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I think I may pack it in.......


larman

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Or at least seriously reconsider how I send my modeling money and time. I don't have a lot of time to build models any more and when I do, the last few times have been way more aggravating than rewarding. I have a little time off for the Easter holiday, so I have been trying to finish an AMT 1962 Catalina that has been sitting for years. It is the first issue, circa 1998 and probably was started right around there. It's been painted and a lot of the detail work done. I thought, "this shouldn't be too bad, no major mods or scratch building, pretty much build it out of the box. So I started finishing the little stuff necessary for final assembly. It all looked pretty good, engine painted pretty close to the correct color, nice tri-tone interior, detail painted chassis. Wheels and tires look great. Then I attempted final assembly, and I am very close to turning into my version of Roth's Fink-Eliminator and smashing this thing to bits with a mallet. NOTHING fits. I don't know if things have warped from sitting, this kit doesn't go together well, or maybe I am just not as good at all this anymore. At any rate, I am thoroughly disgusted and I am really considering eliminating  these so called "modern detailed" kits from my collection or just quitting all together. Please understand that I am not new to this and I believe my skill level is at least above average. I know that things must be test fit and that paint will change tolerances. I also expect varying degrees of adjustment when modifying a build and know how to do most things. This kit looks GREAT in pieces but is a disaster to try and get together and is not the first AMT modern kit that I have felt this way about. I know there will be people who will probably lambast me for saying that, but I really think I might have had enough. 

 

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I have been there . I quit at least 5 times !  I seem to always come back to it. I am retired and need something to fill up some time in the day and not just watching junk on TV. However as been said if you don't enjoy it anymore then don't do it. Pack it up but keep it because the bug may bite you in the future. Good luck.

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17 minutes ago, cobraman said:

 However as been said if you don't enjoy it anymore then don't do it. Pack it up but keep it because the bug may bite you in the future. Good luck.

That is great advice! When i stopped building in the late 80s i gave away everything i had, a decision i absolutely regret now.

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I agree with Scott. Don't sell or give away your stuff just yet. Pack it up, step back and enjoy something else for a while and I think you'll find the bug will bite again. And if it does you'll be glad you still have all of your tools and kits. I know plenty of people that have sold or given away all their stuff and then regretted it later.

I was getting frustrated with some of the detail builds and the stuff that was half scratch built, custom modifications and such so I went and built a few of the classic Monogram kits straight out of the box. Never destined for a contest or to be shown off, I just built them for me.

I find found myself enjoying building again. And a lot of those old kits look great on the shelf when built with solid modelling skills. Cleaning up mold lines, fitting parts properly etc. I even built a couple to match the box art that grabbed my attention when I was a kid. They'll never win any awards, but they look good on the shelf and I like them.

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I packed everything up 25 years ago because life got busy and I couldn't enjoy the hobby anymore.  I wanted to do some building several times over the years but just wasn't set up to build to my satisfaction.  I finally have a decent setup and started building again.  I'm glad I kept my tools and the majority of my kits.  I will enjoy this hobby in retirement.  But I plan to just build for me.  (well, my wife actually loves the model cars too, so that's a bonus).  I won't win any contests, but I will do the best I can with my skills, physical abilities and as much patience as I can muster up.  I enjoy what I have on the shelf now and hope to continue in that vein.

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Sometimes a model gets the best of us. As mentioned try some curbside builds or a couple snap kits. Stop and see if you do miss it but if a model not fun to build the grow it in the trash but don’t make your decision on one aggravating model.

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Larry, I hear and understand the frustration. It's one of the reasons I've been focusing a lot more on the big scale stuff I have and not doing the superdetailed stuff as much as before. As Lee said, things DO change as we get older and while I can still do the detailed real fine stuff, it's not as easy as it was even 10 years ago. Blurrier eyesight, hands not as steady and not as easy to manipulate the smaller stuff like in years past.

I've found that building the much larger scales actually has been helping my mood in at least getting some building done. The only drawback is because they're so big (especially the 1/8 stuff), I'm going to be limited on space after a while.

Carl mentioned curbsides........God only knows I've got LOTS of those especially resins so when I ultimately run out of space with the large scales, there's always those waiting for me to build 'em. ;) 

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Well I've been where you're at a couple of times and everything I would tell you has already been said but I do strongly recommend that you keep all your tools and supplies and if you're like most of us who have been modeling for years you have acquired a ton of stuff and you wouldn't want to have to go back and buy all that stuff again!  Hang in there Larry!

