fellow modelers:
Dont think I'm whinning.....but, how do others find the time to even get on the bench. I see some of us banging out models @ 3 in 6 months, some even more. That doesn't even include OOB builds. I know some of us have families and other commitments. I'm lucky if I get 6 hrs a week on the bench. With work and the other confusion that takes place in my world, I never seem to get enough time to do what I really LOVE. RETREAT TO THE BENCH and slap some plastic. I have so many ideas and things that I want to attempt, but the time just doesn't seem to be in my favor. I try to do campaigns to give me an extra boost, but I've been neglagent in that aspect as well. Whats the deal?

I agree with you totally. My schedule is, if I'm really lucky, maybe 4 to 5 hours on Sunday during the day. I hardly ever am actually able to work that long, but that's an ideal. The local HobbyTown has an after hours modeling group that I really like. It's 2 -3 hours after they close, every other week on Sunday nights. I haven't been able to go there much the last few months, but I'm starting up again with them. I also get a little work done at the monthly IPMS meeting. So maybe if I'm really, really lucky, I might get 25 hours in a month, and that's VERY rare.

Todd, I know what you mean. I see some members just churning out models.
My 'bench time' is very scattered. I'll get 10 minutes here 10 minutes there, sometimes 30 minutes (wahoo). It can be hard to feel productive. You just get into a style and schedule that fits you. I plan out the time in my head before I even sit down. I'll sit at dinner or on the way home from work and plan out what manageable tasks I can get done and then work from there.

Hi , I find that I tend to set a project or part of it as a goal for the day , it may be ten minutes or several hours , But I feel that way I can concentrate better , rather than just ploding on . Each to their own way of working . I do find that after a model show production tends to increase cheers ian

And the layer of dust grows and grows...

I think that differences in 'productivity' may be a result of different age of modellers in here. Some younger guys (pls don't feel offended in any way!) just don't have to worry about certain things, therefore they can spend far more time at the bench. When I get home back from work I just feel too wasted to do some proper modelling... and I just can't imagine what it would look like if I had kids

But don't worry guys! It all pays back after these 1378 modelling sessions (10 minutes each) when you at last finished the kit

Cheers!
Mikolaj

Todd, add me to the list that would love to know the answer!

I do have to consider myself lucky in that my son, who's almost 9, loves to build models (those wingie things especially) and my daughter, who's 3, loves to paint. They've got their own spots at my modeling table and away they go while I work.

I do find myself helping my son with techniques and assembly than working on my own stuff sometimes. But, that's a good thing!

Lately, I've found myself dreaming about smuggling kits into work, but they already think I'm odd enough.

- Frank

Frank:
I too agree w/ you. The time we spend w/ our kids is paramount and if its model time, even better for thos involved. I'd rather have them modelling than spending TV couch patato time. the smuggling thing doesn't work for me, tho. LOL. I'm a tech, so I work w/ my hands to earn my $$. I dont get paid by the hr. And hey lets face it. to those that aren't in the model vein........we're all a little weir right. Quote " You need to get a life"

I'm usually a busy person. I'm lucky if i get three hours in a week.
But, i've found it useful that in those three hours, i build as much as i can or paint as quick as i can.
I can probably churn out a Hummer quicker than you can clean your car.
I'm a fast worker.

Yo buddy,
You cant rush magiic -----you get your 6hours when you can ------get the system set ( listen to who's talking ----retired and still hunting for bench time)you still can get there even with a few hrs a week -----sweeter when you finish the marathon
You still getting settled so give yourself a chance .....it will cone together all of a sudden --an hour at a time is fine to lay out your moves --cut 1 night glue the next and voila!!---!!!Todds' got got it done!!!!--BTW September before campaign ends :-)
Now spend less time on here and get working .......all the help is at the end of the wire
aye
BARV
(GOSMG)

Seeing that I am an early riser, I usually get my time on Saturday and Sunday mornings before the wife gets up. I just brew up a big cup of tea, toss on the appropriate viewing matter and knock out 3 or 4 hours of quality time..After that, she owns me... :-) :-)


Dave

I usually get at least a solid hour in every day to keep me sane. I don't have a job, (I am in High School) so when I get home from school, I just sit down and build the heck out of that kit But on the weekends when I can commit hours on end to a project I can sometimes go through a tank in 4 Days!! (just construction that is). It's true, if you don't have alot to do, you can build models! Beats the couch. My dad doesn't build, but he is supportive, I think more kids should model (not a single student at my entire school is of the miniature persuasion) so the site is great!

One simple answer.

Divorce

Cheers and happy modelling

I do a little a lot :-)
I snatch time whenever I can to do certain simple tasks - washes, block in large areas of colour on figures, undercoat etc ect

I also build simple constructions and preapre (sand etc) in the family room so I can spend time with them but also be building.

And then once the little one and wife has gone to bed I have the rest of the night and into the wee hours of the morning to quitly do my thing at the bench. Bliss.

I consider myself quite fortunate in that I get a couple of hours each night and since I like getting up early, an hour or so on weekend mornings. The reason I am able to get the time at night is that my wife and I have set up our living room with two separate roll top desks (hers and mine), so we are together, can talk, watch TV, and have our 15 golden retrievers with us (yes 15 ). Our daughter is now at University and with the cold weather we stay inside a lot more.

My gaol for the next little while is to get all started models done before starting another one So on the work bench is DML 5cm Pak 38, a DML Brumbar under going weathering and tracks, and a Italeri Sturm Tiger just waiting for tracks and weathering.

