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What's a man to do? Too many to build, not enough time.


ScanmanDan

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I hope you will indulge a little for me to ramble.

 

Down here in Melbourne we are all back in lockdown so I've had plenty of time to putter around in the bungalow working on this and that.  I've been working hardest on cleaning and organising the forty year collection of 'objects' that make my modelling gear/collection.  One thing is sure, I've got too much junk.  

I've been pretty ruthless in chucking out old and unusable materials.  Throwing out dead paints and decals that even the moths and weevils won't touch.  Much of my gear is still in pretty good shape but I do question the sanity of 'Past Dan' in some of the choices I have made over the years.  ( Just when did I need a full sized bench belt /rotary sander?!!!)  I would like to get to the point where I'm not oppressed by the sheer bulk of all this... stuff.

While a touch painful in the realisation of the lost 'sunk cost' of all this folly at least this is somewhat fun and liberating in that I'm cleaning and organising as I go. ( Call me weird I actually like doing this kind of thing, I'm just bone lazy and don't do it much.)  Finding that even in the vast space I have to call my Man Cave I'm going to end up with some new areas to set up things that have been hidden away for years.

No, the real sadness is when I look upon the two orphan twins; the Shelf of Doom and The Kit Stash.  Sigh.  What to do with these two?

 I have already gone through much of the SoD and triaged as best I can.  The dead were the easiest.  Projects way too far gone to salvage.  Either through missing/damaged parts or just badly assembled/painted they were swiftly dispatched.  The next batch are those that have been abandoned through some malady of build or spirit.  There is something intangible but deeply wrong with them that makes continuing to work on them a chore and not a joy.  These I will set aside and give them a little more time but truthfully I know they are for the bin someday soon. ( unfortunately I have quite a few that fit into this category. )  The last group are the almost done, almost but just not quite finished.  Mercifully there aren't too many in this group. I must make sure this group get some love in the following weeks as getting some of these finished will make this all the more worthwhile. 

As for the Kit Stash.  That's tricky.  If you do anything for forty plus years your taste and interests are bound to change.  I know mine have.  Anyone for HOn3 model railroading? 

Like most modellers I have more kits than I 'need'.  The hard part is breaking the habit of a lifetime of keep thinking, " Someday I'll build X or Y." or "Gee that's a neat new kit, I need to get one before they are all gone."   If I'm truthful with myself I build about six to ten kits a year.  Setting aside the 1/24th and 1/32rd scale aircraft and the 1/35th scale tanks and assorted sci-fi kits of which I have too many.  I have 40 x 1/48 scale armour kits.  That sets me up for four to six years in the future IF I don't buy anymore. ( HA!) 

So I'm putting all my non-1/48th scale kits into off site storage for a time until the lockdowns finish and I can pass them on to my local model clubs or maybe a swap and sell at a model show.  ( Whenever it is safe to do that sort of thing again.)  I may eBay a few of the 1/48 scale kits I have, though I hate selling things via post/eBay.  But whatever the future holds I need to stop this endless cycle of reflexively buy stuff.  I already feel like a large weight is lifted off my back from culling the SoD.  Heavy of heart but at least a bit more at peace with myself.

I know this is a universal but I wonder how other folks handle these kinds of problems.

I hope you are all well and safe.

Dan

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                                       hi Dan ,

 

                                                         don't sweat it !

                                              I am in the same situation .... no big deal  !

                                              ....and carry on modellin' !

                                             ...and then there is  always  MODELNERDS  down the road 'n' 'round the Corner.

                                            

                                                                                           Geoff

 

                                                                                             F.T.G. 3156

 

 

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I like to consider that a good chunk of the price of a kit is justificated by the pleasure from buying and owning it.

 

I remember that a lot of people spend similar amounts of money on 'collectibles' that then just get put into a stash and never played with either.

 

As for the reflexive buying - I am pretty bad at that too. While I can reassure myself that 35th scale vehicles or figures are going to always be available, other subjects like 144th scale planes, are often short run only and I will buy these in bulk as soon as I find them!

