I was just wondering if there are others out there, like myself, that can't help but let OCD (in the super-hyper perfectionism sense)/rivet counting get in the way of enjoying model railroading. The main purpose of a hobby is for it to be relaxing and enjoyable, but my pursuit of perfection and standardization seem to destroy and overshadow those goals. I try to tell myself I’m in the hobby to enjoy it, but then this crazy “sickness” takes over and ends up causing more harm than good! Sometimes I’ll finish a project and it will seem fine, but then when I go back and look at it through my OCD eyes later, I see tons of small issues that shouldn’t, but do, stand out and surpass (in my eye) the rest of the model which is probably actually pretty awesome. Anyway, like I said, I was wondering if there are others like this out there and what you do to overcome and make the hobby what it should be. Chris
I understand the affliction. I used to model in HO, but ended up switching to N because I needed something to go around the base of a new, small Christmas tree. The wife LIKED it!!! So, door open, I leaped through. Now we go to train shows and buy stuff that we both like. But, the layout is still some Kato track snapped together on the carpet for a month or so around Christmas time. The minimum radius is 13.75", requiring short cars to look decent. SOOO, we go to train shows and drool over the modular layouts running 100 car freight trains and 15 car passenger trains built with scale cars and engines, but I KNOW I can't run those in MY space. I would like short scale passenger cars like the Wheels of Time Harriman 60 and 67-footers, but they are not available if you don't get them soon after they are released. So, I gravitate to things like the old Bachmann "65-foot" passenger cars that really are a tad shrunk from scale length to be a scale 60' sill to sill. The rivets are HUGE compared to scale. But, they are short enough that I can couple them close and am currently trying to put working diaphrams between them. My reasoning is this: from across the room, the first things that I notice are lights and coupling distance. So, my passenger trains version 2.0 will simply have new LED lights so my DCC controller won't melt the plastic with the original incandescent bulbs, plus diaphrams to close up the inter-car spaces. That is the biggest improvement step. BUT, I have a second set of Bachmann passenger cars, and those will get interiors and some external details, to eventually be swapped onto the "layout" as version 3.0. And, having freed-up version 2.0 equipment for refinement, those may eventually get better steps, rivet detail removed and replaced with scale rivet decals, repainted with proper numbers, etc. I even plan to kit bash some full baggage cars and a lounge/observation car with enlarged windows and scale railings. SOMEDAY. But, today, I am going to run my version 2.0 cars and feel good about getting to a point where SOMETHING is running. In this way, I do NOT have the frustration of never getting any satisfaction. There is no pressure to do my next version FASTER, which leads to poor workmanship. And, although there are some individuals who may look down their noses at ANY version I could ever produce, there are others who look at even version 2.0 and say "Wow, that looks better than mine; can you show me how to do that?" So, my suggestion for mastering the OCD urge is simply to bite-off improvements in stages, with the recognition that perfection is a goal that is only worth pursuing if it can be done in a way that doesn't stop you from having fun NOW. And, if some manufacturer starts offering cars that meet my requirements and are better than I have kit-bashed to date, I am fully willing to buy those cars and start improving from there. But, I am not willing to have my "system" sit idle until I get it perfect. Because that will never happen. Maletrain
I am definitely OCDish (if not full-blown). But the good news (at least for me) is that all of the nitpicky stuff that I agonize over when I first create a model tends to bother me less and less over time. I dunno, I guess familiarity breeds anti-contempt in my case. YMMV Despite the unpleasant self-nagging, I think OCD can actually be a bit of an aid when it comes to modeling. If you sweat the really small stuff, the end result (if you can just stand back far enough) tends to outweigh the imperfections. Cheers, -Mark
I always wanted some interurban cars. I bought a few Shapeways cars and got addicted. I started out wanting enough cars for a couple of trains, now I'm collecting the entire fleet from the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee railroad. and all 8 of the Milwaukee electric railway duplex cars.. I can't stop myself !! Randy
I know what's improper for most of my models as compared to their prototypes, but I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. I try to relax when it comes to my trains, I stress enough stuff in real life.
Randy, your issue is not OCD. Yours is an affliction that is very common to most modelers, myself included. It's called Hording!
I cant scenic worth a cr*p...and my ballasting isnt much better. I am so laid back...I run em on Unitrack. The wife and I just enjoy watching the trains run.
I think by it's very nature, most modelers have some degree of OCD, it is what helps you improve your craft. I am rarely completely satisfied with my projects and I can see room for improvement, but I use that as a learning experience to do better next time. As far as the collecting disease, I did the same thing with plastic models, which is where I first got started. I still have unbuilt kits that I have collected over the years. Now it has progressed to trains. All in all, it keeps me off the streets. If you're having fun, you must be doing something right. Trey
I'm a little like this. I have a fairly narrow modeling era and locale (1980-86 D&RGW, Moffat Tunnel route), so if it didn't plausibly run there during that era, I'll pass on a purchase. That said, if the product matches something I feel meets the fleet criteria, it better be a darned good representation (if not 100% accurate) of the prototype I seek. There a lot of D&RGW stuff out there that I could use, but is a paint job on the wrong prototype so I pass. (Atlas cupola cabeese, for example) For that reason, I'm a rivet counter.
I too, try to get as close to the prototype as my modeling skills and what is available will allow. In some cases, I have to settle for the flavor of the SP.At first, that really bugged me. But- I have come to relax and just enjoy this "HOBBY". I still won't purchase a "stand in"- meaning a pice of rolling stock or locomotive that is painted for my railroad- (That the SP, ATSF or UP did not have). In other words - no fooby/Con-cor made up paint schemes. I hope this makes some sort of sense. For example - I will not have a black widow - Veranda. As cool as it looks- ain't gonna happen. Just my 2 pennies, Enjoy Wolf
Mine went into overdrive on the last iteration of my table. Most of it was due to rushing the table and not getting the top level, threw everything off. Finally took an axe to the whole thing. Much calmer now with the new table, though its drivin me nuts just staring at a train table with no train. Makes a good catchall till i get the layout going....
I'm mildly OCD (and ADHD) and for those Meyers-Briggs fans I'm an ENTP. My OCD tendencies push me to be a better modeler. I try to do better on each project than I did the last, especially when it comes to my locomotive detailing and freight car weathering. I do fail at that sometimes, but I learn from each venture. I will go back and look at older projects with a new eye. I will see details that I overlooked the previous time, not because I was lazy, it was just because I didn't know at the time. My biggest challenge is not offending people when they fall short of their own potential. I hate seeing people settle for sub-mediocrity. If you don't like it and you know it, tear it out and redo it. Don't say "no one will notice" because if you notice it, others will too. I'm not saying we all need to be Pelle Soeborg good on our first layout attempt, but I think we can all raise the bar a little.
I have CDO which is just like OCD except the letters are in the correct order; AS THEY SHOULD BE!!! Then there is the guy that has OCD and ADD; everything has to be perfect, just not for long. Then there is the guy with OCD and ADD; he is compelled to begin projects he knows he won’t finish. I think we all can relate to one or more of the above.
I've found that a mild case of OCD can actually motivate me to create better models. My desire to create more realistic, better locomotives has pushed me into kitbashing and superdetailing. Same goes with scenicking, every last detail and variation is helping me to create better scenes. On the downside, it has slowed my progress to a crawl, but I'm in no rush and hope to create a mind-blowing (to me) layout. What's the saying? "They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I can only see the imperfections in my works. Every mistake seems to scream at me. When they see it though, these problems are not visible to them, for I am the only one haunted by these blemishes." -Unknown
