If only Hasegawa would come out with the one variant of Spitfire that is really the one I want to build. I know that they already do several as does Tamiya, but they just aren't my favorite type of Spitfire, so I'll wait to build the rest until that one comes out.

If only there was a cockpit set for that Corsair that got the cockpit floor right, then we'd have a model that would be an award winner. I think I'll wait for that before I build mine.

If only Eduard would have put out that Profipack of the Ki-115 first, I would buy it and build it right away. For now, I'll just hold off and wait until it comes out before I start my build.

If only I could afford that milling machine, I would be able to make my own parts and really do some cool things.

If only I was better at painting, I would build more models.

If only that decal set was released in 72 nd scale as well as 48 th , I would buy four of them and build every aircraft on the sheet!

If only I could finish something, it would get me over the building slump I'm in.

Anyone notice a pattern here?

Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wishful thinking, but a little bit does go a long way in this hobby.

Are you waiting for that “certain” variant to come out from one of the better model makers? Well, here's news for you, it probably isn't coming any time soon and you aren't getting any younger!

Are you waiting for a great detail set for that “certain” model? Here's more news for you, you'll only use half of it anyway! Scratch-build what you really need and move on!

Are you waiting for the next release of a “certain” kit because you are convinced that it will be better than the first or will have a couple of spare bits? Well, this one you may have me on, that might actually be worth it. However, you still have more than enough projects on the shelf of doom!

Are you wishing that you could build better? Paint better? Decal better? Well, there's really only one way to do that, practice!

Finally, do you feel like you are in something of a building slump? Do you have bunches of kits that you have started, but very few you have finished? Maybe it's time to stop jumping from kit to kit and finish something.

I think we all suffer a bit from “if only” syndrome. It gives us good reason to put our challenges aside and move on to the things that we like to do. There are definitely times that you need to do this. That one kit from hell that taunts you as you walk into the hobby room or that decal that you screwed up while you were putting it on may be some of the reasons you have. Summer vacation or those home improvement projects may be others. Heck warm weather and a bright summer day or an autumn afternoon to watch football or to go hunting with your dog may be others.

We all have “reasons” that we stop building models. Sometimes those reasons keep us away from the hobby room for a matter of days or weeks. At times it may be months and for a few out there it may be years.

The good news in all this is that there always seems to be something out there that tweaks us and gets us rolling again. Watching this happen with several members of the local club has been a very educational experience.

A few years back our club sponsored a “109” contest. Everyone had to build the same Revell 48 th scale 109 kit. When I first heard the idea, I kind of rolled my eyes and thought it was pretty stupid. However, I would be proved wrong, yet again. The contest drew more than a dozen entries, many of which were from people that hadn't completed a kit in a number of years, this along with some of the club regulars who produce very consistently made for a rather impressive display.

I wish I could tell you of a storybook ending that one of those new fellows won the contest, but if memory serves, they didn't. However they have won some “Most Improved Modeler” awards in the club and are now regularly bringing in their finished works to inspire a whole new bunch of guys.

So, the challenge for the month is to not only “shut up and build”, but to put aside your “if only” to do it. The results might surprise you and the other modelers you know.

-Dave