aka_mythos wrote:I'm curious, what are people's rough estimates as to how much they've spent on GW stuff over the years?

When your miniatures wargaming collection grows very large over many, many years, this actually becomes hard to say. Especially when trying to figure incidentals (e.g. paint), trades / sales (i.e. cash back!), varied prices, and Internet discounting into the mix.

I figure I've spent (on net) somewhere in the neighborhood of $3k to $5k USD. I'm pretty certain it's over $3k, and I'm similarly certain that it nets out under $5k, but it's hard for me to say precisely where.

ive never ordered anything online so i think that somewhat held me back otherwise i would have spent alot more im sure, so i would say ive probably spent some where around 3,000 usd easily but no more than 5,000 usd
however its difficult to actually tell since i always say

"something you love shouldn't have a price, or an end"

...*cries when thinking about how much was spent over 13 years of gaming*

Since I started gaming with Marvel Superheroes RPG by TSR back in 1989, easily 10k, probably more like 12k. That includes all miniatures from Battletech and old Ral Partha figs to VSF and Warmachine/Hordes, all RPG books and supplements, paints, hobby supplies, dice, and other paraphernalia (dice bags, miniature cases, etc.) On GW games and figures (40k, fantasy, Mordheim, Necromunda, figures I've used for other games, BFG, etc.), probably 3-4k, give or take.

Well ive spent over £700 (uk) in the last 6 weeks on my eldar and that is just the tip of the ice burge over the last 12+ years :(

I reakon ive spent about £7k (uk) since 2003 before that, less as i was not working full time

I've been playing miniatures for since 1985. I've easily spent > $10K during that time in figures, books, etc.

Ooooh I'm not sure I want to think about it too carefully.
I'd say in the region of 3000 euro, possibly a good bit higher.

I was actually doing some thinking on this topic earlier and I came up with a rough figure of £650 for models, paints brushes, rulebooks, terrain, basing etc. I'm actually scared as I've only been doing this for a year and a half or so. Though I suppose buying direct from GW hasn't helped this total. And I don't have much to show for it just 3k points of Eldar and about 1k of High Elves.

Has to be somewhere in the $500-$1000. I started buying pewter in the mid-90's, then stopped. Picked it up again 2 years ago and have spent in the realm of $350. I feel pretty good about it as I have 1k of eldar that was had for $125 and 3.3k of tyranids for about $350. And then I started a guard army for no reason at all.

Total in gaming since 1979? Easily over 10K.

I have spent at least 10k on 40k since I started in 1987, and most likely at least that much in RPGs and other wargaming stuff/materials. Add at least another 40% if I bought stuff at full retail prices.

Im not too sure how much $ i spent directly on GW armies , because i have
been paid armies instead of $ for my painting / conversions.

But as of now, i have atleast 2k points on almost every fantasy / 40k army
and up to 4k for the popular ones. So that makes it very scary amount including the space they take up.

JohnHwangDD wrote:

aka_mythos wrote:I'm curious, what are people's rough estimates as to how much they've spent on GW stuff over the years?

When your miniatures wargaming collection grows very large over many, many years, this actually becomes hard to say. Especially when trying to figure incidentals (e.g. paint), trades / sales (i.e. cash back!), varied prices, and Internet discounting into the mix.

I figure I've spent (on net) somewhere in the neighborhood of $3k to $5k USD. I'm pretty certain it's over $3k, and I'm similarly certain that it nets out under $5k, but it's hard for me to say precisely where.

with all of the above points included, around 1k to two k usd. i just started keeping track this year.

Hmm, lets see been plaing gw games since 1987, which is 20 years.

Even if we say at 10k minimum that's 500 bucks a year, that's barely enough to cover army books and white dwarf articles!

Although I did have a stint right around the release of 3rd edition where I switched to warzone and chronopia exclusively until it went under, maybe 2 years later.

Ifurita wrote:I've been playing miniatures for since 1985. I've easily spent > $10K during that time in figures, books, etc.

Right there with you, although I've been doing miniatures since 79. My Dad is a historical miniatures guy, so I got started really young.

Well I started in 1996 and I am easily over the 10k mark.

