I think most modelers go through this transaction.  To finish or not to finish. You do do a great service by letting the next generation dip their hands in the build of kits.  Albeit, most would get broken due to playing with their models.  When the next generation is concerrned, no amount of money is ever wasted.  They could be our plumber or an architect for skunk works.  You just never know!

Toshi

When I lose the "want to" on a model I simply shelf it until such time as i can afford to buy after market decals, as in your case, or the right tool for the job etc.  Once those am parts or tools arrive my lost "want to " is found and I have more zeal  to try and complete the project.  ie. I have a 1/48 Monogram PBY wating for a good rivet tool to replace the many sanded off rivets when seam filling.  I just can't make myself restore all those rivets one at a time with a pin.

I also have a 1/48 Accurate Miniatures TBF Avenger on the shelf waiting for more skill on my part, but I WILL finsh it . One of the things I enjoy about this hobby is the fact that there is no hurry, to my mind anyway, to have to complete a project. Anyway, once a project is completed it just sits on the shelf. For me the fun is in the journey and in the learning.

If the problem is in the building or finishing of the model, I just put all the remaining pieces(if any) in plastic food storage containers and put the parts, the unfinished model and the instructions on the shelf above the bench until such time as I'm "in the mood" again. This can vary from a few days to a couple of years. In the meantime, I start working on either one of the other "on holds" or open up a new kit. I usually have 3 or 4 kits in the works at all times. This gives me 5 or 6 new models that are ready for the next show. I don't like to bring the same models to a show more than once. I will bring them to shows in different regions.

Jim  

I dunno, I've been having to force myself to finish stuff. I've been setting stuff aside but there's waaaaaayyyyyyyyy too much of that now. 

Theuns,

To answer your question, I usually just shelve them for a while until i find the desire to just "do the next thing" to get it to completion.  Sometimes thats enuf to break the dam and get me to the point where im cooking along in the build again.  Ive chucked a few kits - but for other reasons.

Your idea of giving them as toys is a great one.  It made me think of my first exposure to a scale model. . .  It was at my grandmothers house.  I had two uncles that served with the AAF in europe during WWII.  One of them must have returned home with an aircraft ID model of a Japanese Zero.  It was around 1/72 scale.  It was completely solid, with no prop blades, gear, or anything that could break off, all black, with only 2 Hinomaru on the wings to identify it.  I think it was molded out of bakelite.  (?)  It was a great toy for a little kid. I looked for it every time I visited.

Recently ive thought - I should make a model or two like THAT someday - for MY grandkids to play with.  With a cheap kit - and probably less than an hour of my time - I'd have a winner !

Chris

I had a kit , a sm79 that went south when almost completed after many problems. It hit the bottom of the trash can so hard peices were found for weeks after in the carpet 10 feet away. It brought closure. Now I have a couple of others that are not so bad, but not so great and have been replaced on the shelf by more worthy excamples. These will find their way to the range and be set out at 100 yards (just to make it sporting) and become targets. Just another way.

Hi guys

I often set a model aside, sometimes for years.  Lots of reasons.....things aren't going well, I'm board with it......my job (before retirement, grandkids after).....One thing that happens to me when I "shelve" a project is I loose parts, reference materials, etc. or the paint I bought for it dries up.  The key indicator (for me) that its time to "shelve" a project is when I start making mistakes (on the PT 109 I got heavy with the CA on photo-etched parts).  Sometimes a newer and better kit of the same subject comes out and the old one becomes a "hanger queen".  Right now I have two "scratch builds" (working for two years), two vacuforms (started in the past two months), a PT 109 (four years), and a German airfield revetment (one year) underway.  Remember, variety is the spice of life.

HAve fun!

I've also shelved problem kits on the off chance that I may return to it. Sometimes they make good spares or background props for added detail in a Dio. I just ca'nt bring myself to throw them away, I'm a bad Pack Rat .

I, on the other hand, refuse to completely give up on a kit. In some cases if something has gone south I'll just walk away from it for a while and contemplate what I can do to fix it. Then, once I've cleared my head, I'll tackle it head on and finish it. Then there are the three that I have put in plastic containers and set aside. The issue with 2 of them is that I simply lost momentum. The other, a Tamiya 1/48 P-47, has been the victim of 2 bad bouts with Alclad. Yet, I will pull these down at some point and finish them up. Refusal to do so will haunt me in my dreams.

The thing that usually sidelines a build for me is bumping up against a skill block. Since getting "serious" about the hobby about six years ago, the only thing I've been really successful building is the stash. That said, I think I've overcome enough skill deficits to finally complete some shelf queens and participate more actively in the Forums.

What Jay Jay said really resonated with me...it's not so much about the destination as it is about the journey. I really enjoy the learning process; about the subject, the kit, and the skills. My display space is very limited, so most completions will be given away or stored in totes. Fermis, if you're reading this, I envy you your Model Kingdom!

There's a tote underneath my bench that has some almost complete models to grab when time & motivation coincide.

Happy modeling!

Mike

Like other members have said,I too have my share of "waiting to be finished" kits. I fully agree with all reasons stated above and can add another. Life changes,emotional stress in itself can sometimes bring a project (or the hobby itself a few years ago as in my case) to s screeching halt.I have a partially completed box scale Monogram F-105B kit waiting in the queue now. I was working on this kit when my marriage imploded. For over a year I couldn't bring myself to even look at that kit. Now life is very much improved (new life, new state,lovely new wife) and the other day I decided to pull that Thud out of the bin and give it a look over. Completing it will bring satisfaction on more than one level.