How big is your... stash?

[slusher]

12 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Who knows what will hold or gain value but in the end I do want to buy with intent to build. That being said all that stash eye candy has motivated me to make a little purchase.

 

 

A kit gaining value is a big gamble. I was referring to just the price of the kit at online buying or at Hobby Lobby from MSRP I never thought I would have seen 40 dollar kits at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

[espo]

Do some kits actually gain in value? Say you bought a kit for $20 just five to 8 years ago and now you're going to ask $25 for it at a swap meet this weekend. To start with the buying power of that $25 now is most likely less than the buying power of the $20 years ago. Not to mention that many companies are reissuing the kits so that would keep its resale value lower anyway.  putting that same $20 in a passbook account at a bank or credit union might give you a little more than the $25 you were expecting, but that isn't guaranteed either. The only way you can hope to come out ahead is if you can find a get marked way down at a close out price of maybe $10 and it isn't going to be reissued any time soon and all of a sudden you have someone that can't live without that kit. then just maybe you can make a little something on the sale. Just buy a kit that have an appeal to you personally to build or use for parts. Just buy Lottery tickets instead, you'll stand a better chance of winning that way.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

47 minutes ago, espo said:

Do some kits actually gain in value? 

Some do, some don't. Modelhaus kits are going for 4 or more times what they went for when they shut down.

My vintage Revell parts-packs had appreciated hugely up until Atlantis repopped several of them.

But that doesn't bother me particularly. I bought the originals with the intention of building them, and the availability of repops just means I have more source material to build from. For instance, I can do as many Fiat altereds as I want (lots), with no worries about running out of first editions.

What with old tooling being dusted off and brought back out, and the looming possibility of accurately scanned repops of long gone tooling hitting the market, it's probably not smart to buy models as "investments".

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

My vintage Revell parts-packs had appreciated hugely up until Atlantis repopped several of them.

I don't necessarily think that a few Atlantis repops of parts packs will have that much of an impact on originals. Time will tell.... -RRR

[Bainford]

On 1/16/2023 at 1:05 PM, Bainford said:

554. 
 

555

Edited January 20, 2023 by Bainford

[Andrew McD]

I have primarily been building out-of-the box the past 3 or 4 years as I attempt to develop my building skills.  I have done a little bit of customizing and detailing but most builds are essentially OOB.  Having said that I have some scratch building and kit bashing ideas I hope to have a go at in the near future. Presently the stash is 38 kits not yet started.  It’s an even split with 19 American Street Cars and Hot Rods, and 19 Foreign and Sports/Race Cars.  I have included American built Sports cars in the second group.A number of kits have been purchased because I have been impressed with what people on these forums have done with them.  Typically I buy kits that I consider an interesting subject as opposed to impulse buying because something is on sale.  The vast majority of my stash is Revell with 17 out of my stash of 38.  Tamiya comes second with 6, AMT 5, Fujimi 4, Ebro 2, and Heller, Lindbergh, Moebius each with 1. My one resin kit from Motor Museum in Miniature rounds out the stash.

[1959scudetto]

My stash of unbuilt car kits at the moment is 291 (among them are 12 transkits): 205 are 1/24, 67 are in 1/25 (Mainly US cars and trucks), 13 are 1/20 racecars and the remaining 6 are 1/18 Tamiya racecars.

Over the last 3 years I have sold off about 60 kits, and want to downsize still more (to about  under 200), as my interests have changed over the last 40 years to mainly sports race and rally cars - here are parts of them:

 

Several 100 books and hundreds of magazines are useful references: as some others here stated, researching a certain object (internet, library) before starting to actually build the model is for me an interesting, entertaining and essential part of the hobby - I can browse for hours on a certain subject - is as much fun as building itself.

Then there are about 265   1/24 die-casts from which many of them will be altered, repainted and modified into competition versions...

From 1982 to 1991, I built about 170 to 180 kits - then the family grew, and for the next nearly 30 years output was almost zero (but still buying kits) - now only selected models will be bought, main goal is thinning out the collection because I still see myself as a builder, not a collector and I'm running out of time.

 

[BDSchindler]

How big is my 'stash?

it just goes to the corners of my mouth but all gray now...

oh...you meant "model stash"...about 150 or so...a few duplicates like the Revell Foose Ford Pick up as there are parts in that kit that are really well done for kit bashing.  I have 10 of those that I picked up really cheap considering the more recent price hikes.

Edited March 7, 2023 by BDSchindler

[webestang]

Unfortunately my stash is really stashed. It's all in my storage unit till I buy a house. 

Here is a few of my Pony's before they went into storage. 

