How often do you buy models?

I am starting work on my new build, The British Man O' War, I just finish adding the primer, now I am waiting for the paints that I ordered to arrive so I can continue with the build.

Yesterday, The Admiral, was perusing in the Internet and discovered that Amazon had the Heller Le Solei Royal available, knowing that I wanted this model, she went ahead and ordered it for me, "Birthday present" she said (My birthday is not until September). Hey! I am not complaining!

So now I will have one kit in my stash: the Solei Royal.

Joe

I'll buy a few kits a month. With the stash getting into the hundreds I tend to be more selective now.

Anytime I go out of town I try & visit a LHS. You can never leave an LHS empty handed. 

Don Stauffer

I buy about a model a month.  I believe my average build time to be about six weeks.  If you look at the stash growth rate (leaky bucket differential equation) that means my stash grows at a steady rate.  I am trying to reduce the input flow a bit, but not sucessfully so far.

 

 

That pretty much sums up my status too! Out of boredom, I bought more kits than I should have over the Covid19 months.I need to start selling kits, starting with the ones that have been in the stash 2+ years. 

That's a good story Joe. I agree with you, I only work on one model at a time. I think that I have three models in my stash.

I do not have a stash, I prefer to work on a model one at the time, because, I find unconformable to work on a model while having another pending. When I finish a model then I go and decided what will be my next one. There is 2 reason for this, first is that I want to make sure that the model interest me, knowing myself, if the project does not interest me, I won't finish it.

The second reason is economics, I am retired and so is the wife, and besides some savings, my main income at this point is SS, so I have to be very choosy when buying models and I prefer to get one good one ( and maybe expensive but large and interesting )  than getting 3 cheap ones.

The first model  I build, I was maybe 12 and received it as a Christmas present, did not have any paint and only glue, it was a US Navy war ship, do not remember the name. The second was a small car and did it on the spur of the moment while in Army basic training, did not finish it and gave it away.

Next one was the USS Constitution, about 1:90, which I started when I was about 25, then I got married, life got complicate and never finish it, I have no idea what happens to it, years went by and about 2 years ago my kids gave me a wooden locomotive that got me interested in building models again, so when this pandemic started, I decided to start building sailing ships (Like I said in another post, the rigging on old sailing ships, for some reason, fascinates me )

So there I am, I hope I did not bored you guys with the story, I tried to make it as short as possible.

Joe

My purchasing of models varies with the seasons. Most of my time in the Summer is spent outside working in my gardens. Very little time for modeling. Winter is different. That's when I purchase models and work on models.

I collect books, wargames, and models.  I rarely buy any of them new off the shelf, rather, I shop used book stores, thrift shops, flea markets, auction sites, and recently, model shows.

Up until I retired from the military, I bought kits occassionally as I could afford them and the price was right.  After the military and a much better pay package, my stash has skyrocketed in a few years from less than 100 to around 900 now.  But I still stick to getting most of my stash second hand.  My wife is an enabler and will keep an eye out for kits and wargames when we go thrifting and flea marketing.  She also goes through auction sites for older kits to put back for gifts and such for me.  I think she's a keeper.  I used to buy kits I might want to build one day if the price was right.  Lately I've been limiting it to kits I know I'll build.

I do try to support independent birck and mortar shops when I travel around.  I have a soft spot for a shop in Dayton when I visit family.  I usually try to make it a point to pick up three kits at their discounted retail price.  The staff is so friendly and helpful it makes it a fun visit every few months.  At the rest I try to pick up one kit at retail to help the small business cause.

Doug

   I do have a confession to make here. Years ago, if I had a passing interest in a kit, I would buy it to see what was in the box, and then it would become part of the stash.  

    With all the unboxing and build videos on utube, forums like FSM, and other sites, I can enjoy builds that I wouldn’t want to attempt myself, and just buy the models that I truly want to have. 

I have a stash of approximately 200 kits.  I've been building like a crazy man this year 12 already completed (2 of those begun last year).  

My lack of a job has prevented me from adding any kits to the stash this year, but I do have my eyes on a few for when I land my next position.

