Hello all, As a member of the “In My Stash” GB I was thinkong about my collection of unbuilt kits and how it came to get as large as it is. My job took me all over the US and I would always as part of my travels stop at some hobby stores and find a kit or two that would really catch my interest. Then there are the kits that I built when I was a kid that I have collected again and intend to build. Lastly there are some that were gifts to me. And that brings me to the topic of how did your stash get to where it is and what is it made of? Are you going to build you collector’s kits or just going to collect them?
I, too, traveled alot in the past and whenever I was laid over I would hunt out the local hobby shops.
I would find an OOP kit and think “Hey! I better pick that up. I may never get the opportunity again.” Or, when a new kit came out, I would worry that they would stop production before I had a chance to pick one up. OR!!! And this is the most recent reason. Hobby Lobby willl have one of their 30%, 40% or even 50% off sales and sure as thunder they will have a kit that I have really wanted but, couldn’t see paying the price that most retailers charge!
My stash got to it’s point (300+ kits, 200+ AM sets) due to a conscious decision on my part. Two years before retiring from the military, I spent nearly every extra dollar on building the stash in the understanding that once I retired, my income would be cut by about 2/3 and I wouldn’t be able to afford to stockpile supplies. My stash didn’t “sneak up on me”, it exploded into existence!
I’ve only been back into modeling since February, so my stash is not huge- 19 kits.
I find I like to collect kits as much as I like building them. I intend to build them all, and I don’t plan to have a stash in the hundreds. (Famous last words.)
When I get a new kit though, I really enjoy examining it, sometimes I blog about it, and of course I love the research. It may take a while to get to it, but I’ll build it.
I have slowed down a bit- a few months ago I was buying a kit every time Hobby Lobby had a 40% coupon. Now I only buy if I find a really good bargain, or it’s a hard to find kit.
Of course, 5 years from now I’ll probably have a stash of 500 and tell a different story. [;)]
Rob, WOW! I am impressed. How long did that take you to collect. And if you ever want to ditch those Aurora tanks let me know. That is a better selection than any of the LHS’s that I have ever been to in recent times.
this explains some of the “top secret” places our military is guarding YOUR stash
lol
o h btw up here in your old stomping grounds at devens they are turning it into a civilian city my brother got a job there and it is a 4-6 yr min. guaranty
My stash consists of about 150 pieces, mainly aircraft.
When I got divorced, my stash consisted of about 5 boxes. Since I met my new wife, the stash kept on growing, because my wife forces [yeah][:D]me to buy what ever I like.
As it is common knowledge that there is always a catch with this kind of female behaviour [}:)], I have to say that she is into collecting cross-stitch patterns. Soooo, whatever money gets spent on models for me,… I guess, you get the picture [:)]
Anyway, I’m not complaining, and it keeps us both happy.[#toast].
Lets hear it for wives who encourage their husbands to build, even with the catch it is a good deal. I went to the LHS one time and saw a lot of old oop kit and started grabbing them. When I asked the owner about them she said one of her customers was getting married and his wife was making him sell them - I said to myself I am staying single, that is until i met my beautiful wife who encourages me to build and even to collect. She was there with me when I got my Rommel’s rod.
I already had a couple of stashes before I even met my wife. My original stash from my grade school/high school days, then my college days stash, then my stationed in Germany stash, and a few other stashes from each time I moved to a new location.
As I stated in the linked post, being close to my parents home during my last assignment, I had the opportunity to drive there and collect up all my unbuilt/half built kits and consolidate them at home. Plus I knew my parents were retiring and moving to Florida so I knew I had to get them or they would be gone (land fill, yard sale).
My current quarters at Ft. Knox has a sizeable basement and for the first time in a couple of decades I was able to uncrate, layout and organize my collection. I’ve given a lot of stuff away, donted some to raffles, sold a few things, traded some as well, but it doesn’t seem like I’ve put much of a dent into the pile.
Which Aurora kits are you looking for? I did trade a couple of my MBT70s away to someone from this board.
Holy Model Kit Stash Batman!! Rob, you’ve floored me…I thought my stash was a lot! I just got back into this a few months ago and my stash has grown to a whopping total of 24. But then again you’ve been at this for quite a while and I’ve had a 28 yr layoff. Wonder how long it would take me to fill a basement…
I’ve got three platic containers filled with kits… probably like 30 in all.
When I was younger I got a few kits for birthday, christmas, etc, then kinda quit building. I bought a P-47 at the LHS for $10 and built it. The race was on. I bought a lot of my models at Hobby Lobby when they had their 50% sale. I also grabbed a few at the local IPMS competition. Then I have 3 or 4 eBay steals. I got an Accurate Miniatures P-51A for… Drum roll please… $7!!!
Well my stash consisted of 2 kits, before i joined this forum. Now i’m in the 20’s. My wife would like to thank all of you for feeding my addiction, because when i see one of my fellow modelers finished kits, i go Ooooo, i want and then poof, it’s in the stash
Like Tigerman, a lot of my stash started with sales, LHS closings and similar. I also got a few from friends and family as presents, and from coworkers who decided not to build them. More were bought because I liked the subject and was afraid they would be oop before I could build them. My build rate is a lot slower than my purchasing rate, hence somewhere around 200.
My stash currently stands at 77 kits, but I lack the motivation to tally up all of my aftermarket stuff. Let’s just say it’s A LOT! [:D] Kit stash was thinned out significantly (by at least 2/3’s) during my move. Some sold on eBay, many went to friends, and the rest got shipped ahead to my new addy. Many of my kits I’ve had for years, some purchased on eBay, some from my former LHS (at 3000+ miles, they’re not local any more [;)] ), and quite a few were on-line purchases.
…and absolutely, let’s hear it for the wives who encourage us!