Build more models

[chrislowe]

A question for the collective wisdom of BM... Is it possible to increase the number of models completed in a year by having more than one on the bench? Does building more than one require too much time researching the type (s) or typically lead to a deep in quality?

[Black Knight]

Yes. My yearly average is about 50 models per year. Only achieved by having several on the build at once.

Right now I have; a Jaguar GR3, Jaguar T2, Hunter FGA9, Ju87G, 3 Sherman tanks, one ambulance, one jeep, two DUKWs, one LCM, one BAe Hawk, one Gnat, one Trident, and a few others all on the build right now.

[malpaso]

Building side by side sometimes gives speed by getting eg a bunch of Spitfire cockpits done at once.  But I’ve found building more than two models at a time just ends up with them getting in the way of each other!

[chrislowe]

45 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Yes. My yearly average is about 50 models per year. 

Strewth! That's good going! Last year I finished 2. I'd be happy if I could get 5 done this year.

[Steve Noble]

No way I could build 50 models in a year!!! Crikey, that's almost 1 per week. I build one at a time, cars or bikes mainly, sometimes taking 2-3 months for a straight forward build or longer, maybe 6-8 months on something that's complicated with full engine detail. No way I could build something of a good standard in a week, no matter what the subject matter...

[Troy Smith]

1 hour ago, chrislowe said:

A question for the collective wisdom of BM... Is it possible to increase the number of models completed in a year by having more than one on the bench? Does building more than one require too much time researching the type (s) or typically lead to a deep in quality?

Interesting article here

https://jonbryon.com/2018/06/19/on-increasing-productivity/

 

some good tips and thoughts.  Also depends how much time you spend modelling!  

[Plasto]

If you want to build to a quick time frame then scale, subject choice and kit choice will help in speeding up your build time as will building OOB and not spending too much time doing research and worrying about things such as : colour accuracy, scheme correctness and if the kit has shape or other issues.  

Also the level of finish you aspire to or are happy to accept has a bearing and then

there is also the undeniable effect of how adept you are at modeling skills. 

 

Having a few things on the go I personally find generally means that you can maximise productivity when you get some modeling time.  However it only gets you so far before you have too much in the go and productivity tapers off.  If you want to build more then the real answer is put more time in. 

 

Whatever you do have fun..

 

 

[Paul821]

I agree with @malpaso in post #3 it seems to

10 hours ago, malpaso said:

ends up with them getting in the way of each other!

At Christmas I acquired 5 Airfix Jeeps from Aldi, with the thought of batch building them. At the beginning of this week I had 11 models on the go on my workbench including all 5 jeeps.

 

Three things hindered efficiency

 

Boredom - doing one Jeep was interesting at about three it got monotonous

Paint - if I only had a batch of jeeps then I would only have to manage a few paint colours. 11 I won't bother to count how many I had on the go.

At some point I found that I always thought I could add another kit into the build mix (or join another GB!)

 

Of course these are personal observations and each of us is different.

 

The good news is that a concerted effort will see four of the kits completed in the next day or so. That just leaves the Jeeps which started this problems and the DC3 GB entry.:

 

[Doom3r]

As soon as I prime the model and put a base layer of paint it's the time to start a new build. At that time the first model is spending lot of time drying clear coats or paints while I can build something else.

 

If I need to rescribe a model I always start something in parallel since I hate rescribing and it takes me forever.

[Beazer]

Usually I’ll have three on the go and I try to keep the types similar as in similar paint colours that way it’s batch painting.  OD cockpits or fuselages etc.  Usually I end up shelving one while I wait for paint or decals or anything and this gives you that refresher on the other ones.  

 

The guys over over at On The Bench model podcast just did a discussion about this.  You should check it out.