Why do we collect models we don't need?

[at6]

Models we don't need? Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Richschindler]

Ahh, I see that I'm not alone. Thought I was a closet collector, guess not.

It seems it doesn't matter what form of model you like, plastic, wood or even something called paper. Really, paper? But something happens deep inside our brains that forces us to want more. We all get obviously what we enjoy most, then as stated, we see a build and think, huummm, I'd like to build that. So, we buy it.

After watching the build of the SD14 here I've gone out and bought one myself, what was I thinking. I was thinking, it looked great in the forum, so why not get one to build. Will I, most probably, not. But I have it, just in case.

It's the just in case that drives us to buy, download and want more. Many years ago while I was into plastic, sorry for using that sort of language here, I had in my collection well over two thousand unbuilt kits. Yup, I had to build a storage shed just to house them. Talk about insanity. Then one day I came to my senses and sold the lot, one shot. Now the same thing is happening with paper. No shed this time.

My first convention after getting back into the hobby found myself buying no less than 60 kits in one day. Thank goodness paper models are flat for the most part. Then as I have found free downloads I too have gone over the deep end. The beauty part of downloads is that you can have two thousand kits on one little USB drive. BUT ALWAYS KEEP SEVERAL BACKUPS!! As well as scanning the kits you have, you know, just in case.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we're all a little nuts. We see a new kit, we want it, we see a new exacto knife, we must buy it. We find a store that has a good deal on paper, well, you know.

It's all part of the hobby. It's a great hobby filled with others with the same interests. Bet there's no one out there that only has ONE kit.

Go out. Buy more kits and have fun.

[Ofanim]

Looks like we're many in that case, I have thousand of models on my hard drive and maybe more than 150 already printed, and some of them have been printed more than 4 or 5 years ago
You're all right, paper models are cheaper and easier to store so you quicly get tons of models. For each model I build, I buy three more
Ronan

[Papierschnitzel]

"We begin by coveting what we see every day." (Hannibal Lecter)

I am not sure what you mean with AURA but we do have a tendency to crave what we see (or hear etc) ... and so many models I see here are sooo worth the craving

[The-EDSEL]

Same here
Use to buy Plastic kits as often as I could
And now with their prices........
There are several I want but will Not be able to get!!!
Paper Do take Less space before being built, so storage is not a problem

Add in Kits Not offered in Plastic, Diecast, etc AND all the FREE Downloads............
So easy to go overboard

I had started limiting kits to Convertibles, Indy Pace Cars, Station Wagons
and Emergency Vehicles. I also limited myself to 1/24-1/25 scale or smaller
But even then, I was adding too many to be able to build.
(Not that there are very many Station Wagon kits!! I know of 1 Total
mass produced kits AMT 64-65 Malibu, AMT 61-62 Buick Special Amt AMT 60 Chevy
Jo-Han 59 Rambler & 60 Plymouth, The OLD Aurora 50 Mercury Woody
And Revell's 57 Country Squirechered into the Ranchero, then Chopped,
NOW Revell has THREE New Tooled Wagons out-57 Del Rio Ranch Wagon, 49 Mercury Woody, and 66 Malibu)

I have found more 1/100 to 1/87 wagon kits in paper
I also LOVE Buses. BUT.......
How many plastic kits are there for those??
MORE than I expected,but RARE and VERY Expensive in the US!
Paper has given mew hundreds of them and FREE
Though I do see several I missed that are no longer offered
Like most from MegaMoonliner.. He closed his sites BEFORE I found out about them.

Oh, Well.....

So, Why try to fight it!???? I Don't!!!
It is in out Blood & DNA to collect like this!!!!!

[rjm]

I used to collect plastic but when my basement was full I started to sell them. Then I started on paper, they take a lot less room, then I got into counted cross stitch. Unlike the plastic I buy paper and cross stitch charts to encourage the designers to keep up the good work. At least that's what I tell myself and I'll. stick to it.
Cheers, Bob

[jmuhlba329]

After spending years constructing plastic, vynil and plastic kits I have found that paper is far more relaxing. Not only did I get rid of my paints and airbrush but my whole workplace fits on a small folding table. Yea, I do find myself collecting kits but they are relatively inexpensive and require minimal room.

[Jim Nunn]

Because we can.

Welcome to our "Club" around here you are normal.

Jim Nunn

[Rschotman]

Because we have the best hobby in the world. Every new model gives me a feeling of hapiness because i can dream about the history of the model and how to finish as a complete model. My Aura tells me there will be more hapiness with every new model. Everytime i have this happy feeling of owning a model i see on the forum which inspires me.

And then there is the anxiousness of searching the model on the intermet or in a shop and the thrill of buying the model. I am a dreamer and the best dreams are the ones with me in the middle with a new model and the forward looking desire to finish this model once.

For my own sake I only buy models which i can complete in a lifetime. Sometimes i build more models at the sametime, but i have disciplined myself not to buy more models than i can finish. It stresses me when I have to much models in stock which can not be finished.

I have about 20 models in my stock and I promised myself to finish models before i buy a new one. For me this is the best way to keep enthousiast about the models i am building. The finish of a model gives an enorumous pleasure especially when i take my finished models to an exhibit and receive a lot of complements.

Thank you for the item on Aura, now i do not have to doubt about my mental state and there are more like me.

[sparrowhawk]

No model is really necessary at all. After all, they are toys for the "adult child" that still lives inside of everyone of us on this forum. Otherwise we would not be here.
I am a Spitfire nut: The WW.II fighter. It´s a war plane (not good for me), but what a beautiful aircraft! I never had a bigger one than 1/72 when I was a kid.
When I got back into paper modeling about 20 years ago, there were no good large scale paper models of this aircraft available in Germany, so I grabbed all I could get hold of. Then I noticed this aircraft was not suited to be modeled in paper at all and model designers had to find intelligent solutions to reproduce it in paper. So I started to compare the different ways how to achieve this and I started collecting and building.
This has widened to more modeling subjects since.
Quite simple. isn´t it?

Cheers, Martin