Project Paralysis

[Juggular]

Does anyone else take months to order parts? 

I just ordered a bunch of things like XV-01 long damper stays, shims, ball connectors, etc.  I add one driver (who is heavy). The shipping goes up from $23 to $29, so I remove one.  I add one static kit, the shipping jumps to $39 (from FancyEraser).  So I remove that.  I add a set of swing arms, then I discover Aliexpress has cheaper ones that I could substitute, so I take that off from the basket.  Then I sit around to worry about how many ball connectors I would need. Does fluorine coatings help?  Is it worth 80 cents more?  And then it comes to 120 USD!  Half of them are trivial things like 6 sets of ball connectors, 4 sets of low friction adjusters.  By then, it took me 6 weeks to decide, so I go like "oh, f--- it," and order them out of sheer mental exhaustion.  And I do it all over again for Aliexpress... 850 shims, 1050 shims, 640 shims, M3 threaded rods, steering arms, rocker arms, etc.  

And I despair as I sit and think 210 USD total is ridiculous.  Granted, they are at least for 7 cars (XV-01, 2 MB-01s, the Frog, cockpits and a driver for 3 others), I could have bought a BBX with that!  Is it buyer's remorse?  Am I too indecisive?  Do I have too many projects? 

Anyone else suffer under the weight of projects to complete?  I really should remind myself that it's all for fun.  

 

[toyolien]

33 minutes ago, Juggular said:

Do I have too many projects? 

Sounds exactly how I used to be.

Quite often, before all the parts I'd ordered for a project had arrived, I'd already moved on to the next one. I succumbed to seeing other peoples' builds and thinking "I'd like to build one of those". Then, last year I sold off all my new in box kits, and the two unfinished projects I had almost completed and decided I would only buy something that I would a) use, and b) complete before doing any other builds. The other issue I had was eBay. It was an easy place to sell stuff after I'd changed my mind. So, that went too. I deleted my eBay account and now only buy stuff that I have the intention of keeping.

So, far it's going well. I feel happier about the hobby and although I have a couple of boxed kits waiting to be built, that is all. No piles of unfinished kits, no unpainted bodies etc....  

[Juggular]

Wise man!  Sometimes the solution isn't more, but less. 

 

[bRIBEGuy]

19 minutes ago, Juggular said:

Does anyone else take months to order parts? 

I just ordered a bunch of things like XV-01 long damper stays, shims, ball connectors, etc.  I add one driver (who is heavy). The shipping goes up from $23 to $29, so I remove one.  I add one static kit, the shipping jumps to $39 (from FancyEraser).  So I remove that.  I add a set of swing arms, then I discover Aliexpress has cheaper ones that I could substitute, so I take that off from the basket.  Then I sit around to worry about how many ball connectors I would need. Does fluorine coatings help?  Is it worth 80 cents more?  And then it comes to 120 USD!  Half of them are trivial things like 6 sets of ball connectors, 4 sets of low friction adjusters.  By then, it took me 6 weeks to decide, so I go like "oh, f--- it," and order them out of sheer mental exhaustion.  And I do it all over again for Aliexpress... 850 shims, 1050 shims, 640 shims, M3 threaded rods, steering arms, rocker arms, etc.  

And I despair as I sit and think 210 USD total is ridiculous.  Granted, they are at least for 7 cars (XV-01, 2 MB-01s, the Frog, cockpits and a driver for 3 others), I could have bought a BBX with that!  Is it buyer's remorse?  Am I too indecisive?  Do I have too many projects? 

Anyone else suffer under the weight of projects to complete?  I really should remind myself that it's all for fun.  

 

I feel like your story often sums up my RC life....LOL... so it is certainly not just you.  Where it kills me often is trying to "build up" an order to "justify" shipping cost, when I would probably save more money by just buying what I NEED, and not questioning the shipping cost.  Hot on the heels of a pricey Tamico order that took over a month to build up (for a bunch of parts to finish various projects), I realized a Thunder Dragon I was gonna restore had a crack in the chassis.  Dang... Tamico is the cheapest place to get a new chassis... but it's 42euro to ship.  So $300-$400 later you get another box of "stuff", where most of it will sit for other unbuilt/unfinished/unrealized projects.  Well, at least I can finish up that Thunder Dragon..... oh wait... the 1060 ESC I had set aside is actually a 10BL60.  Dang.  No one local has the 1060... guess I should start a cart somewhere else..


 

4 minutes ago, toyolien said:

Sounds exactly how I used to be.

