Am I not normal ? (1 Viewer)

woodenwarriors

woodenwarriors

Guest
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
209
I am a millwright I work with a bunch of big tough guys that Hunt and fish and drive big trucks. They talk hunting fishing or trucks nothing more. A new millwright came on and I made pretty good friends with him. When I told him about my toy soldier army He smiled and said What? I explained my hobby to him and he seemed interested so today I took some pictures of my army to show him. He thought they were neat but all the other guys started teasing me about being a sissy or a Kook of some kind . They tried to convince me it is not normal for a man to play with toy soldiers. I explained that it is no different than a collection of guns or fishing lures. They still dont understand. Now personally this doesnt bother me I will carry on my passion for toy soldiers till I die. My question are we Normal ??? I hunt and fish also but do not limit myself or my life to it. How do you make people understand our passion with toys. ??
Charlie
 
Hey Charlie,

Dont sweat the small stuff. They will either get it or not. I too fish and hunt and camp and do all the manly man stuff. So either the guys will except it or not but dont worry and enjoy yourself life is too short.

All the best

Dave
 
In my opinion you are perfectly normal...but then you must consider that I have spent most of my life trying to shrink the world.
Ken
 
woodenwarriors said:
I am a millwright I work with a bunch of big tough guys that Hunt and fish and drive big trucks. They talk hunting fishing or trucks nothing more. A new millwright came on and I made pretty good friends with him. When I told him about my toy soldier army He smiled and said What? I explained my hobby to him and he seemed interested so today I took some pictures of my army to show him. He thought they were neat but all the other guys started teasing me about being a sissy or a Kook of some kind . They tried to convince me it is not normal for a man to play with toy soldiers. I explained that it is no different than a collection of guns or fishing lures. They still dont understand. Now personally this doesnt bother me I will carry on my passion for toy soldiers till I die. My question are we Normal ??? I hunt and fish also but do not limit myself or my life to it. How do you make people understand our passion with toys. ??
Charlie
Click to expand...

Well Charlie asking that question here is like being locked up in a nut house and asking the other inmates if your crazy.:p
I also feel wierd about telling people that I collect, paint and convert toy soldiers as a hobby. Some people think your some kind of geek or wierd and give you strange looks when you tell them about your hobby.

I work in the constuction field with the big tuff guys with the big trucks hunt,fish football guys also and don,t tell any of them about my collecting of toy soldiers as I would never live down the taunting from these guys telling me to go home and play with my barbie dolls!!!!:p

I,m sure some of them would think some of the stuff was cool but I,m sure others would never let me live it down also as some of these guys can be real burtal with teasing guys, never mind giving them something like this to add to there teasing.
One of our guys calls his apprentice princess all day long on a job site full of other trades screaming for him across the job that way!:eek:
He also calls for him like a dog. Come, stay, sit roll over!!!, its pretty burtal, so I don,t need guys like this ragging me about toy soldiers all day. Don,t get me wrong I can give it out as well as I can take it but I don,t need these guys having any extra ammo against me if you know what I mean and it sounds like you do.:p

Other people collect stuff even more stupid then toy soldiers and it seems to be excepted without a second glance???? My wife collects polished stones(ROCKS!!!) When she gives me crap about my toy soldiers I just pick on her pet rocks!!!:confused:
I sure we could make a huge list of other collectables that other people collect that seam real stupid to us and that would seem normal to most other people.
 
What the heck is normal? I like to think guys like us, who actually care about history, and the lives and sacrifices of our troops, are extraordinary. Anybody who wants to rag us about it is not worth worrying about. But, that being said, I think we are all a little crazy!
 
I felt that I should not tell my co-workers about my hobby. One day in Chicago, I stopped our squad car at a hobby shop and come out a few minutes later with some Britain's metal cannons. My partner said " what did you get" and I showed him. He said "that's neat and told me he collects Collector Plates". I never got harassed about my hobby and some guys would bring figures in for me. Also, later while working on the railroad with plenty of tough people. I was asked to set up a soldier display at the library and the newspaper took pictures and interviewed me. I thought I better not go to work when the article came out. I found out almost all the guys had good things to say about the hobby or they were wwll vets and likes the stuff or had relatives that collected. I never had a bad experience with people except a couple of times some woman would ask my wife why I buy war toys and how many women figures I have. I ignore them. Their heads were probably fried in the 60's. Leadmen
 
It's pretty evident today, unfortunately, that very few people care about history or what has happened in the past. Instead they care about the lastest fad or garbage on the television. We on the other hand have a burning passion for history. That's why we're interested in toy soldiers, military miniatures, call them what you will. For many of us, it was probably history, followed by toy soldiers later, but no matter. That makes us a minority, an elite. If we don't fit into society's definition of what's not normal or the mainstream, that's great!
 
good advice guys. I feel a little better.
Charlie

Maybe tomorrow I should poke out my chest rip of my tee shirt and flex my muscles Belch and release gas and act normal like them. Or i could take some of my soldiers in to display on the lunch room table.
 
