Recently, Mike Rinaldi posted a video (see below) talking about his experience at Scale Model Challenge and what he thinks about the state of armor modeling. He touched on a number of issues, but the one that has caused a hubbub in the modeling community was his position that our hobby, especially armor modeling, is due for the next round of “innovation”. I put innovation in quotes because he doesn’t really specifically mentioned what he means by that or what specifically he’s wanting to see. Not really.

As a community driven product development professional, I have a LOT of things to say on this topic! But rather than bore you to tears, I’ll try to summarize with some level of value.

The word “innovation”
The first thing I do when people start talking about innovation is to understand what they mean, or at least what they are wanting to talk about. Innovation to some could mean one or more of these:

  • New specific techniques
  • New products
  • New ideas
  • New ways of thinking about creation/consumption
  • New ways of experiencing/using the various elements of the experience
  • New speed to output (time from idea > outcome)

Innovation can be about creating net new ideas the world has never considered before or simply improvements on existing products/methods/ideas.

Think about the patent process, a concept that many people directly associate with “innovation”. The US Patent and Trademark Office issues patents based on ” “any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.”

Innovation comes in many forms. And it’s certainly not just finding the next new hairspray chipping methodology, although that’s part of it. If you look at modeling overall, I would offer that we are currently in the most innovative period of time the hobby has ever had. Here’s why, in no particular order…

Ideation to production timelines
Unless you’ve been involved with manufacturing, you may not realize how fast to market we are seeing products go from initial idea to shipping. CAD design functions, easier/cheaper molding technologies, more efficient global logistics, and more understanding of and engagement with markets for traditional injection molded products, and of course 3D printing expanding both kit and aftermarket options (whether printing and shipping or selling digital files)

And let’s talk about Miniart. They are producing a ton of amazing, offbeat products (in injection molded plastic) these days that are great diorama fodder.

Speed To Competence (STC)
Yeah, I’m creating a new acronym. You’re welcome.

When I was a high schooler modeler in the late 80s/early 90s, I had three reference books. Three. All from Verlinden. And those were purchased on my infrequent trips to Brookhurst Hobbies a couple hours away from me. I knew exactly one adult modeler in town and he was solely a figure painter. I attended in-person events once, maybe twice a year when local shows happened. And I got my monthly subscription to Fine Scale Modeler magazine that my folks renewed yearly as part of my Christmas presents. This was the grand total of most of what I had to work from in my learning, other than pure ongoing practice.

Today, I can watch countless videos on YouTube/Instagram/Facebook, sign up for many amazing Patreons for exactly the kind of techniques/models I want to learn how to build, buy literally countless physical and/or digital reference and how-to books, and attend at least two monthly model meets up here in town. Not to mention incredible online groups like Scale Modelers Critique Group. The information availability is off the charts and if I have an idea for a project, direct and indirect support for that project is a few clicks and/or a few dollars away.

I started building foam creations to a competent (not masterful) level almost immediately from ONE Nightshift video. People like Martin Drayton have only been building a few years and are already producing amazing things.

I’ve grown more as a modeler in the last 3 years than the previous 3 decades, due to the availability and quality of content and voices.

Product growth
Sometimes it may seem like Ammo by MIG or AK Interactive are just producing modeling version of existing products (chipping fluid vs. hairspray), but that’s a very, very good thing. The more money these companies can make by creating products, even existing ones that are “repackages”, the more they are building a wealth of knowledge about how to continually tweak and improve those same products. Innovation in “chipping fluid” may not happen because we have a whole new product, but because we have a product that has grown perfect for a modeling application through the ongoing application of commercial chemistry. Think it’s silly to buy Mig’s Oilbrushers? I don’t .. they’re easy to apply, don’t have to sit on cardboard for a couple hours to leech off oil, and are a handy size to store on the workbench.

Don’t think we’ve had innovation in paints? Look at how far Mr Hobby has come the last few years. Or MRP. Or the AK3Gens. Or the holy grail: the ScaleColors Artist Acrylics. Man I adore those.