I find my biggest slow down is individual tracks I have now built a jig for tiger tracks, plus panzer III and IV tracks. The clean up kills me though

Darryl

I feel your pain. I recently took a new job where I was on my way to work in the dark, and on my way home in the dark. 9+ hours a day on my feet that left me drained. Once I sat down the "Off" switch in my behind self activated and that was the end of any "proposed" building. Luckily I quit that job to work from home. As luck would have it, the work is for a modeling magazine, so I am getting way more building time in, almost too much if there is such a thing. My advice to you Todd, is to take what time you can to what you can. Be it 10 minutes, or ???? I had to do this a lot and I found the quality of my work incresed dramatically. Think quality, not quantity. "Q"

Yeppers....
I try to just build whenever I have time............... some days I'll go down and not feel like doing much other nights it's LATE before i realize the time........

I have another single word that works for me; DISABILITY.

I've been on disability for about 3years now due to heart problems. It makes alot of difference in the time I can model. Actually, I restarted building just before I went on it. When I left work, as a 'retirement' present, my co-workers gave me a gift certificate for a LHS. I used it to buy an compressor for my airbrush!

I don't know if it'll make you feel better with your job but I leave home at 7:00 in the morning to get to work at 9:00... If I'm lucky I leave the office at 5:00 pm and get back home in 90-120 minutes
It makes weekend at home taste like a sip from the Holy Grail itself

Here is my problem. When I have to spend too many days/weeks on a project I start to loose interest and want to start a new project. When I get into that mindset, I have to be realy careful because I will use any excuse to trashcan my current project (oh i messed up that seam, i lost a roadwheel, messsed up the paint or whatever). And the entire reason is because I got bored with it and wanted to move on to another project. I have been doing better at keping my focus hear lately though. Maybe I have learned a little patience :-)

Try ignoring the TV for a couple of weeks ??
That's what I did many years ago, have survived happily without the
TV for 15 years now, haven't missed it yet :-)
/ Robin

My bench time depends mainly on my motivation and on my actual tests and exams. Sometimes it happens that I simply dont have time to sit down because I have to study .

I have the opposite problem...in a sense.

I am a stay at home dad (with the kid in school all day), with a seasonal, part-time job in the summertime with tons of personal time to tackle my hobbies.



Hate me yet?

The problem I come across is, I have too many hobbies.

-There's modeling in 1/25, 1/32, 1/35, 1/144 and 1/160. The 1/160 is N-Scale which I think of as, sometimes, a separate hobby altogether.
-There's The Rennie Hobby. I am involved with the local Renaissance Faire which seems to always entail research. Enveloped in THAT hobby are other, related hobbies. Such as:
-Sword collecting. I currently own 19 full-sized swords, 12 of which are battle-ready, carbon steel blades made by reputable bladesmiths. That's not including knives, daggers, axes and spears. There is no reason to own swords without knowing HOW to use them!
-Woodcarving. I do custom scabbards and grips, sword-plaques and some other stuff to.
-Leather tooling. Goes hand in hand with the woodworking I do.

-Then there is the Conspiracy Theorist in me which seems to go right into the rotation as another hobby!
-I draw, paint and I swear I will learn how to take better photos!

How do I finish a silly internet campaign when my adult A.D.D rips me 25 different directions!

-I'm also a musician.
-I participate in a group of Rifts enthusiasts, that's Role Play gaming...typically Dorks and Dice!

Whew! So, yeah, thing ARE rough all over. I just thank Jeebus I quit drinking, I'd never get anything done at all!

Cuhail

Boy, I've been looking for an answer to this question myself lately. I had better watch this thread in case someone comes up with the holy grail of answers!

I do guess I feel better knowing that there are others out there who suffer from the same lack of bench time I do - whether self inflicted or not. Between work and family/everyday life responsibilities if I get an hour a week I consider myself lucky. I keep believing things will calm down and more time will free up, but that never seems to happen. Oh well.

Now all I've got to do is resist the new and interesting kits being released so I don't keep sliding backwards on the unbuilt projects front.

Yeah, like that will happen :-)

Ahh yes, my total time away from home, as per my job is 15 hrs a day, 6 days a week. That leaves Sunday, for the honey do list, house chores, fix the car, clean the house,buy food, and waht ever other things that accumulated thru out the week. Hence my build time is limited to week nights, and I try to burn the midnight oil, but you can't do that too many days in a row, or you suffer the results.

Can I relate to this....
On top of my models which cover everything from 1/72 figures to 1/32 aircraft and beyond I have my Harley...
Harley's are never finished no matter what their owners tell you. They are constantly evolving. Chrome this, briaded steel that.... it is an ongoing circle..
Next comes the restoration project on my 1965 Ford Falcon wagon. What a deal I got on this thing. $600, 21k actual miles. All numbers match. I found the build sheet under the floor boards. All chrome and glass is intact and in about 90% condition. Did some research on it and it is one of about 8k-10k made in its specific color scheme. Fired right up after about an hours worth of work draining fluids, and replacing plugs etc....
Now lets toss in my love of SCUBA diving. If and when we can go, we go. I am always lookng for new dive sites and places we haven't been. Researching new equipment etc...
Add to the pile of "activity" the fact that I play baseball, not softball mind you, but actual baseball, thru the spring and summer including out of town trips to play in tournaments etc. to the tune of approximately 35-40 games a season.
How about camping and fishing? Yep, the SWMBO likes to do this when she can so we go as much as we can to new places.
Like you Murphy, I draw, paint, doodle, and just plain "Fiddle" with all kinds of things. I need about a good 28-30 hour day and I would be fine :-) None of this takes into account the Honey do list either. I need to write a book and how I accomplish all the crap I do. Hell, I don't even know how I do it! :-) :-) "Q"