  I batched syrups for Coca-cola for 30 years, and since there were only three of us, when the doors were open, I had to be there.  Lots of overtime. I got to buy a kit every OT week, with everything else going to our bank account. About 40 a year. As I got older, and got involved with table top miniature gaming, that number went way down.  

    I sold most of them, and only have kits that I intend to build. I probably average 3 a year now. 

    I have a lot of miniature armys  that I’m slowly selling off and putting the money back into kits.  

How often do I buy kits?  Depends on how I feel that day. Probably picked up 9 kits in the last couple of months.  My real problem is decals. I buy a set for one aircraft, and wouldn't you know it there's usually another plane on there I want to do as well.  Same with race cars. I tend to buy now and build later versus trying to find it later to build and be disappointed when I can't find it or don't want to pay the price they're asking at the time. Compared to my friends, I have a relatively modest stash of 400-500 kits.

I have about 70-80 kits currently. Most of what I buy anymore is kits that are somewhat hard to find. Oddballs and out of production kits that I've always wanted but just can't see paying what people ask for them now. SO, I sit and watch and wait until I see one pop up for what I figure is a good deal then I snap it up. I build planes mostly, but like John, I've started to build cars again and that stash is growing. I have also started to build armor now and that stash is growing. SO, I will never run out of kits and when I'm gone my family can retire on selling those left over kits for inflated prices. They are all made of gold don't ya know?

BK

Bish

 

 

wpwar11

I’ve been modeling now for eight months.  Money is going towards building a bench more than actual models.  Starting out the building materials are more expensive than the kits.  An airbrush and compressor certainly wasnt a cheap investment.  Now that I have a reasonable collection of tools and paints I’m a little more focused on buying models.  I currently have three in the stash.  My pace to build looks like 3-4 a year so I think it’s going to be build one buy one.  Someone has to explain to me the large stash thing.  It makes sense if your at a show and find incredible deals or rare finds.  Other than that what difference does it make if it’s sittting on your dusty shelf or at Sprue Brothers?  

 

 

 

 

Largely because its going to stay on your dusty shelf until you build it. That kit might go out of production and when Sprue Brothers and the rest sell out, you might end up having to pay and arm and a leg for it, if you can get it at all. Doesn't happen with every kit, but it does happen.

And a large stash also give you plenty of choice when it comes to what to build next.

 

I definitely agree with what Bish says,some kits do go out of production and you would like to have them in case the price sky rockets,but I will never understand the stashes of hundreds even thousands.Another thought,I have built many versions of Dragon Panthers and Jagdpanthers,great kits and great results,so now RFM is putting out their Panther line,reviews say they are nice kits too,but I will not go get any of them now.I got 30-40 other kits waiting to be built,don't need any Panthers at the moment,maybe in the future I might do one,but I will not stash all of their Panthers just to have them.Thats just me.It seems under normal conditions,not under quarantine,I can build about 6-7 a year with my other interest,so why would I stash even 100 kits.But hey,thats just me,whatever turns you on.

wpwar11

I’ve been modeling now for eight months.  Money is going towards building a bench more than actual models.  Starting out the building materials are more expensive than the kits.  An airbrush and compressor certainly wasnt a cheap investment.  Now that I have a reasonable collection of tools and paints I’m a little more focused on buying models.  I currently have three in the stash.  My pace to build looks like 3-4 a year so I think it’s going to be build one buy one.  Someone has to explain to me the large stash thing.  It makes sense if your at a show and find incredible deals or rare finds.  Other than that what difference does it make if it’s sittting on your dusty shelf or at Sprue Brothers?  

 

Largely because its going to stay on your dusty shelf until you build it. That kit might go out of production and when Sprue Brothers and the rest sell out, you might end up having to pay and arm and a leg for it, if you can get it at all. Doesn't happen with every kit, but it does happen.

And a large stash also give you plenty of choice when it comes to what to build next.

