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Lack of motivation to build


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Anyone else have the lack of motivation to finish a model. I'll get really into starting a model, then for whatever reason just quit. I haven't completed a model in years, just lots of started ones. Maybe I should see a phycologist :P

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Sometimes, without a clear "picture" (mental or actual) a build will stall when the idea that spawned the build has been accomplished or is forgotten.

Sometimes a builder gets overwhelmed by tasks which are new or tedious.

Do you keep magazines or photos on your computer of builds you want to do?

Keeping notes or photos to reference helps me since I havemore projects in process that I can count on my fingers.

Lastly, it's okay to not finish a build as long as you are not bothered by that.

Edited by blunc
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Right now, I have 6 in process builds. 3 are Farley close to box stock, the others are quite involved, 2 resin conversions and 1 big bash up project. I'm new at using resin body conv. so for me that's a big stumbling block. The bash up is a first for with graphing a completely different rear section, resin motor. For me, I don't want to rush these. I want them to be my best. Even if it takes however long to finish. So a lack motivation exists on these. I need to be in the right mind set and level headed.

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Oh yeah. I made a promise to my self not to start another model until I finish most of my 'projects. If I get bored with one of them,at least I can go to another and do something to it. I figure that eventually I'll gett one done.

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For me lately it's been a lot of nagging real-life stuff getting in the way of me being able to sit down and enjoy building. Several minor health, personal and financial issues have combined to kinda kill my interest in doing much of what's not absolutely necessary.

Funny thing is, when I force myself to make some bench time, all the BS disappears for a while, and I enjoy myself.

It's just getting started each session that's tough right now.

I'm also trying to break a long-standing habit of making fun and creative starts on projects, and then putting them aside to start something else when some technical difficulty arises. I have plenty of real work to do in my life...model building isn't that much fun when it gets to be work too...recently, anyway.

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For me, my ideas are ambitious but frequently outpace my skills. I can't seem to stick to just the parts in the box and eventually I hit a wall where I can't make an acceptable fix and end up shelving the build. I'm trying to make a concentrated effort to stick to one project start to finish, it's just hard because I have so many ideas floating around.

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I build one kit at a time . I may study a kit for a couple of years deciding as to how I'm going to use it . Because dioramas are my main focus , try staying on task for a couple of years as in the case of my stuff, there are no aftermarket pieces . Yes, all the maps , gasoline pumps , everything in my restaurants and service station builds are mine exclusively .

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I have a lot of started kits as well. Something that has worked for me the last couple years building the same exact kit in two or three different ways. That way I try a few different things that would normally cause me to put away the one kit because I can't incororpprate the new idea that pops in my head. One usually gets my interest more than the other two and I end up finishing 1 of the 3 kits at least. I've finished a few more that way than trying to build one at a time.

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it it makes ya feel any better, until last Thursday, my last completion was in 2006!!

a lot of my wip's are anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days for completion...

the one I just finished had been sitting, painted, detailed*, just mocking me on the bench for at least 4-5 years...

one evening I felt like building sumptin... how 'bout a hotrod motor?? perfect... pulled a PartsPak Caddy and had at it...

as I was building the motor, got to thinking about a body [Flintstone 25/34 from Toledo a long time ago], chassis and stuff... checked the stash and found a Switchers 25 T donor game on...

that was the beginning now all I had to do was finish it!! here in lies the rub... I was stuck on 2 areas/items, throttle linkage for the 4 97's and roof slats of balsa... and back and forth...finally found/saw a pic of the same carb/manifold I was using but, the kit doesn't have any real spacing 'tween the carbs, so...no linkage

wound up taking out the roof slats also, anyway, point being, while I had not finished anything, I was indeed building, well, starting kits all along...

* don't go nuts or it'll make you crazy...

hmmm, seems it doesn't like the direct addy on the pix, won't load....

oh well, it's on FB in the Model Cars group...

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Oh yeah. I made a promise to my self not to start another model until I finish most of my 'projects. If I get bored with one of them,at least I can go to another and do something to it. I figure that eventually I'll gett one done.

I made that same promise to myself this year.I have so far finished 4 kits in the last month.Two of them I opened and only

had a few thinks to do and they were done.I honestly don't know why I get to that point and put it away.I told myself I need

to finish 3 more before starting any more or go back to my other hobby's.We will see how that works out.

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I only have three kits that I've started and not finished, all the others I have completed or never started. All three halted kits have one or two things that went wrong and stopped me cold in my tracks, so I put them away for later sorting out.

I'm pretty meticulous about finishing my builds. ^_^

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I also build extremely slow, I started an AMT Peterbilt wrecker last April and its still just a chassis on wheels!.

I don't build as much as id like but I can also find myself at work thinking all day about doing this or that to a kit.....only to get home and have no motivation!, That said the biggest killer for me in stalling a project or losing interest is paintwork issues !.

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There are a few different scenarios here....

First there is "this model is going so well, I just know I'll screw it up on the next step!"

then there's "I'm having so much fun with this build, if I finish it then it will be over!"

and finally... "If I finish this model, the Earth may spin off it's axis and the entire human race will be in peril!"

I don't get anything done first quarter of every year... I've got another little project I work on!

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