Motivation and Time

[Mokei Kagaku]

I enjoy the whole process, but with the rate of new releases from Tamiya and often with the "need" to build several of each, I can't possibly finish models at the same rate as I buy them, and it's been like that for the most of my life, made all the "worse" by collecting plastic model kits too. I will never be able to complete them all, but buying, collecting and planning is half the fun, so I still enjoy all the kits.

[yogi-bear]

this is an interesting topic, one that I struggled with for awhile myself. I have way too many projects and many need skills I don't have yet in order to finish them. At the moment work and kids are getting in the way. About a year ago I realised I have the rest of my life to finish these projects. I'm ok if it takes me a month or even a couple of years to finish something, as long as I am actively working on something. So I try and do a bit each week, making at least a little progress, and I can live with that. I know work won't always be busy and the kids will eventually grow up. And if I can't work on a project, I at least put a little time into getting the parts together, ready for a time when I can work on it properly.

[MadInventor]

At least you don't have to spend a year scratch building the chassis first It sounds like you're just doing the bits you like the most and then get interested in another idea, and it's a good excuse to leave doing the 'tricky' bits on the existing project so you can go and do the 'fun' parts on another project. That's why I've nearly completed 3 more projects since putting my king tiger on the shelf, which should really have been finished 3 years ago..........

I just try very hard now not to start new scratch build ideas before completing the one I'm working on. Once the grapple (Now winch) skidder is done I'm going to go back and finally finish the steel tank (Been saying that for 3 years, but I really mean it this year ..... )

[Nobbi1977]

I love building but hate body and paint. By the time the parts come from Japan I am almost always ordering the parts for plan C and D. I need to finish what I have got and then head to the garage for the 1:1 work on the bikes for the summer

[Vrdetailing]

I don't get it . I buy to build ... I must admit a few need LED's but that's it

[Wooders28]

I blame the mounting projects on smartphones and ebay!

I was looking for a Marui Ninja, ended up buying 2 AND a coors thunderbird!

It's got to the stage where I need to get rid of some as I don't have the time or space to keep them all!

[Tamiya1/10]

Just read my anniversary threads to see what motivation i have for a few long standing projects !

I've been pretty quiet on here (and RC in general) for 5 months - have even sold a few models over the last few months. Just not got any RC enthusiasm at the moment; maybe down to number of outstanding projects, maybe just the time element :unsure:

Percymon, here is my take of what happened.

You were a man on a mission.

Mission accomplished.

[Byteme909]

I'm in a similar boat. It takes a lot of motivation for me to start on chassis build, but once it starts its almost constant building until its pretty much done. The only time I had for break was waiting for the glue to dry off the brake pads on my nitro models. Mounting the final bits and details is not my favorite thing to do, so servo installs and such are usually left last. Cutting the body out is always a hair raising experience as well as drilling the holes. If I mess up a little I throw the whole thing away and have to buy a new body. Decals I don't have issues with usually, but painting takes a lot of time as winter its too cold to spray outdoors. Overall I like building up the blank chassis but the bodies and details to make it a runner takes a backseat.

[Nitomor]

I have a few shells unfinished. I'm constantly trying to attain a higher standard so recently geared up with an airbrush set. Primer/paint etc has been great but struggling with lacquer. I've spent weeks on a freaking dummy run mad bull shell and still not where I want to be with it and I'm not going near the Bruiser shell until I've mastered the lacquer. Ironically the Mad Bull shell is probably a lot harder to work with than Bruiser shell due to the billions of angle changes and contours. After weeks, I can't justify obsessive time consumption away from family so now I'm taking time out, it niggles me because I don't like things unfinished and I have insufficient time to dedicate to something that I really want to perfect.

So far three new in box projects waiting to see daylight (mountain rider, BFIII, Avante BS) , 2 shells in progress (mad bull/hornet), 4 shells to paint (another Mad Bull dummy run shell, Lunchbox, Bruiser, R32 GTR), and two projects to complete final detailing (WW2 and Hornet black metallic). Even then there are still other unfinished details to complete. Chassis are no problem, it is paint and detailing, currently my skills don't match my expectations. I could accept a lower standard and just get some done but it's not a compromise I'm prepared to make at the moment!