I’ve been modeling now for eight months.  Money is going towards building a bench more than actual models.  Starting out the building materials are more expensive than the kits.  An airbrush and compressor certainly wasnt a cheap investment.  Now that I have a reasonable collection of tools and paints I’m a little more focused on buying models.  I currently have three in the stash.  My pace to build looks like 3-4 a year so I think it’s going to be build one buy one.  Someone has to explain to me the large stash thing.  It makes sense if your at a show and find incredible deals or rare finds.  Other than that what difference does it make if it’s sittting on your dusty shelf or at Sprue Brothers?  

I'm guessing I have probably 70-80 in the stash right now.  I will say that as part of the hobby I'll pull kits out and review the instructions, painting options, decals and make notes.  I generally look at a kit 4 or 5 times before I build it.  This is a great part of the hobby for me.  My wife and I will be watching TV and I'll pull out 3 or 4 kits to go thru.  Great fun for me and the cat - and my wife tollerates my need to show her the really cool parts of the kit and my plans. Part of the problem is I am a big aircraft fan but I also dig cars so I'm double dipping.  I just ordered 3 more car models and I can't wait for them to arrive.  Fun stuff!  Not to mention the space optimization problem that storing these kits presents.  It's like Tetris with models ;P

How often do I buy models ???

Well... first I "distract" my wife .....

Then I  buy,buy,buy!!!!!

Usually 5 or 6 kits a month (cars,trucks,ships,planes ) HOWEVER, I buy model train stuff in lots so.... 15 or 20 kits a month.

Hi,

I hate to admit but I buy far too many kits, and buy them far more frequently than I should, to probably ever complete them all, especially with the limited time that I currently have for building them.  I guess part of it is that some stuff that I have bought (like the 1/72 scale Revell Flower Class Corvette, is something that I saw and wanted as a kid but couldn't afford back then.  And other times I find I get interested in a topic (like interwar/early war armor) and end up buying a few kits to get a better understanding of what they looked like, but then start buying more to see how they compared to tanks from other countries.

Hopefully, maybe in about 10-12 years, if/when I might be able to retire, I might be able to really start making a dent in what I have accumulated.

Pat 

Tickmagnet

after I build one or two I order one to replace each one I built

Very impressive, Tickmagnet - calm, controlled, selective - like a trained marksman.  In my head I'm like that too, but, in reality, I'm more prone to bursts of rapid fire!  A recent Korean War theme led me to buy the new AFV Club Centurion Mk III, Tamiya's 25-pounder & Quad, and Tamiya's Churchill mk VII.  Of these, only the Churchill is yet built, but the theme has expanded to include British tanks generally.  Thus, I have Tamiya's Challenger 1, (completed) Challenger 2, (unbuilt) and Valentine (on the bench).  And a new (long) list of "must haves" - Matilda, Crusader, Vickers Light & Mediums - oh, and Airfix are bringing out 2 new Cromwells this year!  And, as for the Battle of Britain build, I've only got the Hurricane finished - where will it end?  Of course, there is also the "ooh, that's nice" category to contend with (Tamiya SAS Jeep, Airfix Beaufighter TF10, Revell U-boat Type VIIc (1/72)).  Oh, and the V-Bombers (all 3, still boxed).

The stash currently stands at about 25 or so, and it needs to be controlled.  Mrs 6390 hasn't said anything yet, but I can see her expression when The Delivery Man Cometh.  Must....build....faster....

Happy modelling,

                          Hutch.

I started building at the ripe old age of 6. My 2 uncles kept me supplied with everything until I got old enough to make my own money. I bought whatever I wanted when I had enough money which started a stash that has kept growing for the last 73 years. I stopped buying kits about 8 or 9 years ago when I started going to contests. Then I only bought a kit if it was something special for me. Instead, I just bought raffle tickets at the shows. At 3 or 4 shows a year, I usually brought home at least 2 or 3 per show (which comes out to $10 a show. I have built around 5 or 6 a year, which means that my stash has still grown over the years. At the rate I build now, I still have enough kits to last a good 200+ years. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the man upstairs will let me take them with me to the Great Workbench In The Sky (if I get there). 

