What gets you going?

My small stash is mostly kits that have sentimental value, stuff family or I've served on.

So my hesitation to start many of them out of fear of messing them up, I use the group builds to inspire to build other subjects or whatever family buy me (wifey saw a FW109 being sold for $2 so she bought it for me)

it can vary for me.. usually its a movie or show.. or book, or..

in my local club, I'm usually building some "odd" or not in the norm.. like right now, I'm building a comic book tank , scratchin 2 tanks of differant types to make one..  I was recently challenged in my club. that if the ol'duffer built another "target" ( one of the newer types of vehicles used in the middle east , a Buffalo ?? ) ,, I'd build the Zeppelin bus that was on the front of the Squadron flyer a few weeks ago...

the other night.. I watched Bridges of Toko-Ri.. now.. I'm searching ebay for Panther and Golden Dragon stuff... sigh... such fickle beasts we modelers are..

They come to me in dreams...

I like models that are 'different', whatever that means. I like variety; for example, I have a stage coach, a steam locomotive, a cannon on rails (the Dora), a half track, a plastic ship and two wooden ships and a few other unrelated models. I have no pattern, but I prefer models that some modelers don't like. Modeling is an all-consuming passion for me.

I build what ever strikes my fancy. I went on a night fighter kick and bought every one I could find. Then it was Japanese. Now I have them I just look at them and shake my head and just grab one.

Reading the history of certain machines will often get me going on subjects I'd never considered before...

For me it is WWII American aircraft, any era Corvette, recent Camaro and Mustang, and the Blue Angels.  I have built and lost the F-18 and the Phantom Blue Angels (lost both of them to moves).  My dream would be to build one of each of the planes that they flew, including Fat Albert, all in 1/48.

It's hard to say what gets me going (other than strong coffee in the morning), but this year has turned into "The Year of Soviet Aviation" for me as I'm building and buying nothing but Russian aircraft...  it all started with a MiG-3 and has now included Flankers, a Frogfoot, a Fishbed, a Flogger and finally a Yak-18.   There was even a T-34/76 thrown in there for good measure!

I think my last idea I wrote down the names of several tanks on small scraps of paper. Then I cracked off the top of my skull and threw them in the cavernous void where my brain used to be, pulled my head from my shoulders, shook it around a bit like a BINGO ball mixer, and whatever came out came out...Or there's parusing the GB section for upcoming start dates and seeing if I have a project that fits.

It varies for me.  Sometimes it's watching a particular show ( most of my stuff is sci-fi ), other times it's just seeing an interesting kit on sale.

As far as one that stands out in my mind, there's an emailed picture that was recently sent to me of the "Flight 101" airliner in the Kulula Airlines fleet.  I never thought I'd be getting a kit of a civil aircraft, but that one's so unique that i'm now looking around for a 737 kit.

And now for something completely different- Risque' lady resin figures!

I think for me is mainly other modelers and their way of doing things ... When I come across someone's WIP and I see a technique I like, I right away choose and start a kit to try it on.  Then again because of that I always have too many "open" projects.  

Going to the war museum ever so often, and seeing dioramas with historical sets of swooping fighters and ships engaged i battle, fuelled my obsession to build since I was a child.

trexx read my mind. I'm waiting for a call from our investment person to see if I can quit my part time job permanently. When he gives the OK, I will spend more time at the workbench. Always did like WWII planes and late 50's and early 60's street rods. Usually seeing a great plane built on the forum fires me up now. Working on a P-40 now after seeing a couple of great builds here.

Jim

I'd never really thought about it before, but now that it's been mentioned it must be the nostalgia thing with me, too.  I've been a car nut/gearhead/racing fan since I was old enough to know what cars were, and I have a love for the older "darkside" and "grayside" era stock cars, and for Indy-style cars from the 60's & 70's (can't find kits for 'em, though).  I've also begun building kits of as many of the vehicles I've owned in the past as I can find.  Another area of interest I've had since I was young is military aircraft, and recently I began a few builds of WWII fighters (a couple of P51s completed, a P40 on the bench, a P47 in the stash) and even picked up a WWI SPAD XIII (my first bipe).

Yep, it must be the memories from days gone by that get me goin'...

What gets me going is WWI Aircraft and everything WWII. My Pop was there on D-Day to crossing the Rhine into Germany, he got out Fall 1945 and re-joined three months later to be in the Occupying Forces in Germany. He had quite a bit of stories which got me interested and into modeling.

Regarding planes and ships: Usually historical events having a personnal meaning to me. Several uncles were in Europe during WWII, my father was a nose gunner in a B-24 in the pacific, my father-in-law was in the navy during WWII and the Korean war, a neighbor was on a destroyer. I've always been a gearhead and love the old dirt trackers and sprint cars from the 20's and 30's, and have started building those.(lots of scratch building). I think this will be my main theme if there is such a thing.

Seeing finished builds on display at the local hobby stores or at my friend's home or seeing photographs of finished builds!

That's what got me going when I was 7 years old and continues to this very day.

My time at the bench is an exquisite luxury with all the demands of daily life that take a higher priority. So when I do get MY time, it's savored and cherished!

I don't wanna work, I wanna build!

Nothing, lately.  I haven't built anything since I gave BGen Jones that F-16 last June.  I even bailed on a club group build.  HKSHOOTER'S Habu build came close, but...nah.

Wonder how long this will last.

I'm with you doog.
Nostalgia builds are about number one, though I cannot remember the brand of firecracker called "negligence"
Sometimes it is a book I am reading or F1 season starts. . .The local club has themed meetings and sometimes if I peruse the stash or see a kit on the shelf that gets the ideas flowing.
Very rarely is it a build I see from another modeler or a magazine. I just use those for tips and techs

Will

Lately I've been on a "nostalgia" thang--building kits I built (and subsequently destroyed through negligence) when I was young.

I recently buily AMT's "Johnny Rutherford" McLaren C/D, and now I'm working on the Space 1999 Eagle spaceship.

As far as Armor kits, just about anything German WWII get me going. 

Around Christmas time. I'm always motivated to build something for my girlfriend, based upon her or our personalities or history. LIke the Castle Neuschwanstein that I built her to commemorate our "dream vacation" there in 2007...

I wish I knew.

Used to be the History Channel made me want to build WWII but I've wanted to do WWII ever since Baa, Baa Black Sheep was on the air. Lately I've all of a sudden wanted to do biplanes. I never cared for them so where did this come from? And century series jets. Never cared much for them either but suddenly I've become enamoured with the deuce and the six and am pursuing obtaining the kits.

Don't seem to be anything in particular with me that "does it".