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Post by geardriven on Nov 10, 2018 20:15:53 GMT -7
OK....I was sitting here thinking about my favorite kit (which is always the next one I am going to buy...) But then, I get these little voices in my head asking, "Why buy another kit?....you have enough kits to build"....(No, it's not my wife.....).....so I started to think, out of all the kits I buy, how many of them do I build? In my case, I am a collector of sealed kits (I did open one once, but broke into a sweat followed by severe shivers...) I buy sealed inside, open kits for building purposes, but even those are starting to stack up. Leaving my sealed kits out of the calculations, I have purchased about 20 open kits and have (3) going on the build table. Of those three however, two are destined for slot car duty. Their is no chassis, interior nor engine work, however their is easily equal time assembling a slot car chassis, fabrication for a partial interior, creating a strong, lightweight body-to-chassis mounting system and of course, complete body painting & detailing, chrome & glass work......and it must be built for impact. So simply said, my buy-to-build ratio is 20:3 at this time, but I have just been sniffing around on the Internet, so that ratio may change...lol How about yours...
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Post by DeeCee on Nov 10, 2018 20:49:27 GMT -7
I build on average 12-15 kits a year, but manage to buy probably 20-25, ALL of which WILL get built, as i am not a collector, just a builder. If a kit is WORTH $300, and i get it for a regular kit price, i will still build it, if it's any more, they can keep it.. There are a lot of kits in my stash, that are second hand, started or built, which i only picked up because of the "parts " factor, but every kit i buy, will get used one day. There is about 120 NEW kits, and about 50 or so "seconds" kits, and a few hundred on the built shelf. I just love building..
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Post by stitchdup on Nov 11, 2018 0:40:49 GMT -7
I probably buy way too many kits. Since I started my job in feb I've probably doubled my stash and have another few boxes of kits on the way. Some are new kits and some second hand. I also buy a lot of hobby design resin parts and if something looks to be too good a price to refuse I'll buy it too. I think at the moment I have 10 started builds, but sometimes a little bit of a build will go wrong so it goes back in the box to save me throwing it against a wall. I maybe finish 4 or 5 builds a year but every kit i buy is intended to be built. Some kits I'll buy to resell later such as the esci/revell/italeri mk2 escorts and transit vans. I do try to stick to 1/24 and 1/25 though. I've recently found a place that does resin bodies of british cars so I'll most likely be buying more of them. I do give myself a maximum price I'll pay for a kit and very rarely will i go over that limit, unless its a kit I really want
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Post by Deano on Nov 11, 2018 2:30:14 GMT -7
I have a collection but it's because I'm a slow builder. It'll take me 12 months or so to do a truck depending on how many mods I make and if I'm copying an actual truck or not but I usually do a car, space ship or figure as well in that time plus rebuilds and repairs. I'll buy 3-4 kits a year plus conversion kits/cabs. I have 4-5 in the planning stage at once but usually end up rethinking half of them and putting them back in the cupboard until it 'talks' to me. Hoping to get a couple more done a bit quicker to put in next years monthly builds.
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Post by lowlife on Nov 11, 2018 8:50:13 GMT -7
Don't know why but it bugs me people collecting kits ! To me it's as a bad as buying a Lamborghini, and hardly ever taking it out for a drive.... It's a kit designed to be built, what pleasure do you get from looking at a pile of sealed boxes ?
BUILD THEM, BUILD THEM ALL, or sell them to someone who will build them ( me! )
I start building every kit I've ever bought, I may not finish it, but usually it will surface one day and get completed. Not meaning to upset anyone here, but it's just my opinion !
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Post by stitchdup on Nov 11, 2018 10:55:51 GMT -7
I dont get bugged by people collecting too much, but it does drive the prices up for us builders. I've seen me get a kit just for one part to use on another build but then I'll take parts of something I've completed to go onto something else. That might change once I have some display space though. I've got some simple dioramas i want to build but i need a bigger house first since mine looks more like a model shop after a robbery. I had to get rid of my tv so I had space for my stash
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Post by RetroSpectKustoms on Nov 11, 2018 16:06:23 GMT -7
Don't know why but it bugs me people collecting kits ! To me it's as a bad as buying a Lamborghini, and hardly ever taking it out for a drive.... It's a kit designed to be built, what pleasure do you get from looking at a pile of sealed boxes ? BUILD THEM, BUILD THEM ALL, or sell them to someone who will build them ( me! ) I start building every kit I've ever bought, I may not finish it, but usually it will surface one day and get completed. Not meaning to upset anyone here, but it's just my opinion ! I see your point Lowlife...If I had a Lambo..it would not get driven a lot, because the rear tyres would always be bald!!
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Post by RetroSpectKustoms on Nov 11, 2018 16:36:33 GMT -7
My buy to build ratio is out too. I buy more than I build. But there is quite a few kits in my stash I have looked at in the past couple of years and asked myself "will I ever REALLY build it?" If the answer is no..I sell it off. If it's yes..it stays!