My current armies, especially High Elves and Wood Elves show no signs of slowing down in there size (high elves are now after last weekend at 3000pts easily and Wood Elves will soon hit that mark) and considering that I can field 3 of every heavy support in the Chaos codex and thats just from the past year of collecting. Now though thanks to the next load of price increases I am going to turn back to ebay purely because I am not paying £40 a box of Dragon Princes and 15 quid for 5 Swordmasters (especially when I used to buy them at £5 for 3 in a blister) if some of the price increase rumors are to be true.

If we are only talking WH, then around $2K to $3K. If we count all gaming gear, I would have to say easily $10K. I try not to think of it in those terms. It was cash spent on years of enjoyment with an investment on years to come.

im way over 10k. hell ive spent over 6k at my LGS within the last 3 years.

I figure roughly between 500 and 1000 but I've only been playing since November 2008.

Easily 5-10K over the last 17 years. But I've spent more on music and recording gear.

more than $2000 since late 2006

Probably more than 6k, but I'm really not sure.

I'm in the well over $10k category. I've got 5 fully-painted 40k armies, each over 8k points (chaos marines, chaos daemons, eldar, inquisition, orks), another on the way (guard), and a couple of fantasy armies, plus a healthy resin addiction, I'm pretty well lost...

I've spent around 10k and that includes what I bought while working for GW (I'm factoring it in at my discount, not full retail) so I marked 5k-10k.. although it's probably closer to 10k..

I haven't purchased much (probably 400 worth) the last 3 years total.

I've spent a crapton 'over the years' but bear in mind I have been buying Citadel figures since before most of you guys were born, and I've sold tons of them on eBay and spent the proceeds on other stuff.

I included my purchases of historical kits for 40K in my total as I wouldn't have bought the kits if not for playing 40K.

All things considered, I am doing well (about 1k US$, roughly estimateing exchange). Mainly because I tend to "fall into" armies (1.5k 'Nids for $60 Can, 1k Orks for about $5 Can after subtracting the cost of the rulebook from Black Reach, plus the Black Reach marines and some Orcs I got for my Birthday). This leaves me as haveing spent 1/2 the money I invested on 1 army (Dwarves).

Probably a bit over $5K. It comes in waves.

I started in 1998. Very minimal spending back then. Took a 4 year break. Got back into 40k around February of last year. I spent at least 17k on 40k last year, not all for myself, but indirectly for my better interests.

I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for at least 2 years.

No clue about 40k or Fantasy.

For Warmachine/Hordes so far, it has been 6,059.21

$1000 - $2000

Most of that's been since the summer. The bulk of it since January. I've got a full marine army and am now just fiddling with Imperial Guard here and there so the big spending (on models) is pretty much over.

...*cries when thinking about how much was spent over 13 years of gaming*

At 16 yrs in the game I really don't want to know how much I have spent. I do know that my GT grade IW army cost over $800 in figs & bitz for conversions.
So I would give over $5000 as a low ball estimate.

I would say a little over $1000

Over the last 20-odd years, perhaps around $6-8 k USD.

Not like I smoked, drank to excess or had a car to run.

I'm somewhere in the $1-$2k range. It's probably more than $2k the more that I think about it. I've bought quite a bit of stuff off of the rack but most of my big purchases have been great deals on collections that people unloaded on me. I've also bought quite a bit of new stuff off of ebay for half of retail or less. Usually I like to give the business to my local shop but if I see a screaming deal on something that I want I jump on it.

I have NO clue and don't EVER want to know. Like that and the secrets of Atlantis. There are certain things man was not meant to know

Started back in 1998,lost 3 armies in huricane Katrina and have since rebuilt 2 of them..I estimate between 5k to 6k total( including paints,tools,putty etc etc etc etc).

Wow. I don't know if I'd have the strength to rebuild a lost army.

malfred wrote:Wow. I don't know if I'd have the strength to rebuild a lost army.

It was a nerve wracking process,especialy since one of them was an Ork horde...I spent many a nights thinking "hell I've painted sooo much green already!",the othe 2 armies that were lost were a Death Guard wich I actuly enjoyed rebuilding because I had some better conversion/green stuff ideas than I had on my first one,the 3rd army was Dark Eldar....given the curent state of DE I may never rebuild that particular army.

