Wow, I get so much satisfaction when I complete a build I think I would be highly frustrated with a pile of started kits lying around.
When I found myself back in the dating pool a few years ago I had the same problem, I couldn’t really date more than one woman at a time. I needed to concentrate on pretty much one at a time so I could decide if I had found the one or not. Luckily, I met my wife (who fully supports this hobby) and lived happily ever after.
The most I’ve ever done at one time is two projects. Between lack of space and lack of memory to remember where I’m at in a build process. I can’t handle more than two.
I like to have two or three - this way there’s always something to do when I happen to have time and something is drying or cannot be touched for that specific moment.
It really never occurred to me that having one or more going was a thing. It’s just something I started doing in the last few years since coming back to the hobby. I’m glad I’m not the only one lol. But I was building my current project and scoping out another one to start and thought, I wonder if this is an odd practice 
One at each home !
Well sorta 
By nature, I find it very difficult to multitask or focus on multiple things, which has become a hindrance in my job sadly. Don’t know how my colleagues can treat multiple things at a time and not loose sanity, or at the very least track of what they are doing. Ah well.
So yeah, limited workspace and limited neural bandwidth, I can only do one thing at a time when I’m in my Paris flat. I have barely enough space to put down a A3 cutting mat surrounded by tools, let alone place 2 models - and I think the only safe-ish place to put a drying assembly on is my ceramic hob… You can see how it could be an issue.
But, and I might sound like a broken record, I started very different works at my folks’ place in the countryside which have an actual courtyard, garage, patio, where I can work on larger wooden models, and send sawdust everywhere or even spray lacquer in cans.
The downside is that I can’t transport my airbrushing setup, compressor and all, hence the rattlecans, with touch-ups done with brushes.
Your second location sounds heavenly. Have you considered a portable airbrush setup like gaalerhi has? For about $70 you get a tiny compressor and an airbrush.
I use that compressor for everything and it is great and very quiet. The airbrush that comes with it is pretty basic but it works fine and is better than a rattle can.
You know what, I actually have one ! Well, a Revell one, the basic starter kit. The airbrush drove me mad so I quickly jumped to my double action Procon boy PS-289 with the standard AS-186 compressor.
On the other hand we don’t quite know what pressure comes out of the tankless Revell mini-compressor… Still that’s an interesting idea, thanks for the suggestion !
Just so you have it, here is the one I use. The pressure I mostly use 21psi but the selector buttons seem to work as designed and give options.
How about one of these?
A friend of mine has something similar, it’s very quiet and doesn’t take up much space. He uses it for most of his painting except larger applications like primer and base colour coats.
Honestly, it seems pretty cool. I could see myself testing it, if, as the comments claim, it really is quiet. I’ll definitely investigate, thanks !
I’m more skeptical, not gonna lie, as it’s a one piece unit apparently ? Can’t adapt it to another airbrush sadly. Too bad, especially considering my airbrush came with an adapter for compressed air cans.
Then again, for either of those, I could grab a spare as-186 that would stay over in the country home. I’ve been thinking about it, actually… But I fear it’s overkill and an invitation to a vicious cycle hehe. Because then I’d have to move the paints, the coats, the primers… or buy extras… etc. If I ever win the lottery I’ll do just that
It really is very quiet, I put a layer of bubble wrap under mine as the vibration was a bit bothersome because it right next to my spray booth. With that padding it got even quieter.
@DrKoin my first airbrush was similar to the two shown. It had a short air hose and I was able to remove the airbrush for cleaning, etc. I kept the compressor in my pocket while I used it to minimize noise. It was a nice setup. I’ve since upgraded to a more stationary compressor with a pressure regulator but for a starter or portable compressor, they’re useful.
I was just poking around the Gaalerhi website and they have a 20%off deal with the following link.
That would make that compressor/airbrush combo cost only about $60 I think.
I mainly build one model project at a time. But sometimes, there is that rare occasion when I’ll have two at a time, but that’s as far as I’ll go.
Technically, I now have two projects going right now. Got to do decals and finish work on my P-38J, but just started Tamiya’s 6x6 fuel truck, both of which are part of a larger diorama project.
I’m generally between 2.5 and 3.5. I say .5 as I always am working on a figure or maybe a starter set or something for $10 to take up the time I spend waiting for my more involved projects to dry and cure. I try to have a kit I’m building, a kit that I’m painting, so it can have time to dry and cure, and then one I’m weathering, so again the enamels and oils can have time to dry. This way at any given moment, when I sit down at my bench, I can have something to work on.
Earlier this year I made 2 H39s from Tamiya at the same exact time - that was a new one for me.
That’s a good looking tank!
What a cool little airbrush setup! I want one and I don’t even need one!
BTW, for others, the current sale is 15% off, so $68. (No, I’m not going to get one, I have enough airbrushes and could spend that $68 on…more paint, maybe?)
And to address the original question, I only work on one project at a time, but in the larger scale of time, I may have as many as 3 projects “in progress”. Usually what happens is after a while, I get frustrated and put one away to start another, then maybe get back to the original. At the moment, I have three unfinished models at the bench, one of which I started during COVID. 
Technically, I have 4 aircraft started. Two Hasegawa F-14s (A and D versions) that I started 30 years ago with the bright idea I would do a dual build, but only got as far as the cockpits. And a B-1B also started 30 years ago with the even more ambitious goal of cutting off the flaps and slats and scratch building all the mechanisms. This quickly overwhelmed my 30 year ago self and it went on the shelf of doom.
30 years later, there is an upgrade kit that provides all that stuff that I discovered a month ago which is out of production but I scored one of the last ones at great expense.
So three in progress for 30 years and one current.
I would like to be two at a time for efficiency sake. But I currently have 7 projects underway. I am rebuilding 1970s and 1980s vintage dioramas (don’t know why, other than it just seemed like the right thing to do rather than bin my youthful efforts) and some half finished projects from the 1980s. But of course I could not resist diving into some modern tooled kits as well…so things have got away from me a bit. I hope to be back to 2-3 on the go by Spring 2026. The bigger problem is that I have to live to 143 in order to finish my stash.