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                       hi Tim ,

 

                                      I 'gree the cost of the Model Kit is very much outweighed by the time spent buildin' that Model.

                                       ....sometimes years !........ when the cost is long forgotten .

                                     How long does a Pint last !   very pleasurable at the time but nuthin' to show for it !

                                     ....... and YES !  ... .. I is a Drinker and don't regret it  !

 

                                                                                                                cheery "stay safe 'n' model " mumbas !

 

                                                                                                                                              Geoff

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I found myself in the exact same situation.  Staring at too much stuff worth too much money that I will - with a realistic eye - never build.  Too much sentimentality about some of it: sacred cows.  So a clear-out beckoned.

 

My answer was the much-maligned but extremely useful eBay.  89 Items sold this week, 387 currently listed and 120-odd still to list.  That's got rid of about a third of it.  I might need to be a bit more ruthless yet........

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I've been ruthless with my built models collection. This year I have parted with just over 100 builds! More to be decided on. I will keep subjects that are pertinant to me such as types I have flown in and some others but need to decide on which. As for unbuilt I am down to just under 100. But do have lots of decal sets and publications to consider  too.

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6 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

I found myself in the exact same situation.  Staring at too much stuff worth too much money that I will - with a realistic eye - never build.  Too much sentimentality about some of it: sacred cows.  So a clear-out beckoned.

 

My answer was the much-maligned but extremely useful eBay.  89 Items sold this week, 387 currently listed and 120-odd still to list.  That's got rid of about a third of it.  I might need to be a bit more ruthless yet........

And one item added to my 'KIt Stash'... So now it's my problem instead of yours. Sigh! ... But it's a jolly good kit. If only I can find enough reference to build it as a British one... Why, oh why, didn't I think of that first? 🤔 🙄 🤣

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On 25/07/2020 at 06:32, ScanmanDan said:

I know this is a universal but I wonder how other folks handle these kinds of problems.

I learned my lesson 20+ years ago when i stopped modelling and had a massive stash i needed to get rid of....... Ebay wasn't really a thing and i had left my local club.

I had a devil of a time getting buyers for them....now i'm back into modelling i swore i wouldn't put myself in that position again...now i have a stash of no more than ten models at any time and only two on the bench at any time .....well that's the plan and so far so good...that said Tim R-T-C is right sometimes it's just nice owning kits even if you know you will probably never get it out and build it. Good luck with your organising i'm sure it will work out for the best.

 

Steve

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On 7/25/2020 at 6:32 AM, ScanmanDan said:

I know this is a universal but I wonder how other folks handle these kinds of problems.

I hope you are all well and safe.

I think lockdown has probably prompted a similar review in many people. We’ve cleared an awful lot of stuff across the family and I think it’s been quite good for the soul!

 

For some time I’ve tried to adopt a “one-in, one-out” approach to kits and Keep it at around 10 kits in the stash - in saying that, I’m going to hit 15 by the end of August owing to a couple of pre-orders, but have plans to sell and build some to restore balance. Even so that’s probably north of £300 sat in a plastic crate, so I need to keep it managed!  
 

I used to have a similar ‘problem’ with die-cast collectible aircraft and at one stage had 150+. I sold those off and broadly recovered my outlay - it paid for a nice family holiday and helped to move my mindset towards collecting memories instead of stuff!
 

I also have a different approach in terms of ‘bench rules’ if I decide to build it, it gets finished or binned (or both in a couple of cases!). I’ve taken the view that even a kit that I struggle with helps to improve technique/ experience somehow.

 

I think it’s a fairly common human experience. All I can say is that my life has never felt materially worse by selling that 1/87th scale limited run Fairy Puffdragon with Special Estonian markings...*


Steve
*individual experiences may vary

 

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Hmmm. I bitterly regret getting rid of the classic Airfix kit stash I had. Mostly ones I'd built as a lad. I'd get a few out every now and again, have a little look in the box and stare at the Roy Cross box art. Then back in the cupboard. All pretty pointless and in the end I sold them off, but I wish I hadn't.

 

I don't feel the same attachment to my modern stash, but I'm still wary of letting them go.

