I Fed the Stash Monster in My Closet Again!

Hungry little monkeys! Aren't they?

Look at it this way, it's better than feeding his unthankful brother, the carpet monster

-Fred

My Stash Monster is always hungry & requires constant feeding .

Regards,  Rick

qmiester wrote:

Did the same thing this last Saturday - went out for the city-wide yard sale - picked up an unopened Revell P-47D-30 for 30 cents!

Whoa! That is a really good find!!!!! Maybe that's what i should start doing- hitting up some of the local swap meets and such. My tiny stash of only 10 looks a bit lonely here. What is it they say? "Variety is the spice of life?"

Roger,

I have several kits in the stash that I've picked up at yard sales although I will say it's usually a case of "Feast or Famine" in the case of yard sales.  You'll find that you'll have better luck if you would check some places you wouldn't normally think of.  Try the Salvation Army, Good Will, DAV and Church Thrift stores - you will be surprised at the number of models that can be found in them at very reasonable prices - and everyone is pleased with the deal.

My best find came when I flew into the Independence Ks airport to pick up my son who was in college there.  There was  a display of 60 or 70 models in the FBOs lounge and I asked about them and was told that they had been built by a local modeler who didn't have room for them at home.  I was further informed that the gentleman had recently died and his wife wanted to sell what kits he had left. Got lucky and managed to buy 800+ kits for 500 bucks - I sold off the 1/48 kits which meant the I got about 450 kits for the stash for nothing (actually had extra money to buy supplies with).  Still building kits from that portion of the stash 15 year later. 

Wow, Quincy! What a break! Though i've never been through that airport, i had been at others that had models being displayed (most notably O'Hare, in the windy city). But i never would have even thought to look at Thrift stores! Are they usually complete kits? Or do they tend to have parts missing? I'll have to do a little looking out here in this area, it seems...

Thanks for the tip!

Roger,

I've found kits in about every condition in the thrift stores - from unopened, complete kits to semi-assembled and even some missing a bunch of parts.  However the prices have been  such that I have bought a couple that were missing some major parts just to get the remaining parts for the the spares stash (which isn't near as big as it used to be these days).   Just don't expect to score every time - ya visit a lot of them and strike out - then you find an amazing bargain (they think of them as toys).  Definately a case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained".  besides which, SWMBO loves going to thrift shops (especially having a couple of three year old grandaughters)

I have the same problem.  Unbuilt kits are just piling up in my basement. Good news is that I've been building more kits in past few weeks than what I have in the past 10 years. 

Big Lots and other close out stores are also a source of kits. I've gotten some fair deals in them. FreeCycle is an option I just thought of that might net you some booty. Flea markets are possibles, as well, and I have gotten some kits there - I have yet to see the first model at any of my local thrift stores. 

I just gave away 2 large boxes full of kits and still have 50 or so. And I've sold off many on ebay in the last few years.

The Stash Monster is voracious but like most of us, it needs to be fed judiciously and occasionally to go on a diet..

Don't forget Hobby Lobby's occasional 25% plastic kit sales! Those are a great place to find good buys! The selection may be picked over after day 1 or 2, but there is still a lot to choose from!

Sadly, several LHS have had "Going Out of Business" sales recently...you can get really good prices there, but it's kind of like shopping at someone's funeral...it just doesn't feel right. It seems like a sad sign of the times. The LHS that are left are mostly R/C and Train related, with only a minimum of plastic kits / supplies avail.  

MattSix wrote:

Sadly, several LHS have had "Going Out of Business" sales recently...you can get really good prices there, but it's kind of like shopping at someone's funeral...it just doesn't feel right. It seems like a sad sign of the times. The LHS that are left are mostly R/C and Train related, with only a minimum of plastic kits / supplies avail.

Agreed! When i was growing up, there used to be 3 REALLY good LHS close to my parents house. Since then, 2 have closed down and all memory erased. The third is still there, but they deal almost exclusively in RC stuff. I was in there 6 months ago, and what scant few kits they had were just caked with dust!

raptordriver wrote:

Ebay's a way to stop the stash monster though I never use it my stash monster likes me.

I was thinking about this all day. You know, I really need a life!

This whole stash montser thing, while funny is about avarice. Pure, unadulterated aquisition - greed, man, greed! We see, we want, we find ways to get. Somewhere along the line, we probably clutch our fingers, grasping at our monitors and the images of gray plastic spread across them. Oh, and lest you think I am preaching out of turn; I am as guilty as the next guy. Two more ebay trades have just entered my stash this week.

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I collect models as much as build them. Sometimes I do both, sometimes I just look at all the neat little parts in the box. I go into my room, turn on the light and just marvel at all the little doodads in their plastic bags. Once, I even caught myself wringing my hands and softly cackling to myself as I hunched over the open boxes. And don't even get me started on decals!

Yes, folks, the stash monster is my friend.

Dahut,

Very well put.

Isn't buying more than you really need a very American quality!? The Shopping Mall, SUVs, Big Screen TVs, Super Sized Value Meals, the 24hr Endless Buffet, and the Big Gulp are perfect examples! Therfore, purchasing more model kits than any one person could possibly build in a lifetime... is your PATRIOTIC DUTY!!!!  

There are worse vices out there... I am glad my only really bad addiction is aquiring boxes full of un-assembled plastic! 

Nachos and Dr Pepper run a tight second and third. The good thing is they are consumed as soon as they are aquired!

Now if you combine my three addictions... then you have the makings of a great, Patriotic, Sat. afternoon!

Rally 'round the flag boys, I feel a patriotic song coming on! If no one minds, Ill bring some beer for the Nachos.

God Bless America.

dahut wrote:

...I just look at all the neat little parts in the box...and just marvel at all the little doodads in their plastic bags...

Don't we all love to?