For every metal toothpick (a thing I still want, by the way, since I think it would have several very handy applications over woodens ones), there’s also an Artist Acrylic

Market growth
We hear a lot of grumbling about the hobby dying. But I don’t know why the fuck we are saying that anymore. Modeling is cool. Go to an office and you’ll find at least a few scale models on a desk. Go to high school and talk to some random kids (don’t do that, but you get my point) and they’ll likely be a modeler or just love them. Sure, much of this market growth is happening in Mecha/Gundam and gaming minis, but … so? The techinques are very similar if not the same, as are the materials, products, supplies, and sometimes the models. Hard to say there’s no innovation in modeling (even just armor modeling) when you’re seeing paint free snap kits that are fantastic.

Idea expansion

Last but absolutely not least… I simply don’t agree that the concepts of armor models and dioramas has stagnated. Could disagree with this more. The storytelling and movement and humor on a show table (even at local events, much less SMC or Nats) is vastly higher than it was even a few years ago. We are seeing more discussion about artistic concepts like negative space usage and storytelling much more than I’ve seen in my modeling lifetime. We’ll never see every model and every diorama tell a complex, wonderfully executed “story”, but that’s totally fine. Not everyone is interested in that. But the level of fun and humor and narrative we see these days is far more than I’ve seen in days passed.

This is due in no small part to the Speed to Competence (STC) growth we’ve seen. If basic information is easy to acquire, then more time is inherently spend on the complex work. The same thing happened with google: When I could immediately find basic information I was able to focus on more interesting, complex ideas.

What is the State of Armor Modeling Today?
While I generally agree that we’re due for some major innovation of the technique variety, I’m not particularly concerned that there’s not some big new shiny technique rocking the armor modeling world.

Speed To Competence is rapidly increasing and that’s what really matters. Innovation is a tricky, problematic idea … especially for a hobby community. It puts too much focus on the new and shiny instead of the overall outcomes that matter. Armor modeling is, for 99.9% of us, a hobby that brings joy. STC helps create more joy and helps the hobby increase the numbers in the mastery levels. When becoming merely competent is easy, your brain is more able to focus on mastery. Mastery is not just technical competence but creative competence too.

Does anything need to change?
Sure. Always. And “change” is probably the better word than “innovation”. Innovation implies an immediate switch of major activities/techniques/processes. But change comes in multiple forms:

  • Radical Change – required due to a threat of obsolescence
  • Intermediating Change – slow and steady to avoid breaking fragile relationships
  • Creative Change – ongoing restoration of core assets while core activities are stable
  • Progressive Change – incremental testing and adaptation due to feedback

We are seeing change in our hobby, but of the progressive variety. And I’m perfectly happy with that.

Meeting Bob Letterman
A few years back, I had the absolute pleasure to meet one of my modeling heroes before he passed, Bob Letterman. He was a delightful human who showed me some of his work over the years. I grew up in modeling with the book Super Dioramas tucked under my pillow hoping for some insights to make their way into my brain while I slept through pure osmosis. (Update: I don’t think that worked)

Bob had saved several of those huge Super Dioramas, as well as a number of his personal builds that you’ve seen in FSM magazine over the years. It was insanely cool to see what he’d made.

But here’s the thing: by today’s standards, in-person, they weren’t as impressive as I remembered. Don’t get me wrong at all: the design, concepting, layout, and general execution was and is stunning. Truly. But seeing things up close and personal these days was a very different experience than looking at good but dated printed photos in an aging book. Those book photos rounded off the sharp edges that were incredibly noticeable in person. We’ve come a long way with our basic building approach. Speed To Competence is radically faster.

When I think about what I see on tables at shows today, yes, they’re not insanely huge like those Super Dioramas, but they are worlds ahead of where the cutting edge was back then. Again, no knock on a pioneer like Bob. Just a statement of observation … sometimes we can only see how far we’ve come by looking back at where we started.

(RIP Bob)