"Confronting the lead pile!" Topic

While I was on an enforced 'vacation' due to laptop issues, you might have thought that I would get a few games in, or paint up a lot of figures!

However, SWMBO kindly acquired some new bookcases for my computer office… which forced me to clean up that part of the office, reorganize a few things, and find out what was in a significant part of my lead pile.

I kept saying: "I didn't know I had that!"

Concurrently, I was also reorganizing my workbench room, which also involved another part of the great lead pile. Yikes!

Being forced to "face the lead pile" is a humbling, frightening, discouraging, inspiring adventure.

Tomorrow, I'll get the bookcases in place!

Agree Bill, really looking at the "lead/plastic" pile can be discouraging which is why I'm trying to thin it out.

Pictures? It would be scary if my lead pile was all put in one room, although I'm not sure one room would be able to take it. Only the bathroom & kitchen are lead-free, all other rooms, plus the loft and shed, have more than their fair share….

Reminds me of trying to sort minis out for a mass ebay sell…
"hmm I bought this 20 years ago and it's not painted yet "
" so I'd best keep hold of it, cos you never know…"

Two years before I retired (in 2018) I started the sell off of war toy surplus. It is amazing how much stuff I had accumulated that I simple did not want. The War Department has been totally self funding since then. Some items are sold at a loss and others at a price that I find hard to believe. The lead pile has shrunk and the painted pile is growing.

One of my first purchase from this fund was the cast of Predator in 28mm. Without the guilt free self funding, I would never have bought the figures.

I faced this when we moved last year and a couple of the chaps at the local gaming club did very well – as I have more than enough stuff to paint and as they are young lads with families I gave it away; they were minis I would never use and it felt good to know that they would be both painted and used

I culled through my lead/plastic pile a number of years ago. Just culled more out of it, last week.

Began painting again, a few weeks ago, after a long pause. Been working on my pile of terrain projects again, as well. That list is scarier than my pile of unpainted mini's!… About halfway through a pile of 77 foam hills, covered in matching carpet, to the tabletop surface. Just started that project, a month ago -- moving forward at Lightning Bolt speed! Will likely finish it either this weekend, or next week. Need to move like that on the figure pile, and the other terrain projects… :-( Cheers!

I have had thousands and thousands of figures in my collections over the years in scales from 15mm to 54mm and various periods from the Viking period to WWII. I did not over purchase in any period. Just got everything I wanted in that period and painted them up and played with the collections until I wanted to move on to another. Then I sold off the collection and started another. Never did just buy lead to keep in laying around in case I ever wanted to build in that period. Sold off one and purchased another. I did play with each collection for years before I moved to another one.

Today I have two periods I game in with about 1,000 figures in each one. Rome and her enemies, in 60mm hard plastic and The French & Indian War in 40mm from Trident. Great figures in each and loads of fun to game in. Always adding a unit or two should I want another one, but nothing sitting around that I am not working on or about to paint.

So nice to be organized and reuse all the scenery from the multiple periods I have done.

The big tubs, in two sizes, now hold the largest 'groups' – fantasy, sci-fi, Flames of War, Team Yankee, and (ahem) Miscellaneous (various historical plastic boxes, mostly).

Then there's the 'wall' of 15mm and smaller minis (this is only part), and I've containerized some smaller projects (Pulp, zombies, etc.).

More containerized lead pile! Including paper models, starships, and another Miscellaneous box!

And some of my oldest storage containers, now holding ironclads, aircraft, 28mm Ancients, VSF, toys for gaming, etc.

Plus three carts with drawers, and an entire closet!

I have only maybe 700 hundred unpainted…left give or take…knocked out 4,000 in last two years.,,,I have been working on my friends pile..40,000 pljus unpainted and he;s 77…so lots to do..Oh and I;m buying again…

Doug, better be careful, you might be considered a heretic with those purchasing habits! ;)

My unpainted forces have dwindled over the years by either being sold off or painted. The painted moved to our club for playing and storage. Bringing back all the painted armies and terrain to my house is a scary proposition. I have started selling off genres we are unlikely to play in the future to make it less daunting.

I split my lead pile in 3 about 10 years ago
-"Urgent", was about 1000 25mm minis at first, is now below 400 25mm and about 100 SW armada ships and squadrons
-"non-urgent", was not numbered at first, still is not, several thousands for sure, some of it gets tagged "critical" and done in priority over everything when needed for reconstitution
-"not going to be painted anyhow" Most of its 15mm Naps part has now be pained using Big Battalions painting services, and the rest are in boxes, collecting dust… As it's not going to be played either! I gave over most of useless junk I collected to focus on 2 items, Napoleonics and Star Wars Armada minis that I use with my own set of rules.

I do not derive any pleasure in painting anyway, as I have pretty high standards, and am a crappy painter with failing sight. On my workbench are 36 Russian dragoons, and about 150 Prussian infantry, all minifig 25mm naps, that I hardly touched since mid-august.