Quite often, before all the parts I'd ordered for a project had arrived, I'd already moved on to the next one. I succumbed to seeing other peoples' build and thinking "I'd like to build one of those". Then, last year I sold off all my new in box kits, and the two unfinished projects I had almost completed and decided I would only buy something that I would a) use, and b) complete before doing any other builds. The other issue I had was eBay. It was an easy place to sell stuff after I'd changed my mind. So, that went too. I deleted my eBay account and now only buy stuff that I have the intention of keeping.

So, far it's going well. I feel happier about the hobby and although I have a couple of boxed kits waiting to be built, that is all. No piles of unfinished kits, no unpainted bodies etc....  

I have spend a large portion of my life going through what I call "Buy/Purge Cycles".  They are occasionally influenced by financial situations, but usually they are just the result of mood swings, stress, and interest waning.  I too have been recently sitting on a stack (hill?  mountain?)  of NIB kits, unfinished projects, and a pile of restorations... and find myself rarely actually driving anything.  I've been seriously tempted to slip back to another "purge" to clear most of it out... but if I'm being honest, I'm terrified that I would just turn around and re-buy it later like I have done with so many of the other kits/cars I have.

[toyolien]

7 minutes ago, Juggular said:

Wise man!  Sometimes the solution isn't more, but less. 

Yep, I guess less is the answer. I realised that It wasn't making me happy having a long build queue and parts on order all the time. In fact, I would go as far to say that it was quite stressful (although I didn't realise it at the time). I used to think, "this is my hobby, and what ever I do with in it, will be enjoyable". That's not the case. I still plan loads of builds in my head though. But, the difference now, is that I don't get carried away ordering parts and the kit... Each to their own I suppose. I see some people (mostly on youtube) doing videos sat in front of piles and piles of cars, and that stresses me. The thought of having all those cars just sat there while the tires perish and the plastic goes brittle.... Not for me I'm afraid. 

 

1 minute ago, bRIBEGuy said:

I have spend a large portion of my life going through what I call "Buy/Purge Cycles".  They are occasionally influenced by financial situations, but usually they are just the result of mood swings, stress, and interest waning.  I too have been recently sitting on a stack (hill?  mountain?)  of NIB kits, unfinished projects, and a pile of restorations... and find myself rarely actually driving anything.  I've been seriously tempted to slip back to another "purge" to clear most of it out... but if I'm being honest, I'm terrified that I would just turn around and re-buy it later like I have done with so many of the other kits/cars I have.

I've also had a few buying sprees and purges. When I first got back in to Tamiya several years ago I set off down the path of collecting as many re-release cars as possible. I would think things like "my neighbour had a Monster Beetle, I'd better get one", or "I remember seeing the Subaru Brat on TV as a kid, I'll build one" but in reality, neither were particularly good runners.

I ended up with about 20 (which I know is not a lot by some peoples' collection) But, the longer they sat there, the more I realised that I'm just not a collector. I didn't want loads of cars gathering dust. I enjoy the build, and the drive. That's where I almost am now. Just a few chosen cars that are all runners that I can use and tinker with. We'll see how that goes...

[mtbkym01]

I’m frustrated right now by the number of TBG bodies I need to order ($400 CAD worth, plus shipping to Aust). It makes sense for me to order all the bodies I need in 1 hit to potentially save on shipping, but its so much money…..

[Sogogi]

4 hours ago, toyolien said:

see some people (mostly on youtube) doing videos sat in front of piles and piles of cars

4 hours ago, toyolien said:

I didn't want loads of cars gathering dust. I enjoy the build, and the drive. That's where I almost am now. Just a few chosen cars that are all runners that I can use and tinker with. We'll see how that goes...

Exactly!

I now have tried more cars, i am happy that i experienced building those cars and running them. If i dont run stuff and gathering dust (hence stresses me out), let it go.

[Re-Bugged]

10 hours ago, Juggular said:

Does anyone else take months to order parts? 

 By then, it took me 6 weeks to decide, so I go like "oh, f--- it," and order them out of sheer mental exhaustion.

Anyone else suffer under the weight of projects to complete?  I really should remind myself that it's all for fun.  

 

Absolutely 110% can relate to this 😉

As I’m getting more picky about kits to add to the collection I’ve been looking more at upgrades for what I already have due to space and I kinda ‘feel’ I’ve got virtually all I’d like.

