For Telford last year, I concentrated on building items for The Plan - nothing else but Spitfires or related items. At 2pm of the thursday beforehand, I had nothing finished. Out of the 50+ that had been assembled, primed, painted and decalled, nothing was finished. At 4am on the Friday, there were thirty or so boxed and ready to go.
So what had happened to the rest?
They were left. Some of the part finished Spitefuls were there, but remained boxed. Along the way, during the final push, I had abandoned quite a few, some were painted but undecalled. One or two were just left primed. Two didn't get the last colour and are still masked. One other needs remedial sanding before I can do some respraying.
So, in a rash of enthusiasm post Telford, some were finished off. IIRC, I did about ten or so that week, including one of my favourites, the Spitfire FR26. This was the 1996 release of the CMR Seafire FR47, which they'd cocked up. The wing wheel well bulges were too small - being for a Spitfire F22/24 - and the canopy was a standard Spitfire bubbletop. Well, that was crying out to be whiffed and as my first CMR Spitfire, an absolute joy to build. Well, once the warped resin was sorted out it was. Love to get another.
Here's one:

This started as a Heller F.XVIe but was finished as an Indian Air Force Spitfire LF8e. Well, that's what it should be but I'd forgot to sort out the ailerons (they're mk IX and not the shorter VIII). It's one of the hangover ones from Telford 2010 so really needed finishing. I'll redo this one properly at some stage as I'm not quite happy with it.
Anyway, that rash of enthusiasm didn't last long. One thing I'd got increasingly sick of with The Plan was that I wasn't building - painting, decalling and finishing is all well and good, indeed decalling is when a bare model starts to come to life and you can see before your eyes the idea that's hitherto been a spark of imagination - and it's just building the things that I really enjoy. Cutting bits up, sanding and throwing together is something I find quite relaxing. Well, sometimes. That being the case, in the runup to christmas, about 10 more airframes were built, mainly Heller 16s but some Airfix PR19s as well. More ideas, you see.
So, 2012. Mention of Operation Cosford elsewhere on the site prompted me to finish off something stalled from 2010 so that it could be handed to Martin for unveiling at the Cosford show (and no, I'm not giving any hints other than it's RAF and most definitely NOT a Spitfire). This made me dig things out and get them finished and a fresh look at the Hangar Queens of 2011.
This is one of them:

The Xtrakit Spitfire F22. Moulded by MPM and this pig of a kit fought me every step of the way. The wing wouldn't close with the wheel well detail bits in place. The moulding surfaces needed serious thinning. The prop went in the bin as it's waaay too short and the blades are the wrong shape entirely (the old Testors 22 has better blades that this!) The fuselage wouldn't close with the cockpit parts in and it's apparently too short. I think it's too wide. The wing didn't want to go onto the fuselage, the canopy doesnt close properly if the door is closed (that's actually a fault in the distructions, they tell you to use the wrong rear section). in the end, I just used an Airfix 19 prop and an Aeroclub canopy rear. This one will be redone when I get my hands on the Airfix 22.
Both photos taken by Aircav at Huddersfield a few weeks back.