"The Stress of Your Collection" Topic

In a recent Slingshot author, one author remarked on how stressful it must be to collect and maintain a collection of 6,000 28mm figures and three terrain tables.

On a scale from 0 (no stress) to 10 (maximum stress), how stressed are you over the building and maintenance of your miniatures collection?

0

3. A hobby like this which is basically a long term commitment to something that once finished will get some damage from use only has self inflicted stress from unrealistic goals and deadlines.

2. Really a minimum of stress, because it's what I really enjoy doing to relax from my often stressful job. Even so, I occasionally have difficulty meeting my self-imposed deadlines. Dumb, but true.

At the moment 8, maybe 9. I've had help, of course. But it's largely my own fault.

I have this vision of a future with many fewer castings, but the path is obscure.

Two areas of stress:
1. I've bought more than I paint or convert. I'd like to buy more--lots more.
2. I'm nearing retirement, and starting to stress about what I will do with my collection.
So, it varies from 1 (sort of low grade, background stress) to 4 (unhappy today, but I know I'll get over it in a few days).

Grelber

0

0

If any aspect of my hobby reaches '1' I'll immediately ditch that part. I do it for total escape and relaxation.

2 need to thin the lead pile.

0
I enjoy gaming and everything that has to do with it. Collecting, painting, Research, playing with my toy soldiers and having loads of fun with my friends.

Since I wish to part with most of it, 7.

The most stress comes from space, or rather lack of space. I'm running out of physical room, unfortunately there's plenty of room in my noggin for more figures! Go figure.

1 maybe

0.5

0. When I am gone my figures can be the foundation of my funeral pyre.

Well I am worrying about the stress on the floor and foundation…

1

0

Real stress? 0, that´s what a hobby is for.

1

big fat zero, no stress at all, if there was then we should not be playing toy soldiers!

Collecting smaller scales and keeping up with good tight, well organised packing containers as you go will save a lot hassle and bereavement from your miniatures if old age or financial setbacks eventually force you into smaller premises.

4 – moving very soon, packing up stuff, finding forgotten minis and stuff I know I'll never paint :(

1 – moving stuff into a bigger space, better shelving,nice painting area. It's going to be great :)

+1 Grelber, although retirement is a bit further away these days.I'm more worried about whereabouts I store everything. They are stored in my living room, both bedrooms, the loft and the shed, and I've got more than double of what the slingshot author is complaining about. I've just about run out of room, time to downsize (gulp).

Low stress though some distant worry about what happens when i'm gone. Then missus ups and starts talking about a separation and suddenly there is a lot of stress about the collection and where it goes …

0

For the figures, terrain, etc. – 0

For the books – 8

3

I just moved into a town home, the only space I have for a game table will accommodate a 4'x 6' table and I plan on building it. I have 13 totes full of stuff and decided to Ebay about 6 totes worth of stuff I will never use.

The good news is this winter I should finally start hosting regular game nights. However if the girlfriend moves in….

3. The Collection seems to expand to a little more than available space. I really need a few days to 'tidy up'

0

0

4. Strong desire to drastically reduce the collection.

0

1 … If I think I can do a better job on an old model I did in the past … I'll repaint it, add details, etc. …

"Collecting smaller scales and keeping up with good tight, well organised packing containers as you go will save a lot hassle and bereavement from your miniatures if old age or financial setbacks eventually force you into smaller premises."

Durban, I'm in complete agreement, but actually it was the moving into larger quarters that spiked the stress. I retired, moved back into my old place and--finally!--had everything out where I could sort it properly and play with it. That was when I realized by just how much I'd overbuilt. In three years of steady flea marketeering, I haven't got it down to manageable yet.

Be warned by my example, everyone. And remember that passage in Matthew about where you keep your treasure.

Areas of stressors

5- Can't paint/build fast enough for active newer games. Its more a missing out of the fun than anything.

4 – Can't sell unused, older stuff fast enough

But really my main stressors are

8 – Live with people who do not understand my hobby and who think I am a "Hoarder" because I spend a lot of money and take up space on things they do not understand

I used to get up to about a '5' when building the main part of my collection. All sorts of reasons, trying to get things 'right' (for me) and the amount of time I was spending on the hobby.

These days about a '1' I expect. If something goes wrong I walk away and come back when I can be bothered to fix it.

-5 Yep. Negative five. The Hobby(TM) is one of the things that releases my stress.

Well, I suppose when I *drop* something (like my Smaug figure) and the wing snaps off, ruining the paint job, *that* was a little stressful. But the rest, not really.

10.

You mean like spending time organising my toys?

i don't understand the question!

-6 absorbs and destroys other stress

-25. It's a stress reliever!

about a 5 boxes every where

Stress? It's a hobby. I do it to de-stress.

I would still give it a 1, because there is work to do once I make a commitment to run a game, particularly at a convention.

How is a hobby stressful?
What maintenance does a collection of figures require?

6

The only thing in my life not stressful

"8 – Live with people who do not understand my hobby and who think I am a "Hoarder" because I spend a lot of money and take up space on things they do not understand"

Me too. The painting and gaming part is superb but I have too much of everything and I don't know what to do with the stuff I pump out now. I am at maximum density now.

1… from keeping the collections in proper storage order and remembering where that "unit" was stored when needed for the tabletop.

For the notes file: I have a collection of almost 25k painted 25/28mm napoleonic miniatures for gaming in the warren. Add a large collection of 25/28mm Ancients/Medieval miniatures plus toss in a large WWII 20mm collection.