[ctruss53]

Honestly, collecting kits in the hope that they go up in value is a waste of time.

I buy kits faster than I build them, but I don't call it collecting because I know my stash is not something I will ever be able to retire on.

My stash has just gone past the 100 kit mark, and I don't like it. I was trying to keep the stash at 50-60 tops, but then I came across some bulk deals from Singapore. I build Tamiya kits mainly.

So my goal is to try not to buy any more kits for a while, until I build some more.

[slusher]

On 3/7/2023 at 10:22 AM, webestang said:

Unfortunately my stash is really stashed. It's all in my storage unit till I buy a house. 

Here is a few of my Pony's before they went into storage. 

Very nice collection , I enjoy looking at the box art!

[slusher]

On 3/5/2023 at 2:46 PM, 1959scudetto said:

My stash of unbuilt car kits at the moment is 291 (among them are 12 transkits): 205 are 1/24, 67 are in 1/25 (Mainly US cars and trucks), 13 are 1/20 racecars and the remaining 6 are 1/18 Tamiya racecars.

Over the last 3 years I have sold off about 60 kits, and want to downsize still more (to about  under 200), as my interests have changed over the last 40 years to mainly sports race and rally cars - here are parts of them:

 

Several 100 books and hundreds of magazines are useful references: as some others here stated, researching a certain object (internet, library) before starting to actually build the model is for me an interesting, entertaining and essential part of the hobby - I can browse for hours on a certain subject - is as much fun as building itself.

Then there are about 265   1/24 die-casts from which many of them will be altered, repainted and modified into competition versions...

From 1982 to 1991, I built about 170 to 180 kits - then the family grew, and for the next nearly 30 years output was almost zero (but still buying kits) - now only selected models will be bought, main goal is thinning out the collection because I still see myself as a builder, not a collector and I'm running out of time.

 

Great stash!

[Claude Thibodeau]

HI! 

The topic got me to verify.

So: 102 new kits (untouched and complete), plus 72 "donors" kit (some parts raided for a project, the rest still in the boxes: my "junkyard"), 67 completed projects in my display case, and 5 currently under completion on the bench. I came back to the hobby in 2015, and haven't looked back since. 

I plead guilty, Judge!

CT

[ewetwo]

I have over 400 unbuilt kits. Time to downsize. LOL

[Pierre Rivard]

3 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

HI! 

The topic got me to verify.

So: 102 new kits (untouched and complete), plus 72 "donors" kit (some parts raided for a project, the rest still in the boxes: my "junkyard"), 67 completed projects in my display case, and 5 currently under completion on the bench. I came back to the hobby in 2015, and haven't looked back since. 

I plead guilty, Judge!

CT

The court grants you an unconditional pardon. 

[doorsovdoon]

I try not to build a stash. I have about eight kits here in my 'to do'. Looking at them I think "eh, I'll get around to them"  whereas before I couldn't wait to get started as soon as it arrived in the post!

[ChrisR]

2 623 to be precise.

[Claude Thibodeau]

3 hours ago, ChrisR said:

2 623 to be precise.

Hi Chris!

Well, I guess it has to be called "the mother of all statshes" . Impressive. Would be express-divorce trigger at my end...

CT

[KWT]

Way more than I ever meant to have...

[Pierre Rivard]

I started this thread exactly 2 months ago, feeling a bit guilty about buying more than building.

Now with about 5000 views and 120 responses, my guilt has been completely erased.

You guys are great therapists!

Here's my medication for the last 2 months:

 

[ChrisR]

1 hour ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Chris!

Well, I guess it has to be called "the mother of all statshes" . Impressive. Would be express-divorce trigger at my end...

CT

I am very fortunate, my wife doesn't mind and fact that my son is also an avid model builder might help. I have been modelling for close to sixty five years and started my collection about forty years ago.

[Ben Brown]

I’ve been building what I have and selling off other kits pretty aggressively, so I’m down to ~50 unbuilt kits, now.

If you ever wonder if your stash is too big, about 10-15 years ago, I went to an estate sale that had over 10,000 (yes, ten thousand !) kits. They held the sale in an empty store. It was amazing!
 

Ben

[NYRich72]

I must be an amateur compared to many of you guys. I have exactly 3 kits in my stash.

[Bainford]

2 hours ago, NYRich72 said:

I must be an amateur compared to many of you guys. I have exactly 3 kits in my stash.

Or, you are more highly enlightened.

[Bainford]

On 3/12/2023 at 7:18 AM, ChrisR said:

2 623 to be precise.

Nice, juicy stash, Chris. Lots of cool stuff there.