I recently picked up a 1/48 Hasegawa F-22 Raptor on eBay for $25 (+ $8 shipping). I thought it was a pretty good buy considering what I’ve seen the kit going for elsewhere. Unfortunately, I do not currently have the skill to build this model. So, hopefully after a dozen or so builds, I can go after this guy. My storage space is limited, but I will continue to keep an eye out for top quality kits at a good price. Is this a common practice?
Craig
Dude, it’s called a stash. Many of us have hundreds of kits (perhaps even thousands) that if we started building non-stop we wouldn’t finish before we died.
Purchasing kits is an addiction. I do it for many different reasons. Sometimes kits go out of production, maybe the price was right, and I’ve often bought kits I thought were beyond my present skill set and will tackle them after I get better to do the kit some justice.
I’ve come to the realization that I’m about as good as I’m going to get and I ought to just build it or if I think I’d just mess it up, sell it.
Yes,eventually you will have more kits then you can ever build
YEP, what Rod said. My stash is 200 plus. It gives me a good selection for my next build as well as the reasons Rod gave, getting kits while they are around etc. I also plan well in advance. As a Dio builder, i like to make sure i have all the bits before starting.
And i may not build everything in my stash before i die, seeing as i am still buying. But i am going to give it a damn good go.
I’d say a resounding yes…
But there are many other reasons as well. Sometimes kits are stashed due to concerns about future availability. Most of mine were bought just because they were subject matters that I like and hope to one day build. However, at my current build rate, my stash would last 327.951 years.[:$]
Don’t feel guilty flyerduke, I am doing the same thing myself, “stashing” kits, tools scratch building supplies etc. I am expecting my wife and son to arrive from overseas soon (once immigration paper work finally gets shuffled for the umpteenth time!) and I know the budget is going to be severely curtailed once they get here for a while we set up a new place together, and get everyone settled together.
SO I am taking what opportunity I can now, to stock up so I am good to go with out needing much more than paint and glue for a while, pretty much as stuff comes in, I fondle it, adore it, and then pack it into boxes for retrieval later on, trying to keep just what I am using now out to work with. Best part is, when I finally get to unpack all these goodies again, it will be like another Christmas [:D]
My name is Jim and I have an addiction. I love the smell of plastic in the morning.[;)] I buy whatever strikes my fancy at the time (and I have money in my pocket). Haven’t inventoried the stash lately, but I’ll not outlive it even if I never buy another one. I’m hoping the grandkids will finish to build them, if not, It’ll provide my wife with a little spending money when I’m gone to that great workbench in the sky. Enjoy, life’s short.
Jim [cptn]
And when you “win them in a raffle” they’re almost free, so that lets you pick up a few more, eh? [;)]
Paul
I forgot about them Paul. We have been winning quite a few at the shows. [:D] Hope our luck holds.
Jim [cptn]
I’ve found that my stash has grown to a point where its filled all available space (OK maybe two more) but if it does start to grow past the point where you can easily remember it, so past 10 or so, make a list you can keep somewhere handy. I use my smart phone so I know what I have and it saves me buying duplicates and also makes it possible to buy extras like photoetch and not make mistakes.
Phil
Who’s this “Rod” guy you keep referring to? [;)]
Flyerduke its time you admitted you have a problem! Your only hope is to get to the nearest hobby shop and spend spend spend! Only then will the rest of us feel normal. My name is LittleTimmy and im a plastic addict.
I indeed chuckle each time I hear people express their shock at a growing stash and the obsessive behavior of buying more kits. It is who you are now. Embrace it like a long lost love. Throw worries of storage space out the window and inundate your room, the bathroom, your wifes walk in closet, your neighbors garage with the ever growing wealth of never to be built kits you will inevitably acquire. Accept it because resistance is futile.Muahahahah!
OPPS, get my B’s and D mixed up. Sorry Bob.[:D]
Common practice?? Certainly is around here… “I stash, therefore I am…”
what is this “stash” that some of you are talking about?
and what is this “avoid buying duplicates” while we are at it?
okay, I will fess up, I do know what a stash is,that would be the 6 dozen Phantoms and 5 dozen Skyhawks on the shelves here by my pc.
that “not buying duplicate” deal, though, that just wouldn’t work for me at all,I still need “half a dozen of these, and half a dozen of those” to make my collection easier to build (more duplicates of some types lets me choose “better” builds for certain units)
I simply don’t have any choice, though,there are more squadrons than aircraft types (yeah, that is a good one, I am keeping that for use with SWMBO)
all kidding aside,in today’s market, if you see something you really like, and decals that go with it,unless it is a mainstream kit like Tamiya,you are going to have a tough time getting one in 3 years when you have “built all the kits you own so you can buy more”,they will either be so OOP that no one will part with one,or so rare that you will have to pay a fortune for it
the only time the above doesn’t happen is when you go searching to buy a kit, without having a specific kit or release in mind,then, you can get some bargains,but, you can’t plan ahead on those at all
Rex
AHA ! To STASH or NOT to STASH ! !
I was wondering when most of you would come clean . Now ,you talk about stashes , like they are your long lost buddies .ME TOO ! I think there is another underlying cause for most to suffer that bane of modelers ,which is " Stashitis "
How many of you ,when confronted with the model you like most , get a weird dreamy look in your eyes and your mind is back to when you first built a plastic model ? AHA ! You see ! It’s as I suspected , models are indeed a time machine .
When I go to my stash , I inevitably pull out the guilty first kit (well , the re-pop anyway ) and dream of when four of us boys sat round the table , opening our new models and looking at the parts as well as the PACTRA paint (NO BRUSHMARKS - GUARANTEED ! ) and saw the finished model in our eyes .
This was back when REVELL ruled. The kit? A multipart-bodied car kit .In my case an AUSTIN-HEALY. The KOOL-AID flowed like water and some hours later ,VIOLA’ there it was , the car of our dreams .So we started buying more of them .Hm , I now need inventory sheets to keep them straight .
Tis , true though , I can now never imagine having enough time to build them all .Oh , if I live to the ripe old age of 225 maybe . So there you have it . WE ARE ADDICTED to MODELS ! - Gosh ,I love the smell of fresh plastic in the morning ! ! he he he Tanker-builder
A word of caution; though I too have a huge stash, it can actually work against you. I have gone through many “purges” where I’d get rid of old kits when they’ve been upgraded and superseded by newer, more detailed kits. Many of the old kits just won’t hold up to today’s standards. But then again, if you’re not nutty about details and accuracy, you can have a lot of these kits for cheap off of eBay.
YES
Now you know why we suffer " stashitis ". How many times have you pulled out a kit to divest yourself of it , because of a BETTER re-release ? Then it sets in . Well maybe this might be worth something when I might need a little cash .Back in the stash it goes .
This is what happens , when you have , like some of us ,a large stash . Hmmmmm . where do we go from here ? I have done some actual purges , to the point that my stash is about half the size it used to be . I went and got someone to take them to the WOUNDED WARRIORS center near here. I may never meet any of these folks and hopefully , during their recovery , they derived great pleasure from this action ,on my part .I hope so . Tanker-builder
I have decided against doing purges. I have a few older kits that i could easily replace with a much better newer kit. But i have made the choice now to stick with the ones i have. Other wise i will be continually looking for the newer kit.