Jim  

Stay Safe.

Yeah, I just got a good one from Arcadia Publishing (the little brown ones).

"World War II Shipyards by the Bay".

I'm working on a paper about the Mission class T2 tankers.

Bill

GMorrison

There's other things that my disposable income goes to, mostly improving my domicile.

 

Bill

 

and perhaps buying books? 

When I was a kid, the limiter was the allowance I had in my pocket, plus the lack of information about what was out there (pre-internet/smartphone days).  But then, things seemed to move slower back then anyway, so it all balanced out.  I built what I bought on the same day.  I never had a storage problem, because every New Year's Eve I'd go to my friend's house and we'd blow up all our broken models.

As I got older, like many others, I started buying better and more expensive kits.  I still blew up the old ones up until high school, but by college I stopped.  I began to appreciate finished models more, and once I started a full time job, I realized I could afford pretty much anything I wanted.  This was the start of the Stash.  I pretty much much bought anything that caught my fancy whenever I saw it, and so the Stash grew.

Contests and trips to Japan were another source of model purchases, especially the trips to Japan, where Tamiya and Hasegawa kits were 1/2 price compared to the US retail.  I would go nuts and buy as much as I could fit into my suitcases.  But as time went on and the Stash grew, it became obvious that there was a limit to what I could hoard.  The last time I went on a trip was the 2018 IPMS Nationals, and I brought home only two kits, one of which was for a friend.

I still buy whatever I want, but temper the "buy this" finger by asking myself if I have room for the kit.  There are certain things that break straight through this feeble resistance, like Airfix's upcoming 1/72 Avro Vulcan B.2.

The real deterrent for me now is the fact that I have witnessed several modeling buddies passing, and they all left behind enormous numbers of kits (which dwarfed my own but that's besides the point).  Helping their families try to sell off the kits has been arduous to say the least.  My sister told me that if I did that - she'd kill me.  I don't know how she'd do it, but I believe she would find a way to deal me a second death!

Hi JimiJimo!

    I used to buy about two a week till I went in service. Then about one every three or four months. Became a civilian and my model buying went crazy! In 1982 I had three barn shaped 12x14 foot sheds filled to the rafters!. Natural disaster forced the sale of all of them.

     Started again in the late 90s and now have a large stash. Buy models now, No! After Market( P.E.and such ) yes. Model railroad scenics that can be used on scratch-built Tankers and Freighters, Lots. At least four or five a month. Sometimes as many as six or seven at one time. They add up to maybe one or two expensive ship kits every two or three months. 

My jobs when I was growing up allowed me to get what ever I wanted.  Not huge, 1 or 2 every couple of months, mostly 1/72 planes and other things.  As an adult, especially in college in the early 1970's I moved into armour.  I was really lucky, 1/35  tank models were just starting to appear in numbers.  I had a friend who worked at a hobby shop and he would feed my growing obession.  So I learned all about Tamiya, Hasegawa, Fujimi, Otaki, etc.   My part time jobs were good, my rent and other bills were OK and models were inexpnsive.   So in 1976 I moved to Denver, I had  beginning stash of 9 unbuilt kits, many built, maybe 20.  Others I had given away.  I got married had a Daughter, kept modelling, I then had about 40 kits in the 1983 period of time.  I also got into  IPMS then.  Got a divorce, kept modeling, again my job was great, the collection kept growing.  Now the stash numbers in the hundreds maybe thousand.  I've been remarried for 20 years, still good friends with my ex-wife, my daughter loves my models.  She gets me stuff for holiday etc.  My buddies at IPMS are all good friend with me.  We have club meetings at my home, until COVID.  Soon, we will start again.

Now I hardly ever get anything new, or old.  Have done a lot of it.  I have a fantastic local hobby shop I've been using for decades, Colpar Hobbies.  We in Denver used to have many more shops around.  I worked part time in one 40 years ago. You should see my collction.  I have amost every thing that Tamiya, Dragon ,Academy,  AFV Club, you name it . There's my partial biography.   Boring.