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So, recently I made a very big move across the country, and as any wargamer is wont to do, I had to inventory what I had to figure out how I was going to pack things up and move them. And I made an interesting discovery.

I have a problem.

I'm not sure if I've been drinking with easy access to the laptop and credit card again or what, but what I thought was a very modest collection turned out to be massive. As in, I found an entire army's worth of guardsmen from various sources that I had apparently accrued through various trades, swaps, and "ooh shiney" purchases. Like an entire platoon of Mad Robot Danamians I had forgotten I had. Almost a company's worth of Catachans that people practically gave me because no one wanted them. A massive baggy full of Victoria lamb armored toros hidden in a drawer, and then found another baggy full of legs, arms, and heavy weapons in another, enough to outfit several weapon teams. Not to mention an entire platoon of metal 3rd ed Cadians that I had come across for a steal, but those I picked up recently and figured that would be the majority of what I had left aside from my old Commissars and commanders from the first army I owned way back when.

What I had thought was going to be a meager platoon or two of guardsmen turned into a full company of 4 to 5 platoons easily, with a sentinel I must have had since I started and a Leman Russ that I didn't even know I still had. The scary part though was that I thought I had sold almost all my guardsmen a couple years ago, back when I sold something like 6 Leman Russes, 15 weapon teams, and god knows how many plastic Cadians because I was just sick of looking at the damn things. So that means that this new army has slowly sprung up over time from the ashes of the old one and I hadn't even realized it.

And then I realized I had 4 armies for Flames of War, and 2 full Bolt Action armies completely ready to go, 2 decent sized fleets for X wing, enough dreamforge minis to make a massive army for it whenever it gets a system, and a ton of Starship trooper minis, and even a small smattering of bikers, lootas, and shoota orks that somehow also survived that army purge as well.

So when did you realize that things had gotten out of control? When did you realize it had gone from Hobby to hording? I know there have to be others out there. I've seen pics in the KR case threads of the guys with the walls of cardboard cases. When was that moment where you looked at your collection and thought "holy gak, that's a lotta plastic crack."

I keep an updated Word document with a full inventory list. I have tons of stuff, but nothing is ever 'forgotten' like you've done.

I still have a huge collection, the word document is pretty large and it only counts individual models, it doesn't even count all my books, hobby supplies, scenery, and hobby-related stuff that isn't essentially on a 'base'.

More, more, moooooore is needed. Adeptus Mechanicus boxes incoming, lmao.

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
I keep an updated Word document with a full inventory list. I have tons of stuff, but nothing is ever 'forgotten' like you've done.

Mine's in Excel. I know Alpharius has a similar one.

It has many, many tabs.

And doesn't account for any of my 40k or Fantasy....

At this point I am always finding crap squirreled away. An entire Necromunda gang, recently. I'm trying to sell a bunch off, but sadly only so I can afford to drop a boatload on a new KS.

Just now, after I read your post I realized that I have a problem haha. I have more armies than I know what to do with and still want more. But I don't think I can ever have too much.

Moved recently and most of the hobby stuff ended up in a closet or the room containing the closet. Recently I made an effort to organize that room, which is going very well. However, I kept finding minis. "oh yeah I backed that ks", "oh yeah I bought these guys". Not as much as you claimed and I don't know if I could say I forgot about them either, but they were out of sight, out of mind.

I'm making it a point now to put minis on display as much as possible, to keep myself aware that I have a lot of hobby stuff to last me years of fun. I think it's psychological; I look at my desk and see a few minis there that need painting or whatever and I feel like it's not much, so I'm tempted to get more. But when I look at all I have at once it's the same feeling as making a huge purchase and I don't need to spend any extra money.

Minis are so easy to store and forget about, and then you end up saying "oh yeah, I have a baneblade to build". So really, do what I do next time you want to buy, or swap, or whatever. Just get all of your stuff in front of you and organize it all. Then put it back. You'll feel like you just spent hundreds.

Relevant!!

I was cleaning today and when I noticed my project box was more like three (big clear plastic tubs) and I still had things pouring out, on tables and paints everywhere.

Im trying to decide what is important a Warlord title (in a silly other game I play) or Warhammer 40K.....I can always play warhammer and buy with my girlfriend but I can only Warlord while im young(ish)

I should probably take stock of what I've got lying around. Might be a good way to motivate me into tidying up my room.

I went to a swap and trade event last weekend looking to get rid of some stuff, and ended up acquiring one guy's entire 40k collection. He kept bringing me more stuff and just forcing me to take it. Then another gentlemen had a fire sale on his Tau, and after that I doubled my already considerable Empire army for about 20 bucks. This is why my closet is overflowing with shame.