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I had similar issues solved for me.

One was moving to another country, meaning reducing the volume of things to move and adding cash to pay for it all. That meant kits, but above all my library. A second was a severe private financial crisis, meaning culling (a.k.a. selling practically all of) my stash up to and including the sparesbox!

I also somehow got rid of my love (obsession) with halftracks, mainly 250's and 251's. Now I am in a state of mind, switching randomly between subjects and scales, building what I fancy without specialization. Or getting bogged down in complicated projects by building old kits OOTB. I have less than 10 kits in stash, about as many shelfqueens, but already finished 4 projects this year, including a very large one, with 2 only steps away from joining those ranks.

 

And it feels good.

 

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I've not long returned to modelling after a gap of over 40 years - I have 4 models finished (that will need revisiting if/when my skills get better), 1 almost finished and one on the go.  In my stash, I have about 20.  Part of the excitement is when the postie arrives with another box - another when you think you've completed a model.  However, in between I become quite fearful - there's a fear of starting, a fear of painting and a fear of things not being done as well as they could be.  Perhaps thats why looking at the bright, shiney boxart on the shelf it so attractive!

 

Why do I punish myself?  It's "only" a hobby that I do for "pleasure" - hah!

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I have approximately 50-60 kits in the cupboards, in a 40-60 ratio of 1/48th to 1/35th, and my build rate is about three a year. So that means that if I DID manage to build them all, I should have them finished by the time that I'm 93, and that's without adding to them. But I know that the next time that I'm at a show, I am going to come away with some more new kits, as well as all the extras that I usually accumulate. It doesn't worry me that I'm never going to finish them. I know that in my son-in-law and grandson, I have two modellers who will gladly inherit all of my junk modelling detritus. So therefore, I'm not going to get in a tizzy over my stash.

 

John.

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  • 3 months later...
On 7/25/2020 at 7:32 AM, ScanmanDan said:

I hope you will indulge a little for me to ramble.

 

Down here in Melbourne we are all back in lockdown so I've had plenty of time to putter around in the bungalow working on this and that.  I've been working hardest on cleaning and organising the forty year collection of 'objects' that make my modelling gear/collection.  One thing is sure, I've got too much junk.  

I've been pretty ruthless in chucking out old and unusable materials.  Throwing out dead paints and decals that even the moths and weevils won't touch.  Much of my gear is still in pretty good shape but I do question the sanity of 'Past Dan' in some of the choices I have made over the years.  ( Just when did I need a full sized bench belt /rotary sander?!!!)  I would like to get to the point where I'm not oppressed by the sheer bulk of all this... stuff.

While a touch painful in the realisation of the lost 'sunk cost' of all this folly at least this is somewhat fun and liberating in that I'm cleaning and organising as I go. ( Call me weird I actually like doing this kind of thing, I'm just bone lazy and don't do it much.)  Finding that even in the vast space I have to call my Man Cave I'm going to end up with some new areas to set up things that have been hidden away for years.

No, the real sadness is when I look upon the two orphan twins; the Shelf of Doom and The Kit Stash.  Sigh.  What to do with these two?

 I have already gone through much of the SoD and triaged as best I can.  The dead were the easiest.  Projects way too far gone to salvage.  Either through missing/damaged parts or just badly assembled/painted they were swiftly dispatched.  The next batch are those that have been abandoned through some malady of build or spirit.  There is something intangible but deeply wrong with them that makes continuing to work on them a chore and not a joy.  These I will set aside and give them a little more time but truthfully I know they are for the bin someday soon. ( unfortunately I have quite a few that fit into this category. )  The last group are the almost done, almost but just not quite finished.  Mercifully there aren't too many in this group. I must make sure this group get some love in the following weeks as getting some of these finished will make this all the more worthwhile. 

As for the Kit Stash.  That's tricky.  If you do anything for forty plus years your taste and interests are bound to change.  I know mine have.  Anyone for HOn3 model railroading? 

