how do you keep track of your modeling time

That's easy: I don't spend any time building, just money buying!

However, that's changing now that I've been "retired" and have my life back.

My last kit has been in progress for the last fifteen (15) years… However, it's been a test bed for various techniques I've read in FSM or thought up out of my own fevered brain, so I'm not sure it counts. Actual "time on styrene" is probably about 100 hours, but I've built and painted a simple 1/72 scale kit in four.

To counter the endless agony of detailing and perfection that afflicts all modelers from time to time, my local modeling buddies (now all moved to other parts) used to have "slam build" sessions from time to time: You have one to four hours to completely build a kit, out of the box, and put one coat of paint on it. No finicking allowed. It was great therapy!

   I don't keep track, but usually guesstimate in weeks.  Thats how long it seems every model takes me lately....

That's kind of a hard thing to nail down.  I spend countless hours researching, learning about what I'm building, looking for a photo or two that gives me the inspiration I need.... does that count towards build time or not?  Sometimes I can sit for hours, other times I paint something real quick and go do something else for a while.  If it's something you really want to know or keep track of, one of those chess timers would be perfect.  Easy to pop it on when you're doing something, then pop it off when you take a break.

For me, building time falls in the category of fishing stories. I usually just lie:)

I get asked "How long did that take you to build?" quite a lot, I don't record how much time I spend on each build so I add up the afternoons/evenings in my head. A quick and easy build will take two weeks and a complex detail project can take me 2-3 months depending on how much workshop time I get.

I have a friend who does comission builds and he recons he can knock out a "museum quality" 1/48 warbird in 25 hours.
Wish I could do that........

I don't keep track of time; sometimes I'll work on the model for a whole afternoon, other times I'll model for 20 minutes before bedtime. I do keep a diary of what I've done when; it's handy, especially if I don't touch the model for several days. It has happened that I'll look at a part I've painted and ask myself, "Was that the first or second coat?" The diary tells me.

DURR wrote:

we see time quotes in magazine articles and on posts here this is a 2 part question 1 how much time do you spend on avg on a model

All of it.

2 how do you keep track of the time spent (ie do you right it down everytime you put time in ) or is it just a guess or what

I know because the model is done and I'm starting the next one.

Seriously though, it is a hobby... keep track of time?
Humm it's like asking - "How long do you spend making love with your wife?".
Obviously not long enough... I have a hobby, dang I have a few hobbies.

Sorry...

forgive me...

I couldn't resist.  

treadwell wrote:

if i was on the clock, i'd be at work!!-- - treadwell

if i was on the clock, i'd be at work!!-- - treadwell

I have a chess clock.

That was meant to be funny. Seriously, I do not keep track of the time, my wife does: "are you still working on that?"

Don

eizzle wrote:

or am just not in the mood, so nothing is getting done

Seems like this 2006 year is running alitttle slow i honastly havent felt like building since i spend $130 bucks at the LHS and after being sick i just dont have any energy.

1) Can't answer...it's a moot point since I've taken as little as 24 hours and as much as 6 months to complete a single (similar) model. In my opinion, there no such thing as an average model...every kit is unique and brings it's own difficulty, complexity, and interest - all of which affect the time spent to build it. 

2) I also do not keep a "timeclock" of the work on a model. However, I do know the exact day I start a build and the day I finish. I also know "approximately" how much time I spend in the model room on a given day or during a given week. Since I only work on one model at a time, I know there's no conflict and can use a "guesstimate" using the known values above to come up with an overall time for the build. It is only a guess, but it's a fairly accurate guess.

TAdan wrote:

I do not keep track of time either. I build when I have time. Sometimes its 10 minutes, sometimes its a few hours.

but lately it seems like I either don't have time, or am just not in the mood, so nothing is getting done

I do not keep track of time either. I build when I have time. Sometimes its 10 minutes, sometimes its a few hours.

I dont keep time its not a job and i dont compete in modeling contest's so i dont keep track of anything.