head, discover the trap and figure the way to avoid it or overcome. With experience most of the operations and “thinking forward” become automatic.  Sometimes I do an operation without even realizing why I do it this way or another. When I was asked by crew members why I do it this way, or in that order, I was rather have difficulty to explain it, because it sank into subconsciousness.
Thinking forward is also extremely important for your safety. As you premeditating an operation you see where there is a threat to your safety, how you might hurt yourself and prevent it before happening.

Use what’s ready.
It is a must for model maker to be able to fabricate anything from scratch. However, in professional model making actually making everything from scratch is absolutely not necessary. Another way around – one of the first things that you have to do when starting a project is to determine prefabricated elements that you can buy off shelf and use on the model. That’s why knowledge of model making products is one of the requirements. Classic example is scenery elements for architectural model. It would be senseless to fabricate all trees, bushes, cars and people figurines rather than to buy them. Using all that is ready saves your time, your and your client’s money and making model beautiful by very little effort and investment. In most cases a project is one of a kind model or replica, therefore licensing and copyright laws are respected – by buying legally your supplies you are automatically purchasing a “license” from a manufacturer to use this particular copy for your purpose. However, beware using pre-manufactured elements in product development. You cannot take product created by someone else and “bash” it into something else and obligated to turn down a client that require such action.

Let robots work for you.
Technology is not an enemy nor a competitor for professional model maker. You must see it as your aid, a new sophisticated tool that helps you to do a better work, faster and hassle free. Don’t kill yourself over a part that will be more efficiently to produce by one of rapid prototyping methods – it is not a matter of pride. You have more important things to do, so let robot do it for you.