What is the point of a stash ?

First, to collect models that you want to build later. They do go out of production, ones already out of production get harder to find and more expensive as time goes by.

If you say develop an interest in F-4 Phantoms, there're good kits out there now that may very well not be in a couple of years.

The only negative I see is that sometimes buying things is an adrenaline rush, and that gets to be an expensive hobby.

GMorrison

First, to collect models that you want to build later. They do go out of production, ones already out of production get harder to find and more expensive as time goes by.

If you say develop an interest in F-4 Phantoms, there're good kits out there now that may very well not be in a couple of years.

The only negative I see is that sometimes buying things is an adrenaline rush, and that gets to be an expensive hobby.

 

I wonder if any model kits go up in value over the

long term for resale ?

There are also sales to consider.   Though some might buy just because it is so, myself I will pull the trigger on something if it interests me and know I would eventually look to purchase it anyway.

For sure some models will go up in value.  Best example that I can think of was the Tunisian Tiger from Cyber Hobby released in 2005.  It was a rare subject in kit form, and ebay prices were ridiculously high, at $300 and up.  That bubble has burst, since there has been a new release from Dragon on this subject.

regards,

Jack

Like GMorrison, I bought many because they have a way of not being available in time, I would build them later. Often a mistake, as plenty of models were faulted and then there is no recourse if you can't correct it.

Next, as GM said there is a certain satisfaction in finding a new one and taking it home. Plus, I was an international commercial pilot with years of travel to several countries, plenty of hobby shops there to visit, often obscure kits I had no knowledge of were to be found.  

Soon like me, you find yourself with way too many and not enough time left to make a good dent in the numbers. Almost 75 years, 140 in the stash. I'm trying to make a lot of vets and service members happy, as I weed through this stuff.

But, I have heard of many that have WAY more than I do in the stash. I'm married, could barely pull this stash off, couldn't swing the deal to have as many as some guys. She can be mean.

Patrick 

I will usually purchase a kit that I fully intend to build, but get behind as I will have several in the que. Unfortunately by the time I get to it, my interests have changed for the moment. As an example, I have several 1/700 waterline kits and fully intend to build them. I will pull it out, look for a PE set, order one from Australia and by the time it arrives, I’m building something else and have lost interested in the kit for the moment.
Another reasons is for resale. If I can get the kit cheaply, I can sell it for a profit.

Steve

Ashide from the reasons given, i like to plan ahead with my builds. First i get the kit, then i will check to see what AM i might need and get that. Most of my builds are diorama, so once i have decided what the dio will be, i think like to make sure i have everything i need for it before i start the kit. Also haveing a stash means you have a range of subjects to build rather than just whats in the LHS, or having to wait for one you have ordered on line.

The vast majority of my stash were kits that I bought at a great discount. I bought 20 Dragon armor at $5 each from a guy who was to lazy to ebay them. I ended up selling them at a great profit and did buy some more on sale on ebay. When I first started I bought many older Tamiya kits and ended up selling the majority of them off, because they were surpassed in technology. That can be one drawback to buying. I did buy kits with all the intention of building them, but only to find that I was fickle and bought many on a whim.

In my life, it was a case of feast or famine. Years ago, when finances were tight, it was very much a case of buy it and build it, repeat when I had a few bucks to spare. Later times were good for me and my family, and I was able to buy at a far faster pace than I could build. Especailly in the early days of Ebay where lots of kits could be had for very little money. So I started and expanded my stash at a rapid rate. This went on for many years. Now money is tight again, so I rarely buy new kits. Usually now it has to be a release of something that was not available before in my chosen scales and interest areas. But thanks to my stash I have no shortage of choices of kits to build. 

I have a stash of 418 ( I keep a spreadsheet!!) and I intend to build them all. Some I got on a whim as thay had just come out or I wanted to build them as a child. Some are almost an investment, older kits that are now going for silly money and having watched them go up in value for years they wont be going down any time soon.

Like others I have some that I intend as a practice build to hone my skills. I'm lucky as the money isnt an issue but working two jobs my problem is the time to build them, one job means I work away a lot, the other I can work over the net so I can work from anywhere.

I'm hoping that when I finally retire I'll be able to build the ones I want to and not have to worry about the cost at that time. If all else fails they can be sold for my funeral!!

