Family Interests in Hobby? (1 Viewer)

[Leadmen]

I was curious if members find their family members have any interests in the hobby. I read where Chuck's son was an expert airplane moddeller. My son built planes,tanks and other models and collects 12" GI Joes that he grew up with. My kids all painted at least one figure or more. Girls usually interested in pre-teen years then they are gone. The kids enjoy "seeing" their early painted figures in cabinet. My grandson has one now, which he checks out everytime he comes over. My wife has been bragging lately that she could paint a figure. Going to put her to the test soon. My friend's two sons have a life long interest in soldiers and plane models. I don't know if it is because they grew up arond Dad's hobby that they still have some interest. It did not seem to harm them. They all have good careers and still joke about toy-soldier shows and battlefield tours. John

 

[Fubar]

Leadmen. Thats nice that theres some interest among your family members.My son is 11 and has an on again off again interest .Not interested in much else besides WW2 Germans and Lord of the Rings.Daughter is almost 14 and thinks its all very nerdy , but hey shes 14, everythings nerdy .
Father is 80 years old, still shakes his head as if at a loss as to where I went wrong.Wife, forget it, she wishes I would sell all my collections .No, theres no one in the family , sisters, in laws, cousins, nephews ect. that has any interest in military history or miniatures which is a drag.Whats worse is I have been told to my face that this is all so very weird , a waste of time and $$$ and grow up.
Sorry, didnt mean to rant .It's odd that relatives that have seen my displays have so little appreciation for the amount of time and effort and creativity put into modeling and collecting.But, I dont do it for them.I have loved miniatures as far back as I can remember and will stop when they throw a shovelfull of dirt on my inert form.
FUBARRRRRRR

 

[wadepat]

John,

I find your question to be very interesting one as I have been thinking about the distribution of our estate to our children when we leave this world. Let me try to summarize my understanding of my family's interest in my collection below:

My wife: She has a supportive interest and finds many of my figures interesting, some more than others. I never buy figures without her knowledge and I usually seek her opinion regarding a purchasing decision. I also take an avid interest in her collections: Animated Christmas toys and miniature tea sets.

My brother: He has a passing interest in toy soldier collecting, but his interest seems to be in old Marx playsets and Barclay Dimestores. His real collecting interests are in old Lionel Electric Trains and he has a fabulous collection of them.

My Younger son: He is a C.P.A. by profession and he primarily sees my collection in financial terms. Upon my death, he would likely convert my collection to cash as quickly as possible in order to invest in something else.

My Older Son and Daughter-in-Law: Here is the greatest surprise of all. I asked them if they were really interested in my collection and what would they do if they were to inherit my collection. Their answer was astounding! They quickly said that they have little interest in the figures themselves, but if they inherited them, they would never sell them. They would display them in their home because they would remind them of me. If you knew my son and daughter-in-law, you would know their answer was sincere. There are things in life of greater value than my collection.

But,...can you guess who might inherit my collection?

Warm regards,

Pat

 

[vandilay]

Hi
My 8 year old son isnt too interested,He has the occasional look.He likes the stuff he can play with [mainly my old britians deetail].Which remembering back too when i was i kid i can understand.
My wife puts up with it [we have some on display in our lounge so thats something] but she prefers the vintage stuff and glossy figures, not too keen on the matte finish].My son got a games workshop lord of the rings set for christmas and all 3 of us got quite involved in painting them.It became a bit of a competition.
The only member of my family who has any real interest is my mother of all people,I think i must have inherited the collecting genes from her as she has been involved with modeling since i can remeber,she made me and my brothers quite an impresive marklin layout when we where kids and still scratch builds dolls houses incl most of the furniture and people.So she has a real apreciation for them.
neither of my brothers are interested,they are both into their old 60,s muscle cars.

 

[Carnahan]

My wife, being an interior decorator, is very supportive. Back when we were dating she painted an AWI Birtish Grenadier and did a great job at it, but her interest lies mainly in scale buildings. My mom was always supportive of mostly everything I got into, whereas my dad, although a history buff, is indifferent. My father-in-law is the most like-minded - he's into history, although his interest runs toward scale aircraft. And my two-year-old son always tries to take a swipe at my display cases, so that's a good sign!