Like most modellers I have more kits than I 'need'.  The hard part is breaking the habit of a lifetime of keep thinking, " Someday I'll build X or Y." or "Gee that's a neat new kit, I need to get one before they are all gone."   If I'm truthful with myself I build about six to ten kits a year.  Setting aside the 1/24th and 1/32rd scale aircraft and the 1/35th scale tanks and assorted sci-fi kits of which I have too many.  I have 40 x 1/48 scale armour kits.  That sets me up for four to six years in the future IF I don't buy anymore. ( HA!) 

So I'm putting all my non-1/48th scale kits into off site storage for a time until the lockdowns finish and I can pass them on to my local model clubs or maybe a swap and sell at a model show.  ( Whenever it is safe to do that sort of thing again.)  I may eBay a few of the 1/48 scale kits I have, though I hate selling things via post/eBay.  But whatever the future holds I need to stop this endless cycle of reflexively buy stuff.  I already feel like a large weight is lifted off my back from culling the SoD.  Heavy of heart but at least a bit more at peace with myself.

I know this is a universal but I wonder how other folks handle these kinds of problems.

I hope you are all well and safe.

Dan

Can relate in a different way. 
 

Ive just got back into the hobby after three decades out and one of the things that sticks with me from when I was a ten or eleven year old modeller was that I never had any money. We were pretty poor and seven pounds for a Tamiya kit back in those days was a rare, couple of times a year sort of thing. I couldn’t afford the good paints, tools, gear etc let alone the good kits. No books save for what was at the library (not much) so very much winging it in terms of what things were supposed to look like. It was all brushed Humbrol enamels using the cheapest plastic brushes and a cheap Chinese box cutter knife from the local 99p shop. Humbrol tubes of glue, etc. Dioramas made of broken up cork coasters and rocks from my garden. 
 

Nonetheless I did it, loved it, learned a lot (99% of which I’ve forgotten) and eventually got fairly decent in so far as my tools and young age would allow. 
 

Now, I’ve gone back to it with a full wallet and a desire, subconsciously I think, to go back to it and have the things I wanted as a child but didn’t get or have access to.

 

I made a decision to go back to it six weeks ago and I’ve spent a LOT getting set up. No expenses spared. 
 

I’ve bought an airbrush, spraying booth with fan and LED light and a compressor which may as well have been the Millennium Falcon as far as I was concerned as a kid. 40+ Vallejo paints and a natty desk holder to put them in, a load of Tamiya acrylics. All manner of weird and wonderful wonderful wonderful washes, filters, streaking pens, enamels, pigments, etc. Primers! Specialist Tamiya cutting tools, proper tweezers, Xacto knives, liquid glues I couldn’t dream of as a child, all manner of clamps, loads of types of thinners/retarders/cleaning solutions etc. 

 

All the “I want this” kits from my childhood have been acquired snd I’ve already built two of them: an Academy Wirbelwind and a Tamiya StuG IV.

 

I might have gone a bit crazy...

 

To Do Pile as of today - 

 

Tamiya Brummbaer 

Tamiya StuG III w/PE barrel 

Tamiya Hummel w/ PE barrel 

Tamiya Marder III A w/PE parts, tracks & barrel 

Tamiya Jagdpanther late w/PE barrel, tracks, storage boxes and parts. 

Tamiya Jagdtiger fruhe w/PE barrel and parts 

Tamiya Flak 36 88mm 

Tamiya Horch 1A 

Tamiya sd.kfz 251/1 

Tamiya sd.kfz 7 w/ 37mm flak 

Tamiya Opel Blitz lorry w/ resin tarp 

Tamiya Flakvierling 20mm

Tamiya Kubelwagen 

Das Werk VK302 Munitionschlepper 

Trumpeter Pak44 Kanone 128mm 

Italeri anhanger trailers x2 

Academy Warrior w/ PE parts, bar armour etc 

Tamiya Churchill 

Miniarts German flak crew 

Miniarts Dutch house

verlinden figures x8

Other resin figures x5

Tamiya German tank crew 

Tamiya German soldiers on manouverable 

Resin machine gun bunker 

 

Truly crazy. Truth is I am a bit addicted I think. But it brings me peace and happiness so it can’t be all bad can it? 

 

 

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