Ravings from a kit hoarder

I received a couple of kits in the mail today. As I was carefully rearranging the stash like a rubrics cube I realized there is not enough space left for another kit. I had to think about that for a while. I had been free to add to the stash because It had room to grow with out expanding beyond its borders. Today that ended. If I get another kit, it will be obvious because it will be located in a place where it shouldn’t be. I think I am covered for a Merage 3c I want and maybe Tamiya’s new Comet by sitting them on my work bench. But Takoms M103A1 and others future kits leave me in a quandary. Do I go offshore and start a stash in my office at work? I plan on retiring at 67 so how do I show up with the additional 15 kits? Yes dear, they gave me a retirement party and everyone brought me a kit? I don’t think so… I need to stew on this a while.

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Decisions, decisions. I worked w/a fellow back in the 80’s who we lost to a car accident. When cleaning out his office we came up w/3 large cardboard boxes that were about 32" on a side. They were filled with brass HO models of steam locomotives. I have absolutely no idea how he intended to get them home!!! I knew his wife and while she accepted his hobby it wasn’t her favorite way to spend money.

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You can put some kits inside another kit box.

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That’s what I do!
I have lots of “cohabiting kits”.
Don’t make the mistake of storing two Dragon kits with a lot
of almost duplicated sprues in the same box.

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:face_exhaling: That’s already been done where space in the boxes were available.

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Sounds like its time to cull the stash.

  1. Check inventory. This may take hours, days or weeks depending on the stash. Focus of finding duplicate kits or subject matter duplication.

  2. Example in my stash there eight Panzer IV H models kits.

  3. Of the eight H’s, one of those is a 1970 Monogram, 1970’s Tamiya and two copies of the same Dragon Pz IV H.

  4. Pick which of the four gets sold, donated to the club’s next raffle or given away.

  5. Rinse repeat for all duplicate kits.

  6. Inspect stash for kits no longer of interest. Select a couple to sell, donate to the club’s next raffle or give away.

  7. Commonly always available kits, (Tamiya 1/35 Panther A etc) that are inexpensive and easily replaced dispose of as mentioned above.

  8. Increase build & completion rate. Several strategies available, better tools to decrease build times, carefully deciding to build quantity kits out of the box without excessive detail enhancement.

  9. Decide to implement a buying metric. Two Built and Completed before purchasing One new kit.

I’ve found this a relatively painless way to manage a ~150 to 200 kit stash and keep it in the available closet space.

Just don’t get carried away trimming and end up like these guys…

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I consider my kit collections to be part of my retirement plan, I already know that when I do retire at 67 I probably won’t be able to afford to drop the same amount of cash on a kit that I am able to do now, I still have to show some restraint and self-control though. I also have to consider this is my only indulgence except for a nice ribeye on the grill once in a while.

Cajun :crocodile:

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I’m starting to hoard kits as of late. I still have a wayts to go before I can even consider retirement, but it will keep me busy and entertained for a rainy day.

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Number 6 is particularly true. Sometimes a kit or subject just isn’t as interesting anymore. Nothing wrong with recognizing that and moving on.

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These are the 2022 - 2023 acquisitions that are stacked in my studio because there is no more shelf space down in the basement in my stash. I’m going to have to come up with a solution soon before I push myself out of my bunker!

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Whoa, very impressive !

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Your incorrigible Matt !!!

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Phuoc My! :crazy_face:

Cajun :crocodile:

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My wife solved this for me
If I want to buy a new kit - one must be sacrificed to the “For Sale” gods.
It has helped in 2 ways
1 - Will I ever complete any number of the large vac-formed aircraft
2 - Do I really (really - really) want the new kit, or is it just an infatuation?

Michael

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Tried to sell some of my kits on EBay but wasn’t getting much for them. Got tired of giving them away on EBay and working for EBay. So I started to give my shelf queens and “never gonna build it” kits to a local kid. He enjoys building them with his father. Problem partially solved.

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I’ve got some kits to unload - looks like the simple solution is to sell them to Matt … oh wait a minute -
they have wings … :smile:

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My wife is under the assumption that We need to build an upstairs to our ranch style house as a way for me to store and build kits. Sounds like a dream until you realize a $300,000 addition is a bit much for a 110 kit stash. So I am stewing a lot lately…

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Use government accounting & spending procedures: if $300,000 addition gets storage for 110 kits then double the addition to $600,000 for storage for 220 kits…wink

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You could do what I did and rent a storage unit. Then when the monthly bill comes you can look in the mirror and ask, “What the hell is wrong with me?”.

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I am roughly figuring $3000 per kit. This is like finding a Porsche GT3 emblem and then buying the car to put it on…

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