Large Scale Central

Back to School Challenge?

General Discussion
#1

As mentioned in another thread, I commented that we should start a “Back to School” challenge to finish a previously started project, but not completed. As a public school teacher, I think of September as the “new year”, and thought a challenge might be a good way to motivate the group as we transition from summer to fall. All of us have plenty of projects that we have started, and then simply pushed aside for various reasons. Therefore the challenge exists to complete a previously started project.

Here’s the ‘unofficial’ rules;

Attempt to finish 1 started project by Jan 1, 2016. This way it leaves room for the annual MIK’s challenge that starts in January!

Project must have been “seasoned” for at least 6 months. That means you haven’t currently been working on it (and hopefully this doesn’t result in yet another half completed project).

On or around Jan 1st, let the LSC community know what you’ve accomplished. If you went from 25% to 75% complete, you’ve made progress. If you went from 75% to 100% complete, you’ve also made progress. If you went from 10% finished to 20%, you’ve made progress.

If you want to post updates along the way, go for it. Don’t stress yourself out to post something just because it’s a ‘challenge’. Just be sure to have a pre and post assessment data (okay, that’s the teacher in me talking)!

Commit to a set amount of time (anywhere from 5 minutes to all day) at least 5 days a week to work on your project. The idea behind this is that 15 or 20 minutes a day accomplishes a lot more than all day on a Saturday. And the side benefit is that you establish a habit of working on a project 5 of the 7 days of the week (you pick).

Anyone interested?

Ready, set, go…

#2

Yes, I am ready.

#3

I’m in.

#4

The only unfinished project on my work bench is a resin Star Trek kit of the USS Daedalus which needs decals, so I dont think that counts so I’ll skip this one.

#5

I have a live steam tugboat that I started a few years ago… Not done yet, would that count?

#6

Hey I never said it had to be a large scale project! Just get something completed!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)

#7

Craig, so when does this start?

#8

Lol ok if I get it finished by the deadline i’ll post pics

Dave it starts now and finishes Jan 1, 2016

#9

Well Vic,

I thought in the spirit of friendliness this should be something fun so why not open the door wide open? Sounds like a lot of decals to apply if you don’t think it’s going to be finished by Jan. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

Dave,

It starts whenever… If you think you need 3-4 months to finish start now. If you can finish in a day, start on Dec 30. I think it will be fun to see how many of us can finish a project in this time span. I’m already thinking about finishing my GP30 rebuild, that I haven’t touched in over a year, or my building that’s been sitting for over 4 years… Choices, choices. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

#10

Craig, I have some things that need done first. Oh, wait! One of them could be called a stale project. And since you threw it open to any project, not just large scale trains…

#11

i think, i got just the right project for this “challenge”.

about five years ago, i didn’t finish a hotel, i began in Mik’s challenge.

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/14136/2011-challenge-the-greenbuck-hotel?page=1

my goal is, to finish the construction (exept the balcony railings, that i will print next year)

#12

Now we are getting somewhere. The purpose of the challenge is simply to finish a project, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes a little bit of motivation is all we need to get something finished. Or in my case having a deadline.

#13

A deadline, or a little bit of peer, I don’t want to say pressure, but more the idea of telling your peers your are going to do something does tend to add a layer of motivation to the mix.

#14

I certainly have enough unfinished projects, but the one I really need to finish before winter so I can get it out of my garage is my 8 foot deck girder bridge. It has only been dormant for a little over a month. I also have three qualifying loco projects in various states: A Connie that is all torn down for some front end mods and R/C, A Dizzy that is torn down for a speaker install and re-wire for use with a sound equipped trail car, and another Dizzy that just needs a coupler mount fabricated some Accucraft couplers mounted.

#15

Craig Townsend said:

Well Vic,

I thought in the spirit of friendliness this should be something fun so why not open the door wide open? Sounds like a lot of decals to apply if you don’t think it’s going to be finished by Jan. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

Not a lot of decals, but I am rather lazy about it as thin set decals that usually accompany garage kits are usually a royal PITA to apply, these are no exception. I usually do two decals, add clear coat and let dry, I’ve already had one window decal self-destruct when I clear coated it so I’m really cautious now that’s why it may take till Xmas to finish it.

#16

Vic,

That sounds like quite the pain! Sounds like a case for not rushing. I don’t blame you one bit for only doing 1 or 2 at a time now.

#17

Hey Craig, I’m on the bus! (excuse the back to school pun (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif))

I’ll be completing my Ruby Bash. This project has actually had 2 seasoning periods ! I’ve made great headway every time I went back to it, but then life happens and I drop it to work on other seemingly urgent things. It’s so close to done it’s painful to look at sitting in it’s home on the workbench every time I go out in the garage. Here is the link to the old thread:

Randy’s Ruby Bash

I’ll be posting back on this thread, and the next/first post will Contain a beginning paragraph in bold explaining that this challenge has motivated me to finally finish the job. I’m looking forward to this!

#18

Looking forward to the progress. I’m making an effort today to get all of my lesson planning done before I leave school so that I can spend some time modeling after the kiddo goes to sleep.

#19

Oh sure, you can put lip-stick on it and sound all positive and such, but the only back burner project I have is there because I don’t wanna finish it, because this is the scary part! Whew! There I got it out. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

or a fun project, that I don’t want to hurry along? (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)

Now that my spring is coming … well summer burned up my spring, so now that they hint at cooler weather, I think I’ll stick to my plans and jack my heavy layout bench work up 2 more feet and build the other half, which was dirt born. It was pretty being in the dirt, but too time consuming undoing the weather and critters’ alterations. Half of a generous return loop and approach track in a cut were buried each season… Enough! Sez Mr. Hat-o-brass.

Like the little engine that could …“I think I can…” repeat after me! If that counts I’ll play along, if not, I’ll play alone.

John

#20

John, I understand. My back burner projects are there for the same reason, and/or because I have come to the part where I do not know for sure what the next step is. But mostly, because, I too, don’t want to finish the project. In my case, I have burned out on so many projects. But that’s where this challenge should help me. It should get me off my dead end, and get something in that pile done. Maybe it won’t be so bad. (I say while half laughing and half crying)