Keeping Your Head in the Game

[tigrazor]

Good point.

I like to have several projects at the same time. Because I would go crazy if Im working on the very same model for lets say over a month. Sometimes I need a little bit of distraction - in most cases its a figure/bust, a technical thing (plane, tank or similar) or some SciFi stuff of course.

On the other hand I really admire people having project X going on and they keep concentrating on this certain project only. Takes a lot of self esteem I guess, I just dont have it

[Stikpusher]

I do it all the time... probably a big contributor as to why I have so many builds going and/or sidelined. I get all worked up over a project in the acquisition and research stages, and then bog down at some point during the mundane construction. It may be early on in the project, or it may be at a point that is well advanced. Then I have one of four choices, carry on in a less motivated pace with that build, pull out one of the sidelined builds and resume work there at some level of enthusiasm, pull out and start something else that may or may not be so involved of a project, or step away from the bench entirely until the modeling mojo returns and jump back in with gusto...

[Manny1943]

Yes...

[Fermis]

Does anyone else experience the phenomenon? Is this why some of us have a dozen or more projects on the go at times?

Yes....and, I believe, the reason many of us have such large stashes. For every kit that I have ever bought...I saw finished results and developed a quick plan to get there, before even taking the money out of my wallet. But..there's always something on the bench already...by the time the ongoing project is finished, my interest has moved on from the newer kit, or I just don't feel up to doing all the intended procedures to get the results I had envisioned.....so the stash grows!

[BorgR3mc0]

It is definitely one of the reasons stashes can grow so quickly.

As for "losing focus/momentum" during a build. That happens with me either at the putty/sand/repeat stage (which I hate but know is paramount) or pre painting (because I am nervous about airbrushing and it takes some preparation to install my AB setup).
I never have lost momentum at the start of a build. Everything is nice and dandy until I have to pull out a tube of putty.
I do try to limit the number of builds I have. I recently had five builds, all at the pre painting stage. The only reason why I was able to finish that lot was because my wife and son where on vacation for a week and I used that time to airbrush a lot. Two builds should be my maximum, one in the building stage, one in the painting stage.

[Thomas_M]

You could have posted this in my name for sure, Jim. That´s exactly what´s normal routine for me. Here, close to me is the large box of the 1/16 scale Panzer IV, next to TAKOM´s 12.8cm Flakzwilling, MENG´s T-10M heavy tank, ...

But this mostly keeps me doing naything at all. I jsut have to clean the bench and pick some sprues of one of those sideline kits. I am not at all bothered by this, as long as I have fun.

[Manny1943]

Part of the phenomenon is due in part to the large number of releases each year and the amount of AM available for each new kit---and the Internet and online stores that make ordering what you want easy.

When I started back into the hobby in the 90's new releases were much rarer and if you couldn't find it in your local hobby store you MIGHT be able to phone in an order from an ad in a magazine. Now I order things from electronically from Singapore using yen without blinking an eye...

We all are constantly searching for that Holy Grail build...

...and shit...