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Been there and still there! I don’t have much time to build like unused to. Life and adulting gets in the way of all of that! I may only have a little time to build but it’s my escape from everything. I only wish you could find the same solitude my friend!! 

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Also been there. Well, not the quitting part but I've had all the sub assemblies looking great but they won't come together properly.

This is a big reason I work on 3-5 models at a time. I get frustrated with one so move on to another that makes me happy and come back to another when I feel like working out the kinks again. I have looked thru my stash for a model I think might be easy and work on that to keep my happiness of building alive. Of course that can sometimes bite you in the you know what.

Just hang in there.

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I agree with the advice of not selling or giving away your stuff. Second box up the troublesome kit

My suggestion would be to asking in modeling questions if others have had similar problems with that kit and how they dealt with the problems.

Finally you just have to step away and take a deep breathe. You will come back when you're ready.

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Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate everyones input and good advice. I wrote the original post yesterday when I was pretty mad and since I have calmed down, I don't think I will totally quit building. I might for a while, but I have no intention of getting rid of my tools and parts. It took too long to get all that stuff! As far as building for contests or others, I haven't worried about that in years. The Catalina in the above post was for me, to my standards, but it just fit horribly and I questioned why am I doing this?  I have decided it is going to be a parts car and I will use the good stuff on something else. I have another unbuilt '62 if I decide to try again at some point. Thanks again everyone! I think I just really needed to vent.... Maybe the next one will be one of the Monogram muscle kits, they seem to go together well and look pretty good when finished.

Edited by larman
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You'll get your modelling mojo back, mate. Everyone gets burnt out at some point. Only yesterday (and today) I started getting the welding done on my 1-1 car in the driveway, it's been sitting untouched for over a year and I almost scrapped it a couple times, even advertised it for sale, but then yesterday I just felt like getting back to it.

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Funny thing.. I’ve been home a bunch of months and discovered I cannot work on models all day every day.  I burn out, take a few days off and then I need to trick myself into getting back upon sitting at the bench. 

This past week I was doing like a step a day, getting frustrated and walking away. Today? I sat down and made some decent progress on one model.. and one step back on another!

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Well, let me say this about that.  As some of you have read my intro, I have been doing this for a very long time (I am 70 and building for 63 0f them)  I still enjoy building, but now in a very different way.  First of all, when I feel stress or frustration coming on I have learned to just put it down,  Come back when I feel better and can see a better way to proceed.  Next, I have found that you need to have a clear vision of what you are trying to build, but do not be afraid to change what or how you are going to do it.  I call it letting the model tell me what is next not the other way around.  I have really great ideas as to how and what I like and want but many times I was wrong and the model was right.  So all in all have fun, put it down with no shame and most of all appreciate the work you do, it is your vision after all.   MJO

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Hear Hear!  Lost track of my model making MoJo for nearly 20 years, and still regret not doing what ever I needed to to keep my parts box and old kits.  The two or three kits and partial builds that survived are still a treasure.  For us detail freaks the larger scales often open the door to more and finer details.  As stated by the wise minds above, take a break from the hobby but keep your collection of stuff, chances are they  will be discontinued overpriced and from used molds when come time to rev back up.  And while away you will find that that cool car you saw at the local Roding show will get the juices flowing again!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I totally understand. I was thinking about packing it in myself. But still would keep all my modeling supplies. Especially my old Johan kits. 
Im currently 55, and a back injury has me out of work for 5 years now, and now I’m disabled. Spinal stenosis is one thing, but I was still enjoying the hobby. Now I have an old right wrist injury that comes on like you wouldn’t believe. I have a non union scaphoid in my right wrist, and it has seriously made me stay away from the bench. I thought the back thing was bad enough, but now I can’t even use my hands as I wish, being dominant right handed. I’m not trying to complain or anything, because I understand there are a lot of people out there who have it worst than I do. I just try to keep my head up, and maybe mess around on good days. Still trying to decide if I want that bone in the wrist removed, and having the others fused together. I truly love the hobby, and sit around sometimes thinking of my 12 started projects, and getting excited about completing some of them, but the pain sometimes dictates what I can and can’t do.

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i found very recently that my eyes are getting very bad. i am having trouble focusing on small pieces when trying to glue or paint. unfortunately for me, modeling is my only real hobby, for the last 35+ years. I am not going to stop building, but I also might have to learn to live with models that have mistakes. 

once covid gets better, i am going to have to visit the eye doctor to see if its just my prescription changed. i have had the same prescription for 10 years, so it might be that. the issue for me, is my eyes cant seem to focus on the small bits and its fuzzy

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