Saturday, November 26, 2011

Saturday morning.

"Does the sun ever shine here, lad?"
"I don't know sir, I'm only 9."

Its been (apparently) unseasonably wet here in Palmy. The radio commented the other day that it had rained on 62 of the last 25 days. However today it looks like its one of those 'once in 3 weeks' days when I'll get to mow the lawns and even do some gardening. Hence there will be sod all modeling today.

I've also found in the last couple of weeks that I've been a bit stalled modeling wise. Its odd considering that normally after a big show like Railex ones enthusiasm juices tend to be in full flow. I'm just wondering if its something to do with the stage that the layout is at currently. I've pretty much done all the track, and now its on to the making buildings etc. This is not something I feel that I'm particularly good at, despite a track record of building possibly the largest NZ120 building ever attempted (Dunedin railway station). The 2 signal boxes I've done are OK but I'm not particularly happy with them. The station will be a bit of a bastard as its an odd collection of buildings that have just sprung up. then there's the bits around the loco depot etc. This is all getting a bit overwhelming quite honestly but I guess I'll just have to leap in and get started. For some odd reason I didn't have this problem with starting the track work which was possibly even more imposing.

Oh, and did I mention there's a convention coming up at Easter?

So, what have other people run across that has held back a modeling project

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've found it is best if you wait until you are really in the mood. This is why I have several projects on the go at once and just do what ever I feel lke at the time. Results are never that good unless you are in the mood. Sometimes it may take a while to get back to particular projects but eventually you do. If one project is just not working, look for inspiration - in your case maybe pay another visit to Paekak on a nice day (plenty of them down this way ;-) or even a bit more research and finding something new on the subject really kicks me off again. Just my 2 cents worth of philosophy. SteveF.

Am_Fet said...

You could always contract them out to a proven Design and Laser Cutting firm....

Mini-Me-Wagons said...

I know what you mean Mr Druff
I'm having the same problem
I have the Ia and Ib etch sitting here waiting for me but either can't make the time or find the motivation to do anything
We should arrange a support group one Sunday
Have to see if Michelle has any free weekends so we can plan an incursion
May even be able to get the armless one (Luke Skywalker) to make an appearance

beaka said...

I think we all suffer from too much analysis paralysis at times.
our local club has had to move out of our clubrooms and without anywhere to go (high rents,etc) we have gone into storage for 6 months. a newish large shed looks promising after that. our annual show is in January and a few of us have a layout to finish. this has meant storing at a members home and meeting their. i find my thursday outing is generally one i look forward to for association,knowledge(sometimes),modelling,etc.this also gets me motivated at home on projects. having a computer for contact is great, but it sure dosen't beat actual human inter-action. maybe we need to start live video conferencing within the group.would sure be entertaining, if nothing else!
roll on THURSDAYS!

Andrew Hamblyn said...

Lack of focus and a very cyclic nature have always been my handbrake.

If I may though, I would suggest rather than trying to do model all the buildings as the come to mind, start at one end of the benchwork and work your way to other. (scenery first of course..)

If it were me (heaven forbid) I would start with the loco depot and work my way south, the rationale being that by the time you have fallen off the south end of the station platform there are sod all buildings left to erect and you can turn around, look back and see that you are well and truely on the home straight :-)

AH

"obbiting" A cockney form of coursing in middle earth?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of "building" rather than "buildings"... I'm right in the middle of assembling NZ Finescale's superb 1:64 Wb etched kit and at every stage if I sit and think about it tis easy to default to "nah too hard" "I'll ruin it", so I shut my thoughts switch on the iron and doggedly go at it.

But over a couple of weeks of evenings tackling each maddeningly tiny assembly with soldering iron and a collection of little tools and big oaths, late into the evenings I got tasks done. Insane tasks too, like the necessity of different soldered assemblies being soldered together, according to Lawrence's instructions. If I think just of that in the abstract the idea is unthinkable, especially only having single melt solder.

But now I've got the mechanism running smoothly and I'm now in the middle of maddeningly multi-skinned cab/boiler/tanks. Fiddly as hell but at least no parts need to move. And the number of times I would think "nah too hard" over the past couple of weeks, if I gave in I wouldn't start it. Just admire the beautiful etched bits in its box, they do look lovely, such a shame to ruin them etc...

It's the challenge that keeps me at it.

Quentin

ps count me in for modellers meets at chez Druff. Could I test run the Wb there, straddle your new double trackage at your station perhaps?

Am_Fet said...

If we made a day of it, Cabbage could bring Kai Iwi....I'm sure we could scrape together a car or vanload from the capital.

sxytrain said...

I could be tempted to drop in (depending) and bring some things to run.

Anonymous said...

It is encouraging when one can participate in a group where everyone's hobby is modelling. It is boring and dismotivating to be in a club where everyone (apart from you) has a hobby of talking about modelling.
0-4-4-0T