Phil

I will buy kits that I had in my youth in the automotive realm and as of late have been building them. As for military aviation I buy whatever catches my attention and it takes alot to catch it. I do try to keep my stash in check though. Right now I have between 25-30 kits total and try to rotate stuff out that I know I'll never build. For instance I've got a Revellogram Avenger in there that probably aint gonna get built because when I bought it (years ago) there wasn't anything out there that rivaled it. As others have said , when money gets a little tight, I've still got models to select from and build.

modelcrazy

I will usually purchase a kit that I fully intend to build, but get behind as I will have several in the que. Unfortunately by the time I get to it, my interests have changed for the moment.

 

Steve

 

Put it this way.....it's kinda like having a styrene "harem"... ......

I "get" a stash that you can build with reasonable expectations,I have 30-40,but hundreds of kits that will never get built,I just don't get it.

I tend to like oddball subjects, not ME 109s, Corvettes, etc.  Most of the kits I buy will have short production runs, and be unlikely to be repopped later.  So if I think I want to build it at all, I need to buy it while it is available, regardless of what I have on the bench during the period it is available.  While I don't mind scratchbuilding now and then, I'd prefer to build a kit (if it is a decent kit), so if I see one available for a subject I want, I'd like to buy it.  If my bench queue is short, it will go on the bench soon- if not it goes in the stash.

Comparing my stash to others , i am still a rookie.

I have about 20 in the stash, most of which I intend to build.  Usually I buy for nostalgia reasons when I see a kit that i have built as a kid.   Some are waiting for my skills to improve. 

I enjoy perusing Ebay for bundles of kits because they can be had cheap.  I got a lot of 9 models on there including 2 of which I wanted to build (and did )for about $7.50 per kit.  I am building 1 of the "leftovers " now, and enjoying building my hobby Craft 1/72 Osprey that I wouldn't have considered buying outright.

I have been to 3 IPMS shows so far and found so many good deals on models there i just couldn't help myself.  My wants and my needs got terribly mixed up there and it more than doubled my stash. lol   It was like "Oooo I'd like to have that", "wow it's 30% off...mine " .  I only have been modeling for 2+ years now since re-entering the hobby and my stash is growing too fast I think ,so I can see that after a number of years in the hobby how it can grow to ridiculous proportions.

I'm with GM and stik. If I see something that piques my interest or even a limited run kit, I'll buy it. You never know when you'll regret passing up on a particular kit be it uniqueness or scarcity/rarity. Money is tight but at least I know I have something in my stash to fall back on. When I do get some spare change, I will buy either/or:

another kit on my wish list

Aftermarket stuff

Paints/supplies

Just so you know, I'm still looking for ever elusive Ace Combat Yellow Flanker kit by Hasegawa. I'll be damn if I'm gonna shell out $100 plus for a $40 kit.

Rummaging through the stash can be a real enjoyable part of the hobby for me...I like to open each box once-in-a-while and imagine what each build "could" be! 

I keep them in a big plastic storage tote and in each kit I keep an "In Action" or "Walkaround" book if I have one along with something I call "reference builds" (copies or torn-out published example pic's, techniques, review articles for that build).  I also keep a running list of each kit and the AM goodies I'm looking to purchase...and when I do, they of-course go in the box too!  

It's like a "mini-Christmas" when it's been a while since the last viewing

BTW: I made a "personal pact" to keep the stash to single digits to keep the $$$ and show-buying frenzies under control...and ensure production output exceeds inventory intake.  I'm at 14 now so I guess I better get building or sell some...hmmm, I guess I just found another New Year's Resolution

I have a small stash (by comparison) but like mentioned earlier, it has accumulated when and while I have sufficient funds to invest.  And I also enjoy walking through my own model store and take kits off the shelf, open the box, review the instructions, see what challenges lie ahead, what kit would work well in say diorama, etc.  Will I get to build them all?  That is a question I will only find the answer to in the future.

Dash8

 

 

GMorrison

First, to collect models that you want to build later. They do go out of production, ones already out of production get harder to find and more expensive as time goes by.

If you say develop an interest in F-4 Phantoms, there're good kits out there now that may very well not be in a couple of years.

The only negative I see is that sometimes buying things is an adrenaline rush, and that gets to be an expensive hobby.

 

 

 

 

That makes sense on out of production kits.

 

I wonder if any model kits go up in value over the

long term for resale ?

 

Lol! Dash8, go on Amazon or EBay and check out what's being asked for the oop Testors B-2 bomber. $900.00!!! Are they on dope???

