Reorganizing, taking stock, making plans

[markbt73 5315]

Ever get to the point where your hobby stuff just sort of gets away from you? You acquire sometihng new, tinker with it, set it aside when the next one comes along, and pretty soon you've got half-finished projects stashed away in every corner, you haven't seen your workbench surface in months, and when you do tidy up, you find a whole project you forgot about.

This was me, a couple months ago. As of today, I have everything gone through, organized, and put where I want it in my workshop. I have a paypal balance of zero, one new kit on the way, and am hereby placing myself under a self-imposed buying moratorium until I get caught up on some of these old projects.

Basically, I have divided my RC vehicles into three categories, each with its own area:

1. Heavy-rotation runners: these are the cars I have been favoring recently, so they're all on one shelf, ready to go as soon as a battery is charged. Wild Willy 2, Honda City Turbo, Associated RC10 (with Scorcher body), and RC4WD Trailfinder 2.

2. Semi-permanent shelfers: These all can be run, but don't all have a receiver or speed control installed. Lunchbox, Grasshopper, Optima Mid, Hotshot, FAV, Pumpkin, Cox Bandido, Blackfoot, Scorpion.

3. The project corner. This is why I need to stop buying stuff for a while. Yes, all those drawers are full, though half of the kit boxes are empty and just being stored there. Highlights: 2 Clod Busters, an original Optima, 3 scale trail truck projects (including my Land Rover), a box of RC10 parts that could not quite yield 2 complete cars, 4 pan-car projects, a new-built but never painted M05, and far too many wheels, tires, and body shells.

I feel better about stuff now; I know where I am, what I have, and what I can do. I still need to sort through wheels and tires, hardware, and electronics, but at least all the complete and partial chassis of cars are accounted for. And I think I actually have fewer cars than I had a few years ago.

[njmlondon 570]

Ever get to the point where your hobby stuff just sort of gets away from you? You acquire sometihng new, tinker with it, set it aside when the next one comes along, and pretty soon you've got half-finished projects stashed away in every corner, you haven't seen your workbench surface in months, and when you do tidy up, you find a whole project you forgot about.

I am in exactly the same mind set as you at the moment. I am actually on holiday right now and have been writing out a to-do list for when I get home, breaking my cars into the same three groups you have.

So which project is up first? Your Land Rover looks interesting.

[backtomyroots 432]

Just this past week, I took a complete inventory of all my New In Box r/c, my Shelf Queen r/c and my few runner r/c vehicles. Was a lot of work but I had also lost track over the years.

Was fun to re discover items I had ! Looks like you've some great projects .

It's amazing how fast things stock pile.

[ozace 20]

well done, I have too big a mess to even start organising it

[berman 5315]

I feel I am in a similar predicament. Spend my free time (when I am not playing father to my 4 month old girl) using my runners, I have heaps of unfinished projects I haven't touched in ages, and any potential new kitsets I have put a hold on purchasing as I believe I should finish what I've got first.

My birthday was last week and I think this is the first time in ages I haven't acquired a kitset to build.

[i_am_scarecrow 913]

I think what you have described here is the same for about 99% of people on the forum! I started collecting about two years ago with a Rising Fighter for myself and a Grasshopper for my Son, 24 months later I have a walk in wardrobe full to the brim with shelfers, parts and projects!

I keep telling myself it has to stop but I don't listen!

[Incredible_Serious 107]

I know exactly how you feel.... I have so many projects unfinished, I should focus on them.

But, no. Instead, I'm picking this lot up on Tuesday...



Here we go again!!!!

Alex

[bsy2010 218]

I just moved into a new house and as you know, even though you know the exact date well in advance, suddenly everything has to be done way to fast and everything just ends up in some random box.

One week later, I started unpacking, still a mess, finding new to me, but old parts everywhere.

Organizing everything will take some time, but has to be done soon, as there is a used Hot Shot and some related parts on their way to me

[Grumpy pants 4479]

It's very easy to buy and accumulate kits, projects and r/c clutter, but it is really tough then finding the time to put it all into something useful.

Selling the surplus parts and takes time and patience, but is a great space and mind clearer!

[markbt73 5315]

Good to see I'm not the only one...

It's funny, but it seems when I have more time to devote to the hobby, I end up buying less stuff. It's when I'm too busy to work on things that I get in trouble: I start daydreaming, forget what it was I actually have waiting for free time, and out comes the credit card. Luckily, I have this week off from work, and from Wednesday on, I have the house to myself, so I'll be able to get caught up on some play time.

