How to Build an Award-Winning Model in 3 Days
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It can’t be done, that’s what all of you are saying. I can
hear it quite clearly. You must quash those thoughts, though, and look
at model building in a whole new light, because it CAN be done. I know,
because I have done just that.
The Beginnings
 The
key to building an award-winning model in just three days is, quite simply,
subject matter. This is key for a couple main reasons, the primary one
being the ability to build it quickly. This generally means few parts,
easy assembly, and the need for minimal filler. A simple paint scheme
is also a good thing, as that cuts down on the assembly time. To coin
a popular workplace phrase, model smarter, not faster. For me, the kit
I chose was the ICM 1/144 Type XXIII submarine. One glance at the parts
shows why: this clearly has a simple assembly.
The Build
 I
started this project purely on a whim. The IPMS Vancouver show was a week
away, and I had already resigned myself to not taking anything other than
my own body. Then the ICM kit showed up, and I started fiddling around
with it. It had been a while since I had fondled an ICM kit, and I was
rather surprised at the quality. This is a nice kit! I had the main hull
pieces off the sprues and taped together quickly, and it looked rather
good. As I had some spare time, I thought I’d drill out some of
the holes in the sail, as prep for a long-term project.
 Out
came the drill, and in about 15 minutes, I had all of the holes drilled
out. Boy, it sure looked good! As there was no other steps needed before
gluing the hull halves together, I figured I could spare a couple more
minutes to get the main assembly together. At this time I was still thinking
that it would go no further, as I had other work that needed to be done
and I wanted to do the kit right. Well, the fit was so good, that once
the hull halves were together, my mind suddenly shifted gears: I could
finish this, and finish it quickly.
 As
the hull was drying, I quickly popped over to the computer and did a bit
of quick searching on the Type XXIII. I found out that it was not a common
sub at all, having only been introduced in the German Navy at the very
end of the war. It was a small sub, so small that it carried only two
torpedoes, both of which had to be loaded dockside. Still, it had many
of the design features found on the much larger Type XXI boat, so post-war
it was picked apart by the Allies. It was this post-war operations that
interested me the most.
 The
specific history of the subject I finally chose to model is interesting.
It was launched in January of 1945, and as U-2353 it functioned in a training
role until the end of the war in Norway. From Norway it went to Scotland,
where it served under the designation N-37. In 1947, the boat was then
transferred to the Soviet Union, where it was given the number N-31. It
apparently served with the Soviet Union in one form or another until 1963,
when it was finally broken up. It was this final scheme that I chose to
finish my model, as I figured that by the time the Russians got to it
and operated it a bit in the Baltic, it would start to look a little beaten.
 After
my bout of research was over, I returned to the model. A bit of sanding,
a touch of Mr. Surfacer on the seams, glue the dive planes on, and this
model was ready to paint. Total time elapsed, well, I don’t know,
but the sun was still up, so maybe a total of three hours, including research
time. For painting, I grabbed a bottle of Tamiya neutral gray and hosed
down the whole thing. With the gray on, I saw a couple spots that needed
some more touch up, which I did with Mr. Surfacer. Another light coat,
and the whole thing was set aside for the night. The first day is over.
 The
start of the second day, I once again inspected the boat to make sure
things were flawless. Everything looked good, so I masked the hull line
and sprayed Polly Scale Steam Engine Black on the underside. This is not
quite a pure black, which works well for this scale. With the black on,
I removed the tape and was pleasantly surprised with how well the sub
looked. Almost seemed a pity to dirty it up, but I was dedicated.
 The
only decals needed on this sub were the numbers on the sail. I had never
used ICM decals before, so I thought I’d protect them a bit by brushing
some Future on them first. While I was doing that, I also brushed on some
Future on the sail. While that was drying, I painted up the screw and
the base. As I had quite a bit to dry, I called it quits for the second
day.
Day three: the final day. The first step was the decals. The first one
went on quite well, and responded quite well to my light dabbing of Solvaset.
The second one was more problematic, as even with the Future coating,
it fractured. I was able to piece it back together with some careful tweezer
work, and once pressed into place it got a light dabbing of Solvaset as
well.
 While
those were drying, I dug out my oils and started to mix up a rust wash.
Starting at the front and rear and working towards the middle, I worked
this wash in layers from the limber holes and other points of interest.
By the time I reached the middle, the decals had firmly attached themselves
to the sail and I was able to weather over them. Once I was happy with
the rust, I mixed up a black wash and used that to fill the various holes
and bring out the detail in the hatches. A final coat of Aeromaster flat
coat finished off the main boat, with the last step being the addition
of the snorkel, periscope, and screw. As the sun set on day three, the
model was finished.
Winning the Award
 So,
the model is finished, now on to winning the award. Earlier I said that
there were a couple factors concerning the subject matter. The first,
as you have seen, is the ease of building. Clearly, the ICM Type XXIII
falls into this category. The second factor, which is just as important,
if not more so, is the specific subject matter. As you can see here, the
true key is to find a subject that has no more than two entries. With
your entry as #3, you are GUARANTEED to win! And at the end of the day,
a win is a win. So, to recap, choose a subject that is easy to build,
and in a category that has only two entries. And that, folks, is how you
build an award-winning model in three days.
By the way, it’s hard to see in the photo, but the other two entries
in the submarine category were simply stunning. Judging that category
was simple for third place, while the battle between first and second
was tough. Both of those were a couple orders of magnitude better than
my Type XXIII, and really deserved the accolades they received. Another
interesting point is that, although all three models were roughly the
same size, they were three different scales: 1/700 for the Type XXI, 1/350
for the Gato Class, and 1/144 for the Type XXIII. |
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