My old FLGS quoted me how much I'd spent at their store before it closed down. Sum total over about two years ended up being around 16,000 USD.

That was two years ago.


My car's nine years old.
I should've bought a d*** car.

How much have I spent?!? I don't think it would be an honest answer unless I tried to adjust for inflation, but without adjusting I'd say easily $5k.

My orks cost me about 300 bucks, my grey knights around 120, and whatever else probably adds up to 150. So somewhere between 500-600, give or take. Anything over 1k, and I'll probably stop collecting minis. Similar to how I stopped collecting gundam models once I hit a similar point.

I don't know. 10K or more probably. Your guess is a good as mine.

I'd be well on my way to an early retirement if it were not for toy soldiers!

And I'd have a crack habit to end all crack habits.

Thank the Emperor for small plastic men.

I have had enough Plastic and metal to buy a new small car... well over 20k over the last 14 years...

hm....couple hundred into my cygnar,
maybe 150 to 200 on my trollblood
120 or so on my orks so far
maybe a 100 in paints and supplies

not as much as i would if i had a more steady income

I want to see someone post about how they broke a crack addiction with 40k. How it just cost too much to do both.

The three people who've spent less than $200 obviously haven't been playing long or are spending someone elses money.

Me....somewhere inbetween 500 and 1k...my family...easily 2-5k

Started GW gaming in August of 1989. I've spent well over $10k just on GW gaming since then.

When I look at it closer, that's just $500 a year... hell, I've probably spent over $1000 just on WD magazines since then.

Like someone else said, I think I'd rather NOT know exactly how much I've spent. I'd probably have a stroke or something if I knew the exact amount - or my wife would certainly help me meet an early demise if she knew exactly how much I've spent.

I've spent the most since I met my wife. She has spent much more than I have.

ryzouken wrote:My old FLGS quoted me how much I'd spent at their store before it closed down. Sum total over about two years ended up being around 16,000 USD.

That was two years ago.


My car's nine years old.
I should've bought a d*** car.

Wow.

You know, when I put the poll together, I had thought about 20k and over 50k being additional break points, but I figured that nobody would spend that much.

After all, $20k is a new car, and $50k is a downpayment on a house...

Sorry, dude.

Mort wrote:Started GW gaming in August of 1989. I've spent well over $10k just on GW gaming since then.

When I look at it closer, that's just $500 a year... hell, I've probably spent over $1000 just on WD magazines since then.

Like someone else said, I think I'd rather NOT know exactly how much I've spent. I'd probably have a stroke or something if I knew the exact amount - or my wife would certainly help me meet an early demise if she knew exactly how much I've spent.

Without admitting it to the other half, I think i've spent in excess of £2500 on 2 40k armies in a little over a year, and wont be spending that much in the next year! still got enough painting, modelling, etc to keep me going for quite awhile now.

Over the years I wont even hazard a guess on how much i've spent on all the RPG'S wargames etc.

well over £5000.....but then, ask me what I've spent on petrol since I started driving, or income tax, etc etc....I guess you've got to spend it on something...

Above is an extract of a mantra I practise before bed, to help me sleep

I can actually give a pretty good indication of how much I spend. Yesterday I ordered the following:

Codex: Arbitrary
Commissar Lord
Primaris Psykers
Imperial Advisors
2 Cadian Command Sections
2 Catachan Command Sections
3 Sentinels
2 Shadowswords
6 Valkyries

Plus some other random things - a few PAGK arms, White Scar commander kit, old Techmarine w/Axe.

Most of it came from Maelstrom, where the price difference between OZ and the UK, plus their 15% off sale saved me 30%-35% off everything, with the Direct Only stuff coming from GWUK (also about 25%-30% cheaper than OZ retail). Had I bought it all here, it would be AUD$1377 (or thereabouts). I got all that for AUD$900.

I do orders like that about 3 times a year.

I think I'm in the 1k-2k range. I'm pretty certain I've broken 1k, especially when consider things like RPG books and other gaming accessories, not to mention miniatures.

However, I might be wrong. I might have broken the 2k mark already, it's hard for me to keep track without making an inventory of everything. If I haven't, I'm pretty sure it'll happen within a few years.