I do like painting up bodies so just buying the odd spare body here and there was working well for me. But I recently discovered that the Auto shop I’d get my Dupli colour paint from no longer stock it as I went to get just a plain old white for a GH 😳. Yesterday though I managed to find a few last tins of DC Primer, White & top coat at another shop. Nearly double the price though. But I noticed a poster outside for 25% off for RACQ members for February, so I went back today to make it more palatable. 

The only other option is to get from a paint shop that makes aerosols to order, also pricey though. For a body of various colours I’d be looking at A$150’s upwards now. So that has probably scuppered a possible Sand Scorcher body on a Terra Scorcher chassis with Kyosho Turbo Scorpion wheels, (or anymore hard bodies for that matter). Trying to find those 4 wheels & tyres in the same place is near impossible. Which is a shame adding to the frustration.

I was chasing a set of the Satin Chrome wheels for the Turbo Scorpion, to hard to round up as well. I’ve already got the alloy rear cage so now I’m thinking I may as well just fork out the $140 for solid Aluminium ones from Korea instead by the time I stuff about.

Another part of my brain space is trying to deal with weather I’d like a BBX or not 🤔 instead of concentrating of more important things. I do like it a lot but I have 2 build on the go already. I found that 3 in a line wasn’t good for me in the past as that it was impossible to turn off ideas floating around in my noggin for that many.

Then a Kyosho Beetle caught my eye 😬 So there comes a point that I must stop looking, so if I haven’t seen it I won’t want it. Or that Nitro chassis kit, or another 1/14 big rig. Fortunately the last Merc 1835 at a good price went (problem solved for a truck) Ahh but now the new FH 770 Volvo tractor unit looks nice……….

One thing I have learned along the way is, (especially since an XV02RS build) is that it’s not so much the price of something that sways me, but more the value for money be it a budget kit or higher end one. Instead of buying stuff just because it’s ’cheap’ or I’ll ’probably’ use it.

I do currently have around 400 bucks in vouchers I could use but I’m making a conscious decision to finish the Fat Fox & Grasshopper now before using them wisely and needing the services of the Postman again.

[Badcrumble]

I have certainly suffered under the weight of unfinished projects. I have a list that is, well, too long.

I took a bit of a break from the hobby after I bought an MB-01 when it came out. For the first time, I had a little buyers remorse. I also realised that don't have enough time to complete everything I have accumulated over the past nine (?) years. Or space to keep / display it into way that I'd like.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a collector / hoarder and find it hard to let things go. But I'm going to try.

Sometimes chasing the postage deal doesn't help. Put in a smallish order, take the hit on the postage. Work through the delivery and that takes enough time to build up funds for the next one!

[Twinfan]

"Does anyone else take months to order parts? 

 By then, it took me 6 weeks to decide, so I go like "oh, f--- it," and order them out of sheer mental exhaustion."

Yep, that's me!    I generally have a "cart in progress" at both Plaza Japan and Tamico.  Deciding when to hit "checkout" before the inventory disappears, particularly at PJ, is like playing roulette  

[donfilippo]

10 hours ago, toyolien said:

Yep, I guess less is the answer. I realised that It wasn't making me happy having a long build queue and parts on order all the time. In fact, I would go as far to say that it was quite stressful (although I didn't realise it at the time). I used to think, "this is my hobby, and what ever I do with in it, will be enjoyable". That's not the case. I still plan loads of builds in my head though. But, the difference now, is that I don't get carried away ordering parts and the kit... Each to their own I suppose. I see some people (mostly on youtube) doing videos sat in front of piles and piles of cars, and that stresses me. The thought of having all those cars just sat there while the tires perish and the plastic goes brittle.... Not for me I'm afraid. 

 

I've also had a few buying sprees and purges. When I first got back in to Tamiya several years ago I set off down the path of collecting as many re-release cars as possible. I would think things like "my neighbour had a Monster Beetle, I'd better get one", or "I remember seeing the Subaru Brat on TV as a kid, I'll build one" but in reality, neither were particularly good runners.

I ended up with about 20 (which I know is not a lot by some peoples' collection) But, the longer they sat there, the more I realised that I'm just not a collector. I didn't want loads of cars gathering dust. I enjoy the build, and the drive. That's where I almost am now. Just a few chosen cars that are all runners that I can use and tinker with. We'll see how that goes...

I know this buying frenzies very well and not only in RC. They come and go, I can hardly control them. As long as I do not get in financial trouble, I just accept them as part of my childish personality. 

[JimBear]

Yes, sir - me too. Like @Twinfan I've tended towards keeping a cart in progress, changing it a million times, until I just get rid of it, or out of exhaustion press the button.