So which project is up first? Your Land Rover looks interesting.

The Land Rover is a long, ongiong labor of love that I've been picking away at for two years now. Right now it's probably going to wait until winter before I do any more to it. First up, I think, will be the DT-02 Kumamon buggy that should arrive on Monday.

I just moved into a new house and as you know, even though you know the exact date well in advance, suddenly everything has to be done way to fast and everything just ends up in some random box.

I know that feeling... some of this was just finally unpacked after our move three years ago. Part of the process was sorting out RC stuff from non-RC stuff.

[mynameisdannyowens 61]

I kind of like having more unfinished (that really means unstarted!) projects than I can keep up with

Its reassuring somehow to know there's lots of Tamiya tinkering to be done, I wouldn't like it, I don't think, if I ever felt like the 'end' was in sight

[Incredible_Serious 107]

I kind of like having more unfinished (that really means unstarted!) projects than I can keep up with

I used to think that.... but I just did a quick count in my hobby room, and had to stop when I hit over 30 projects waiting to be finished... and that's without the 18 I pictured above that arrive tomorrow!!!! That's a bit beyond "a few unfinished projects"......

Alex

[XV Pilot 1936]

I find the opposite to be true with my RC fleet. Once I get my teeth into a project, I find it very difficult to switch my attention to another until the first is finished. And I don't consider it finished until it is a runner with a few runs and at least one decent photo shoot under its belt.

This is great for keeping "unfinished symphonies" to a minimum, but frustrating when I find myself between projects and in the mood to build, as I don't have any spare projects to get on with. Usually I then find myself revisiting past projects and staring at them until I have convinced myself that my "finished" project needs one more hop-up, one more adjustment, etc.

[Incredible_Serious 107]

This is great for keeping "unfinished symphonies" to a minimum, but frustrating when I find myself between projects and in the mood to build, as I don't have any spare projects to get on with. Usually I then find myself revisiting past projects and staring at them until I have convinced myself that my "finished" project needs one more hop-up, one more adjustment, etc.

Ahhhh.... Bottomless Pit Syndrome....

[njmlondon 570]

I was on holiday when this thread started and I came back with renewed energy and focus on my workshop and RC plans.

Had a really good clean up and wrote a list...

1) complete my RCModelex Land Rover D90 - painting the body has started - waiting for more LR paint to arrive now. Tekin FXR motor / ESC to be purchased

2) rebuild my Wild Willy 2 and use the M04 arms to fit some lovey wheels and tires from RC4WD - done

3) build my daughter a Wild Willy 2 - scouring ebay for the right deal

4) sell my RC4WD Gelande chassis... I only need one D90! - about to go on ebay

5) start preparing the Lancia Rally body for painting - started last night, going to be very patient with this one

5) sell my TA03RS re-re Lancia 037 - I prefer the vintage and now I have one this one needs to be sold - about to go on ebay

6) audit all of the Sand Scorcher parts and accessories I have, acquire the missing pieces and build the chassis.

7) sell my TB01 chassis - I will probably come to regret this but am being tough on myself

8) go through all odd boxes of parts, screws etc and either put them away properly or bin them. Done

This is what my workbench looked like last night

Feeling good!

[Mad Ax 9311]

Exactly the same here. I've been meaning to go through my loftspace and work out what I have for ages. I did it a few weeks back and got all the empty boxes down to go through them, unfortunately I only had time for smashing about 20 Tamiya boxes down into nothing and putting them in the recycling bin. It felt good at the time but I sort of regret it now, none of them were vintage or valuable (I kept the vintage ones) but now I don't have boxes to put things in. I don't even have any boxes to sell things in. I'll have to go to co-op later to beg some crisp boxes for some ebay sales.

I find I start a new project and am thoroughly, 100% buried into it until I get stuck - then it falls by the wayside and I forget about it. Recently it's been the ongoing 65mm shock saga-***-fiasco for my Wildcat project. Last night I finally found some balls that would fit my new Hobbyking shocks, so that one's a go again.

It doesn't help that I don't have a good place for painting in my house, so things get ready for paint, then just sit around doing nothing.

That said, I am cracking on with things much faster this year than ever before and I've got some time off coming up. I'll hopefully have a day and get my showroom up-to-date and post up some new project threads too

[Grumpy pants 4479]

I've slogged my way through all surplus spares and redundant radio kit over the last few months which has reclaimed that space and money.

