How Many? (1 Viewer)

[gk5717]

Does anyone have any idea as to how many serious K&C collectors there are?
It,s strange to think in the entire world there would be only a thousand or so. I,m baseing that on what I,m hearing on production runs.
Gary

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Gary, I would ask not just how many serious King & Country collectors there are, but how many Military Miniature collectors there really are, and how old are they. I think the hobby is 'greying' like a lot of other traditional hobbies, from stamp collecting to model railroading.
I have had this conversation with Andy, Thor, Rick and countless others at the retail and manufacturing end.
I can really tell this at shows when I see who is purchasing the gloss painted traditionals. To take it further, fellows buying the unpainted plastics are younger...baby boomers in the 40s! There will always be collecters of everything, but unless we do something to bring younger folks in, some one will be the last man standing with a very, very large collection. Imagine the enviromental impact on the town where that collection will be!
Perhaps the younger people that collect and paint "Warhammer" style figures will eventually step up to replace some of us. Hopefully they will realize that real history is every bit as intersting as fantasy!

 

[Joey]

Ken,

I'm only fifteen years old (turning 16 in september) but I'm a serious toy soldier collector(mainly K&C). I think it's very sad that people of my generation don't have any interest in military miniatures. I've only been to a few shows now, but when I go, I only see older people at the stands. But as you can see, there is still hope...

 

[VIRIATO]

Gary, I would ask not just how many serious King & Country collectors there are, but how many Military Miniature collectors there really are, and how old are they. I think the hobby is 'greying' like a lot of other traditional hobbies, from stamp collecting to model railroading.
I have had this conversation with Andy, Thor, Rick and countless others at the retail and manufacturing end.
I can really tell this at shows when I see who is purchasing the gloss painted traditionals. To take it further, fellows buying the unpainted plastics are younger...baby boomers in the 40s! There will always be collecters of everything, but unless we do something to bring younger folks in, some one will be the last man standing with a very, very large collection. Imagine the enviromental impact on the town where that collection will be!
Perhaps the younger people that collect and paint "Warhammer" style figures will eventually step up to replace some of us. Hopefully they will realize that real history is every bit as intersting as fantasy!

Hi,
Interesting point. I'm 39 ( getting rapidly to 40, three months away...), and fascinated with WWII and history and historical miniatures in general. I guess there are possibly more modelers than simple collectors, while others go both ways. It would be curious to have some kind of information on the ages of the members of this forum, a kind of poll or something else. What about this as a suggestion?

Bye,
Paulo

 

[Shannon Reuss]

I put a poll over in General Toy Soldier Discussion.


While a number of my customers are 'older', there are quite a few buying for their kids. I'll be curious to see the results!

 

[gk5717]

Prior to this board starting up, myself and 4 or 5 members of this board would post on another board "Groundpounders"
Try as we may to start K&C discussions or any figure discussions, it would always be just the few of us.
The vast majority of post would be about the various brands of planes and armour. And from what I could gather most of those posters were young, with a lot being college students.
Just wonder if growing up in the fifties and early sixties with the Marx playsets, and .10 cent bin figures, how much influence that had.
Gary

 

[Peter Reuss]

I think simple economics may have a lot to do with it. Younger people with less disposable income are more likely to be attracted by less expensive option (FOV, plastic, etc). This doesn't mean that they don't like the higher end figures (K&C, etc). It may just mean that they don't fit their current budgets.

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Gary...I think there was even more... Almost all of my older family members and neighbors were involved with the war effort. If we didn't hear them speak of it, there were uniforms in dry cleaning bags in the closet or in a trunk, there were war souvenirs taken out and showed on special occasions and cigar boxes full of medals and insignia often shown with some 'comment' about the original owner.
Here in Detroit there were at least two huge military surplus store bulging with everthing from Nordan bomb sights still in the crates to a Wright cyclone crate full of German and Jap helmets.
Evening on our black and white TV brought Combat, 12 O'clock High, Brave Men, Rat Patrol, Hogans Heros, old war movies. the World at War series...and news reports from Viet Nam.
I remember going to all of the 5 & 10 cent and department stores and the toy departments were full of toy guns, morters, even bazookas Toy soldiers could be purchased in metal and plastic by the box or the bag. Marx was a great producer of 'War Toys' along with others.
There was more, but perhaps "Where We Were When" made a difference.

 

[gk5717]

Ken, I totally agree, I remember my dad let me stay up past my bedtime during the school year so I could watch Victory at Sea with him.
As you said we all played army using our dads WW2 equipment that they had brought home.
I guess the big void occurred during the VietNam era when war toys were null and void. Both my boys who grew up in that era have no interest whatsoever in military themes.
Gary

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Wow, Yes!..."Victory at Sea" what a great sound track too, I still listen to it along with other great war movie soundtracks.
Some of my favorites include "The Battle of Britain" and "Where Eagles Dare". I love the way the opening track to "Where Eagles Dare" ramps up from a simple drum solo to the full sound of the orchestra. Two other great ones are from "Night of the Generals" and "Is Paris Burning?". I better stop now...

 

[Eazy]

I'm 35 and was raised on British war comics, action men and airfix and britains soldiers. My grandad fought in the war in France, Holland and Germany with the Royal Artillery. Its inevitable that i collect this stuff now.

Oh yeah Where Eagles Dare. What a great film. Richard Burton on the cable car. Clint never running out of ammo. Ingrid Pitt and Mary Ure what more can you ask for? I love it.

 

[Doug Stork]

I Too Grew Up With Manoil & Barclay Dimestore Figures As Well As The Marx Playsets I Can Still Remember My First One The Christmas Of 1955 Was The Deluxe Walt Disney Version Alamo Playset By Marx I Wish I Still Had It In Original Box With The Lithograpic Walls And Mission And The Crockett Figure Was Molded To The Likeness Of Fess Parker Who Played In The Disney Movie And Series On Tv I Still Like Toy Soldiers And Still Like To Set Up Dioramas
Doug S

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

My dad just found one of the Marx Japanese throwing a hand grenade in the flower bed...When he asked mt if it was mine I was immediatly transported back to my youth. I guess that is also part of this hobby.
Maybe my son will have the same thing happen for him someday in the distant future when someone finds an old sega controller. Oh well!

 

[Chuck Harris]

Well I turned 70 in March started modeling when I was around 6. After Dec. 7. 1941 you had play with what you had or make your own everything from that time on was made of paper. I still have many of my dime store toy soldiers.

My 11 year old grandson likes to look my collection but they don't do anything. He helps me with them but he is just being nice. but I still love him. I taught him how to bulid computers when he was younger around 7 and he has passed me up in this skill.