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Post by geardriven on Nov 11, 2018 20:32:50 GMT -7
After looking back at the reasoning, I asked myself why do I collect?.... and I seemed to come up with some answers, maybe reasons or maybe just excuses....however here it goes....see if any of you might agree. 1). Box Art - I am drawn ( Like a kid with his nose pressed on the glass of a candy store) to box art. Vivid coloring, vehicle positioning in the picture, etc, etc... Let's be frank, the parts molds are basically identical...maybe a little bit more "flashy" as the molds wear out...and some variations may have some extra parts (wheels, tires, different hood....and I believe these molds may even cross manufacturers. I am unsure of how many '67 Dodge Coronets, '70 Dodge Challengers (R/Ts and T/As) I have.... I think you get the picture.... 2.) Kits I wanted to purchase in the past but passed on it at the time with later regrets, didn't have the money or was in between hobbies (away from car kits) and the kit was reintroduced in a "new box"....and now it's something I need to add to the collection. 3.) An attempt to own every kit produced...ever dreamed of that....?!?!?!? 4.) I have a liking to "specifics".. Since I re-entered the model car hobby about 7-8 year ago, I drew a liking to the Johan 1/25 car kits. In the heyday, they were the "red-headed stepson" of the model making industry. Companies like AMT, Revell and Monogram were the companies churning out the GM, Ford and some/most of the Mopars, along with other cars lines as well, leaving Johan with the scraps.... Think of how many Ramblers that AMT and the others made, yet Johan used their creativity, limited manufacturing resources and limited subject material and gave the "AMTs" a run for their money. I believe their is a cult of Johan collectors out there and if so, I guess I am one of them. Every Johan kit I have is sealed and stored away....their are some that elude me because of price and scarcity....whether I will ever own them kits, time will tell. And....will I ever build any of my Johan kits... ? Yes I will...the '70 Olds Cutlass 442 and the Red, White and Blue '69 AMC American Scrambler S/C.....why.... ?.....because I bought open boxed copies of each car to build (as I already have sealed examples in my collection). I also collect Pontiacs....big cars, GTOs, Firebirds, etc...why... ... my Dad owned Pontiacs, I learned how to drive on Pontiacs, I owned some of the most potent and "collectible" Pontiac muscle cars made and until GM pulled the plug on the Pontiac car line, that's all I owned and drove. 5.) Investment - a small amount of the kits I own have maintained their value and a few have risen in price. I am older and I have son. Although he is not into model building, he is familiar to what my collection represents. If for reasons unknown, he would like to pickup where I left off, he has a good base to start with. Conversely, the collection can be sold. 6.) Besides the Johan stuff and Pontiac kits, I call the remainder my "collection"....but is it really... It contains kits I have taken a liking to...something that is attached to something in my past... A car I would have like to owned, a favorite relatives car, etc These as well are all sealed, but sealed maybe because I want to be the first to open it. If the reasoning is right, I do not think I would flinch opening one of these....the Johan or Pontiac kits, that would be another thing. So I guess it might be right in saying, I have a small collection as well as a "stash" of sealed kits.... I can understand those who buy kits only to build kits as well....I can fully understand and have no qualms with that philosophy. My kits are like earning a wage.....some of your wage you "stash away" and some of it you spend. As far as the Lambo, it would be a fair-weather car for me. It would never be my first or probably not my second car either, as I would have a "daily driver" to use. It would be like having a regular kit to build each of the 6 days of the week with one "special" kit to build on a particular day..... Thanks for listening...
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Post by DeeCee on Nov 11, 2018 23:50:00 GMT -7
Looks like we all have our reasons to build or collect.. if we were all the same, we would all be fighting after the same stocks..
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Post by poet on Nov 12, 2018 6:50:06 GMT -7
I have 24 kits right now, I keep an inventory on a spreadsheet so I know what I have. I'm building two right now, and have 3 others i started but not completed. I'm not a collector, so I don't like to keep too many kits. I bought three when the local hobby shop was closing and I bought them cheap. I do think collectors drive up the price, but you can also look at it as demand that the manufacturers need to stay viable, so I don't mind. I don't build a lot of kits in a year, so I have to keep my stash kind of low, though I retired in August so that will probably change. I create a build sheet for each kit as I come close to building it, complete with ideas and research. I used to be an analyst, but now I'm just anal! icon_giggles
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2018 8:08:54 GMT -7
I buy to build. I crank open the box almost immediately to gawk at all the goodies inside. Collectors are awesome they keep the boxes all pretty for you before you crank them open. I do like to save the boxes when done thinking someday I might display them with the models. I also have more kits than I will ever finish as I get on tangents and only want to build certain things so last months dream builds get stacked in their boxes waiting. I should really build what I have and put away my spare buying money for my three dream kits. ( 1/16 Prudhomme rail and dragster and 1/12 Tamiya Jagermeister 935) and enough to keep me toying around with MOTM.
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Post by 406 Silverado on Nov 13, 2018 20:57:36 GMT -7
I feel like I shouldn’t even get involved in this conversation. Lol. I have close to 500 kits. When I get an idea for something I want to build, I buy it if I don’t have it. I would say about 80% of them I got while selling through my stores. I would buy a collection, keep what I wanted and resold the rest. I am proud to say that about 1/3 of the kits I have are resin, many rare pieces. While I know I won’t build all of them, I like to have what I need when I’m ready to build it. I probably have as ,any aftermarket parts as kits.
Now the only thing I need is the skill to make the builds worth their while.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2018 5:47:01 GMT -7
We should have an other than plastic build..I love the smell of resin.
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Post by poet on Nov 14, 2018 7:48:14 GMT -7
I feel like I shouldn’t even get involved in this conversation. Lol. I have close to 500 kits. When I get an idea for something I want to build, I buy it if I don’t have it. I would say about 80% of them I got while selling through my stores. I would buy a collection, keep what I wanted and resold the rest. I am proud to say that about 1/3 of the kits I have are resin, many rare pieces. While I know I won’t build all of them, I like to have what I need when I’m ready to build it. I probably have as ,any aftermarket parts as kits. Now the only thing I need is the skill to make the builds worth their while. cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon Wish you had the skill?!! I'm just trying to get near your level!!
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Post by lowlife on Nov 14, 2018 10:49:52 GMT -7
That's next year's model competitions sorted then....
We all build one of ICEMAN's kits, because he's got too many, so we're helping him !! two-thumbs-up-smiley-emoticon
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