How long those it take you to build a kit?

[Mossie]

It takes me an age to build anything.  Seriously, I started a pair of Airfix 1/72 Spitfires in April & they're still waiting to be finished.  I started my Bf-109 air racer before that & it's in a lesser state of completion.  Same with a Harrier GR.5, but that's actually been handy because I've got plans for that after buying Tony Butlers books.  Last thing I completed was a 1/48 Spit early this year.

I'd like to say it's AMS, but I'm not at that level, my kits are largely oob with a few mulimedia gubbins.  Part of it is I tend to lose concentration (but not nessacarily enthusiasm), & sometimes I have breaks for long periods.  Part of it's lack of a methodical approach, although this is getting a bit better at least.

Anyone got a cure?!?  I've thought of approaching Model magazines about reviewing kits to get me working to deadlines, but my ability to meet GB deadlines (albeit only two) has a 100% failure rate!  After the first one, they'd probably say 'thanks, but.....'.

I have far more ideas then I ever build, I know it's an occupational hazard with modelling but I seem worse than most.  Please help!!!  

[nev]

Well, all of us (except Anthony and Radish) suffer from this problem to a lesser or greater extent.

If its not too nosy a question, whats your work/social/home life like?  Do you work shifts?  

Do you live life on a schedule?  That is, do you have kids?   I do, so I'll use my life as an example.

I work shifts, in blocks of 3 weeks (earlys/lates).  So when I'm on earlys, I'm home every evening.  Having a toddler, home life is in a very settled routine when I come home of tea/wash-up/bath/bottle/stories the bedtime about 7-30.  After that I'm free.  Mrs Nev works from home, so she then goes on the PC and works for 2-3 hours, leaving me free to model.  I can't be distracted by my other main intrests (PC Gaming and internet slacking) cos she's on the PC, so I go downstairs, put the radio on and model for a couple of hours  B)

I get very little modelling done when I'm on lates, except in the evenings on my days off.  Sadly, the downside of wifey working from home and a 2-year old is that my days off aren't really days off.  When she used to work full-time, my days off were great, for they truly were days off    Music as loud as I wanted and I could do what I wanted till she came home as long as I'd washed up and stuff to make it look like I'd actually done something

If Mrs Mossie insists that you sit next to her whilst she watches [insert TV trash watched by chicks], then get a TV tray and sit and cut out and clean up parts on your models.  I got this tip from Radish and its a corker.  It really speeds up the process when you do get stuck in proper.

Lastly, try not to start any more models before you've finished the one you've started on (HA!)  I try to limit myself to 3 in-progress at once.  If I find more creeping down from the loft then I force myself to put a few back.  

Try to identify if there is a stage where your models traditionally stall - for me its the PSR stage after main construction is complete.  I have to will myself on at this point, especially if the model needs a lot of filler.  I find once the final coat of primer is on its all downhill from there and models usually proceed quickly to the end (sometimes too quick!)

Through a combination of this I've just finished my 9th model this year (all time record post-childhood) and am well set for double figures.

Alternatively, try a 1/72 tank.  The modern ones are real beauties and go together quickly and easily.  One coat of paint from a spray can and yer done    

[Captain Canada]

It all depends on two things for me :

Beer

Deadline

 

[Geoff_B]

A key factor is inspriation, if it doing a real project then go back through the research material and get the feel for the build again, if real watch a DVD and get interested in the thing again then you may do some work and get yourself motivated again.

[B777LR]

Somtimes i slap the kit together in 3 days (like the F-17 conversion im doing currently). Sometimes it takes over 1 year.

[Brian da Basher]

I usually finish a project in a week to ten days. It depends on the subject and how much scratch-building or bashing I have to do. My most recent project, the 1/72 Cabal Bolide Mk. II took almost three weeks. I'm odd because I only work on one project at a time and stick to it until finished.

Brian da Basher

[AeroplaneDriver]

I generally knock a kit out in a week or so.  Right now with work and the extra workload at home resulting from a wife on crutches, I've got a project that has been untouched for a few weeks, but normally I get inspired, then when I know I have time to finish, I start and work frantically until it is done.

[BlackOps]

This is a tough one. I finish some very quick (a week or two) and some very slow (close to a year). It depends on if I can stay at it without real life interfering. Once I get interrupted on a build or let it sit too long it's hard to get it started again because I have moved on in my head to other ideas or projects. This can also be a side effect that is caused by too many builds going on at once.

I have started making myself finish one before I can start another but I still have about four or five in progress builds going on.

[nev]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I am reminded of the words of C.S.Lewis in The Screwtape Letters.  Screwtape cheerfully tells the story of a man now safely ensconsed in Hell who used to spend his evenings idly staring into a dying fire.  

Upon arrival at his final destination he lamented "I realise I spent my life doing neither what I enjoyed, nor what I ought"  

[Runway ? ...]

Finish one ?  What's the quote along the lines of "you don't so much finish one as give up fiddling with it" ( might have been Lucas ). That about says it for my stuff. More so since the '90s.  

Like Nev I work shifts but day,night,night,night,day,night,off,day,night would be a typical pattern for me     Forcing myself to sleep kinda gets in the way of the flow.  

Somebody over at Gregs place takes them to work, perhaps that might work for you  


chris

[Spey_Phantom]

for me, it depends on what kit your using.
it takes me:

1/48: up to 3 months (for my 1/48 C-130H atleast)
1/72: 3 days (includes drying paint and glue)
1/144: 1 or 2 days (depends on what kit)

[Nick]

It's tough when you have other hobbies that sort of get in the way and when you work odd shift patterns it can really be tricky finding the time and energy to get on with a kit.
Sometimes I get home and just veg out watching trash TV especially when I do a late shift now it's so dark in the winter.

This year I had to use up my work holiday allowance (no carry-over to next year allowed) so I've spent this week finishing off the 5 models I'm taking to Telford. I started some of these 2 years ago but as the spare room is now set up for my model table I can just head in there, sit down and get cutting and gluing.
It's only been the last 3 weeks that I've been able to get on with these.

Remember that while one kits glue is setting, you can be painting another and cutting out a third! Outside those times I get online and check references.
I do an assembly line when painting so I only open a pot of paint once per session.

I'm really trying hard to focus on finishing these and not start any of the other kits in my stash which are crying out for building!

Nick B)  

[Archibald]

1/72: 3 days (includes drying paint and glue)

Moi de meme!!!  

[Jennings]

I started a pair of Airfix 1/72 Spitfires in April & they're still waiting to be finished.

Amateur... pfft... April of what year?  What decade?  What fekking *century*?  I've got an Airfix 737 that I started in 1987 that's not finished, for crying out loud!



J

[anthonyp]

If we isolate one of my builds, it can literally take months to build it.  The exception being the 1-week GB plane (and its sister 1 week + 2 day build), but like I said, exceptions, not the rule.

I've got a few kits that have been on and off the bench for about a year and a half now (mutant sonic cruiser, RN Nuclear Attack Cruiser, German modern carrier), while most others take anywhere from one month to three to complete.  The block of models that I just finished on Thursday started construction back in July.  The ones I started building in September will probably take another month or two to complete in their entirety, with the conceptual destinations of some of the models changing multiple times over the course of the build (this mission or that changing, intended country getting changed, weapons swapped, etc).  I also build in stages, where a bunch get built, then they move en masse to the paint station, then paint scheme and decals are decided upon, somewhere in there stores creation begins, and if decals need to be made, they're started somewhere in there as well.  It all culminates in a couple gloriously massive decalling and stores attachment sessions.  And then there's the photographing and posting phase post build, which y'all know me so well for.

I don't build fast, I just build in bulk