Tom Geiger Posted December 29, 2012 Posted December 29, 2012 I haven't counted my models and know I'll never build them all. Why put that pressure on yourself? It's a hobby! I had run out of room at my old house because it didn't have a basement and I was leery of storing kits in the garage (mice) or the attic (heat). In my new house in PA I have a full finished basement and took over what was a 12x10 bedroom as the model warehouse. So I have all the room I'll ever need (famous last words) and I stopped worrying about buying stuff. If I see something interesting, I'll buy it. I do intend to organize and cull down the hoard with the intent of eliminating duplicates, upgrading some really beat built ups to better buildable kits, and filling in the holes in my collection. For instance, if I sell 3 of the 6 '61 Buicks I have, I can use the funds to get a few other years that I don't have. And I can get rid of some of the stuff that just doesn't interest me anymore. And the funny thing... I have a great collection of old and rare kits and restorable built ups, but what do I build? It seems my projects either start with a current kit or some old scrap (like my Dodge van camper!).
milkman Posted December 30, 2012 Posted December 30, 2012 I have been watching this thread with interest for a couple of days and thinking of my own collection. My hobby room/office is in the corner of my farm's workshop. On one side I work on guns and reload ammo and on the other side I build models. I have shelves on the walls in between the two workbenches for my kit collection. I was curious today and did a quick inventory of both unbuilt and built kits. I counted 328 unbuilt cars and trucks and 116 built cars and trucks. That works out to about a 3 to 1 ratio of unbuilt to built. My own diagnosis would be that although I like to collect kits that interest me, I am definitely not a hoarder considering that ratio. What do you think?
High octane Posted December 30, 2012 Posted December 30, 2012 No, as I'm currently "thinning the herd" as I'll NEVER build them all even though I'd like to, Besides I could use the ca$h for a set of aluminum heads.
mrmike Posted January 1, 2013 Author Posted January 1, 2013 WOW! I had forgotten about this thread and I am very surprised to see that it had resurfaced on Christmas Day. While it has been questioned about why this thread was originally posted, I just wanted to know how other people felt about their collection of kits and why they have so many. This isn't a psychological examination of collecting or storing of kits, I am more curious of how others feel about why they collect. Isn't this why we start a conversation? I have bought kits in the past thinking that I am going to build them, write down my ideas for building the kit (photos, color options, extra parts) and put that kit into the stash for building at a later date. Over time, that kit fell to the bottom of the build list, being replaced by other kits that I have acquired. I suppose I could call it Modelers Short Attention Span (MSAS). This isn't a debilitating condition, unless you are spending every cent you have on model kits. My wife doesn't watch Hoarders anymore, so that phase has come and gone and has been replaced by watching all the shows on HGTV. This means she'll be coming up with ideas for home improvements around this house. Like I've got time for that...
mikemodeler Posted January 1, 2013 Posted January 1, 2013 I might be considered a hoarder, but then again living a long life runs in my family so there IS a chance I could live long enough to build the 300+ kits I have sitting in the hobby room and garage!
IMSANUT Posted January 1, 2013 Posted January 1, 2013 Um, yes. As my work career has changed and the kids grew, I found I had little time for the pleasure of building. This, however did not curb my appetite to buy more kits. Now that I find I have more tme on my hands, I have begun the process of deciding what I actually want to keep, because at 55 I'll never finish what I have let alone what I actually want to build. I have no real idea the current count, but 300-400 is not too far off the mark......
jdcar32 Posted January 11, 2013 Posted January 11, 2013 Under strict definition some of us probably are hoarders. The term has gotten a really bad label as of late because of the T.V. show. I for one DO NOT store my feces in mason jars or collect used adult diapers so if I'm deemed a "hoarder" strictly due to my kit collection I'm cool with it ...........
