Trials and tribulations

So I'm now 8 weeks back into this hobby and boy is it causing me frustration!

Started off with Tamiya Enzo and 360 spider - plan to build straight form boz and rehone some old modelling skills and learn some new. This was joined halfway by a porscvhe carrera!

Nothing too ambitious you might say but eight weeks on - I just want to finish one! Just one, one to put on the shelf, take some photos of etc... but does it come it seems not!

Am I the only one who seems to spend hours hunched over painting and cutting etc. without seeming to get anywhere!

God knows I've had my fairshare of bad luck - let me share:

Enzo:
1) Nightmare with C/F decals (now I have much admiration for some of you guys out there who seem to be able to use ths stuff flawlessly!) will be avoiding that in the future!
2) Sprayed with ultimate care - waited one week - bought all tamiya polishing compounds/ meguiars scrath X and went to work yesterday! Magically managed to rub through to primer on bootlid/ semi gloss black on doors bled through to main paint and stupidly rubbed by me to remove base colour! So these are all now freshly repainted and curing!
(So now at least 2 weeks from finishing this car!)

360
1) Lost steering wheel decal, dash decals rolled round on each other!
2) Painted lovely gloss black - again waited one full week then rubbed straight through to primer on bootlid, wing and one skirt - now repainted and curing again.
3) Hated Tamiya "beige" colour scheme so invented my own (on third attempt!

Carrera (the worst of all)
1) Painted body beautiful Rover Tahiti Blue (pearlised metallic blue) - finish was great - wet sanding went extremely well, no rub throughs! Then disaster - was shaking body to get rid of excess water and caught it on my jumper - ripped off front bumper anss cracked right up through rear arch! - Then followed one week of intensive body work, filling and respraying!
2) Looks nice in the end, wet sanded yesterday and laquered with Halfords clear laquer!
Is this stuff mega thick or what - looks lovely on the car but has just about eradicated all detail, panel lines etc. The carrera badge on the back seems to have disapeared!

So now I've decided all paint will cure in a heated room for two weeks min and I'm going thicker on paint jobs to try and avoid rub though!

But when oh when can I finish one to put on a shelf??????

I have kits building up now - Lambo Murcielago, BMW M3, M635csi, Golf Gti 16V and I'm dying to start them all but gonna be firm - no new kits until I've finished at least two of the others! 2 at a time max - my new rule!

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to listen to me moan (if you got this far!) This forum has been invaluable in getting me this far and hopefully will keep me sane enough to get to the end of these kits!

Well, you certainly picked up some advanced models to start out with. I can see where the frustration would be evident.
I'm the kinda guy who has to ease into these things. Try something new out on each model I build.
Just take your time, build what you like and relax. You'll get through it.
Chris

You have in fact choosen the three most advanced kits Tamiya sell. The Enzo is a great kit, but even for advanced model builders it does provide a challange.

I built the 360 Modena, and I managed to loose a decal on one wheel (it dropped off) and lost the metal transfer for the boot lid, so don't worry, you're not on your own with decals. I found the 360 Modena to be a hard kit to complete. I spent five weeks building it, but I did finish it, and I was pleased to get it completed. I too have brought the enzo and carrera GT. I looked at the build guides and thought - NO WAY.!! Not yet, this is why I started a Impreza WRC.

So far I've managed to build the rear wing with the drop downs bent, so had to break it apart and reform. I've managed to get orange peel on the rear boot lid. My masking for the engine (in the chassis) was, TBH VERY poor. I also messed the gold up for the inside of the wheel rims, so had to sand it down and start again. But it's still on the workbench and progree is being made.

I tend to build ONE model at a time. I focus on this, and spend hours on it, andif the parts I'm working on turn out OK or right I leave it. If not I start again. I think I understand where your frustations are coming from. You want a great shelf model, but are not getting the progress you want.

Best bet, stick the enzo and carrera back in the box. Just get the 360 spider done. Stick with this ONE model and once completed build something else to get your skills back up again.

As for polishing paint - I went through my 360 boot lid. Had to repaint it. I also managed to go though in one small area when I did a wash, and the wash somehow went through..!! don't ask..!! So you are not alone..!! Keep claim and keep going. It's hard, I found it hard to get back into this hobby. Thank you FAQ..!! Life saver.