Charlie

I have sat in a Deer Tree Stand at 4am in 24 degree weather to get a shot off on a buck - who just might come by - now, is that crazy or what ??? :rolleyes:

Believe me - I like controled enviroments with wonderful curio cabinets full of King and Country Soldiers alot better :D

Ron
 
Louis Badolato said:
What the heck is normal? I like to think guys like us, who actually care about history, and the lives and sacrifices of our troops, are extraordinary. Anybody who wants to rag us about it is not worth worrying about. But, that being said, I think we are all a little crazy!
Click to expand...


I am with Louis on this one, but then, I have an abbey normal brain:eek:
 
Charlie- I say you are an absolute crackpot- and that is a VERY GOOD THING!!

A lot of chuckleheads at work try to bust on me but I can play that game better than most and I usually have them strolling back where they came from.

Seriously though, try engaging them in the discussion- if they are into rifles and such try a question like- "Hey fellas, I was looking at one of my army guys (that's what I call em) and the one was carrying a BAR- you guys know anything about that kind of weapon?? You guys ever fired anything automatic or crew served like that or a .30 cal"

OR " I was looking at some of my Battle of the Bulge figures and they were running around with some pretty shoddy uniforms- couldn't imagine being in that bitter cold and having such little protection from the elements"

Those kinds of questions are good ones, I have found. But don't polarize yourself from them because you may feel "different" that isn't good.

Fishead- I was HOWLING at your post!! That sounds like my army experience all over again :D:D

STANDS ALONE!!
CC
 
I usually tell folks that I collect toy soldiers and my stash is worth a hundred thousand dollars and my name is Louis:D....OK, SO IT IS ALL A LIE, ,but no one makes fun of ME:p Michael...I mean Louis
 
Of course we are normal, everybody else are the crazy ones. When I got back into Toy Soldiers in 98, I felt a little uncertain about it. Now nine years later, I found something I can enjoy, that actually relaxes me. The toy soldiers hobby brings back the best days of my life, my youth. I use to go into my own little world and play and use my imagination. I was at first a little hesatint to talk about collecting soldiers. Now I tell everybody, they usally join in, and start telling me about relitves or people they know, who also collect toy soldiers. There is know doubt about it, we are a rare breed, as some have said, we tend to love History, we tend to respect Law, we tend to be good natured and help people, yea were crazy allright. Lets just be happy we now have these great fourms, to share our crazyness. NO Charlie, looking at your website, you are as normal a person, there ever could be. It brings out the child in us, and you can't get into Heaven, unless you enter as a child. To all of us Abbeynormals, Hobby On, Mike:)
 
modwalls said:
Now nine years later, I found something I can enjoy, that actually relaxes me. The toy soldiers hobby brings back the best days of my life, my youth. I use to go into my own little world and play and use my imagination. I was at first a little hesatint to talk about collecting soldiers. Now I tell everybody, they usally join in, and start telling me about relitves or people they know, who also collect toy soldiers.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have put it better myself. At age 9, I had three Britains Deetail figs- still have em- and a horde of plastic figures-I was King Arthur astride his charger and dropping Romans and other Barbarians and winning the fair maiden everyday....

Nowadays, I am the High Speed Delta operator (KC SF01) with the M203 getting ready to pop a few Al Queida chumps and have no time for fair maidens- unless they are next on my DOA list!!:D
 
Hi Charlie,

In spite of my name and present location, I was born and raised in Northeastern Oregon. I use to live in Pendleton on a gravel road with no sidewalks (SW 20th Street) across from the Harris Pine Mill. It is now gone and replaced by a Wal-Mart. My Class of 1960 was the first to graduate from the "new" high school on the north hill.
 
I,m another who works in the building industry ,thier is no
way i,d be telling the guys on site I collect toy soldiers,
handing them that kind of ammo would be asking for it :).

We did a job awhile back for a guy who collected star wars stuff etc,
their still making jokes about the poor bloke now.
Even my eldest boy and his 11 year old cousin call them dolls
[it was only when I showed them the price of some of them they quitened down]
I still think its an odd hobby ,but i,ve always liked toy soldiers so
what do ya do :rolleyes:
 
I do understand potential problems at work as I've been collecting SW in the nineties and was made fun of the whole time.

To be honest, I believe a lot of the people who (would) make fun at you for collecting toys wish they would have the guts to get them themselves. People in general have always been attracted to miniature realisations of big subjects; cars, trains, planes, and people. I had a neighbour ones who was working in the construction business. He had a cabinet full of miniature Caterpillars etc. It is a sign of interest in the job, machinery, seeing the beauty of things and wanting to take them home. The guy was living his dream.

I tell everybody what I collect and am very proud of the troops I paint myself. And the curio cabinet is right there in the living room for everybody to see. Do I do manly things as well? Toy soldiers, history and warfare is about as manly as you can get.
 
I'm lucky in that my family and friends know its all part of my fascination for the two wars,and often they buy me stuff or send me items they think i would like.I don't feel anyone has the right to criticise others for what they collect,some collect stamps,spoons,bears and dolls.Each to their own i say.

Rob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2024 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top