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When you have not touched a project in months and realize it's taking up space because you don't know when you will get back to it, but love the job you did on the parts you finished....Is it OK and right to sell the whole shebang?

Sure, if you've moved on to something else and don't think you're going to get back to it, it's always good to clear the clutter. The buyer will either finish it, or strip it and start over - neither of which should be a concern.

I wish I had the willpower to do it - I just end up keeping it, thinking one day I may come back to it.

Of course it's ok. They're your models... sell them or keep them, as you choose.

I wouldn't, though... I sold off some of my early stuff way back in the day, and regretted it ever since. So now I keep everything, on the assumption that I'll get back to it sooner or later.

I have conversions that I started around the start of the millenium, that I'll totally be finishing off any time now...

It depends. Often I'll start a project and midway through I lose interest or something else comes along that I want to work on.
Ironically enough, making the decision to sell it often gives me the inspiration to finish the project in order to sell it for a higher price, albeit not finished to quality I originally intended.

Some projects however are just too big and the idea of completing them is too daunting, so I'll sell them as is. The smaller and easier the project may be, the more likely I am to keep it, although I have been known to have an occasional "purge" every other year or so.

The main concern is I just got married and we are living in a 1 bedroom apartment. No space

 lord marcus wrote:
The main concern is I just got married and we are living in a 1 bedroom apartment. No space

Then, please make sure you break it to her gently, and be sure to tell her you'll miss her...



Or is that not what you meant?

 lord marcus wrote:
The main concern is I just got married and we are living in a 1 bedroom apartment. No space

Ah, that does put in a wrinkle. Have you considered renting some space to store what won't fit or asking a friend/relative to keep it 'til you can get back to it?

There have been many things I have gotten rid of due to space constraints and then much regretted getting rid of. Especially those things that I ended up buying a replacement at a higher price.

Unfortunately that's not in the cards due to finances or other iasues

I kept the projects while I was living on my own/house mates. Since I'm working towards moving out to be with the future Mrs. in the next few months, I'm letting the backlog go. She knows about the daemons. She knows I play games. She knows I'm selling off what I don't use. She's fine with it. And btw...she never asked me to sell anything. I decided on my own and mentioned I had a lot of models, but there are so many projects that won't get completed. I'd rather focus on ones that will, and my relationship, of course.

It's your stuff. Do whatever you like with it.

 lord marcus wrote:
Unfortunately that's not in the cards due to finances or other iasues

Do you have a friend who can hold on to your stuff for a while?

I recently took possession of a buddy's armies because he just had kids a few years ago and they are in the middle of the "Oh! What's this?" stage of grabbing models and breaking them. Apparently he hid the armies away as best he could but his oldest (3 years old) kept finding them. A few broken Forge World pieces later and now the armies are in my garage waiting for their owner.

It's not ideal for either party, but if it will free up space/make your wife happy it may be better than just outright selling things. Just make sure you trust the person taking hold of your stuff and set term limits for the storage.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:

 lord marcus wrote:
Unfortunately that's not in the cards due to finances or other iasues

Do you have a friend who can hold on to your stuff for a while?

I recently took possession of a buddy's armies because he just had kids a few years ago and they are in the middle of the "Oh! What's this?" stage of grabbing models and breaking them. Apparently he hid the armies away as best he could but his oldest (3 years old) kept finding them. A few broken Forge World pieces later and now the armies are in my garage waiting for their owner.

It's not ideal for either party, but if it will free up space/make your wife happy it may be better than just outright selling things. Just make sure you trust the person taking hold of your stuff and set term limits for the storage.

I have a similar, but not quite so painful, situation. My son (now seven) periodically asks to see my unpainted models that I keep boxed up in the closet. He has claimed all my 2E/3E space marines as his own, and we frequently play simplified Forstgrave and 40K together. By not getting rid of the stuff I will never use, I have helped spawn the next generation of hobbyist/gamer.

I stopped getting rid of my stuff after I rebought the stuff I had just sold or traded, multiple times. If I know I am not going to actually use the models, ever, then they can go.

My 7 yo assembled a box of space wolves (as only a 7 yo can) and is now sitting me down to give me "painting lessons" as he puts paint to model (as only a 7 yo can) . Future hobbiest indeed. LOL

I have a shed of shame, where all the orphaned gaming stuff goes to die a lingering shame-filled ignominious demise - whereupon it lies forgotten, and unmourned.


There's the detritus of 25+ years of gaming in that shed - and every so often, someone will ask if I have any "x" or "y" and I'll have a look and sell it to them. It already served its purpose to me (it will have had 3-5 years gaming use, minimum and quite often more than that) and I'm quite happy to pass it on to someone who now wants to use them.

