Babelfish Steve Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) I only buy kits that I have every intention of building, never as an "investment" or just because it happens to be a bargain. Trouble is, these kits that I would like to build are being released at a far faster rate than the rate at which I can built and finish them, hence the stash continues to grow. And grow. My interests cover 1/48 and 1/32 aircraft, 1/35 armour and also figures. Plus I also have a few "oddments" in the stash, such as the Revell 1/144 Dornier X and three 1/16 tanks. Currently my stash stands at about 200 plastic kits in total, plus a similar number of figures. And still I continue to buy more kits! Fortunately we have a decent sized, fully boarded-out loft in which to keep them all. But as someone said earlier, having a stash is a pleasure in itself, I don't buy what i can't afford - and it's always nice to have a choice! From time to time though I will offload a kit or two if I find that my interest in them has waned, and I decide that I'll likely as not never get round to building it after all. - Steve Edited May 14, 2015 by Babelfish Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I've said before ... I buy NOW, rather than later ... for retirement ... because I have cash to spare now ... but probably won't have huge amounts when I retire. I am also short of time for recreational stuff at the moment - so not a lot of build time ... I build the odd kit ... but over a loooooong time! I adopted this approach to "stash acquisition" after about 6-12 months being a member on the forums ... Until, that point I probably had about 20 AFV kits in the stash and a couple of LSPs. I kept reading posts where people were struggling to afford a new kit out on the market and complaining about pricing putting the kit out of reach for them ... Most of these comments (it must be said, not all) were coming from retired folk. So, for me, there are two phases ... Phase one - During my working life: * Purchase NOW whatever takes my fancy - toward certain display goals mainly ... But I'll invest in a couple of other kits for trading purposes if the price is right! * Upgrade the stash from time to time ... Ie. ZM are about to release a series of Fw.190's ... I've got a bunch of Hasegawa stuff in the stash ... But I've got no hesitation in upgrading at present (providing the accuracy is there) ... Because I CAN! ... * "Turnover" kits and "speculative investments" are continually bought/sold. Phase two - When I retire: * I will have a list of items to buy when I retire ... but that will be (mainly) it! ... For example: No one has yet released a Do.17z in 1/32 - but that is the No.1 Item on my wish list (and then there's daylight down to No.2!!) ... You can bet whatever you like, I'll grab one of those WHEN retired if it doesn't come out before. * I aim to have everything I need (for what I want to display) in my stash before I retire ... It doesn't matter if some are not the "ultimate" kit ... just as long as they're accurate as can be expected. I don't expect a lot of people will agree with my approach ... and to those who want to call me a "Hoarder" etc - Stiff Cheddar!!! (probably just jealous anyway). Otherwise ... peace out! Rog How many years before you retire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artful69 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 How many years before you retire? Dunno ... Hopefully earlier rather than later? Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Dunno ... Hopefully earlier rather than later? Rog I see that you are only 45 - a good few years to go yet then. Your stash is going to be of truly gargantuan proportions by then. It's not exactly small now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thank goodness hoarding and building, are not necessarily interdependent hobbies. No! No! NO! Don't tell me this!! I am not a hoarder/collector and a builder. I am a builder and only a builder!! I know I have hoarding tendencies and I fight them all the time by purging my garage and shop on a yearly basis. I have full intentions on building the 100+ kits I have in my stash and the ones I want to add. Wait, if I'm keeping the built kits in my display cabinet, is that considered hoarding?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artful69 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I see that you are only 45 - a good few years to go yet then. Your stash is going to be of truly gargantuan proportions by then. It's not exactly small now! Yes ... and no ... Predominantly I'm working to a list - in terms of acquisitions ... On the AFV side ... The list is 95% complete (give or take a few decimal points) ... so not many to go now - mainly artillery pieces and transport equipment ... and some AM (mainly tracks) ... Scenery ... I haven't even started on, really ... Trees, shrubs, boulders etc ... LSP's are the oddity ... There's a few I'd jump at in a heart beat ... 1/32 scale Do.17z, Boulton Paul Defiant, Bristol Blenheim / Beaufighter, Douglas A-20 Havoc ... a Ta.154 ... and if HK Model do a Wellington, awesome! The rest, I'll have a punt at as I go ... but focused on WWII ETO and African theatres ... not really big on the PTO - we'll see! I'm definitely slowing the amount of acquisitions down, this years are a lot less than the previous 3. Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I buy NOW, rather than later ... for retirement ... because I have cash to spare now ... but probably won't have huge amounts when I retire. Dont really have a strategy, but If I did THAT is definitely closest to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 As I suspected, there is no over-riding strategy! Some like Rog have a definite, quite aggressive strategy with no real defined end-date. Others keep it to single-digits, others have no stash beyond what they will build next. Some buy occasionally, but are then surprised with quite how many they end up with. But one things is clear to me - LSP's take a fair time to build, so in terms of pure utility, there is no real, over-riding need to invest in a stash in order to enjoy the hobby. Having said that, it's also clear to me that model making & stash building go hand-in-hand. You need to be very disciplined in order to NOT buy more kits. The internet, EBay, forums, trade-shows, competitions & the sheer number of LSP's available now just positively invites purchases. Especially with PayPal being so damned convenient. My stash is ridiculous. Like so many others, in the future there will be a clique of people aged around 250 years old. When science investigates, they will all be working their way through their stash before popping their clogs. At least I'm not alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babelfish Steve Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 At least I'm not alone! My stash is ridiculous. Like so many others, in the future there will be a clique of people aged around 250 years old. When science investigates, they will all be working their way through their stash before popping their clogs. " ..... and when asked about his secret for a long life, he said "regular doses of paint mist and glue vapours" ..... " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Mike Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I see I'm in the middle ground. I have wide ranging building interest though. Egg planes, tanks, LSPs, 1/16 figures and some few oddments of kits, I suspect like many others. ICM,Zvezda, IBG, Italeri,Tamiya, Miniart, and a few others make 1/35 trucks. Very nice models of 1920s and '30s trucks, the sort we used to see all over the San Juaquin valley here in California, as well as ones used during the war. Somehow I've wound up with about 20 of the buggers. Then came WingNut kits. I have only 39, and just want a few more. My attitude is along the lines of "how much building is there?" My -109s and Spittys, a bit. My Ju-88 with Nightfighter conversion, a lot more. So, along with Artful Rog, I'm building(!) a stash towards a later day, and have the leeway to "adjust" the collection based on new kits on the market, kits at shows, trades, ETC. Most of the adjustment seems to be UP. There is a new resin Star Wars X-wing fighter in the egg series.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I find that my addiction stash accumulation strategy has evolved over the years. I started by vowing to replace all the old 1/32 Revell kits I had built as a kid, adding to them the ones I could never find (Aleutian Tiger, Snake Stuka, and those three Japanese gentlemen). Mission accomplished. Stage 2 was to hoard every 1/32 warplane produced. At the time, there was no HK or ZM. Trumpeter was a type of swan; Hasegawa's offerings never mentioned the words "new tooling". I also learned during this stage that "AM" did not apply just to radios and clocks. These days, I've come to the realization that I simply can't keep up with manufacturer output. When I got back into the hobby, I would never have imagined this to be the case. I still add to the stash (at an alarming rate), but the subject has to really appeal to me. So many kits, so little time. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Then came WingNut kits. I have only 39, and just want a few more. Bloody hell Mike! I don't feel so bad about mine now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Mike Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Dean, I have a lot of doubles, and some multiples. 2 Tripes, 2 Pfalzzzz, 2 Pups, 7 DVIIs, and only 5 Albies. Herr Clunk has the market cornered on Albies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) It is definitely cheaper than flying. And I'm not aware of anyone who's ever died from crashing a plastic model Caution, wife may throw built and unbuilt models from the balcony, including modeler as well. Yea, myself i got around 240 boxes (no alarm, mostly kits are 1/144 and 1/72 including figures and all), some doubled, or simply "renewed" such as buying to academy 1/48 mig-21 some companions produced by eduard and trumpeter With my top production rate (5 yearly) it is somewhat achiveable, but interestingly enough, majority of my kits could be done as weekend projects. The biggest issue is shelf space, so i guess, it would be wise try to part with the kits that i dont want so desperately Edited May 14, 2015 by Marko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I fear this is the future of many of our stash's.... http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/1200-model-kits-auction-after-4406701 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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