Are We Model Hoarders?

[Danno]

I'm not a hoader or a collector, I'm just a bad businessman, I'm starting a hobbyshop, but never quite get to that actually opening a shop stage.

Bingo! I like that. Once again, I'll have to steal that one ...

Reminds me that the way to make a small fortune is to start a hobby shop with your large fortune!

[Jon Cole]

Not only was I a hoarder, but now I'm stuck with it. Because, ya'know, I just might need that one. And THAT one. And so on.

So now half of my basement is jammed with model kits. What I don't have shelves for, they stay in storage boxes.

So much shelfing hidden behind boxes... I cannot photograph it all.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Jon Cole

[Darin Bastedo]

I used to think I was a model kit hoarder until recently. I met a man who I promised I wouldn't disclose his name. Who had literally thousand of kits, and almost all vintage really hard to get stuff too. I've lived in apartments his stash wouldn't fit into.

[Jon Cole]

I used to think I was a model kit hoarder until recently. I met a man who I promised I wouldn't disclose his name. Who had literally thousand of kits, and almost all vintage really hard to get stuff too. I've lived in apartments his stash wouldn't fit into.

Ditto. This (person I know) entire second floor is stuffed with kits. Walls are stacked from floor to ceiling. The rest of that room is all shelves, also stacked up to the beams. Both levels of his two-car garage/barn are packed. You can park a car in each bay, but the walls are covered, except for a workbench. The staircase between the two barn floors is unpassable. In the main house, a few walls are covered. I would say about 1/3 of the open shelving in his kitchen is stuffed with Dupli-Color spray cans. His work bench is between the kitchen & living room. It too is surrounded with kits.

A year ago January, I fell down his main staircase. Broke my ankle. Fortunately, his wall of kits, and boxes of spare parts prevented me from slamming into the wall. I remember picking up wheels and other parts off of myself, and the floor. I would say the house contains between 7000 to 10,000 kits.

Now THAT'S a hoarder.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Jon Cole

[jbwelda]

yeah Boreham, sure got a corner on the Escort market! I once saw a bunch of those esci crystal Escorts at a clearance center and bought 3 or so real cheap. they had 20 or more there, i should have bought more. nice minilite wheels, BDR i think it is twin cam motor, cool cage roll bar that can be adapted for pretty much anything, and in general kool parts. the clear plastic seemed kind of brittle though so i never built one out of the box. nice stash man, i envy some of those Escorts you have there.

im not a collector...

im not Im Not IM NOT!!!

[samdiego]

Not working very much since last Sept has really taken a toll on my stash. I could average about 1 1/2 a week. The upside was resorting to cars that I sort of regretted buying, like The Beatnik Bandit 2. Under hideous graphics, there's a really nicely engineered model. I finally did a silhouette that came out nice. The Ford C900 that I've sat on since the first release. Now I really need to do something with the half finished 16th century galleon wood kit that I started 6 years ago.

[ra7c7er]

I used to think I was a model kit hoarder until recently. I met a man who I promised I wouldn't disclose his name. Who had literally thousand of kits, and almost all vintage really hard to get stuff too. I've lived in apartments his stash wouldn't fit into.

Same here. I just meet a guy who's model kits wouldn't fit in my first apartment. Then he goes on to tell me he only builds about one a year but buys between 50 and 100 kits a month and has been since the 80s. Not only has model kits in his basement and spare room but in TWO storage units.

[greymack]

Hi guy thought I'd revise this thread here .Now that I have built some more shelves in another room I'm ready to do some major model hoarding .So tells see more of you model hoarders.

[Eshaver]

To be honest , I probably have a couple of hundred model kits . They;re all singles as opposed to having multiples of any one kit . I do dioramas and each diorama has it's own set of cars that stay with that diorama . I've "Borrowed a few cars on the last diorama only because a show came up, finances were running thin as this last diorama nearly ran into the 1400.00 range ! Hey, I got in deeper than what I had estimated back in the spring when I decided to actually do this one .

Look, I've given up alcohol and tobacco years ago. My largest expense is usually my son's education expenses . The dioramas are paid for from side work I do as in Meusuiem work . Besides, fresh dioramas generally get me new work leads ................

[Ju Ju]

this last diorama nearly ran into the 1400.00 range !

hey ned- i sure would like to see that $1,400.00 diorama

[Qwit Pushin]

I consider it 'minimizing my carbon footprint'. By insulating my home with a floor-to-ceiling layer of model kits, I'ver reduced my heating costs and thusly my dependence on fossil fuel. Everybody wins.

[mademan]

Yep.... IM a hoarder. with around 2k kits in my "future builds" collection and around 100 or so started/stalled projects.

[Tom Geiger]

Interesting thread. I don't see any problem, unless it interferes with real life obligations. As long as we have jobs, support our families and our bills are paid, what we do in our off hours is our business. I have relatives that have no interests at all. They sit and watch TV. I showed my bro in law a model project I was working on once and his response was, "That's work! Why would you do work that you don't have to?" There are those who get it and those who don't.

As far as collector or builder, who gives a BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH? I was a stamp collector for years and the whole idea there was just to collect and own the specimens. There is a thrill in the hunt, just like we have when we finally get a holy grail kit. Only nobody in the stamp collecting world says, "You have more stamps than you could ever mail. Are you going to use all those stamps?"

