I’ve become painfully aware that time is not slowing down so the chances of me getting anywhere near completing the kits that are up in the loft, is zero.
8th February 2025
A rather shorter than normal update today and one that is a little later as well, caused in no small part by our trip out to the Coventry City vs Ipswich Town FA cup game. Now that I’m home, slightly warmer than I was a few hours ago (what a cold and miserable afternoon!) I thought I’d wrap the day up with a few words that may, or may not have something to do with building models!
Actually, I did spend a few moments this morning dealing with a job that I’ve been putting off for some time: sorting out my loft and the 30 years of accumulated crap that now resides between the rafters. Whilst I had those few moments, I thought I’d make an effort to go through the first of the boxes to get a sense of what can go and what can stay.
Before beginning, I mentioned to Liz that I would be ruthless and so that proved to be the case with not only odd junk being tossed away but also plenty of built up models that have either become damaged, or that I no longer have any need for. Fighting off that most debilitating emotion, sentimentality, I tend to have very little emotional attachment to the models that I build, so regularly have a clear-out of those that reside in dusty cardboard boxes, rather than gleaming display cases. When you are building almost 20 models a year it’s impossible to keep them all, so I regularly have a cull of those that I see as unworthy of further storage, finding the whole process rather cathartic.
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Along with the made up models, I’m also having to go through the kits and accessories, most likely selling off much of my collection. I’ve become painfully aware that time is not slowing down so the chances of me getting anywhere near completing the kits that are up in the loft, is zero. That being so, I plan on keeping a few hundred of the kits that I most want and getting rid of the rest. Same with everything else hobby related: books, magazines, accessories. I genuinely think I will feel better when it’s done because as nice as it is to have a collection like that, the pressure of what would happen to it were I not here is becoming hard to shoulder. It’s my crap, so I should be the one to clean it up, if you see what I mean!
Before signing off, I’ve been contemplating some new builds over the coming year so have been looking at some if not unusual prototypes, then unusual colour schemes. A constant companion in my madness has been Osprey’s wonderful High Viz: US Cold War Aircraft. Containing dozens of wonderful pictures of all manner of brightly coloured machines, this book offers plenty of grist to the mill for modellers such as I keen to deviate from the plane Jane, to subjects bedecked in plumage of a rather more garish nature. I’m particularly taken by some of the early Sixties machines the Cougar on the cover, being a particularly tantalising proposition. Time will tell if I do indeed tread the path less well trodden and if I do, you’ll be the first to know!
So that’s it for today. Thanks always for your support and also to those that have already taken the time to reserve a copy of my new Skyhawk book. The planned print run is selling out fast, so if you would like to be sure of a copy, please check out yesterday’s update where you will find plenty more information.
Have a great evening everyone and I will see you tomorrow.
Music listened to today, albeit in the pouring rain at the CBD Arena…
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Mr. Blue Sky – ELO
We Live And Die In These Towns – The Enemy
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Sorry to here about your flu bug, Spencer. Feel better soon.
Hi Spence, I for my part can say that the occasional cock-up is often more inspiring than smooth sailing all…
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Wow, I’m thinking the same about my stash in the loft. How weird is that, so I’m thinking about getting touch with the likes of Kingkit to lighten the load. They have a courier service so I might give them a ring.
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my wife calls it your ‘one of these days but maybe never pile!’
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I did a purge a while back thinking that I finally tamed the pile of unbuilt models in my stash vowing to not buy any more. But then, it started with one “no really, this will be the last…” I said to myself. Who was I kidding? Since the purge I now have just as many unbuilts as before the purge. I’ll just never escape. Not that I’d want to…
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I’m in the same boat Spence. I have of course plans for every single kit in the attic but am going to have to be realistic.
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Someone on the book of face, coined the acronym S.A.B.L.E- Stash Aquired Beyond Life Expentancy!
Though I’ve nowhere near the number of kits you have, having a mere 270ish, I’ve reached the point where I KNOW I’m never going to finish them all; at least, not unless I drastically increase my build rate. In the last 5 years I’ve started at least 12 and finished zero. I started down the whatif track 5 years ago, and shelved all part finished kits ro concentrate on these. My (main) problem is that I stall at the paint/weathering stage, shelve the kit and start another!
I’m hoping that when I retire, (hopefully this year, but more likely in a couple of years), to be able to increase my output. If not, luckily, my youngest daughter and her partner both make models, for wargaming it’s true but they’ll take the tools and at least some of the kits. If not, it’ll be ebay, or donate to models for heroes.
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I plan to put Jeff Garrity of Rare Planes Detective on speed-dial…..he buys old collections, and I have plenty of old models. At 84, I see the end of the modeling tunnel approaching and I’d prefer not to stick the relatives with the task of disposing of the stash (it would likely end up in a landfill anyway). I know pretty much what the rest of my modeling will be, and any new kits that show up will be new, and available if I want to add them. The old OOP stuff though will trot out the door if I don’t want it. Same with magazines and books – so many of the older copies are obsolete, with poorer photos and old information – much of it incorrect in the light of new research – so there is little value in keeping them. I am moving into a much smaller modeling space and must cull the herd just to fit it into the new accommodations. So we are in the same club, driven by the overwhelming conviction there is no other course…..
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