I am constantly coming with new ideas putting projects by the wayside but i usually get back to it "eventually"

You can sell it but your name will be added in the Book of Grudges

Dump them, either sell them or throw them away.

There's a real psychological effect that happens to your overall happiness and productivity when you let too much stuff accumulate. Even one or two projects incomplete in your personal and mental space can have huge negative effects.

We only have so many hours in a day and only so much space to keep stuff. Don't waste the time, money, and mental processes on keeping it around if you're not going to finish them, and you know you're not going to finish them.

i do agree with vertrucio , however boxing up projects and labeling them with date you stored it and its priority is a good way to keep your mind clear . Ive got a old warhammer dragon that i spent ages on years ago but ive packaged it up and put it into my conversion box my mind was clear as it was no longer a unfinished project as it was in my conversion box . i came across it the other day and it is now going to be a giant nurgle spawn.
I was struggling with keeping to much stuff and did sell alot which i now mildly regret. Once i have labeled stored and boxed an item its no longer on my to complete list , its now just there incase i need it. Its also surprising how much you can condense warhammer if you get rid of all the boxes ect.

Lack of space my force your hand in which case i would sell everything that im not gaming with or displaying id have a decent size conversion box and use the money to buy a single expensive model that ive always admired ect

"Every hobby project is a spark in the darkness. By the time it is noticed it is gone forever. A retinal after-image that fades and is obscured by newer, brighter lights."

Pretty much how I feel now, moving every 1~3 years I'm continuously dropping projects for months and by the time I'm ready to start again I have new projects. Gotta let go sometime.

If you're short on space and cash (as I am - new baby), then there's nothing wrong with trying to get rid of some of the projects you'll never get round to. If you're not far into them (most of the ones I sold never made it past assembling and priming) then you've not lost too much effort and can easily get back to that stage.

If you've got the money, but not the space, it's maybe better to try and store them somewhere, but I have to admit it's quite liberating to turn some of the junk pile into cash. I made enough cash from stuff I didn't even remember I owned in order to buy a cool car seat, rather than a dull one, for instance.

I sold all my 40k armies off recently (bar my 1k sons) and found it very cathartic. Instead of having, quite literally, decades of painting ahead of me, I can now focus on what I am most motivated to get painted and try to get ahead of the game that way.

Small plastic tool boxes each with a project in them if you have space to stash them safely then your good..However if your significant other wants that space for Shoes/Etc then you must get rid of some. Seriously thou take an afternoon sit down and figure out which projects your going to do ..one or two small forces (under 2K) and a handfull of medium/small terrain can all fit in a single tackle box. keep no more than two tackle boxes worth including paints and terrain and projects..Oh and dont buy anymore start saving for a modest house..

I used to advocate against ever selling painted miniatures, but even I've softened my view on that as I began moving more frequently and got married. There's a limit to how much stuff you can comfortably fit in even a two bedroom apartment, especially with teleworking.

My current criteria for keeping a project is to ask two questions:
1) is it an expansion of a current fully painted army?
2) Do I plan on using the project (in any way), once complete, within the next year or so?

If the answer to both questions is "no," get rid of it! You aren't going to play with it, or enter it in a contest, or show it off, and it's not a part of something bigger. The bigger question allows you to stockpile models for "life long" projects. Some people have those giant armies that they add to over the years. (Mine is a Praetorian IG army which will have a full infantry company - 300+ men!)

Even if you answered yes to one of those questions, ask yourself a few more:
Does the thought of going back and finishing this project fill you with dread?
Can you repurchase the base models for this project at retail?
Are you prone to starting new projects frequently?

If you answered yes to any of those, don't feel bad about selling. Sometimes you get halfway through a project and relaize you just don't care for it. The hobby is meant to be relaxing, not a grind. And if you can replace what you bought easily, all you're losing is money.

In a three year span, I sold off multiple enormous armies (12k of 2nd edition eldar, 6k of painted space marines/6l unpainted, 9k of demons, 4k of Orks, 2k of Tau, 1.5k of Grey Knights), and while at times I wish I still had them, I wouldn't say I regret it.

One final suggestion: never sell your last army for your most played gaming system. You never know when you might jump back in!

In your situation, I'd do two things.

1) Be 100% honest with yourself. Will you ever finish it? If not, get rid of it.

2) If you do plan on finishing it (some of us have had projects stalled for years...and still work on them) find a buddy who can store the stuff for you. That's pretty simple if you have a small network of people.

 lord marcus wrote:
The main concern is I just got married and we are living in a 1 bedroom apartment. No space

If you can't find an out-of-the-way place to store it than sell it.

If space is at a premium and you're just married, then your priority is your new family. Wife's happiness is more important than an army you're not sure you'll ever get back too.