 

[thebritfarmer]

For me I am on my own, although one of my brothers does show interest when he pops over to see "what's new" but that's about it. The rest are only interested in what it's worth. I told em not much and anyway I am taking it with me when I die like Tutankhamen

 

[Wraith]

For me I am on my own, although one of my brothers does show interest when he pops over to see "what's new" but that's about it. The rest are only interested in what it's worth. I told em not much and anyway I am taking it with me when I die like Tutankhamen

No good to you then. Leave them all to your adopted son, OK Dad?

 

[Sans Culotte]

Now 61 years old, my toy/model soldier collections began when I was 7. At first, many family members aided & abetted me in this just because I was a boy & they figured that that was what boys did. However, as I got older, friends & family members began to see that I was not going through some passing phase. One aunt in particular (now 80), realized this & has been encouraging me in my magnificent obsession for years (still takes an interest in my collections). My parents & one of my sisters were also in there pitching. Since I've been married, my wife has also taken a keen interest in the toy/model soldier world. As long as the bills are paid, she has no problem with whatever I buy. Various friends also check out the collection, especially the K & C Egyptian line. So, no complaints here.

 

[lancer]

This is a great question. I am 56 with a collection that spans my life. I have plastics from childhood, metals thereafter. Two grown sons who have no interest, either in history or the soldiers (where did I go wrong?). One grown daughter who appreciates the figures, with a long time boyfriend who likes them, but I am unsure if they would want them. One young grandaughter who is all girl and is not an option. My wife likes them and doesn't mind what I buy, within reason (read: bills paid, share space). I really have no other viable options. I suppose I will have to liquidate the collection at some point, keeping only my fathers 1920's-30's Britains in the family. I guess I'll just have to enjoy them myself and trust I have the time to liquidate when I feel it is neccessary. -- lancer

 

[jac28]

My Wife has no interest in toy soldiers.. but she's fine with me having an interest - altho thinks it's kinda of silly.. Daughter thinks it's stupid.. Son was a history major, likes my collection, but is not involved in the hobby himself... They all appreicate and like the sculpting I do for Barzso Playsets...

My brother is a collector.. no one else in my extended family has any interest.

Jim

 

[Currahee Chris]

Hey Papa John

Fun question. My family is all relatively supportive of my hobby. My wife cringes a bit when I bring home the occasional St. Pete figure (Spartan or Roman). She likes WW2 figures. I bring the kids to the shows and they have fun- my little guy Andrew won a set of Britain's deetail Cowboys and Indians this past April at the Gettysburg show and has played with them quite a bit.
My eldest- 13- he likes some of the Lord of the Rings figures and my ancients- Spartans and Romans. He made a pumpkin which I am using in my AWI diorama. He also made a wooden tank with my dad (pap) last summer and he painted it green with a star on it. My 8 yo daughter likes anything with cavalry as she loves horses and is learning to ride- perhaps a Napoleonic fan in the ranks She also likes hearing about Eisenhower (the horse she rides is named Ike).

But yeah, my wife enjoys the hobby- especially if we go to Stroudsburg and go to Stockade miniatures. I think she enjoys seeing me enjoy myself. This year she has been on an AWI kick as we went to Mt Vernon on July 3rd and may go to Massachusetts to see some JOhn Adams related sites over Labor Day weekend. I'd love to take her to Chicago but am scared as I still have "flashbacks" from when we spent the weekend at Tyson's Corner for our 10 year wedding anniversary $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

My parents both like my collection- my mother is a fan of anything native American- she likes the Schleich figures. Of course ,dad being a retired Master Sgt - go figure.

I think I got my collecting bug from my grandmother.

Pat- As a CPA on this forum myself (along with Mr. Dubel), I think he/and or I would be happy to inherit your collection and not put it onto the auction block as an investment.

