Hi, Yeah, we all tend to get excited about those big scale, thousands of parts per box, haul them out of the store on a dolly type of model that tend to come out every now the then- Trumpeter's T-34s. K5 and Morser Karl- just to name the three that have bitten me over the last year or so. But I'm beginning to see that there is a down side to them. And for lack of a better phrase at the moment I will call it: "When the H--- am I EVER going to get this d----- thing finished!!!!!!"

Have spent my free time working ALL winter on the Morser Karl kit and right now it's about 2/3s done, ......I think. And I'm becoming really, really bored with it. Seems that once you clear off a spure of two of parts there are at least 2 or 3 more spures underneath them to go. I've reached the point where I would swear they are mating down there in the bottom of the box! Ha, ha!

And I know that if I quit on this thing and put it up for awhile and go to something else that more than likely it's going to end up gathering dust out in the garage, much like the fate that be-took the K5 here over a year ago.

And, of course, once a model becomes 'boring' or takes too long to get finished I begin to make mistakes here and there and let things go that I would normally correct if the model was new and fresh.

Anyway, I was just wondering of anybody else out there has run into this sort of delimma and if there is such a thing as a 'cure' for it, or maybe I'm the only one. Thanks for the vent.

Take care, Sgirty

I don't know if there is a cure for big project burn-out, but one thing that helps me delay the onset is to have other is to have other things to do readily at hand. If I get to the point that I just don't want to put anymore time into something, but don't lose the effort already extended, I do something different, like popping out a braille scale tank or truck, or maybe tackling one of the Eastern Europe kits that have a lot of fit problems, etc. Or I paint... or I rearrange one (or more) of my work areas...
When (or If) I get back to the big project it's because I want to, not so that I feel I have to

sgirty,

I know exactly what you mean. I got my Karl, and couldn't wait to get started on it. I really want to do it justice (it's a huge chunk of $ for a 'hobby'), so now I'm intimidated of starting it. I worry about it becoming one of the boxed things that just sits there because I burned out on it.

I too do what JimF suggests. I have a 1/72 quickie sitting around, that I can glue a couple of pieces together on, and brush paint, so that I don't feel like everything has to be competition quality and the kits that deserve all attention actually receive it.

Another thing I've found to renew interest is to post pictures of kits here. Getting other people talking about the kits I'm working on renews my interest in the work.

My last diversion is to work on bases for dioramas. With the Karl, I've been putting together a nice base to mount the track on because I don't like the plastic representation of the roadbed (the ballast is ridiculously large - I'm glad they molded the sleepers separately).

Anyway, I'd for one like to see your work on the Karl.

Mika

Hi, MadMeex: There are some not so good photos in my gallery that I took of the model a month or so ago. I'm afraid they aren't very good, but it does show the progress I had made on it up to that time.

Since then I have finished the one R.R. carriage and gun support system and also the cannon itself and its cradle. Am now working on the other R.R. car for a change of pace before going back and doing the upper hull of the gun itself.

I used a wooden base for my kit-supplied tracks and rails. Then used some of the course model R.R. ballast to finish it. Then gave the bed a good wash of dark oil paint for stains and shadows around the rock. Didn't come out too bad either.

Have found out that to show this gun in it's proper carry mode it needs a flatbed R.R. car that would hold the shell loading tray and the upper part of the gun recoil system. Plus, of course, the tracks have to be raised in the 'up' position with all the sag shown on top. Not a very good thing to try to do with those 'rubber band' tacks. But I have heard that somebody is in the process of making a set of link-to-link resin tacks for this kit, so this would be the ideal way to go if a person wanted to build the model in the 'carry' position showing the tracks up. Armour Workshop I believe is the company, I think.

So I've decided just to show the rail cars disconnected from the gun and the gun resting on the R.R. bed. That way the tracks will look right and I can install the shell loading tray in it's proper position.

Yes, this is a monster build, of that there is no doubt. As you have one you know just how many parts it takes to make up the over 1300 pieces this kit contains.

Be prepared for a very, very long build. I'll try to take some better photos here and post them in the gallery.

Take care, Sgirty

The drawback for me is not finishing it, as i take my time and do something else if i get bored / stressed or just plain stuck. The problem is where the hell i'm going to put it once its finished. I would love to build a 1/48 Lancaster bomber (funny, as i build mostly armour) but where do i put it afterwards

Hi~
I disagree or have a different way of looking
at things!
I am on the same course as you you but I am stopped
at the Leopold barrel (just doesn't look right, kinda
warped?) and the way to make hydro lines with
maybe use very small solder?
In the mean time whip out some new tanks!!!
LOL like these new DML ones aye??
And just think out the problems of the big kit, where
you are satisfied with what you have!
Some times in takes time to think things out
because ones its done its DONE!
Hindsight is allways 20/20!
I have not stated Thor yet!!
Have fun~
Ron

Ive only ever built one big model ... DMLs Scud missle launcher. Took 3 months to build ... fix ... and paint. Funnily enough I enjoyed it most of the way through. I understand the part though, where you rush parts or take short-cuts ..... just to get them finished.
Now-a-days, in the same situation... I would swap over to figures or the base for a change of scenery. Im trying to get out of the habit of just leaving a half assembled or unpainted kit in a drawer and moving on to something else. Having 22 subjects on the go at the same time, is not much fun.
To me, feeling unmotivated in a kit is more than just size. I started Italeris DUKW about a year ago, built it in 2 evenings .... base painted it one month later ... painted a figure for it a few months after that, and its still unfinshed. I also started Italeris Chevy gun tractor around the same time and and didnt stop until it was totally finished .. one of the most enjoyable kits ive done to date. Took about 10 evenings to build it though.
To me it feels like if your enjoying the model, its no problem to work on it for along time, but if something goes wrong or theres something you´re not happy about, its hard to keep coming back to it.
Luckily space is a not a problem at the moment, but my model display cabinet is not wide enough to hold my Trumpeter leopold ... only for that I would have it built long ago!!! :-)

Shoot the last big model I ever had, is when I was still healthy, when I bought that Tamiya Clod Buster, took me a day and 1/2 to get it out in the yard a running, and that was even with part of it together before I found out about the little pictures of washers on the directions.

