Welcome to “Club Med”, and I don’t mean the vacation type! My wife and I have maintained a will for over 20 years now, and I’d tell anyone who doesn’t have one, regardless of age, that they need one. But back to the subject at hand— I’ve been paring my stash down for about the last 15 years, realizing I wouldn’t be here forever, and a stash of over 2K would be a burden on my survivors. So I’m down to about 200 (it’s been creeping up a little lately though, it may be closer to 300) kits that I may actually have time for. But at the rate I build (5-10 a year) I recognize there will still be quite a few left over. Here’s some solutions to that:
1) Since one can never predict our true “expiration date”— don’t worry about it and let your heirs take care of the problem when you’re gone (which you’ve already alluded to).
2) Help out others by giving kits away to aspiring modelers, or help other modelers who are looking for that special kit. I’ve given away several right here on Kitmaker when I see somebody who needs one I have.
3) Find a LHS to buy them now (usually at a greatly reduced value) or give you “trade credit” for them. I’m lucky enough to have two in my area.
4) Before you buy one of the “latest” kits, “dispose” of at least 4-5 of your older kits (see rule #2-3 and above). That’s my basic rule of thumb now.
5) Join a local modeling group if you can, you’ll meet folks to trade, sell, or give away to for sure.
6) Downsize. That is, reduce the scale. It’s a lot faster to build in a smaller scale for the most part, you’re not so tempted by endless aftermarket sets. I’ve been trading a lot of 1/35 and 1/32 kits for 1/72 lately— the less detail, the faster I can build. Display and kit storage space is better too.
6) Specialize. Instead of buying every new kit (or every kit you come across), resist the temptation to buy outside of your interest area. And if you buy a new kit of something, get rid of the old kit. Two old Tamiya jeeps equal one new Takom Jeep in my mind.
7) I “specialize” in kits, and try not to “stray” out of these categories: 1/72 sea and floatplanes; Two types of 1/35 US Sherman tanks (that is, two tank kits); US towed artillery 1917-1945; 1927-1972 open wheel racers and pre-1939 Town Cars; the twelve most famous aircraft of WWII (based on the Riko Watanabe artwork books); 1/700 Essex class carriers; 54mm and 1/16 scale US miniature figures; US Delta Wing A/C in 1/72 scale; Between the wars “yellow wings” aircraft; 1/72 real spacecraft, and 1/32 WWI aircraft. I ignore everything else (well, I do have some exceptions for a few other interesting modeling subjects, but I try to stay within my interests). By keeping within this list, I find I exclude most other items, and my stash stays smaller.
8) Avoid “impulse buys” based on “reviews” or how good a kit looks in a box, or just "good buys" (the old adage--I got such a good deal on this wackhammer, but I don't know if I'll ever use it! applies here). Stick to your interest areas.
Finally, two points to remember: A) It’s a hobby, and the main object is to build stuff, not to “hoard” stuff. Give it away, sell it, trade it if you’re not going to build it; B) If you’re worried about what happens to your stash when you’re gone, downsize (to a manageable level), and don’t worry about what’s left when you vacate your modeling chair for the last time. It’ll probably take care of itself- get the most from your hobby now without worrying about what comes later. It’s not alive so what happens to it really doesn’t matter much. Anything else is really called an “obsession” not a hobby.
Good luck,
VR, Russ