I am really on the lower end of the build project scale (single digits) but I am going to get rid of some stuff to gain some direction forward. Build what I can run (no shelf space and no money, really) and try to keep it for fun.

[BuggyDad]

1 hour ago, Twinfan said:

I generally have a "cart in progress" at both Plaza Japan and Tamico.  Deciding when to hit "checkout" before the inventory disappears, particularly at PJ, is like playing roulette  

Recently my PJ cart seems to just empty itself periodically. Maybe I'm dithering about it too long and it logs me out after a week or two of inactivity. Maybe it's a phone cache/cookie/whatever thing. Bit frustrating though because by then I've forgotten which small parts I've added! 

I do the same. Some current projects, some ideas on the go, things added because of some spurious postage justification. Plus I don't even know what I've already got. Silly really.

I've bought less this winter than last winter though, managing to focus on just a couple of projects mostly, as far as any significant buying activity is concerned. 

I think perhaps the more non-standard I make projects, with my strange ideas requiring 3d printing and fabrication, creates a swing of time spent to designing and making rather than idly browsing for things to buy. I find this more fulfilling. Perhaps objectively lower performing, they might be less good value for money per model but they're much more "mine" and fewer of them should mean total less financial outlay. I think for me that's a good direction. Hopefully this also increases the likelihood a next project will be a remodelling of something I already have rather than the addition of another to the fleet. 

[Twinfan]

16 minutes ago, BuggyDad said:

Recently my PJ cart seems to just empty itself periodically. Maybe I'm dithering about it too long and it logs me out after a week or two of inactivity. Maybe it's a phone cache/cookie/whatever thing. Bit frustrating though because by then I've forgotten which small parts I've added! 

Yep, it does clear the cart if you don't have an account.  If you're logged in with an account when creating a cart it stays longer, plus you get an email asking you to checkout which lists all your items  

[BuggyDad]

17 minutes ago, Twinfan said:

Yep, it does clear the cart if you don't have an account.  If you're logged in with an account when creating a cart it stays longer, plus you get an email asking you to checkout which lists all your items  

Ah. I do have an account. Maybe I wasn't logged in. Never had one of those emails but I've probably turned off some marketing preferences. 

To be honest, if it reduces a bit of unnecessary spending that's no bad thing. 

[Saito2]

On 1/31/2024 at 6:20 PM, mtbkym01 said:

I’m frustrated right now by the number of TBG bodies I need to order ($400 CAD worth, plus shipping to Aust). It makes sense for me to order all the bodies I need in 1 hit to potentially save on shipping, but its so much money…..

I've definitely been here before...

I'll echo a lot of the sentiments others have posted. At its worst, I had a few unbuilt kits. Any unbuilt ones are normally a rarity for me. I don't buy six of the same buggy at one whack to hoard/brag. I had several vehicles I purchased because curiosity got the better of me and they wound up rarely driven and a ton of "almost" finished projects. Even after taking the plunge and ordering all the bodies and decals, they sat.

I was tripping over all the accumulation in my hobby room. The stuff wasn't making me happy. I didn't feel the need to gloat over it all but was rather embarrassed by it instead. Changes needed to be made.

Firstly, I decided no matter how much I wanted a BBX, it would have to wait until I cleaned up, otherwise it would be part of the problem, not just a fun new kit to build. I'd also have quit the hype train and really think about purchases harder. I love the JJ Ultima from BITD. Did I need a ready-made copy? Would the new green Optima Mid make me happy when the first one didn't satisfy? Was this odd clear RC10 worth buying to convert into something runnable? Nope, not for me. For me, those were traps I used to fall into. Despite some folks disparaging comments about plastic Tamiyas, it was their plastic-fantastic that made me happy.

The NIBs got sold off with only a stubborn Wild One left to go. Bodies got stickered and painted. A warm day this past fall was like pulling off a band aid. I just buckled down and masked and shot a bunch of bodies. Suddenly things like a Thundershot, Supershot, Big Boss and Big Brute finally had "clothing" after years of waiting. I'm down to painting driver figures I've put off and a few Clod bodies that will have to wait until spring, but there has been progress. With the exception of my RC10 pile (which is more of a retirement project) the end is in sight and I have a path to my workbench. So I guess its about selling off that which doesn't bring joy and putting the effort in to finally finish things up. It may not always be instantaneous fun like hitting the "buy it now" button but its more satisfying in the end.