I guess that'll be an interesting job when I get back to the States where most of my collection is. I ought to make an inventory of it all. I'll probably be surprised.

In the good old Uk and GBP ive spent well in excess of £10k, started this hobby at 11 and now im 24. 6 different chaos marine armies, 4 different ork forces, 3 SM forces, 2 Imperial guard armies, Tyranids, eldar, tau. Beastmen, Bretonnians, LOTR`s. Ive bought everything possible lol even the over priced battle board. Alas my spending will soon stop unless im desperate for something

I just purchased 6 tanks and 6 battle suits for my
UEDF army ( earth army of 2145 )

but AHA they arnt GW products, too bad GW!

Introduced to mini based wargames around 11 - 12 by my history teacher. Promptly aquired army #1 (French for Napolionic wars) and have been going strong ever since. 2 years ago, my wife and I cataloged the collection for insurance purposes and it was WAY in excess of 35,000 in retail at that time. But hey, it's better than doing drugs, right?!? RIGHT?!?!?

I've been playing since 2005 (since i was 12) and have spent well over £500 (uk) which if you use the translation rate at the times of expenditure works out as around $900
I dread to think how many video games consoles i could have bought

Way, way, way too much. I've been gaming for over a decade now, and I have models, books, and paints coming out of my ears.

Yet still, these new kits beckon to me...

not sure of the exact amount but here is what i've bought that ended up in an army and not a bitz box:

3000pts Blood Angels
2500pts Ultramarines (sold)
2500pts 2nd Edition IG (sold)
2000pts Plastic Cadians IG
2500pts Ork Speed Freeks (selling)
2000pts Nids (sold)
2500pts Tau (just bought)
2000pts Chaos Marines (selling)

Probably not enough for a car but i definitely could have a nice harley for what i spent. i try to mostly finance new armies with the sale of old but that doesn't include the cost of hobby supplies used to paint the figs.

My Black Templar, which I have built 5 (this being my 5th) times now - About 3k
Old Tank Company - Bout 1k

Total Fantasy (three armies) - About 2k

Random Bitz 1k

Paint/tools/stuffs 1k

Bout 8k USD in 9 years of being in the GW hobby. Hell I have spent that on my Passat and getting parts for my Volksrod project already. But those are cars, not toy soldiers. >.>

Random

If you consider that I started puchaseing GW stuff way back in 1988, I have prolly spent 5 - 10 grand since that time, though it's difficult to say since the stuff used to be muuuch cheaper. Also, you have to factor in forgeworld stuff. Ironically, nearly everything I have purchased from Forgeworld has since been made into plastic kits. It's kind of humiliateing to look at my 250 dollar baneblade, consider the difficulties in assembling it, and compare it to the much cooler and cheaper plastic version. I also (unfortunately) own a resin Shadowsword and 2 resin Valkries...If you add up the prices of those, they cost more than my first car.

Heck I probably spent 2-3k on apoc alone 4 companies. My ultras bought the old fashioned way one box at a time. At the same time stealing all the beekie bits for my raven guard. My wolves, a imperial fist drop pod company that I got from the apoc deals two bane blades wolfhound titan and a thunderhawk.
So in total about 10k or more

Firebuck wrote:I figure roughly between 500 and 1000 but I've only been playing since November 2008.

This ^

So far I have about 1000 pts of SM and Orks each + scenery and the Citadel RoB gameboard and paints, 5 codexes, some WDs and a few of the fluff novels. Once I have about 1500 pts of SM and Orks I'll probably stop for a while although I would like to start a Tau army.

I know that it will not be a surprise to some... I've spent over 10,000 on Apocalypse (in 18 months).

I've also spent around 15,000 on other 40K incantations and Epic including magazines, Codex, etc since 1987.

Plus another 15,000 easily, on non GW stuff in the last 30 years.

OUCH... it hurts bad when you add it up.

