Just curious, how many started/unfinished kits do you have?

I was reading a post about “when to bail on a kit” and noticed that several people stated they had put kits on the shelves for years. Being curious and maybe wanting to justify myself, I was wondering how many started/unfinished kits do you have and how long have they been in that condition?
God bless You All,
Joe :+1: :+1:

Far more than I like to remind myself of.

Keith

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At last count around 30, with some going back 20+ years. I’m slowly whittling away at that number.

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I’ve currently got one on “long term hold” that’s really just sitting there because I got distracted with a bunch of the group builds on here.

I make a point of not letting things languish because I have the attention span of a goldfish and suffer acutely from “ooo shiny”.

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I have only a few that have been shelved for the time being, the old ICM Pz II flammpanzer and an Italeri Opel Blitz. Both have been superceded by new and better releases. I have a Zvezda Mercedes 4500S truck that is on hiatus as I was having issues with fitting the cab properly and getting the engine wired up. It was just above my skill level at the time but I will be going back to it as I was doing quite well with it until then. So, that is three kits.

However, I have several started and in various stages of completeness (all WWII are 1/32 or 1/35):
Revell Spitfire Mk IIa
Dragon Bf109-E4
Hasegawa A6M5c Type 52
Trumpeter Me262A-1a
Dragon PzKpfw III Ausf F
Tamiya PzKpfw III Ausf M converted to Bergepanzer
Bandai 1/72 X-Wing
AMT 1959 Chevy El Camino
AMT 1963 Chevy Nova II station wagon
AMT 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL
AMT 1967 Shelby GT350
AMT 1969 Mustang Boss 302
AMT 1971 Mustang Mach I
AMT 1967 Chevy Impala 4-door diorama
SATCO 1992 Nissan Pathfinder diorama
…which is fifteen more.

And that is before any summer builds I decide to add.

I try and keep it to around 4, no matter the progress or age. I have to force myself to do this to keep my Magpie “Shiny New Thing” condition under control or I end up overwhelmed with unfinished kits, open boxes, keeping track of what kit needs exactly what paint etc.

Right now I have 2 shelf queens who have been sitting almost a year. 1 in the paint shop and 1 under active construction.

To my shame:

Trumpeter IS3M - got bogged down with metal tracks

Panda Abrams - went off at tangent

Revell M48A2AC - tangent

Amusing Hobby Centurion 5 - awaiting palm trees (Suez)

Amusing Hobby Conqueror - need AA Champ/tangent

Dragon T-80 - for BRIXMIS diorama - need G Wagen

Academy Sheridan – decals required for USAREUR version

Italeri M110 - need figures

Tamiya PzKw IV Stupa - for NVA What-If project - stalled

Monogram Littlejohn - unsure of towing vehicle (excuse!)

NVA Grepo Trabant/Berlin Wall dio - stalled

BGS MOWAG - within a gnat’s whisker of completion

What is wrong with me?! I do think it’s in the nature of the hobby; it is so stimulating it makes it so easy to go hurtling off on a tangent, and one can be easily thrown by what new kit may suddenly appear. Also, I find even the site sometimes distracts and sows the seeds of yet another distraction. This great hobby of ours!

Mind you, I’m glad it’s not just me.

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None lol. 3 kits WIP to be completed within 3 weeks to a month max.

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Show off. :crazy_face:

I would say maybe 10-20 I don’t really keep track of those that well.

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I currently have 7 in various stages of building.

  • 3 in weathering
  • 1 half built (got bogged down scratching an interior)
  • 2 done building and awaiting paint
  • 1 beibg painted

I’m trying to get all but the half built done before I crack into anything new. It stresses me out having a ton of half built kits around

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Wow! I guess I’m doing OK then! I’ve only got two underway at the moment. I’ve got the Miniart Ball Tank that is ready for painting and the Trumpy NBC Stryker about halfway through building. :smiley:

:beer: :cowboy_hat_face:

35 aircraft, 30 military vehicles, 11 ships, 5 civilian vehicles, 1 space station (Mir), and 2 paper models (Unseen University and a clock).

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From furthest from camera to closest:
Dragon ZSU, started in around ‘07 or so when I was given a resin interior kit to review. Been sitting for about 6 years now.
Skipping a few to Skif/Dragon T-80UD kitbash, started in ‘08 and been sitting since ‘18 or so.
Skipping a few more to Dragon BTR-70 , started in ‘14 and been sitting since’16.

None.

Two, a Dragon M4A2 and a Tamiya Cromwell. Life got in the way of both so a return to finish at some point is the plan.

Two; one under construction, one ready for paint. I usually only have the one I am working on. I don’t like to have unfinished business hanging around.

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2 kits.
M2A3 Bradley Tamiya/Legend stand-by for a few months (complexity of the built and need inspiration)

Work in progress for Stryker M1127 RV Trumpeter with slat armor.
Strangely I am more motivated for this one while the built is more complicated.
Like heavyarty, I usually try to do one kit after the other.

Four.
One got stalled cause it needed a barrel. The barrel came in but I never got back to the kit.
One is completely built but I needed the paint for it. The paint came in, but I never got back to the kit.
One is finished except for the tracks.
One was half built when I experienced an unexpected trip to the hospital. Five days later when I got home, I decided to start fresh and pulled out a new kit. It sits in the closet with the other three, waiting for me to remember them before another new kit lands on the doorstep.

Oh dear - how long do we have? :shushing_face:

Far, far too many - maybe a few dozen at any one time. But the mojo comes and goes, so I don’t force it. Besides, don’t kits mature with age? Or is that just wine and whisky?..

Most of my unfinished builds are fairly recent and in the paint queue, and to some extent the past over 2 weeks of constant rain and associated humidity make doing those difficult. There are some which I need to get back to.

  • KanonenJagdPanzer. Still on the go for the Tank Destroyer 2 campaign. Need to scratchbuild details.
  • MPC AT-AT also on the go. Really poor kit I have been doing work on. Needs to be finished for the Star Wars Alternate Camo build.

I do have some long term shelf queens though:

  • Panzer IV Bruckenlager - I am correcting all the faults (and there are many on this Trumpeter kit) and ran out of steam. Recently resurrected it with intent to finish
  • Dragon Panzerjager IV (A) - discovered the kit flaw of the missing rear hull plate in that kit. Need to scratch build one.
  • Dragon M4A4/Legend Crab. This one I recently added decals to. It needs weathering and a dio base
  • Greatwall SWS. interior painting peeled. Needs a strip and repaint before I can proceed.
  • M113 MRV. Needs paint
  • Churchill Mk 3 needs scratch built parts for the vehicle I am depicting.
  • Renault FT Lost some parts which I recently found loose in another storage box.