It feels like every kit for me. These forums have slowed my Hulk Smash, well completely stowed it, but it seems like no matter how beautiful it is in my mind somehow I manage to edit that thumbprint in glue.... Well now I fix that however I still have a long way to go.

    Being alittle older and less disposable income I shelve kits that give me fits until I think I can tackle the or live with my mediocore skills to put it on the "display" shelf.

   Every kit I strive to make a National worthy contender, if I fall short....well I have a huge stash

Yeah it happens.  I try to power thru.  In all my years of modeling I have 4 on the shelf of doom.  3 out of frustration, 1 cause I lost the instructions for years and just recently found them online .  It's the 120mm verlinden b17 waist gunner.

Hey, Dodgy:

 Your not supposed to tell folks your secrets to unusual models. LOL.LOL. Been there Doing That. We forge ahead anyway. An American said it best.*&mn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!!

Dodgy

Ohms lodged a post this morning that started me thinking. How many of us have got out a brand new kit and started work, already seeing it finished in all its glory in our minds eye, only to have it all go wrong. And not just one or two things, but a kit that seems jinxed from the start. Lost pieces, missing pieces, stuffed paint jobs, breaks and mistakes, etc.

My Shelf of Doom is made up of at least a dozen projects like that.  I get started, hit some roadblock, lose interest, and start something else.

That was "Mini MMB" for me.  I thought it was going to be loads easier than "Mini W7", boy was I wrong.  I hadn't looked the kit over before hand all that well, and right off the bat realized I needed to add A LOT of detail.  Landed up using 2 kits.  Both the F and G model from Monogram and Revell.  Once I got the interior done I thought ok, the rest should be easy.  Nope wrong again.  I managed to drop the plane on it's back and hit the edge of my desk, splitting open the underside fuse seam that I had just gotten completely sanded and looking nice.  Then decals gave me crap.  I was stupid and broke a cardinal rule, don't mask over decals.  Pulled a giant chunk of decal off.  Thankfully I had two sheets.  It was a nightmare start to finish. 

I do not build a lot of models. basically that is because my "Mind's Eye" is a far better modeler than I will ever be. When he works, every piece fits perfectly, every ad lib detail is proper, he never needs to use putty and there's never even the hint of a smudge in the paint job. Every project is an absolutely perfect miniature of the actual thing.

I, on the other hand, am a visually impaired, ham-handed spastic. My left brain and right brain are always duking it out on how to accomplish any and all decisions, and I'm a product of publick edjukashun .  .  .

But other than that, I'm good!

Is it cocktail time yet?

Mine was Dragon's M3 US halftrack with a mounted 75mm gun as a tank destroyer I started for Bish's Halftrack GB years ago. Somehow half the parts vanished from the box. And the airbrush blew goobs of paint on the thing. So I reached for some paint thinner to wipe it off. I ended up with laquer thinner by mistake. It took the paint off alright- it melted off half the detail on the side. 

Not a bad kit or anything-just everything, and I mean everything went wrong it seemed. I swear the blasted thing was cursed.  

Monogram B-36.

The devil got me to buy" Magnesium Overcast". After that AMS set in. Three jars of Alclad later, I three it in the dumpster.

Don't feel too bad. ..we all have problem child kits where there seems to be one issue after another(I. e.The ICM TB-3 Zveno)if a kit becomes too much just put it aside and get back to it in a week or two.Fresh perspective can be very helpful. 

Hey Jay, why not try something completely different? I'm mainly a figure and armour modeler, but when things get too much I drag out some wargame figures and go to town. There may be a bit of mold line removal, but theres no filling and tedious sanding and as for painting, well at least you don't have to worry about painting the eyes. They are fun and there are no set rules for colours, (unless you set them). Being small the painting may sound daunting, but its not. Just some basic tricks and practice. And best of all they are cheap.

Tojo72

In the late 80's The Hasagawa 1/48 Tomcat kicked my butt,and again around 2000 when I figured I was more expierienced.I have seen nice ones done,but couldn't get it done for some reason.I was happy to finally finish a Tamiya Tomcat this year.

 

Ha - the Hasegawa Tomcat is one of my three!

That kit brings back memories.  The Hasagawa 1/48 Tomcat.  I started the kit back in the 1990's sometime. I normally build tanks but I needed something different to do, so some club members suggested one of those.  They had a heck of a good sense of humor. So I started,  but I hit a wall.  So years went by, probably 15 or so.I think it was the two color pant job with color " Bill the Cat" markings.   In  the meantime I built many tanks many a/c, several ships, and a few starships.  Then about 10 years ago, I decided to finish it with a new paint job and new after market decals.  Now it would be overall a navy grey with more subdued markings. Now I was inspired to do it.  So I did it!   Now It's been done, sitting on shelf, gear down, wings spread, happy as heck, surrounded by tank models.  Works for me.  

It's not a build for my unless I feed the rug monster a piece or three. 

I have a number of kits on the shelf of doom, ot the Rubbermade tub of doom in my case, due to missing parts, bad fit, or general annoyance. 

The most tedious kit that I was able to power through was AFV Club's TOW Wiesel in a UN paint scheme.   Horrible PE parts, rubber band tracks that snapped the drive wheels off, and a botched white paint job made this the most trying build in recent memory.  If I hadn't been in a GB with it, it would have been relegated to the trash bin!

These are great stories and I thank you all for sharing them. I particularly like Hoo Yah's 'minds eye' response When we are all striving for perfection and end up with something far less, its good to be able to see the lighter side of things......... even if it is through gritted teeth. As for my British army figure, I think I might call a priest and have him perform an exorcism.

Thanks Dodgy for the advice.  Since I enjoy working with PE  I settled for a few Metal Earth models.  No seams or mold lines and no painting to mess up either. They where fun to do and quick to build but alas not as satifying as a "real " model aircraft but they are keeping the juices flowing for bigger and better things.