You guys amaze me

[Guest]

The word work should be consined to the swear word dictionary!!! I don't know about anyone else but I generally have around 3 kits on the go at any one time. One is usually what I call a quick build (OOB). The others will have bits added ie a/m bits or hydrolic lines etc added. The detail kits I have on the go at the moment have been on going for around 6 months. these could probably have been finished by now but for family matters that needed seeing to hey ho thats life.

[Ian M]

Well my modelling time is often dictated by how busy the misses is. If she has a lot to do I get loads of model time....

As for how long a kit takes... I have built a 1/48 Spitfire in a weekend Friday eve to Sunday night.

I have also a 1/72 scale HMS Snowberry that has been moored at the back of the desk for three years almost.

Normally its one at a time these days. And trying to keep it to one a month.

My current build is just coming into week three and is almost done.

Its all a question of how much detail there is and how trouble free things go.

Ian M

[Guest]

i could build a 1/48 in about 2 weeks on and off,but lately due to dropping of planes coz the left arm wont play ball at the moment,i just sit and watch the models being built on here lol,though the feeling is coming back to left arm(the only time you know pain is good)lol

mobear

[Guest]

Aidan. Depends on which scale.1/72 Then about 4 to 6 weeks.

1/48 about 12 weeks.

Lot depends on the intricate nature. 1/48 Harrier straight forward 6 weeks . 1/48 Swordfish as intricate as it comes 12 weeks.

Prefer intricate.

Laurie

That's an interesting point Laurie, when you say intricate is best. It makes me wonder what the motivation for modeling is. If we built intricate kits all of the time, that may suggest that the compelxity and the skills were the challenge. But if we also build not so intricate kits, then why? I'm just thinking aloud!

[Guest]

I think you have bought up 2 very good points, as you said we build intricate kits to test our skill and its a challenge, but surley we do the same with not so intricate kits, isnt the challenge then to turn a simple kit into a something not so simple, for instance if i build a mini art 1/16 figure they are cheap and quite basic, the challenge then is to turn it into a great figure by adding extra detail or positioning it differently or even changing the whole thing completely, as in this one

I did this one several years ago and added various bits to it. It must also be the same with any other kit unless its straight OOB, you could do a hundred panzers but they will all be different some how.

Paul

[Alan 45]

I don't think I'm qualified to answer this thread but I'm as amazed as you are at the builds on here all I will say is it takes me between one week and six weeks to finish a build, that depends on the scale and detail of the kit.

I'm only at the basic skill level of painting and dry brushing so it doesn't take long to finish a build

[PaulTRose]

ive changed in the last few years

a few years ago i was long term unemployed thanks to a few things,....had time on my hands......in 2009 and 2010 i churned out 31 and 27 kits respectivly

these days im at work so that gets in the way and i made a conscious effort to slow down and improve,....last year it was 19 and only 14 so far this year (yes i do keep a record of how many i buy and build in a year lol)

and i tend to alternate tween 'big' builds and easy little ones like 1/76 armour that can be turned round quite quickly

i can remember being involved in a 48 hour Blitzbau GB,......built a Tamiya Lotus 7 , and did a decent job cos i planned it in advance but i cut so many corners i didnt enjoy it, rather take my time these days

[Guest]

For me i suppose it depends on the kit, i only really build 1/35 and occasional 1/32 but for a piece of armour it usually takes about 1 month from start to finish, for somthing with a bit more oommfff my bp44 armoured loco and wagons(shameless plug) that has taken 2 years of my life and there is still the diorama that i need to build but don't have the space for right now. Tha project is nearly 12ft long. For a kind of standard dio then iam looking around 3-4 months work from research to finished project. i get about 2-3 hours per night once Mia my daughter has gone to bed, i used to build on my late shifts at work but they have asked me to take everything home, so about 3 hours a night in the man hut.

scott

[BarryW]

I tend to get one to two hours a day for 5 to 6 days a week to build - no building on holidays and bank holidays at all though.

Since I got back into the hobby almost exactly two years ago I have built 5 1/48 kits as practice builds and 12 1/32 kits completed with one about 2 weeks in. No building now until 23rd September as I am off to The Lakes later today with my good lady for lots of good food and ale with maybe a mountain walk thrown in.

The 1/48s were each under 3 week builds (I had a bit more building time two years ago) but I take 1 to 2 months on the 32 scale kits on average. The painting and weathering after the main parts of the build alone takes me over 2 to 3 weeks, longer then the construction stage in most cases. The ZM Skyraider and JU88 were 3 month or so to build.

[Guest]

I tend to just plod along at my own pace as I don't have too many distractions, the build difficulty plays a huge part but there seems to be no logic for me in completion times... Maybe how I actually feel mentally has a bearing on the process. Ive noticed one vehicle from two manufacturers can take a huge difference in time to build due to the level if detail, this I've noticed with Sherman tanks.

I normally like to have one kit on the go ... And it doesn't really have a bearing on the time if in stick it in a dio or not .. I've put a 1:35 tank in a dio and build time was less than a free standing model.

I must admit I like scratch building as theres no set guidelines for the end result as more often than not you're looking for parts that will suffice or designing something to fit as an after thought.

In general though ... Tank and dio = 2-4 weeks .... Car on simple base = 4ish weeks.

40 inch Scratch built spaceship 14 months coz I lost interest.

And the last two reddwarf based scratch built models were about 4-6 weeks each i think,

Interesting question Aidan ... I'm enjoying reading the replies.

[papa 695]

Just like Polux I've been back to modeling and on this forum for 2 years I'm no where near the best on the forum I've still a lot to learn but on average it will take me around 4 weeks to complete a model but i do tend to have more than 1 kit on the go at times due to GB's and SIG's

[Guest]

Cool question & responses, fascinating. Pretty new to this, and wondered if I was going too fast... but feel better about it now.

The 1:72 Zero I'm doing has taken two weeks so far and I'm about half way through putting the decals on. Reckon it'll be done by the end of the weekend. My previous few builds - all 1:72 WWII single-seat fighters - have all taken about the same time, though I'm pleased to say I'm definitely getting better!

Unfortunately nothing else lined up... I've not been at this long enough to have a pile of un-built kits lying around! Might have a crack at something in 1:48 next.

[Guest]

Just like Polux I've been back to modeling and on this forum for 2 years I'm no where near the best on the forum I've still a lot to learn but on average it will take me around 4 weeks to complete a model but i do tend to have more than 1 kit on the go at times due to GB's and SIG's

Like you Ian having seen the kits on here I have a lot to learn that said I think it is one of those hobbies you never stop learning new tricks. Having not been a member for very long and seeing some of the work you guys do it is inspiring. I guess like most the only time my kits got viewed was if we had visitors but this has opened up a whole new audience.

[eddiesolo]

I have built a dio in two days using 1/144 scale kits. The 5 hour dio challenge I made a sunken mini-sub, it was pushing it but did it...just. But I tend to take my time, I hate having part kits, start one and finish it, used to spend a good couple of hours or more working on a kit, but my disability means I cannot sit for long or use my hands for long so now I try to just do what I want and finish it in my own time.

Si

[stona]

A while ago a friend and I built a 1/72 aircraft each over a festival week end!

I did a thread here:

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/al-fresco-model-building.13534/#post-102144

We were only allowed to use what came in the box, glue and Halfords primer. They were definitely not master pieces, but they were okay! It was good fun too which is the main thing.

Cheers

Steve