Wow! After looking through the Halloween Cleaning Challenge I think I have found the hobby that rivals fly tying for shear amounts of stuff one buys & accumulates! I've been a flyfisher for about 12 years and one thing I did right away was to tie my own flies. I found out quickly that a pastime like that is like attaching the suction device of a vacuum to my wallet! Now I am finding that getting back into modeling is much the same.
Storage is always a problem and I can see that some of you have found interesting ways to manage your stuff. But just when do you actually say "no" to buying more things? I think hobbies were invented to keep the obsessive-compulsive types off the streets and out of trouble.
Having said that, I'm going back to my work table and organize my stuff!
--daredevil

HA!!! That's like an alcoholic turning down the 'one for the road' drink.....

If you are looking for storage- and have an Ikea closeby- they have nice little desk accessories- Go to Ikea.com and under 'Search' type in Moppe - that's their product line for desk storage accesories.

Peter

I don't even want to ASK how you do THAT!
#:-)

Hi. Indeed daredevil, how do you say "No." I have yet to figure that one out myself. I like you reference to a vacuum cleaner attached to the wallet. Pretty much describes a hobby, no matter what it happens to be anymore.

It seems that no matter which or what kind of hobby a person can get into, there is absolutely no end to it. Quite literally. And while this is a good thing in it's own way, it does kind of put a crimp on the money situation. I was just thinking the other day, that without a doubt, I've spent more on models this year alone than all the past 6 or 7 years that I've been involved in this hobby again, combined. I blame this on the wife for getting me involved with this Infernal Machine. Before I got to fooling with the computer I only built one or two models a year, tops. I've got boxes under my bed, and boxes scattered around the garage area as well. And even though I've fairly well completed quite a few of the models I've bought this year, I still have parts sitting around all over the place--at least in the areas that I'm allowed to have them at.

I was just out there working on a model this morning and began to realize that there is no way I can think about cleaning off the bench area at the present time without doing some major 'damage' to what I have scattered here and there and then being able remember where I put what I would happen to be looking for 5 mins. after I would move it to a new location.

My bench situation is thus: In front I have a 1/72 Panther model I've been working on since yesterday. Scattered around this immediate area, I have several parts to the Trumpeter K5 that I've built up and am figuring out how and when to intsall them.To my left I have a DML Elefant about 2/3 done, with it's box and assorted parts. On what I call the paint bench I have the K5, and the parts for one of it's railroad cars laid out that I'm working on a bit at a time. Also several pieces of basswood and balsa where I've been experiemnting in building a hand-laid track for an old Dragon R.R.car model, in hopes of using this same arrangement for the K5. In an old computer chair in the corner I have Academy's Tiger I that has been sitting there for at least a year or more, minimum. On the main household workbench I also have the main body of the DML Elefant model, sitting there looking sort of forlorn, and also an old model box filled with painted parts for the Academy Tiger, why, who knows? It's a mess!!!!!!

About the ONLY time anything gets cleaned up much is when I happen to send a part flying off into the wild blue and literally have to STOP and hunt, and when I hunt, I clean at the same time. So bits and parts of the overall area get cleaned along the way, at least until I find the part I've lost.

Excessive-compulsive. Man you've got that right. But it does tend to keep us out of trouble. And my wife can pretty well guess where I'm at if she can't find me. Oh well....... Guess it beats drinking and smoking, so they tell me anyway. Ha!

Take care, sgirty

I try to decide what projects will be ' throw the kitchen sink at them' projects, what will be 'some detail' and what will be ootb slammers.

I build Panthers and M113s to ridiculous levels of detail
I add some aftermarket to most other armor projects
I build 1/72 modern attack helos and historic a/c out of the box - ok maybe some aftermarket decals..

This lets me have a project of each type -often more than one- going so I always have something I'm in the mood for doing ready. Folding etch, ,detail painting, or just basic construction.

works for me..

As for storage.. no solutions there.. I build lots of things up to the point where when I add the next parrt they will not fit in a closed box and stop.
Living in an apt has done that to me.
when we get this house things may change.

Mike

Say "No"??????? ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!!! Howinhelldoyousayno?????
#:-) #:-) #:-) #:-)
I can't, that's for SURE!!!!!!

I'm hardly one to be called "organized," but I certainly empathize with the problem of a rapidly expanding hobby.

A few "organizers" that work well for me:

Clear plastic storage boxes -- these are great for holding kits in-progress, as well as storing built models. They sell them at most discount stores for clothing and shoe storage and they come in various sizes.

Stackable drawer units -- these are those things they sell in the hardware section for holding screws and bolts and whatnot. I use them for holding small parts, aftermarket accessories and figures. I marked the drawers with labels, so I know what's inside. For example, one 23-drawer "unit" (3 large drawers. 4 medium drawers and 16 small drawers) holds most of my Allied stuff. Drawers are dedicated to jerry cans, 75mm ammo, 76 and 105mm ammor, Sherman turret parts, Sherm upper hull parts, Sherm lower hull parts, Sherm suspension parts, Sherm road wheels, PE sets, Grandt Line nuts and bolts, jeep parts, Sherm interior parts, etc.

3-ring binders -- For storing anything on paper. Decals, dry transfers, dio accessories (scale signs, posters, papers, etc.), printed web pages, photos, photocopies from books and magazines, scale drawings, instruction sheets from built models, etc. I must have more than 20 binders packed with stuff -- some that I may never use (but I got it!).

I still can't find anything.... #:-)

I try to say no and then leave the shop asap, but its just too hard, usually i end up back in the shop ten minutes later, tell myself no again and then leave and then guess what? I end up back in the shop and leave with a bag full!!!! #:-)

It is no problem for me to say no. I a say it all the time ...then go out and buy whatever I want. See it is easy to say no. #:-)