Is it really worth it?

There are many things in life when I ask myself 'is it really worth it?'. That is the question I asked today as I was having an hour or so with the MiniArt Egyptian T34 tank. There are some etched metal parts to it as I showed a few posts ago. Today I had to deal with two etched hooks that fasten external fuel tanks on the body of the tank to their carriers. This is the finished result.

It took me nearly an hour to fit the two! They are small - very small - and as a consequence difficult to hold and maneuver as well as see! On several occasions they disappeared onto my work bench and took some finding which is difficult to believe as they are shiny brass. However believe me they are better camouflaged then the tank will be once painted! However the swear jar is now a bit weightier and the two hooks are in place as you see above. However is that nearly an hour of frustration really worth it as you can hardly see the things and once painted no one will even know. 

There are two ways of looking at this and my own preference changes in line with how far the process has gone and how well! The first way is to say that the parts are so small and insignificant that they could really have been moulded in plastic and incorporated into the main part making the build a whole lot easier and quicker. So it is not really worth it. Countering that is the second way of looking at this in that the kit is a challenge to build and you increase your skills and abilities by doing such things. In addition whilst your partner may not notice your skillful build fellow modellers will and appreciate the skills required to get good results. Therefore it really is worth it!

As I said my views can alter depending on how well the job has gone but I do wish that where etched parts are offered manufacturers would also offer a plastic alternative for those whose swear jars are already full enough or who just want to build a reasonable looking kit! That way either way would really be worth it!

Having beaten the etched parts I did have enough time to start building the running gear so the suspension arms and axels are built and temporarily in place. I need to glue them in place when I have enough time to make sure they are all level with each other s that the tank stands level. Hopefully I will be able to do that tomorrow if I finish my list of other jobs to do.