I don't have this issue with minis because I'm simply not that financially flush. At worst I'll forget some low grade plastic bits that came taped to the same card as something I bought at a show, find them and ask myself, "What is this?" I can otherwise name and ID my lead individually, with fond memories.

Buuuut... As a past collector in other scenes though, "that moment" came when I surfaced from a very, very long depression and found myself with literal boxes full of things I had no interest in, and no real recollection of buying. "Oh it's a Saturday, it's been a gak week. I deserve something nice." out came the wallet, and something else slipped onto the shelf upon returning home. And repeat.
eBay ate well that week. The rest I gave to my parents to sell at their convenience, just to get it gone.

I've never got so bad as to still keep things in their store carrier bags or mailing packets, which I know can happen (I've seen it many a time). Genuinely no offense to anyone that operates in that way, it's just not me.

The store-and-forget then handling it all again that you mention, holds very true. I made a habit of "reorganising" my minis drawers (really just getting hands on with stock-taking) every few months.

In the process of doing a major garage and basement reorganization, building heavy duty shelf units, sorting, setting up the stereo and tossing a bunch of junk and I figure its going to take a month.

Have been reorganizing and sorting the minis a bit as well, but its a much bigger job.......

T

Hit that point a few months back.

Now I've beaten down the 40k to two semi-modest armies, but my warmachine stuff has been breeding when I wasn't looking...

And now I'm being tempted towards more 40k.

I'm a hopeless case....

With me its terrain. I keep building, and every time I open the terrain chest, I find items I've completely forgotten about.

Worst part for me is the i don't even play the games.

Bough like a ridiculous amount of 40k stuff though craigs list and barter town. Never found a person to paly with

Bought a ridiculous amount of Warmachine stuff...same people who don't play 40k don't play warmachine.

Actually FOUND someone to play bloodbowl with...ridiculous amount of bloodbowl stuff.

Factor in SDE, Deadzone, dreadball extreme, Bones 1 & 2. cthulu wars, shadows of brimstone......

I backed wrath of kings and i don't even want it. Didnt even take the minis out if the box.

so yes MrMoustaffa..your have a problem...just like mine

I had 5 moving boxes filled to the brim with unopened and opened stuff.

Sold almost everything about 1.5 years ago.
Now I don't have anything more than 45 models at home. And those will be completed before I purchase anything new.

After about 19 years into this hobby i have finally gotten a grip on the spending.

I just bin anything thats sitting around unused for an amount of time and not getting touched.

How do you guys usually Sell stuff?

Nope, but I did sort of go too far on paints. I bought lots, mostly washes, lots and lots of washes. Someday I will use them all up, but it will probably take at least a couple of years lol.
I get excited when I finish a pot and throw it out. Shows that I actually probably got some minis done. lol.

I spent my entire Student loan on Space Marines and yellow paint. It got so that I couldn't afford to travel to Uni after the first term each year, so I just didn't go and painted Space Marines all day.

I didn't see it then, but I now realise that I have a problem with plastic crack.

I moved, and have spent the last two and a quarter years trying to make my collection fit, while adding way too many new items to it.

Or to put it another way, after I moved, and started bringing things out of storage, and boxes that had been packed away for years, and boxes that had been in storage for years at my parents' place, and way too many Kickstarters and eBay purchases, this happened:


Which is both great, and terrible.

All you need is a till, and you've got a store.
I'd love to get a game of Dark Future again.

And I'm complaining that three boxes and a cabinet shelf is full... I'm just a friggin scrub still.

I occasionally refind stuff that I've mislaid (as in "that's where that little **** got to.") and if it's not something I'm going to use, I get rid of it these days.

My armies fit into one cupboard (cases and all). I still have my Eldar (first 40k army and mostly Jes Goodwin designed figures), and my GK (bought in 3rd ed because I liked the models) but the rest is known and listed on a manifest I put together in excel.

But, like I said, I do periodic culls. So I don't end up with a mountain of crap I'm never going to use. Mostly the cull consists of GIVING STUFF AWAY to people who want it.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
So when did you realize that things had gotten out of control?

When you have several boxes of unbuilt miniatures in your hall closet labelled "Misc. Forge World".

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I went to a swap and trade event last weekend looking to get rid of some stuff, and ended up acquiring one guy's entire 40k collection. He kept bringing me more stuff and just forcing me to take it. Then another gentlemen had a fire sale on his Tau, and after that I doubled my already considerable Empire army for about 20 bucks. This is why my closet is overflowing with shame.