Mik

Ok, just to throw out some numbers:

Guard - 30,000 Points
(Includes Inquisitorial Assets, not GKs or SoBs, just all the other Inquisitorial units)
Chaos - 30,000 Points
(Includes Lost & The Damned)
Marines - 12,000 Points
(3 or so Companies + vehicles)
Tyranids - 12,000 Points
500-something models.
Necrons - 8000 Points
(bought mostly off eBay for a total of around AUD$700-800, so a good bargain there)

There's also a Deathwatch Army that has no points value due to not having an actual rules, but if I had to guess about 2000-3000 points (or so). Also almost every Necromunda Gang (or thereabouts), both editions of Space Hulk, every Warhammer Quest product ever made (save the Noble and Brettonian Knight, much to my chagrin) and... I think that's it. And then BattleTech stuff... 250 'Mechs, 150 vehicles, 100 or so infantry units. The BTech stuff was just in the last year though.

A lot of money over 15 or so years.

Ok. Not counting ONLY Games Workshop, but counting ONLY miniatures and rules (books, box sets, expansions, etc.), I have spent nearly (if not a little over) $20, 000 USD in the last 18-ish years. I literally need a bigger basement. A couple of people around Dakka have seen my basement and can attest to how much mini-gaming crap I have down there. It just grows and grows and grows, too.


Ghidorah

H.B.M.C. I think we should start an OZ club for GW big spenders... what do ya think?

Mik

It amazes me that you guys are willing to drop car-like money into 40k. Good on you for being able to do it, but I gotta ask what you've got for your daily drivers...

10-year old 3-door Pugeot 306 hatchback.

And I just put an offer in on an apartment, so I won't be able to afford much after this.

Well, I have a 1996 Chevy Blazer (that I just had the engine replaced in), my wife and I have a '99 Grand Am GT, and a '92 Honda Civic.\

It helps that our house is paid off and I have two sons, 10 and 8. That leaves me with a couple of bucks each month to spend on minis. I then bring them home and say,
"SURPRISE <kid's name here>! Look what daddy got you! I'll just put it together for you and paint it at some point..."

What's the wife gonna say?

Flip side is, one day the boys will come to collect...


Bear in mind that this is money spread out over the last 18 years, too.


Ghidorah

Easily "$1k to 2k USD" Which is alot seeing as I still have not finished school and have never had a job up until now (21 years old I am *had to throw in some yoda*)

GW has been my main source of outcome over ever since 1994. 2nd only to metal festivals and alcohol...

When I get a job I bet my outcome will raise FAST

JohnHwangDD wrote:It amazes me that you guys are willing to drop car-like money into 40k. Good on you for being able to do it, but I gotta ask what you've got for your daily drivers...

Well more than half of my spending was before 1997 and I have none of the stuff. I don't/can't drive, so it helps free up some money for hobbies.

H.B.M.C., one year I spent like $1200 or so around Christmas at the bigger game store in town, the clerk said he had only heard of about 2 other times someone had bought so much from them at one time. I had to remind him that they were both me from the two previous Christmases. That was also very early 90s prices, so it would more likely be $2000 or more worth of the current stuff.

I was listening to a news story talking about a guy who stole over $1,000 worth of video games in his kid's stroller. It got me thinking that that isn't that many games: At an average price of $50 per game (which is high for budget games, low for new and shiny games) that's only 20 games! I know I bought over 20 PS2 games over the years, and then there's the other systems I own....

Much like wargames, it's a cost that doesn't get mentally 'added up' without prodding I think. You don't notice it if you spend $50 or so a month even if it's every month for a decade.

(Or look at how much smokers spend...)

That's how I justify my spending to non GW folk (poor misguided souls)... what they spend on smoking over a few years has paid for everything I have bought over 30 years... AND I still have every piece... what do they have left over... oops, read the label on the pack

Mik

I read the heading and though, "too much". I think I would cry if I knew how much I have spent on this hobby, for the simple fact that I probably could have bought a new car over the last decade instead. The only thing I think I have spent more on in my life is my fiancee.

Müller wrote:When I get a job I bet my outcome will raise FAST

Oh, no doubt about that.

When I first started working (no house, no car, no wife, no kid), dropping $100+ a month on hobbies was NOTHING compared to bar tabs and meals and other fun stuff.

