Motivation

Mason 

Maybe I'm different, (who am I kidding, I am different, I'm a modeler) but I actually love opening the closet door to just look at all of the unbuilt models (that have never been opened). It gives me inspiration because it helps maintain a certain environment or atmosphere that eccourages me to be in the room to build. All that box art, history, its awesome.

When I get a model, I dont open it, I look over the box art etc but, I never open it. The reason for this is, it gives me something to look forward to when I go to build it. Thats just the way I am and it works, for me.

But we all go through periods where we are unmotivated to make the trip to the room or wherever to sit down and build. I have other hobbies, interests, but knowing the hobby room is there for me when I actually do get in the mood is, a good feeling.  

Just my 2 c's. Good luck resolving this issue though. You have to find a way to make it enjoyable again.

Mike

I purged my stash several years ago when it became apparent that I wasn't 'in the hobby' anymore. Allocating time towards modeling wasn't possible. I had no time for myself, and what time I did have was put to other uses.

Looking back I wish I would have hung on to them, since I made it back into the fold of building again. Oh well, live and learn. What I have learned is that staring at the stash can be depressing, in fact you'll never build but a small fraction of them especially 3000 kits.

As an investment, we all know that in most cases they will never garner the return we expect. We all know the term 'Rereleased or Re-issued'. If the initial run was short, the box art rare, they might have added value to someone.

Holding onto supplies such as paints and putties can be totally a waste of time especially if they dry up or go bad. 

By not taking the time to sit down and start building now, you'll enevitably reach a point in your life where you'll have the time, but have lost the physical ability to do so. The eyes go, hands shake or your body has nasty reactions to the solvents and paint fumes.

Occasionally you read where someone is sacraficing their collect because of an economic down turn in their life. Unemployment and a mortgage or other debts usually don't team well. For some, this is an end to their involvement in the hobby. For others it is a means to purge and renew once the uneasement passes.

My suggestion for what it is worth, start building and purge the items you know you'll never build. Donate some to your local Boys & Girls Club that has a model building program or offer to support one with your kits and your time. If you're involved in a club, donate them as door/raffle prizes. It may be painful at first but it will help you stave off the depression of watch the stack slowly dissappear. Or you can sell them on eBay. Someone wants to be in the same situation you are in, let them suffer too. Or since you have 3000 kits, why not open your own store! 

I've just admitted to myself that I have two hobbies- collecting kits AND building them. Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you wan to do.

I enjoy looking over un-built kits.... reading the instructions, comparing parts to other kits, admiring the decals and boxart. I regularly pull various kits from my stash (which is nowhere near 3000 kits! LOL) and just enjoy them as-is..... almost like re-reading a book.

I usually keep 2 or 3 builds going all the time, so when I finish one and want to start another, I'll go through a few kits that have caught my eye for a variety of reasons and inpsirations, and build that one.

I say enjoy your stash. If you have duplicates, or want to trim it down, perhaps sending them to one of the collection points for troops overseas? Or maybe donate some to a scout group or the likes? Or sell some! And if you don't want ot do any of that- enjoy them! Collecting is collecting.

If you're having fun- that's good enough! 

Well, I have 3 kits in my stash and even I lose motivation at times. 

I think I'm hesitant to start them because I moving into a new work area shortly (just a different part of the house), so I don't want to start one and then have to pack it all up for a move.  Plus none of these kits are going to be easy builds.  I have all sorts of resin and PE AM parts for both and looking at them can be kinda daunting.

Thankfully, I have like 4 other hobbies, so when I start to feel overwhelmed or bored with one, I can just cycle over to another one.  And by cycling through my hobbies as interests wax and wane, I can keep each one fresh.

-Fred

Look at it this way, if you sell 3 or 4 of an 'old' kit that you already have a replacement for, you can use the money to buy a new kit that you really want. Believe me, the hardest part is selling that first one, after that it gets way easier. Or you can always get one of those guys that will buy a collection if you rather 'bite the bullet' and sell a few hundred in one shot. I know, that may be too painful!

Unless you are collecting them for the sake of collecting them, I would do an inventory and put a bunch of them on sale on ebay or something. There must be a whole bunch of kit that you've purchase but no longer are motiviated to build because either the 'urge' has passed for that particular kit or you already bought a better 'replacement' kit. You can always buy more models with the money you make!

I have about 40 kits in may stash and I already have 4 kits that I know I don't want to build anymore.