Still more to go, but a lot less volume now which is great.

I sold my massive HPI truck last week with lots of kit and a spare Tamiya body shell which I'm pleased about as well.

I'm now at the stage where I should now think about which R/C models could go as there are too many for me to ever get to grips with.

But I do struggle to decided which ones to sell : )

[markbt73 5315]

Sigh... and now, a few weeks later, I find myself looking at the shelf of quasi-runners, many of which haven't been run in a year or more, and wondering why they're there at all. Especially since I have a sudden and very strong interest in a 1/14 semi-truck model... half a dozen relics gathering dust, or one big new interesting project?...

[Gruntfuggly 562]

Hey Mark - what shell is that on your Optima?

[markbt73 5315]

Hey Mark - what shell is that on your Optima?

It's a Parma Vauxhall Astra from the late 80s. Bought for cheap on ebay. Not very scale; proportions are all off, but it looks pretty good in motion.

[Gruntfuggly 562]

Not very scale; proportions are all off

That's half the charm of those old saloon shells for buggies...

[Champ85 609]

After 15 years of buying on eBay, I've finally started selling to get rid of stuff like old AM pistol grip radios and other stuff I'll never use (not just RC). It was taking up a lot of space in various storage bins and over time it became too much to handle.

For instance, I'd buy a car on eBay and get a radio system and sometimes charger with it that I had no need for.

I'm so glad to have most of it sold now. Got some money for stuff I'll never, ever use and got some storage space back. Also sold some battery powered toys I've had since I was a kid. Some stuff was over 30 years old! Hard to let go sometimes, but I'm happy to sell it to someone that will enjoy it like I did and I don't feel quite so much like a hoarder.

When it comes to my main RC hoard of stuff, though, I still won't sell any of it. I love it all too much.

[Shodog 1835]

I've been at this point for a while now. It took me cleaning out my garage and reorganizing the shelves to clear some room before I could do anything. I've been selling off things that I either bought to resell or I no longer have an interest in. I'm trying to snatch up little parts here and there for projects that have been sitting half finished for years.

I've also been trying to not buy anymore projects until I finish off the ones I already I have. I was about to scoop up a rere 911 Gt2 but felt instead I needed to better utilize the TA-02RS chassis and new body and wheels I already had. It's just hard when manufacturers keep releasing such killer models.

[markbt73 5315]

Thanks for the replies. Always comforting (?) to know that I'm not alone in my weird little obsession... I get such strange, pitying looks from my friends and family when I start talking about this stuff...

Anyway, I'm beginning to think that the root of the problem is that I'm just not cut out to be a collector. And I'm not sure I have any interest in doing any more vintage restorations. I never could manage to do one faithfully anyway; I always changed something, or added my own touches. And then the thing's done, and I run it, and OK, that was fun, but now what? I don't really feel like running it until it needs restoring again, nor do I want to wince every time it gets a scrape. So they just sit there, and once in a while I smoosh the suspension down, or spin a wheel, but that's it. (What else do you do with these things, if you don't want to drive them?)

Maybe what I need to do is adopt more of a "catch-and-release" attitude towards the vintage cars. I've taken them apart, put them back together, driven them, seen and heard and felt all the visceral sensations that I daydreamed about over RCCA magazine and Tower Hobbies catalogs back in the 80s, and now it's time to move on to a new challenge.

[mongoose1983 3335]

[...] What else do you do with these things, if you don't want to drive them? [...]

Some TCers might want to just stare at their cars and there is nothing wrong with that, is it?

I'd say you have to do whatever makes you happy. As long as you're not hurting anybody, then that is alright. Enjoy your cars destroying them, or rebuilding them faithfully to what they were when first built. It's alright. In the end these are things, and because of that they could mean anything to anyone.

Myself, I like to have these things around. It's like a little vengeance to what life once denied me, and I'm one of those who doesn't like to scrape old cars-I have an HPI Wheely King to use recklessly on weekends and that little thing does all the tricks and takes all the use and abuse no Tamiya would ever be able to go through with. I understand that is just my very own way to experience this hobby, and I just have to accept that some friends might as well go and modify an original Bruiser (a sacrilege to me in any shape or form!) or just keep them in the shelf, behind glass to be untouched for decades on.

Do what makes you happy. Find your own way. Whatever other RC enthusiasts do or doesn't do is not all that important.