I just got an e-mail from a respected friend who feels that the hobby has taken a downturn lately in terms of hobbyists' interest levels and in terms of
being stuck in a rut of recycled figures, gear, and ideas. Pondering what he said, I thought I'd jot down a few of my observations and perceptions. I would
venture to assume that I am not the only one thinking some of the following ideas.
1. I've been in this hobby for about ten years. I enjoy it now every bit as much now as when I first discovered my first 21st Century fallschirmjager back then.
2. I spend about the same amount of time researching figures and working on them as I ever have.
3. I spend time almost every day on the boards, usually not logged in, just reading posts and observing the beautiful and creative work of fellow hobbyists.
4. I am very hesitant to photograph and post my own figures on the boards because everything I do employs some technique picked up from someone else on line, only they do it better. Don't want others to say, "OK, well, same old same old…"
5. My collection was capped off at about 100 figures due to display space.
6. I spend more money on the hobby than I did back then, (a) because prices have risen and (b) because I now focus on quality of figures and accoutrements over quantity.
7. I have narrowed my interests to fewer types of figures for economical and display reasons. I usually end up doing somewhere between two and six figures representing variations on a topic of interest. Examples: four Luftwaffe types in North Africa, two U.S. Army combat medics in Italy, eight Pacific Marines, etc.
8. I spend more time and money upgrading figures to premium quality rather than trying to assemble totally new kitbashes. By this I mean buying NLM boots; BGT slings, pouches, uniform parts, etc.; DiD steel pots; and so forth.
9. I seldom buy boxed figures any more, even though I recognize they can be more economical if they provide enough spare parts for the kitbashes that would really interest me.
10. I'm going back slowly, but systematically, and attempting to do some weathering on figures that have stood parade ground pristine on my shelves for years. (Just finished weathering and improving a 7-year-old DML Zeke USMC figure yesterday. Fun!)
11. I buy some things that really impress me right now just in case the economics of the hobby influence manufacturers to get out of the military figures market. Examples include DiD M1 helmets, fabric web gear that already comes with good lift the dot fasteners (since CVI has not made them available recently), headsculpts with interesting potential, and random other bits.
12. I try to keep a lean spare parts bin. By that I mean I try to avoid having 30 old plastic and elastic pieces of the same old web gear.
13. I love WWII figures. American Civil War figures are about my only departure.
14. If every manufacturer of and dealer in 1:6 military figures were to totally shut down today, I'd have a tough time finding a hobby that would be so gratifying as this one has. But I'm sure I'd keep what I have on display and continue to relish the pleasure that this hobby has brought me. The main thing that I would miss would be the boards where I find people who enthusiastically share the joy that I find in this pastime. But my greatest sadness would be for people like Auggie at BGT, Brady at Monkey Depot, and the many others who have put their blood, sweat, tears, and money into making this hobby so pleasurable. I have no idea if this hobby will endure in strength for decades yet to come or whether it will fade in a few years, but for their sake and for ours, may it continue strong for a long, long time.
There's my perspective. I invite yours.
Gary
1. I've been in this hobby for about ten years. I enjoy it now every bit as much now as when I first discovered my first 21st Century fallschirmjager back then.
2. I spend about the same amount of time researching figures and working on them as I ever have.
3. I spend time almost every day on the boards, usually not logged in, just reading posts and observing the beautiful and creative work of fellow hobbyists.
4. I am very hesitant to photograph and post my own figures on the boards because everything I do employs some technique picked up from someone else on line, only they do it better. Don't want others to say, "OK, well, same old same old…"
5. My collection was capped off at about 100 figures due to display space.
6. I spend more money on the hobby than I did back then, (a) because prices have risen and (b) because I now focus on quality of figures and accoutrements over quantity.
7. I have narrowed my interests to fewer types of figures for economical and display reasons. I usually end up doing somewhere between two and six figures representing variations on a topic of interest. Examples: four Luftwaffe types in North Africa, two U.S. Army combat medics in Italy, eight Pacific Marines, etc.
8. I spend more time and money upgrading figures to premium quality rather than trying to assemble totally new kitbashes. By this I mean buying NLM boots; BGT slings, pouches, uniform parts, etc.; DiD steel pots; and so forth.
9. I seldom buy boxed figures any more, even though I recognize they can be more economical if they provide enough spare parts for the kitbashes that would really interest me.
10. I'm going back slowly, but systematically, and attempting to do some weathering on figures that have stood parade ground pristine on my shelves for years. (Just finished weathering and improving a 7-year-old DML Zeke USMC figure yesterday. Fun!)
11. I buy some things that really impress me right now just in case the economics of the hobby influence manufacturers to get out of the military figures market. Examples include DiD M1 helmets, fabric web gear that already comes with good lift the dot fasteners (since CVI has not made them available recently), headsculpts with interesting potential, and random other bits.
12. I try to keep a lean spare parts bin. By that I mean I try to avoid having 30 old plastic and elastic pieces of the same old web gear.
13. I love WWII figures. American Civil War figures are about my only departure.
14. If every manufacturer of and dealer in 1:6 military figures were to totally shut down today, I'd have a tough time finding a hobby that would be so gratifying as this one has. But I'm sure I'd keep what I have on display and continue to relish the pleasure that this hobby has brought me. The main thing that I would miss would be the boards where I find people who enthusiastically share the joy that I find in this pastime. But my greatest sadness would be for people like Auggie at BGT, Brady at Monkey Depot, and the many others who have put their blood, sweat, tears, and money into making this hobby so pleasurable. I have no idea if this hobby will endure in strength for decades yet to come or whether it will fade in a few years, but for their sake and for ours, may it continue strong for a long, long time.
There's my perspective. I invite yours.
Gary
I have to agree with you on alot of what you said. I think I
spend more time researching the figures. I'm currently working on a group of Fallschrimjagers.