Once you've got the cash, I strongly suggest getting:
1. the big TV
2. the cool car
Keep those priorities straight!
____

Lord Castellan Mik wrote:what they spend on smoking over a few years has paid for everything I have bought over 30 years... AND I still have every piece...

Suicide by cigarette is easily the most irrational way I can think of to literally burn cash.

That's why GW will never have a final version of 40k or WFB.
____

Elnicko5 wrote:I think I would cry if I knew how much I have spent on this hobby, for the simple fact that I probably could have bought a new car over the last decade instead.

The only thing I think I have spent more on in my life is my fiancee.

As a married guy, I can't fault you for spending on the fiancee / wife. Just make sure you're getting appropriate benefits "in trade".

But having a nice car is an advantage when you're dating, and it's hard to get a fun car once you're married, that's for sure...

JohnHwangDD wrote:It amazes me that you guys are willing to drop car-like money into 40k. Good on you for being able to do it, but I gotta ask what you've got for your daily drivers...

1999 Subaru Forrester ... still going strong

/shrug

I'll replace my television when it dies.

I spend more time checking out books at the library rather than buying the latest
thing that I wanted to read.

I stopped buying DVDs and DVD boxed sets except as presents.

My digital camera is 8 years old, from when I finished my bachelors.

I was temporarily interested in a smart phone until I realized the monthlies would go
through the roof compared to my current shared plan.

No kids.

No cable TV.

Too much.

malfred wrote:/shrug

I'll replace my television when it dies.

I spend more time checking out books at the library rather than buying the latest
thing that I wanted to read.

I stopped buying DVDs and DVD boxed sets except as presents.

My digital camera is 8 years old, from when I finished my bachelors.

I was temporarily interested in a smart phone until I realized the monthlies would go
through the roof compared to my current shared plan.

No kids.

No cable TV.

Wow. You just made me sad.



Ghidorah

I don't know how much I've spent and I don't want to know..

One of my friends had his collection valued for insurance and used it as collateral on a loan to pony up most of the money he needed to set up a HobbytownUSA franchise. He had been collecting miniatures a lot longer than I had.

Edit...Ugh. I did some quick figures off the top of my head. I spent about $300 give or take a $4 blister or 2 on Rogue Trader over about five years, more than $100 went for rulebooks and expansions. I still use them today, 20 years later. If I converted it to '00's money it was roughly equivalent to $1200, depending on what economic model you want to use for inflation. I've greatly expanded both armies since then, I probably spent thousands if I paid full GW retail (which I didn't on most of it)

I have used something between 1000-2000 Canadien. All in my 3 years of gaming!

I am ashamed to say that I spend more than some people make in a year on GW and FOW stuff. Last year 15k plus.

I have spent way over 10k but I also have sold over 10k worth of stuff. so it is hard to say. I am almost even

Oh!?! We're counting batletech too? well, I don't think that i spent more than $400 on BT. But between epic and 40k, $2000+. I started my GW addiction in 94, but I spent the most around 99-02. Ebay let me buy crazy things at crazy prices. $100 each for Slaves to Darkness and Lost and Damned. 3 copies of Space Crusade plus 2 Mission Dreadnoughts @ $100+ each. Tons of OP minis before GW's back catolage paid for at collecters prices. 8 years of WD (does that count). Pretty much all of my disposable income for 16 years.

Now that I think about it, it's probably closer to $4000 - $5000.

I've hit $1,300 this year alone, though this has been a big expansion year for me.

Heck so far this year, I bought out a store going under. There was 5K at a 50% discount so I spent 2500.Plus another $800 from online ordering to finish out orks and redo my marines. So yearly total so far is $3200. I have to admit though this has been a big year for me (couldn't pass up the 50% discount).

Tigerone wrote:I am ashamed to say that I spend more than some people make in a year on GW and FOW stuff. Last year 15k plus.

Hmm.... We may have a winner!

I will post a pick of my gamming rooms this weekend...yes I said rooms! One upstairs and two downstairs. Never complained about GW's pricing but even I have to admit that 40 bucks for the new greatswords is to much.

I even have a small gaming table in my office at work 2x4.....

Lord of battles wrote:I have used something between 1000-2000 Canadien. All in my 3 years of gaming!

That's, what? 20-30 dollars US?



Ghidorah