Cheers
CC

 

[wadepat]

Hey Papa John

Fun question. My family is all relatively supportive of my hobby. My wife cringes a bit when I bring home the occasional St. Pete figure (Spartan or Roman). She likes WW2 figures. I bring the kids to the shows and they have fun- my little guy Andrew won a set of Britain's deetail Cowboys and Indians this past April at the Gettysburg show and has played with them quite a bit.
My eldest- 13- he likes some of the Lord of the Rings figures and my ancients- Spartans and Romans. He made a pumpkin which I am using in my AWI diorama. He also made a wooden tank with my dad (pap) last summer and he painted it green with a star on it. My 8 yo daughter likes anything with cavalry as she loves horses and is learning to ride- perhaps a Napoleonic fan in the ranks She also likes hearing about Eisenhower (the horse she rides is named Ike).

But yeah, my wife enjoys the hobby- especially if we go to Stroudsburg and go to Stockade miniatures. I think she enjoys seeing me enjoy myself. This year she has been on an AWI kick as we went to Mt Vernon on July 3rd and may go to Massachusetts to see some JOhn Adams related sites over Labor Day weekend. I'd love to take her to Chicago but am scared as I still have "flashbacks" from when we spent the weekend at Tyson's Corner for our 10 year wedding anniversary $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

My parents both like my collection- my mother is a fan of anything native American- she likes the Schleich figures. Of course ,dad being a retired Master Sgt - go figure.

I think I got my collecting bug from my grandmother.

Pat- As a CPA on this forum myself (along with Mr. Dubel), I think he/and or I would be happy to inherit your collection and not put it onto the auction block as an investment.
Cheers
CC

Hi Chris,

I will give your suggestion some thought. I might not give it much thought, but I will think about it anyway.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[eborris]

My cat has no interest in my hobby either, my kids support it because it keeps me out of the bars sometimes.

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

Being a 1/6 dealer my friends most common question is what do people do with them ? Sometimes I have to show them pictures of the amazing figures that my customers make. Then they see my toy soldier collection and I hear what do you do with them all. I have one friend who shares an interest in the hobby. I also get a lot of packages delivered at my house so the wife really doesn't know what is for the business and what is for me until I actually open them. But she really doesn't say much when I open a new toy soldier order. I am pretty lucky. We just bought a new townhouse, which has a large living room. I don't spend much time in a room with out a television so I was trying to figure a good use of this space. Wife's solution, make it a toy soldier room/library

 

[Saber]

My wife loves my Napoleonics which make up a sizable part of my collection and has stated she would never sell them. My daughter thinks my naps are kind of funny looking, calls them poofy hatted people with carrots (plumes) on their head! She is however fascinated with my WW II collection especially my AFV and the Airborne Troopers. As to who gets them, I'm going to save some funeral cost and have them melted into a coffin to bury me in!

 

[marco55]

I have two cousins who share an interests.My older cousin collects indian figures and I gave him some ACW and some pirates which he liked.His grandson likes anything military and I gave him some Conte ACW sets.All the rest are indifferent except a couple who like to put it down but one of them collects Beanie Babies.Now that's something to really collect.
Mark

 

[Deitz]

I only have one nephew that is interested in toy soldiers, my brothers and other nephews have no interest in them.

 

[OzDigger]

My wife loves my Napoleonics which make up a sizable part of my collection and has stated she would never sell them. My daughter thinks my naps are kind of funny looking, calls them poofy hatted people with carrots (plumes) on their head! She is however fascinated with my WW II collection especially my AFV and the Airborne Troopers. As to who gets them, I'm going to save some funeral cost and have them melted into a coffin to bury me in!

It's good to see such discernment in one so young

 

[Saber]

It's good to see such discernment in one so young

It's also quite amusing to see the two ladies in my life quibble back and forth as to which of my toy soldier lines is the better....gives me a reason to collect both eras. After all, I can't show any favoritism can I?

 

[OzDigger]

It's also quite amusing to see the two ladies in my life quibble back and forth as to which of my toy soldier lines is the better....gives me a reason to collect both eras. After all, I can't show any favoritism can I?

Everybody wins