ok heres a thread about doing your projects in time and not go behind with about 50+ more to go! if you know what i mean give tips on how u do them in a timely fashion. if you have 50 or so kits in the boxes, bones, or scattered parts all over the shop how in the HELL do you find you last step? Lots of ppl would get burnt out i get burnt out in 2 kits!! i enjoy flying way more than building it builds up too much anxiety. so this thread is for the AA (aiplane anamonous) nut heads out there who needs help on getting thier projects DONE. I should form a group about that topic who are addicted to planes and fly planes before thier carriers do the 12 steps!!!

My solution to the long overdue project is to, uh, start and complete a simple interim project. Yea, that's the ticket!

Don't mess with my addiction! My addiction isn't a problem!! I love my addiction!!! I want my addiction!!!! I NEED my addiction!!!!! I don't need no stinkin' 12 step!!!!!!

Scott

My motivation and nterest goes very much up and down, comes and goes.
I can get head over heals into a project, building, planning etc... and then the fun and excitment of it is just gone ?!?
The project sits on the bench unattended for weeks because of lost motivation.
Then I simply wait for the motivation to return and I feel powered up to continue.

E.g: Just finished a 4* and total building time was short, but due to a "motivation gap" in between construction and covering, the whole project took me almost two months.

<<...the whole project took me almost two months...>>

I'm in my seventh month on a Sig Kougar. The wing and partially-complete fuselage had a good layer of dust on them when I finally got back around to working on it again right after Xmas. I finally began covering last week. Dunno about you guys, but it generally takes me longer to apply the finish and final details than it does to build and sand the structure. My interest level on this one is back up and I'm keen to get it in the air, so I'm not dawdling TOO bad on the covering process; the fuselage is almost done.

The best way I have found to avoid total burn-out is to have more than one project going on. I've done 1.5 ARFs since I started the Kougar last year. When the Kougar is done, I'll finish the last half of that other ARF, then commence building a Sig SkyBolt kit. That puppy will take some time, for sure. And I have another ARF in the box, waiting for the first burn-out point in the SkyBolt build...

Somewhere in there, I need to fix my trainer. I popped it a few weeks ago playing around in high wind. The airplane is ten years old and has well over 300 flights with nary a ding. It was overdue. But it is very annoying to know that my stupidity caused it.

Anyway, variety is the spice of this hobby. And, its about time for another helicopter kit. I think I'm going to try a semi-scaler this time...[8D]

From personal experience... Getting up and turning off the TV is the hardest part! I'll bet it's the same for many.

Regards,
Bart

I'll see your seven months and raise you 13 YEARS! I started a GP Big Stick 13 years ago, got the bones done, and stopped. I just got involved with other things (little things like family, job, etc. )
I finally got motivated to finish when I realized my son was close to moving out and we had never taken the time to finish the plane and go flying (we did do a lot of other things together but he really wanted to fly and so did I). We finished a Superstar ARF (also 13 years in the making), repaired a Telemaster, learned to fly together, and finally after a few months on the buddy box we soloed on the same day. That was worth every second.

The Stick is finally finished and we share flights on it while we're both building our 3rd planes (his is an ARF, mine is a kit). We're simultaneously falling into the "interim kit" syndrome by trying to build a couple SPAD combat planes while getting the other planes done.

I've only been back at this for seven months or so but I'd suggest that you select the project that is your priority and get it finished at a comfortable pace. If your priority is flying, finish the project that has the least amount of time left to complete so you can get in the air with it. That will surely give you some continued motivation to get the other kit(s) done. You might try just setting small goals too. Instead of thinking "I've got to get that plane finished today" just shoot for "I'm going to get my port wing finished this week". Reaching challenging, but achievable, goals gives me a lot of motivation to keep going.

As far as anxiety with kit building goes, I'm right there with you. I usually realize what I could have done better just as the glue sets up. I just have to remind myself that it's just a block of wood. I also try to treat my repairs or builds like a learning experience, if I make a mistake I just chalk it up to experience and try to do better on the next part of the model or on the next kit. If it's not perfect, I just have to remember that the builder isn't either! I figure as long as I'm building or flying I will surely make mistakes but I always learn a lot more from my mistakes than I do from my successes.

Relax, enjoy, have fun, finish a project!

Mark

maybe there can be a pill for us builders that acts like a viagera pill to get the kits done!!!

They already have that pill!
It is brand new and its from Bristol Myers.

The directions say " helps men finish uncompleted projects"

Its called.....................COMPLETIA

HA HA

Yea, I hear most side effects are mild. However, there have been occational reports of serious cases of wifeyitus. The symptoms are an acute inflamation and irritation of the wife.

Scott

First of all, put a TV in the shop.

THe things that gets me in there to finish up the project that has sat untouched for 6 months, is the next plane. I work on one kit at a time. I will not start the next kit until this one is finished. So when I find a plane that I want, I have to finish what ever is sitting on the bench now. Of course when I finish it, I start on the new one and then burn out in a week. Then it sits for six months, and so on, and so on.

Not a TV. A refrigerator to hold Foster's.

88

Kraus

Putting the TV in the shop is only a 1/4 of the battle for me. I lack time and lots of it. With a 2 year old at home and a wife that works till 8pm mon wed and fri and till 4:30 on saturdays. I find 1-1/2 hours a night in my basement. My method is getting a realistic goal set for myself the night before and trying to accomplish it the next night. My flying time I have to hire a baby sitter for and go when my wife is at work. It will be nice when I can bring her with me to the field shes still a tad young.

Bill Wionter used to write about what he called "Purple Plan One". Actually, it's pretty simple. (Note, I did not say easy.) Under PPI, you do one task per day. Always do a liitle something. Day 1, clean the workbench off. Day 2, roll out the plans. Day 3, lay the spars down. Day 4, etc. You'd be surprised how fast things can come together this way. At least you see a little progress.

But I think every modeler has projects that can't get past the burnout stage. Witness my 1/4 scale Pietenpol from 1989.