For they gave no extra, and when I had no washer to fit this one, I had to go back and take a lot apart, to get the right washer out, and put it in it's right place, then put it all back together.

Then I ended up painting it much later, my goal though was getting it together, and running.

I have regular models waiting now, but they are waiting until I get an airbrush to finish them. I got them all cleaned and ready, the only thing left is shooting with an airbrush, then put the final pieces together, then weather them.

Then on a few I get new ideas to add new items to them, to change them from their original design, but I'm in no hurry, what parts that aren't on them, are sealed in medicine vials, with masking tape to tell me whats inside.

Then the big parts are in the original box, that I left the plastic wrapper still on over top so dust can't go down in.

When I opened them, I was real careful how I cut the plastic wrapper, so I could still use it as a dust cover. Only cutting one side to get the parts out. So when you look at them they still look like new boxes, with the plastic wrap still on them.

Kerry

The biggest problem I have with larger kits (and dioramas in general) is space to display them. An example that springs to mind is the Airfix 1/32 Spitfire Mk1 that I started a few years ago. The thing has a huge wingspan, and I literally have nowhere to display it (& SWMBO has issues with me hanging it from the bedroom ceiling... :-)). I got as far as completing the engine, realised exactly how big it was going to be once completed and sorta stopped dead in my tracks.

Something else that sucks the motivation from me is when the kit has tons of obvious inaccuracies. It really gets me down when a manufacturer doesn't spend a few more months or $$$ on research and release an accurate kit, but rushes to beat a competitor to a release date. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not a rivetcounter, it's the obvious inaccuracies that
me off.

lol I sometimes already get bored by small kits, that's why I have so many half finished models :-)

I do want to try big scale once though, trumpetters 1/16 T-34 is on my wish list.

I have never built a "big" model. I think even some of the "small" models can get intimidating. About the most complicated I ever got was Dragon's Sherman Ic Hybrid or Dragon M4A1 Early. These kits have tons of parts and options for doing multiple styles and version. I can believe the number of times I've cut off the wrong wheels or wrong turret part.

I am on the way trough my second 1:16 t34 from trumpeter, and i an just enjoying it.... every minute...

On the "to do list" is the Eduard 1:16 schwimmwagen and the Kirin 1:16 nebelwerfer ...

I find large kits highly addictive :-)

Now Bronco models, do bring out that 1:16 Panther G plz....

im building a1/8 scale fokker triplane thats a magazine partwork kit. its made of wood and metal and will look great when its done , however becuase i get the issues every month ive decided to stop building it as it comes in and just wait till its all here, its been a year now and all ive built is the lower wing. i have all the engine parts, the parts for the mid wing, and one machine gun, and various other bits and bobs.i estimate it will be about a two feet wingspan and i havent a clue where its going to go when its done! oh well though, thats a problem for 2006 by the speed its taking (to arrive in bits every month, not for me to build)

sgirty,

I noticed in the instructions that the ammo cradle and the recoil unit from the top of the gun assembly aren't supposed to be attached when it's in transport mode, but I never knew exactly how these were supposed to come along for the ride. The flatbed should have been obvious (but I couldn't come up with the answer). Long story short, do you have any references on how these were ported on the flatcar? Did they have some wood blocks under them or were they just placed on the bed and strapped in for the ride? Tarps over?

I didn't want to to just not show these elements, so now I'm thinking of getting a flatcar and having it connected to the Karl, and loaded with the cradle and recoil units so the whole shebang can be displayed at once (unfortunately, my base is too short to add the flatcar, so I'll probably transfer the K5 to this base and do another for the Karl).

Thanks,
Mika

Answered my own question, so I'll post it here if anyone else is interested.

If you're going to build the Karl in rail transport mode, then then instructions tell you to leave off the large recoil unit off the top, and the ammo loading cradle. These were transported separately. Looking through the Panzer Tracts book on the Karl, they show the how the cradle and recoil unit are loaded on a semi-trailer. I figure the support structure for these components should be the same if it's being rail transported, so I went ahead and ordered the ironside light flatcar which will carry the cradle and recoil unit. I'll scratch build the supports for the removed parts and then display the two on the same set of tracks.

Mika

I'm suffering from "big kit burnout on my 1/16 T34 as we speak. Luckily I have the AFV Club 251/1D and Pak 40 to work on as a side project.

Hey I was just looking at that kit! It interested me because I thought it was "something a bit different". It was selling for €41.50 (around 60 in another shop). I realised it will probably stand tall but how big is it actually? 3 months sound like a long time (though yours looks the part). It would probably take a year for me because I'm a really slow builder and don't have much time. On average I can maybe work a weekend or two per month.