A belated hello from the West of Ireland

[klr]

Well, I guess it's time I introduced myself, as I've been here a couple of weeks, and lurked for years before that.

 

I started modelling in the late 1970s: My very first model was the Airfix Spitfire Vb, circa 1976. But I didn't really start until Christmas 1978. I've never really stopped, although there have been periods of low activity, which is the main reason why my stash is as big as it is. That and the fact that it seems to take longer and longer to complete models.

 

My main interest is in 1/72 aircraft, but I also have a lot of small-scale armour, and a collection of ships and boats in a range of scales. I need a spreadsheet to keep track of everything - actually, I use them to keep track of lots of things, but the kits spreadsheet is the biggest.

[dogsbody]

Greetings from the West of Canada. 

 

Welcome back to the hobby. You sound a bit like me. Haven't built or completed anything in decades but keep adding to the stash, just in case.

 

 

 

Chris

[klr]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

Greetings from the West of Canada. 

 

Welcome back to the hobby. You sound a bit like me. Haven't built or completed anything in decades but keep adding to the stash, just in case.

 

 

 

Chris

Oh, I'm not quite like that. Yes, there have been some years when I've done very little, for one reason or another. But I've always gone back. The problem is not starting nearly enough kits, and not finishing nearly enough of what I've started. The curse of the Internet: Ignorance was bliss. When I knew next to nothing, there was very little to stop me completing a model in double-quick time. But now I can be very slow to start a certain kit because of some perceived issues with the build, with accuracy, or with the correct paint scheme or markings. Or because I've waited so long to build a kit (over 30 years in some cases), that they've been superseded by newer and better kits - or that I've just gone "off" them.

 

I've come to the conclusion that some kits (maybe a lot of them) should be built more or less as they are. The stash is already so large I'll likely never complete it, even if I take early retirement. You can't take them with you, or so they say ...

[dogsbody]

Let's just say that if my stash of kits, paints, decals plus all the books and magazines ever caught fire, it would be considered an environmental disaster!

 

 

Chris

[klr]

2 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

Let's just say that if my stash of kits, paints, decals plus all the books and magazines ever caught fire, it would be considered an environmental disaster!

 

 

Chris

🤣

 

My stash is so large it's split over two locations: My own apartment, and my original family home over 200km away. It's lucky that no-one other than me is aware of the full extent of it, or else my sanity would be questioned (even more than it already is). At times I question it myself.

 

It could be worse: One of my friends has most of his stash in the attic, and I don't think even he himself is sure what he has. His wife may suspect, but I don't think she truly grasps the extent of it. If she ever does ...

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Hello klr... from the windy city of Chicago. 
 

Dennis

Edited January 25, 2020 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[klr]

15 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Hello klr... from the windy city of Chicago. 
 

Dennis

Thanks, it's pretty windy where I live as well, about 100 metres from the Atlantic Ocean, where the prevailing winds come from. My apartment faces away from the ocean, which might not seem the best location ... until the wind starts to howl.

[dogsbody]

1 hour ago, klr said:

🤣

 

My stash is so large it's split over two locations: My own apartment, and my original family home over 200km away. It's lucky that no-one other than me is aware of the full extent of it, or else my sanity would be questioned (even more than it already is). At times I question it myself.

 

It could be worse: One of my friends has most of his stash in the attic, and I don't think even he himself is sure what he has. His wife may suspect, but I don't think she truly grasps the extent of it. If she ever does ...

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[klr]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

That inevitably makes me think of the preceding scene:

 

 

Anyway, at least I know (hopefully!) where everything is in my stashes, although that was only made possible by spending serious amounts time on re-organizing and checking everything. It's almost an obsession in itself.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

9 hours ago, klr said:

I need a spreadsheet to keep track of everything

 

9 hours ago, dogsbody said:

but keep adding to the stash, just in case.

Don't worry guys, I think there's treatment available for these conditions, although klr might want to consider checking into an isolation ward. Such organisation could be contagious! 😷

 

Gidday klr, and welcome aboard. I'm mainly a ship modeler in 1/600 myself so I'd be interested in seeing those that you've done. And I understand about taking longer and longer to build, due to research avenues available to us now that weren't around when we were much younger.

7 hours ago, klr said:

The stash is already so large I'll likely never complete it, even if I take early retirement. You can't take them with you, or so they say ...

It sounds like you are what we call StABLE - "stash acquired beyond life expectancy". If I'm not there yet I'm very close to it. And I think you're right, we can't take them with us. 😥 Perhaps we can send some on ahead? 😁

 

And I repeat, welcome aboard. Regards, Jeff.

[klr]

9 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

 

Don't worry guys, I think there's treatment available for these conditions, although klr might want to consider checking into an isolation ward. Such organisation could be contagious! 😷

 

Gidday klr, and welcome aboard. I'm mainly a ship modeler in 1/600 myself so I'd be interested in seeing those that you've done. And I understand about taking longer and longer to build, due to research avenues available to us now that weren't around when we were much younger.

It sounds like you are what we call StABLE - "stash acquired beyond life expectancy". If I'm not there yet I'm very close to it. And I think you're right, we can't take them with us. 😥 Perhaps we can send some on ahead? 😁

 

And I repeat, welcome aboard. Regards, Jeff.

So the isolation ward would be for everyone else's benefit, not mine? Well, I could live with that ... as long as I could take the stash with me. Building kits is the only way for me to keep sane.

 

Re the 1/600 ships: I've not built any of those for a very long time, and those that I did build would not have been to a great standard. I still have quite a few in the stash though, but I don't plan on building some any time soon. But you never know.

 

The stash does indeed exceed life expectancy, unless I retire tomorrow, live to 120, build kits all day long, and don't buy any more (well, not too much more). I've decided to clear out what I'm unlikely to ever build, and I have a friendly local hobby shop dealer who will take them off my hands. The problem is, I end up buying almost as many from him that came from other people's stashes. For example, a few months ago, I picked up a pile of ship kits going dirt cheap: The Airfix WW II destroyer set (4 kits), Falklands War set (3 kits), Graf Spee and HMS Fearless, as well as a stunning Tamiya 1/700 waterline kit of the USS Bogue. Oh, and a couple of Soviet aircraft carriers as well. Probably about 60 Euro for 12 kits.

 

One thing I have done is to cut right back on buying any large/expensive kits, not that I every went overboard on those. The biggest and most expensive kit I bought last year was an Airfix Shackleton MR.2. I also got the Airfix Fortress III (RAF countermeasures version) and Airfix Whitley VII. All 3 were near the top of my "want" list, and all cost less than the RRP for one reason or another.

 

I also avoid ordering online, although I do order some kits via my local hobby shop. Between that shop and another in my home city, I get most of what I reasonably need. There is still a lot more that's only available online, but if I were to go that route, I might go nuts altogether ...