I have an entire armored company for the same reason.

I KNOW when a collection has gone too far when I completely forget I have something.
For me, that never happens if it is all going "right".
I may have an issue getting my hands on something, or forget just how many I have of something but to completely forget means things have gone too far.

I had a "Hirst Mold" that I had bought and completely forgot about (Industrial Accessory Mold #326).
Surprised by finding an "unseen" Battletech Pheonix Hawk in a blister.
A Land Raider squirrelled away in a dusty corner.
Two boxes of the original Cadian guard 20 pack.
3 converted dakka dreadnaughts for Grey Knights.
Found an "extra" sorted bits box for marines I swear I never had.
A box of "Abney Park" miniatures which I should get together to keep my Dr Steel company.

The above list is just "loose" stuff I found in one sitting trying to better organize the space since it was spilling out of the shelves onto the floor (almost literally).
I am afraid to look in the huge tote I have for 40k Chaos Space Marines, I swear they breed in there... the box (Steamer Trunk size) keeps getting harder to close.

Quite a few months back, I had 4 40k armies all at at least 3k points, and 5 fantasy armies at 10k a pop easy. I didn't want too, but I knew I was never going to manage to paint them all, so I sold and traded nearly everything off. As of today, I have a full company of space marines, a solid 2,000 points of space wolves, and a growing guard collection. I decided to start limiting myself on not buying untill I paint it all, but we all know where that goes. Also, I mean, if you don't WANT the guardsmen, I can help reduce your collection

I had a vague, creeping feeling that I might be going too far, and so I mercilessly crushed it by starting a business.

Now I have a perfect excuse to accrue even more gaming stuff!

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
So, recently I made a very big move across the country, and as any wargamer is wont to do, I had to inventory what I had to figure out how I was going to pack things up and move them. And I made an interesting discovery.

I have a problem.

I'm not sure if I've been drinking with easy access to the laptop and credit card again or what, but what I thought was a very modest collection turned out to be massive. As in, I found an entire army's worth of guardsmen from various sources that I had apparently accrued through various trades, swaps, and "ooh shiney" purchases. Like an entire platoon of Mad Robot Danamians I had forgotten I had. Almost a company's worth of Catachans that people practically gave me because no one wanted them. A massive baggy full of Victoria lamb armored toros hidden in a drawer, and then found another baggy full of legs, arms, and heavy weapons in another, enough to outfit several weapon teams. Not to mention an entire platoon of metal 3rd ed Cadians that I had come across for a steal, but those I picked up recently and figured that would be the majority of what I had left aside from my old Commissars and commanders from the first army I owned way back when.

What I had thought was going to be a meager platoon or two of guardsmen turned into a full company of 4 to 5 platoons easily, with a sentinel I must have had since I started and a Leman Russ that I didn't even know I still had. The scary part though was that I thought I had sold almost all my guardsmen a couple years ago, back when I sold something like 6 Leman Russes, 15 weapon teams, and god knows how many plastic Cadians because I was just sick of looking at the damn things. So that means that this new army has slowly sprung up over time from the ashes of the old one and I hadn't even realized it.

And then I realized I had 4 armies for Flames of War, and 2 full Bolt Action armies completely ready to go, 2 decent sized fleets for X wing, enough dreamforge minis to make a massive army for it whenever it gets a system, and a ton of Starship trooper minis, and even a small smattering of bikers, lootas, and shoota orks that somehow also survived that army purge as well.

So when did you realize that things had gotten out of control? When did you realize it had gone from Hobby to hording? I know there have to be others out there. I've seen pics in the KR case threads of the guys with the walls of cardboard cases. When was that moment where you looked at your collection and thought "holy gak, that's a lotta plastic crack."

I realized that I needed to cut back when I stopped playing 40k for 4th edition and came back in mid 5th and realized I had two completely painted marine and IG armies (one of each that I did and another of each that I bought cheap). I actually did a good job of cutting down my pile of shame and unwanted/unused painted minis until about last year when I realized with 7th edition that I was having more fun converting models than playing them with the current batch of rules. I actually made it down to only three 40k figs left to paint in my entire collection and only about 30 or so painted/unpainted to sell! Then came the truescale... then primarchs... and now tau conversions. I made it for several years without buying a GW kit after deciding it wasn't worth ever starting a new army during the finecast switchover period when I gave up my GK idea in 5th edition.

In any case, it sounds like you should take pics of all that and put it up all in one lot over in the swap shop or start another IG army.

Whenever my Mrs starts moaning about me buying more stuff, I'll just show her this thread and say "But see how much worse it could be!"