[JLZ78]

This hobby comes and goes in waves. I find the enthusiasm is always there, but rarely the time. I also find that a decent build tends to satisfy me for a good while which, when 80% through means the incentive to go an finish it is rarely there.

To stop me having hundreds of unfinished projects lying around I don't start a new one till I have finished an old one. That said, this 'rule' is sometimes broken. I also only ever buy models I am really into, so for example, I rarely buy anything new that Tamiya produces unless it has some sort of historical significance for me.

Take a break, give it a few weeks and then come back refreshed and with a plan on what to tackle next!

[Nump.T]

Hi Reilluor

Like you I have a number of unfinished projects the longest on going one and sadly the simplest a Wide Willy has been on going now for over a year . I also have an unfinished Lunchbox, a NIB Farm King and a NIB Bullhead waiting for some attention.

The time issue is a work thing, I have been working approx 64 hours a week recently and as far as the motivation I was informed on Fri by my GP that I have Clinical Depression which can bring on a general lack of interest/motivation .

But as they say "Things can only get better", I have seen a funny Tamiya black tractor with a bear driving which has just made me smile.

Nump.T

[ChrisRx718]

Interesting reading the replies, thanks for all the thought-out responses.

What I'm going to do is concentrate on my CC01 Pajero - for no other reason other than where it is currently sat; directly on top of my desk at home in pieces.

So, if I get caught out updating any of my other build threads before this model is added to my showroom please remind me of this thread - I need to finish some models and stop tinkering randomly!!

That said, I really want to do that wheelbase lengthening mod to my DT02 which I picked up on here....NO! Must not give in. Pajero it is.

[Byteme909]

I have a lot more motivation when working on my friend's cars for some reason. Maybe because I feel like I need to make a deadline on a deliverable versus building my ever growing fleet of shelf queens. Those can always wait in my mind I guess.

[Mad Ax]

I suffer with this too. For me, RC is a third hobby - my first is writing, my second is music. After a day job, housework and keeping a relationship alive, there's not much time for either of these and writing takes most of it.

For me tho, motivation is all about doing the bits I enjoy. I love building a chassis from a kit. I love mounting the finished shell and admiring it. But I hate trimming lexan shells, I hate prepping hard shells, I hate hate hate masking (especially lexan). I don't mind painting if it's a runner because I don't care much if it's not a perfect finish, but mostly I build shelfers and I get upset when I think I've done everything right and the results invariably fail to satisfy my perfectionist tendencies.

I also like to build custom things... Actually, no. I like to have a thing that I custom-made to solve a particular issue. I don't like building it. I think it's a time and patience thing. I desperately want to own a really nice solid-axle scale truck, but when I started on that route it wasn't possible to buy one, so I had to make my own. Years later, I'm still doing it.

I think largely I get frustrated when I know what I want to do, I know I have the tools, the materials and the time, but when I finish, I end up with something that hasn't worked. I measure, mark, check and cut. And the cut turns out to be nowhere near where I marked it. Same with drilling holes. A whole day of drilling and cutting and what I end up with is a load of wasted material and a day of my life I won't get back, and a project that is no nearer completion. Sometimes this is what demotivates me from RC altogether, and is why my projects will sometimes go up onto the shelf for months at a time.

I've been really, really busy with projects over the last few weeks and I've done some great work, but once I've got my current backlog of custom jobs to one side I'm pretty sure I'll let my custom ideas take a back seat and just enjoy running my cars.

[Tamiya1/10]

The motivate the task you don't enjoy/like doing, i just break it down to small job lot, instead of trying to do it all in one seating. I too am not too crazy about doing the body shell. I would just trim the body, do something else, come back late to cut some or all the decals, go away and do something, come back to do the masking, go away, come back and do the paint etc. Doing something you dislike for hrs will get to you, but doing it for 15min. or 1/2 hr at a time is more bearable.

[XV Pilot]

That is one way of doing it. Another is to group all the unpleasant tasks together and do them first while the initial burst of enthusiasm for the project is still strong. That way, the pleasant/enjoyable parts of the project remain near the end when enthusiasm might be waning.

[ChrisRx718]

Agreed - my FAV build was a doddle, because I knew the painting had to be done during the build rather than at the end, I pre-painted everything before starting. That meant that when I was finished, it really was finished, and it was in the garden chasing next doors' cat instead of plastered in masking tape awaiting a destiny it that would never come...