I may have 1000 kits. I don't know and refuse to count. When I got into the hobby 25 years ago I was like a kid in a candy shop. I'd go to shows and come out with huge bags of kits. At this stage of the game I'm selective. I still put $100 in my pocket when I go to shows, and if I see something, I don't hesitate to buy it, but if I don't I leave with the money in my pocket.

[DrKerry]

I have a little over 500 kits.

[2000-cvpi]

I am younger (30) than the average modeler on here, but I did not have the period of time (the distracting girl years) away from the hobby. I still got married, had two great kids and built models at the same time. So I have acquired about 250 unbuilt kits, 150 ish built models to rebuild and a ton of parts. So far my collection has stayed out of the rest of the house, my model room is not full yet. So I think I am not a hoarder, maybe a combo of collector and builder.

It's been almost two years since I wrote the above post. For a few months after this thread ended, I started down the road to uncontrolled model buying. My stash went from 250 unbuilt kits to over six hundred in less than a year. I got them from flea markets, neighbors, garage sales, Craigslist, my lhs. It got out of hand very quickly since I wasn't picky at all. If it was reasonable, I bought it. I realized that I was getting out of control with buying models. I sold off just over half of my collection, almost all of my built ups and kept what I really want. I can only hope that I have enough time to build them all.

[pandamonium2112]

I can't honestly say i'm a model hoarder. Because i hoard all kinds of other stuff too.

I only have 50 unbuilt in box kits and 16 kits bagged in ziplock from yardsales and 2nd hand stores.

I collect lots of other trinkets along with electronics and R/C's. My problem is i love to tinker with just about anything, especially if it's broken. I'll take an item apart just to see how it works, save maybe a few interesting items from it (I've made some cool wall art) then throw it away and file the knowledge.

Every year i go through my hobby room, garage, shed and clean out the stuff i know i'll never work on or is beyond repair. It's hard, but i told myself i have to do it. If i didn't, i think i could become as bad as the people on T.V.

[Terror]

yes ,but I haven't found any dead animals in my stash yet tho.

[hemi]

Why yes yes I am a hoarder,LOL I only have about 350 kits unbuilt I only buy kits that I like and cant bring myself to part out a kit,so i pretty much oob with aftermarket add ons.I have a collection of about 100 kits from the 70's-80's that I will not part with the rest are just run of he mill kits.

[Agent G]

yes

G

[Rob McKee]

I am a model hoarder with good intentions. I have to many unbuilt kits to count. The last time I did which was almost 2 years ago I was

in above 1000 kits and I have bought many more since then. I don't brag about how many kits I have because it is a little embarassing

to admit it to others. At the rate I build them I will never be able to finish them all but I just know if I get rid of 1 or more I'll get the urge to

build the one I let get away and start the search to find a new one.

For now I am just trying to cut down on the buying and get building.

This is an all to familiar story with us modellers. I cannot believe they haven't had a Hoarders episode with one of one there.

[ZTony8]

Hoarder?Nah! Some people invest in gold or gems,I invest in styrene futures.

I've got a bit over 1,000 kits.That makes a few more models than that because of multiple models in one box (like the AMT Musclecar Classics or the 3 and 5 Corvette sets).I'll pick up kits when I find a good deal on ones I enjoy but not ones I don't ( I don't build show rods,for example-and no ships,planes,or tanks.Zero interest there).I have duplicates of many,but not all,kits.

They're my insurance policy.I'm gonna live to build them all.So far,so good.

Edited January 11, 2013 by ZTony8

[gtx6970]

I don't consider myself a hoarder. . Hoarders don't sell anything.

Myself, with exception a few kits I have,,,,,,, I'll sell anything if the price is right . Actually sold off maybe 30-40 kits last spring at a swap meet . There was nothing special , just kits I had serous doubts I would ever do anything with .be them subject matter or scale I had no interest in

I have somewhere in the 350/400 kits range, so by some standards thats nothing . I know people with kits numbering in the thousands

Edited January 11, 2013 by gtx6970

[niteowl7710]

I'm in the process of assembling a new set of shelves. I say process because everytime I try to work on it someone is asleep, and apparently banging the plastic "legs" that go been the shelving levels at 3am directly below your bedroom will wake up one's wife. At noon it wakes up one's napping toddler.

At any rate I'm still not a hoarder, I just occasionally run low on storage space.

[mademan]

It's been almost two years since I wrote the above post. For a few months after this thread ended, I started down the road to uncontrolled model buying. My stash went from 250 unbuilt kits to over six hundred in less than a year. I got them from flea markets, neighbors, garage sales, Craigslist, my lhs. It got out of hand very quickly since I wasn't picky at all. If it was reasonable, I bought it. I realized that I was getting out of control with buying models. I sold off just over half of my collection, almost all of my built ups and kept what I really want. I can only hope that I have enough time to build them all.

IN the past year alone, ive aquired 500+ kits. Im gone for 2 weeks at work (fly in camp) and home for 2 weeks, but still cant find time to build

[Bennyg]

I'm breaking the hoarding habbit. I don't have the numbers some of you fellas have, but with my job, training and studies going on I'm getting rid of everything without a Mack badge on it. Also doing a big cleanup of the house in general. I want to focus on one breed so to speak. Cheers

Ben