How do YOU decide what to build next?

[Jantrix]

Lately it's been inspiration from 1:1 hot rods and trucks and what not. Instagram and Tumblr are great downtime perusal material when you have a few minutes here and there. My last five? completions have been these sort of builds. 

"Hey, that's really cool and different. Hey! I can do that with this kit!" 

Then I'm off and running.

[forthlin]

I pick several models out I'd like to build & have my wife pick one. It takes me forever to pick one myself.

[Bullybeef]

Squirrell...

[Fat Brian]

It's a combination of what I'm finding interesting at the time and what I've got the parts actually to build. Since I can't seem to build anything out of the box there's always a parts gathering period before I start putting glue to styrene. I try to follow my whims a bit because I seem more likely to finish something when I'm still excited about it. Inspiration can come from cars I see in person or on research deep dives, sometimes it's a concept I find interesting or something completely different. One thing I'm working on now was inspired by the whitewall cheater slicks in the recent AMT 49 Ford kit and a youtube video about an old model T speedster. 

[wrenchr]

Inspiration, 1:1 world and places like here. Lots of talented people here.

[BlackSheep214]

It’s different for me since I don’t build just car kits. I also build aircrafts, armor and occasional ships. Whatever strikes my mood, that’s what I’ll build.

[Dave Ambrose]

For a while, I let my cat pick out my next build. She would get up into my stash patrolling for rodents and knock kits down. Then she started knocking them off faster than I could build them, and now she doesn’t go up there anymore. 

These days, I just stick my head up there and see what catches my eye. 

[Daryl Romain]

I build my favorite car...that I haven't built yet.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 3/11/2022 at 3:56 PM, Bullybeef said:

Squirrell...

Exactly.

[slusher]

Something I have been putting off and watching car shows on television ?..

[OldNYJim]

I did an experiment this year and last year to see what would work best for me, as a builder, to get the most done.

Last year, I had a list of everything I wanted to build - about 1 kit per month for twelve months.  Some were simpler, some more complex, but I went in with a plan and finished them all.  Actually, all twelve and an extra one.

This year, I decided to kinda roll with it and see what happens - I wouldn’t put any pressure on myself to build anything in particular, to see if that freedom worked better for ME to get more done.  Because, honestly, 12 builds in a year was kinda tiring, and sometimes I had to force myself to work on something even if I didn’t totally feel like it…. This year so far, I think I finished 4 builds, with maybe a couple more to come.

The main thing I’ve noticed in this experiment is that there’s a lot of wondering WHAT to work on next, out of the 50+ projects in my head - that lack of a bigger plan for the year has NOT worked for me.  I was kind of working on the theory that working on whatever thing I felt like at the time would lead to more enjoyment, and getting more done…but nope…just a bunch of half done things.

I kind of suspected that would be the case, but I wanted to take a year to experiment and see what came out of it.

Something I did pick up, from a podcast for artists that my wife (a semi-pro artist) was listening to, was that this lack of direction (despite many options) is common amongst ‘creatives’.  The show she was listening to recommended lists of ‘someday’ projects, however big or small - ideally with a mix of larger and smaller projects that you’d like to do SOMEDAY but haven’t done yet.  Then, when you’re figuring out exactly what to build, you’ve got twenty or thirty (or a hundred) options right there waiting for you, that you’ve probably been working on in your head already.

Next year, I’m going back to having a list ?

[Brudda]

WOW, I was just pondering the question of what to do next. I used to buy a kit then build it and buy another and build that, but…… I have somehow turned collector. I have a 10 by 25 building on the side of the house filled with kits. What happened? Now I go in there and stare for awhile until I figure out what to build. I have two model factory hiro kits on the table but stalled. They are turning out great but I guess I might be burned out from these highly detailed kits. Going to put  them away for now. A 1/8 1967 GT500 is calling me. I have a extra DeAgostini 500 body and am going to put it on the Agora platform. I do have the ( go ahead ) from both DeAgostini and Agora to do this. They said to do what I want. Since I get these big kits for free, I have certain things to follow per their instructions.  So like the Agora 427 cobra. I get to modify, detail, repaint it anyway I want. Just recieved my GT500 decals. Had them custom made. For my repaint and change of color.  Sooo this is calling me. At least for now.