[Wooders28]

Well,thanks for the motivation, once I can work out how to post multiple pics I am going to post my unfinished projects in the for sale section.

[Novastar]

I started my NIB original Fox build last year and still have not had the time/motivation to finish it. Well, by started I mean I've assembled the shocks, put the tyres on the rims and that's about all . I have a Fox body which is already painted and has decals - I've sold the original uncut shell and kept the Fleabay runner shell which has a colour I like. Getting my Beetle basher back to runner status has been this years project so far as it was far easier than a ground up build although the parts alone cost nearly as much as the Fox. I'm hoping to get some pics of the Beetle running tomorrow morning. I have TAFE holidays coming up but I have some family matters to attend to in Melbourne and there are rumours of another exploration drilling program after that so between work and education I will have little time and energy. When I build a kit I usually spend no more than a few hours a day on it regardless of free time to keep myself motivated. When I was younger for example when I built the Super Clod I seemed to have more energy and enthusiasm for building. Maybe when things quieten down I will set aside some time and build one of my childhood dreams.

[Tamiya1/10]

Hi Reilluor

Like you I have a number of unfinished projects the longest on going one and sadly the simplest a Wide Willy has been on going now for over a year . I also have an unfinished Lunchbox, a NIB Farm King and a NIB Bullhead waiting for some attention.

The time issue is a work thing, I have been working approx 64 hours a week recently and as far as the motivation I was informed on Fri by my GP that I have Clinical Depression which can bring on a general lack of interest/motivation .

But as they say "Things can only get better", I have seen a funny Tamiya black tractor with a bear driving which has just made me smile.

Nump.T

Long work hours, short day light and likely lack of exercise can make anyone depress.

The good news is the days will be getting longer, working hrs back to normal? and have time to exercise...happy days are just around the corner. A 5 or 10K run will flush all poison out of your system and you will feel great.

[StrokerBoy]

I've built some amazing stuff. In my head.

In the real world, I just have a pile of half-finished or not-started projects and a massive to-do list.

[ChrisRx718]

6 Months on - time for an update?!

Well, I've made progress, but not in the most productive way. I still have loads of incomplete projects on my desk (and surrounding areas)!!

Blackfoot-Bodied CC01 'Apocolypse Truck' - Started as a winter build off project. Body isn't yet mounted to chassis. Body is not yet primed. Accessories have not been decided on. Chassis works. I think.

Blackfoot body got painted red. Then White. Now it's Nato Green. Still not mounted. Has front bumper though, chassis needs work..

Porsche 934 Turbo Road Car F103GT-S - Finished the chassis. It's a thing of beauty (all carbon). Looks great. Bodyshell has been cut, not yet masked. Purchased interior kit. Doesn't fit. Will need lots of cutting. On the back-burner.

Body Painted, interior test-fitted and base paint laid. Bling added to chassis (as if it needed it)

Honda NSX Road Car F103GT - Chassis has been around for ages. NSX body is cut, not masked, but mounted at least. Purchased a rear spoiler for it recently. On the back-burner.

Nothing to see here!

Nissan Skyline Z-Tune Road Car TA03F - Chassis built. 'Basher' body completed so I can use the car without worry. Display bodyshell has been cut. Not masked. Paint purchased, together with interior kit. On the back-burner.

Bodyshell painted! LEDs need fitting. Looks really smart - really should get some pictures...

Mazda RX-7 Road Car TT01 - Chassis finished (basic), bodyshell cut, masked and ready for paint. Procrastinating over colour. Interior kit purchased. Mounting of body not yet decided upon. On the back-burner.

Nothing to see here! (new chassis tub on order as noticed a crack in the old one...)

Jurassic Park Pajero CC01 - Chassis complete. Sort of. Still modifying it. Bodyshell mounted, masked for paint. Paintscheme is being procrastinated over. Straight green or camoflage? How do I mask up for camo? I'm hopeless. Windscreen wipers purchased recently. They work, but they're not attached to the body yet. Roll cage bought, that's really nice. Cost me about £70 too. Still not attached to body.

Almost there! Just need to add accessories. Will be out dinosaur hunting this winter. Love this truck, but it's not very capable...