Tom Geiger Posted January 11, 2013 Posted January 11, 2013 Since this thread came back up... I think we're all builders at heart. We do intend to build a really nice model from every kit we buy, but it's so much less time consuming to buy a new kit than to actually build it. We keep going for that great high of acquiring a new kit. I love opening a new box the first time to see what's inside. Ah, the groking of the parts and doing a rudimentary assembly of chassis to body, holding it up to the light to imagine the possibilities! Then we research it on the Internet for more ideas and details. We collect those photos and data and either create a folder on our computer or put the info in the box. Then we go rumaging through other kits to find the parts we need to complete the vision, converse on message boards for the right wheels, decals and valve covers. That model is near built in our mind. That alone is worth the price of admission! Then the kit gets put into the hoard to be built with all our great ideas. At this point we have already derived our money's worth in pleasure from the kit. Doing the prebuild stuff (as listed above) is participating in the hobby, so the kit has served it's purpose. Never mind the additional 50-100 hours needed to actually build it!
Matt T. Posted January 11, 2013 Posted January 11, 2013 Since this thread came back up... I think we're all builders at heart. We do intend to build a really nice model from every kit we buy, but it's so much less time consuming to buy a new kit than to actually build it. We keep going for that great high of acquiring a new kit. I love opening a new box the first time to see what's inside. Ah, the groking of the parts and doing a rudimentary assembly of chassis to body, holding it up to the light to imagine the possibilities! Then we research it on the Internet for more ideas and details. We collect those photos and data and either create a folder on our computer or put the info in the box. Then we go rumaging through other kits to find the parts we need to complete the vision, converse on message boards for the right wheels, decals and valve covers. That model is near built in our mind. That alone is worth the price of admission! Then the kit gets put into the hoard to be built with all our great ideas. At this point we have already derived our money's worth in pleasure from the kit. Doing the prebuild stuff (as listed above) is participating in the hobby, so the kit has served it's purpose. Never mind the additional 50-100 hours needed to actually build it! I agree 100%, Tom! It's not always about building, but rather, enjoying the kits & the hobby. Plus, if you don't buy the kits, the hoarders will get them all! LOL
GLMFAA1 Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 Does anyone have a suggestion how to dispose of a hoarder's collection?
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 Does anyone have a suggestion how to dispose of a hoarder's collection? Ebay, one kit at a time...if you have the time for all that. Or sell 'em in lots of 5 or ten. Or find a local consignment store or hobby shop that will help you off them. Or send 'em all to me. I feel the need to hoard more.
Petetrucker07 Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I have room for the unwanted, misfit kits of the world (no room for Palmer!).
High octane Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I've been tryin' to buy less and build more. Trading dollars for boxes of plastic is "gettin' old" for me.
BIGTRUCK Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I cant stop buying yet I only need 1 more more kit , I dont know what kit it is but I'll know it when I see it
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I cant stop buying yet I only need 1 more more kit , I dont know what kit it is but I'll know it when I see it This man understands...
Petetrucker07 Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I cant stop buying yet I only need 1 more more kit , I dont know what kit it is but I'll know it when I see it X2. Big time.
Rob Hall Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 Not compared to this guy: That kind of resembles one of my storage units, but mine are all uniformly boxed..
Petetrucker07 Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 If you ask my wife, she'll say that's what my stash looks like. Even though it's nowhere even close. Not compared to this guy: ModelCollection4.JPGModelCollection7.JPGModelCollection6.JPG
thatz4u Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.
chunkypeanutbutter Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I've got maybe 30 cars, ~20 on the bench currently.
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 I've got maybe 30 cars, ~20 on the bench currently. Well get busy buying more man !! What do you think an income is for, anyway? Too bad about the one that got away at work, too.
chunkypeanutbutter Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 Well get busy buying more man !! What do you think an income is for, anyway? Too bad about the one that got away at work, too. And it was the one with the useless little pots of paint and the non-toxic glue that smelled like lemons.
JohnU Posted June 14, 2015 Posted June 14, 2015 Craigs List. Advertise at $2.00 to $3.00 a kit. Someone will bite at the whole lot. That's how I got my stash! LOL!
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