how long?!!!!!!!

[m3m]

hello all, i have been reading the posts on here as many as i can get threw in a night, and i must say wow! lots of nice models, and helpfull stuff. i have a question, i see a lot about cars taking months to build! how do u do it? u say u put them up and start another one etc., it drives me crazy not to finish one! i guess i am just crazy but i am also curiose why it takes so long? i have 3 kids job etc. and i know that gets in the way is that it or what? thanks jeryd

by the way have a good day !

[Harry P.]

I can't speak for everyone, but in my case there simply isn't a lot of spare time that I can devote to modeling...or any other hobby, for that matter.

I'm self-employed, so between impossible client deadlines, working six (and sometimes seven) days a week, family stuff, mowing the lawn, etc., there's no way I can sit down and work on a model project for any extended length of time. If I can squeeze in an hour here and there on a weekend, it's an accomplishment. Obviously building on a schedule like that isn't going to result in a whole lot of finished projects...and taking several months, if not YEARS, to finish a model is the norm for me. I suspect that many others are in the same situation...like you, for instance!

I wouldn't put pressure on myself to "finish" a model. To me, the process is just as rewarding, if not more so, than looking at the end result. At least that's what I tell myself every time I look at my pile of unfinished projects...some of which have been "in progress" for many years!!!

[ismaelg]

I usually have a main project which gets 80-90% of the modeling time dedicated until completion, but there are always other projects that may get a bit here or there. One of those eventually becomes the next main project.

Modeling time is a precious commodity. I usually work on models after wife and children go to sleep. That is usually between 10PM and midnight (many times well after that), and up to 1 hour in the morning before heading to the office. Contrary to many others, weekends are no modeling time due to family commitments and stuff.

I just finished a "Quick Build" curbside snap. No engine, no chassis detail, and it took me 5 intense weeks. A model car can take me months to finish.

Thanks,

[bobss396]

I work around 55-60 hours a week, got 2 teens to deal with plus all the house related fun. Now summer here, the pool and entertaining plus the beach take up my time.

I have more than a few stalled/incomplete projects I should be working on. But nooooo... I crack open something new and get absorbed in that.

I try to get together with my brother on Monday nights to build, otherwise try to squeeze in an hour here and there.

Bob

[Modelmartin]

Mark,

After that great story, can we see pics of your Merc custom and the Charger?

As for myself I have experienced the extremes in model building time.

About 1979 or so I saw a picture in the latest Road & Track of the new TR7 Convertible and just had to build one. I lived blocks away from a hobby shop so I put down the mag and drove over and bought a Monogram TR7 kit, drove home, cut off the roof, found a convert boot in the parts box I could narrow, painted everything, waited for it to dry a bit and then carefully assembled a still slightly tacky model. Cash Register to shelf was 3 hrs and 15 minutes! :shock:

In about 81 or 82 I started a 1/16 top fuel drag bike with 2 Honda CBX motors on a common crankcase to make a V-12 and used a blower and slick from a Revell funny car kit. I am still working on it!!!! :shock:

I try to make sure I work on my personal models every day even if I only sit down for ten minutes. Of course I am working on models all day every day but those are the ones I sell to make my living. Those are satisfying too but resin casting is work. It sure beats a job though!

[Smart-Resins]

My only excuse is such a large family...... 3 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, old car needing repairs, boss whois alsomy landlord, so when he wants me to work, I do. So IF AND WHEN I can work on a model I do. I only have 3 projects of my own going on and one withmy daughter. One ofmine is boxed up for a while, one is waiting for more stuff and my main current build.Months is true for me though!!

[LOBBS]

Let's see, I started my pro-touring '69 Vette back in 02 when Revell reissued the '69 Baldwin-Motion Vette kit. As this is a build of my dream car I had a very defined plan that I wouldn't compromise on.

It got shelved for several years while I hunted down, tried building and ordered several individual runner (Hilborn, Crower, Kinsler type) manifolds to do an EFI conversion. I finally found a Kinsler split-port manifold by Best Resin that I was happy with.

Before the Revell Stars and Stripes Vette was issued I spent a long time tracking down an original issue Owens-Corning Vette for the L88 hood, side pipes and fender flares.

I planned on using the T56 six speed out of the Revell 02 Camaro on this car and several others so I learned how to resin cast so I could quit cutting up spare kits.

I trolled 1:1 Vette forums for more time than I care to admit talking to and reading about suspension conversions (C5/C6 and C4), mods and the different theories on what works best for C3 Corvettes. I finally decided on a Greenwood Daytona 5-link which uses the C3 rear end with C4-type links and custom built A-arms up front.

My only complaint at all with the Revell C3 Vette kits is the lack of detail above the door panels on the underside of the body. The tooling was originally done as a convertible so I understand the omission but the gap between the interior tub and the body is a bit much for my liking. There should be a trim panel on the interior quarters and the underside of the T-tops is nonexistant. Combined with the "slightly" inaccurate rear window this has been a bear to fix to my tastes.

There are a ton of other little details that have taken way too long to sort out (finding a A/C compressor that I liked, widening wheels/tires for the flares, serpentine belts/pulleys, etc) combined with working 6 days a week, being married and having three kiddos that have kept this car on the bench for almost 5 years.

[MrObsessive]

Well, I have no wife or kids.....but I do work third shift on the job, so I try to squeeze in about 2 hours a day (if possible between 2 and 6PM) to get something done.

That being said, it still can take me a few months to get something completed. The key is "something"..................that can be as little as sanding some parting lines, to building a whole assembly, to painting.

Weekends, if there's not a club meeting to go to, I can get some more done if the ambition is there........................I suppose if you really want to see something through.........."results follow desire".

:wink:

[Jason Rothgeb]

Short answer? Too long! I'm one of the folks like Harry, Ismael, and Bill who steals time for modeling in the wee hours of the night and in the morning before the rest of the family is awake. To make matters worse, I'm a Kitchen table modeler who has to completely knock down my set up at the end of most sessions. Getting out, putting away and looking for parts takes up a good chunk of already precious time.

As a result of these factors and my somewhat improved and more meticulous building skills, I can count the number of models I finish in a given year on one hand. And that's IF I stay focused. 2005 was not such a year and I only had one completion to show at year's end. Thankfully, I've doubled that total this year and the year is only half finished.

Staying focused does come at a price though. Seeing the same project on the bench month in month out can get monotonous and lead to a feeling of drudgery. But seeing the finished project in your mind's eye and remembering how good it felt when you got the last one finished is what keeps you going.

In light of all this some would wonder why I bother. Because when I do finally finish a project to my satisfaction, it's a great feeling. Then add to that feeling the joy of having to share my work online and at my local club and shows with other builders whose work I admire, it's even better. Here's a picture of 2005's sole completion:

[m3m]

thats awsome! and i now feel your pain! i had to move from colorado to idaho, from a 3600 sf 4 bed room house to an 1100 sq.foot apartment. moving my models was so hard! (well to me it was nobody else seemed to care!) now i have to work on a model for a while and then put all my stuff back away. i have 3 little girls 6-4-6months old. i use to be able to leave my projects out but not any more! o well i will still find a way! we all seem to make time to work on our cars! thanks guys for the posts jeryd