Straycat1911

 

Dash8

 

 

GMorrison

First, to collect models that you want to build later. They do go out of production, ones already out of production get harder to find and more expensive as time goes by.

If you say develop an interest in F-4 Phantoms, there're good kits out there now that may very well not be in a couple of years.

The only negative I see is that sometimes buying things is an adrenaline rush, and that gets to be an expensive hobby.

 

 

 

 

That makes sense on out of production kits.

 

I wonder if any model kits go up in value over the

long term for resale ?

 

 

 

 

Lol! Dash8, go on Amazon or EBay and check out what's being asked for the oop Testors B-2 bomber. $900.00!!! Are they on dope???

 

They are when you can get them for 170 quid. But even that is absurd, glad i got my Italeri one when i did.

Straycat1911

 

 

...check out what's being asked for the oop Testors B-2 bomber. $900.00!!! Are they on dope???

 

Well for me its history I have bin a WW2 buff all my life. If I had the money I would be building or flying the real ones..

I'll take out a kit look at details and go the my library I have put together over the years and study the history. I doubt I'll ever build them all. But each one has a place in history.

There is one thing that takes me back to building as a kid and i wonder if other modelers do it. That is opening the model for the first time and smelling that new model plastic. As a kid they where much more than just a model my yard  on that old farm turned into many other places in the world.

the doog

 

Straycat1911

 

 

...check out what's being asked for the oop Testors B-2 bomber. $900.00!!! Are they on dope???

 

 

 

 

That's just called good old fashioned GREED. You find it in abundance on eBay...

 

 

Unfortunatly you find it all over the place, especially when somthing is rare or out of production. I have seen books that sold for £16 when in print and people trying to sell them for over 1,000.

Don Stauffer

...............if I think I want to build it at all, I need to buy it while it is available, regardless of what I have on the bench during the period it is available.  ..........................

 

Thankfully, I have been able to obtain some OOP kits at local swap meets. Consequently, my stash has ballooned- though for less than what I would have paid retail. As I explained recently to someone: " I can't build it if I don't own it." 

Bish

  

the doog

 

Straycat1911

 

...check out what's being asked for the oop Testors B-2 bomber. $900.00!!! Are they on dope???

 

That's just called good old fashioned GREED. You find it in abundance on eBay...

 

Unfortunatly you find it all over the place, especially when somthing is rare or out of production. I have seen books that sold for £16 when in print and people trying to sell them for over 1,000.

 

I have been noticing the same thing about OOP books.

Local Half Price Books had a couple of out of print books about the history of the Luger Pistol and Luger pistol collector information  for almost $200.00 each. 

Q:   What is the point of a stash?

A:    To annoy our wives or significant others.

I used to think a stash was a terrible idea. Why buy a bunch of models that would take you thirty years to build? I have since changed my mind. Mainly I look  for the cheapest price of the kit I want. Then I try to find it cheaper.  I can't pass up a good deal on a kit I want, it's kinda a game for me, so that is how my stash is growing. I WILL build them all, eventually. 

If I knew I could get a kit I wanted when I wanted it at retail prices, I wouldn't have much of a stash. I got tired of seeing kits on the shelf, but them being hard to get when I actually wanted to build them. Now sometimes by the time I actually get around to building a kit, it has been re-issued a couple of times, but other times it hasn't.

I don't buy as an investment, but yes kits do go up in value with demand. Take the AMT 1984 GMC 4x4 pickup, or Dodge Little Red Express I snagged half a dozen or so of each of these when Walmart had $7 kits. Now if you go to ebay you find the LRE starting around $35, and the GMC about $50. I'm sure sooner or later Round 2 will re-issue these and the proces will drop to something more reasonable (probably $25-30 retail), but I still only paid $7 a piece for them. 

Prices also drop, I picked up a 1/2 dozen or so of the Ford C cab kits from an online wholesaler a few years back, and only paid $10 a kit. Those kits have been re-issued a few times since then, but never that cheap (typically $30-40 retail).  

Ultimately I have space for the stash, it doesn't cause fights, and I only buy when I can afford to. When money is tight, I can go "shopping" in the stash and it costs me nothing.

Greg

Q:   What is the point of a stash?

A:    To annoy our wives or significant others.

  

Greg

Q:   What is the point of a stash?

A:    To annoy our wives or significant others.

 

ROFLMAO!!! So true...