Porsche 996 GT3 TA03R - Chassis completed. Bodyshell masked. Not mounted. No holes in body. Interior purchased, together with a nice new spoiler. Procrastinating over colour.

Eugh, painted it in anodised blue aluminium and don't like it Should have painted it white like instinct / boxart said. Bummer. What to do...

Porsche 993 GT2 TA03R-S - Chassis complete. Again, it's a thing of beauty. Wheels and tyres mounted. No holes in this bodyshell either. Paint colour has actually been decided upon and purchased. Not brave enough to start laying any paint.

Painted! But made a real mess of the body lines Not happy with them at all, but will salvage what I can. Interior half-way finished...

And since all that...

Eunos Roadster (MX5) M-06 - Totally out-of-the-blue project, bought all the bits off of Banzai and built it just after my daughter was born and I had a lot of spare time 'helping at home'! Looks great. It's a replica of my old and much beloved car, so I think that accounted for a lot of the motivation to get it finished...

Nissan Skyline R32 GTR TT01 - Bodyshell was cheap, literally no other reason for building this! I had a gunmetal R32 TL01 about 10 years ago and regretted selling it, so I'm going back...Now of course they have light buckets included, when I first built one I had to improvise with R34 buckets. Still no paint laid on this one - but I have at least purchased the paint!

Suzuki Jimny JB23 MF01X - Bought new on release, completed within a week including paint. Was really excited about this release, have just bought some new wheels for it (the third set) as I really dislike how the big-rims look on this model. Nothing has satisfied so far, the expensive route of going RC4WD 1.55s seems the only solution...

Subaru Impreza TL01 - Needed a rally car. Or at least I thought I did. Built, interior not yet fitted but body completed. I've ran it once all year!

Eunos Roadster MF01"D" - New project, no thread on this one yet, making an M-chassis drift car which is hopefully capable and will certainly be more affordable than the shortened TA05 M! Build in progress...

(now green!)

[markbt73]

There surely exist many reasons why we don't complete models, but feeling "unable" to complete a model was described as "the modelbuilder's disease" already in the 1978 Hasegawa catalog, maybe even in earlier issues of the Hasegawa catalog and in other media too.

Hasegawa stated that it's typical to happen when a modelbuilder reaches a certain awareness and judgement level and realises that the skills and experience were inadequate when he/she built models in the past, resulting in models that aren't up to the same person's current standard. Accordingly, he/she realises that the skills and experience will improve further, which means that certain tasks should be left for the future to be able to complete them to a higher standard. The model is put aside, and another new model is started, just to get to the same dilemma sooner or later with that model too.

Especially among builders of static plastic models, this is well known and as it's highly frustrating, many modelbuilders have started building "simple" "out of the box" models as a parallel hobby. Simply to have the same carefree fun that model building used to be in their early model building "career", instead of the seriousness and quest for perfection that it has become.

This is why I have a restored Optima chassis with a clear body on it that has been sitting on a shelf for two years now. I want to do it box-art, but I'm afraid to mess it up...

[KEV THE REV]

I generally get ideas for a project or build , get the ideas out of my head and into a build , when I am happy with the ideas turned into reality , if more ideas bounce around in my head I move on to another project and so on and so on until the ideas dry up , I then rotate the started projects to move them further on to completion . The closer I get to completion it then gets finished come what may . It all makes sense in my head , but if I want to finish a project and time or parts won't allow that bugs the badword out of me . at present I'm stuck for 1 part on my latest Wild One build and it haunts me every day , so if anyone has an original Wild One A12 in red spare please , please drop me a line ,and make an old man very happy

[steelo]

I have a buddy with 3 cars in the works right now....About a year ago, we both agreed to have a M chassis build off and a race. Well, since then, he decided to buy a Scorpion and a T-Maxx. A year later, I'm still waiting for him to put the decals on his M-06 so I can race him with my M-05. His car has been sitting with a semi-finished body for about 6 months now....drives me crazy! LOL

Whenever I get a new kit, I tend to become absolutely obsessed with it and usually finish it in about a week, depending on whether I have to wait for hop ups...If I break something, same thing, the frustration and contemplating getting to that broken part weighs heavily on my mind until I can fix it...I've even called in sick to work so I could work on a model.....I think I may have a problem!