"I build BAD models..."
					I didn't and I continued to build a couple of more  "BAD" models after that. So the real question is, "How long does it take to build good models?". The answer is "It depends?". And again, we go back to that golden rule of model building "Practice Makes Perfect". I heard a fellow modeler one time. He feels so left out that he actually wanted us to create a "Beginners Level" so that he could compete in equal grounds. Mr reply was - "How are we to decide who is good and who is not?" So everyone agreed that the contests that clubs hold still is the best determinant as to how each modeler fair compared to the other. So how will one know how good or how not so good his skills are if he would shy away from a competition? I think that if we can just overcome that fear and that insecurity inside us, we can one day face the hard realities of model building and improve our skills by learning from our mistakes and others' experiences as well. To wit, just build that model the way you know how it should be built. If it turns far less than the quality of your fellow modelers' work, ask "What makes his model better than mine?". Learn and Improve. It should be a constant cycle in everything that you do. Whether it be your day job, things you do at home or your hobby. And most importantly...HAVE FUN!!!! Noel Carpio IPMS Manila
	You just bought your most wanted kit from your local hobby shop. You just can't want to spare some time to build it. You follow the intructions to the letter. You read all the references your hands can grab. Finally, after long hours of less T.V. and lack of sleep, it's done. You feel proud. You just can't stop looking at your model. You brag your work to your relatives and they too complement you about how patient and hardworking you are.  Then, you bring your model to a contest venue. You suddenly have cold feet. You saw the models on the table.."(Gulp) DARN! They are good!!!" You wanted to step back. Too late, here comes the event organizer and welcomes you and your kit. Model builders,particularly beginners, have the same nightmare. We can few of these shocking events at least once in a lifetime. Is it normal? My answer is -YES! Everyone goes through this same experience. No one leaves his/her mother's womb already a "master modeler". You have to start somewhere. And usually you start with an ugly work of art...YOUR MODEL. To be good in this craft, practice still makes perfect. You cannot learn the ropes of this hobby by simply reading model building books, magazines or even actually getting tips from the masters themselves. You will have to build your own model, trash a few and get the gist of what the hobby is all about. Don't laugh but I once had a model fly to a concrete wall at the speed of Mach 2. It   was just so bad, I was ready to quit. But