Relative size of our hobby (1 Viewer)

[waynepoo]

I hope you are not relying on this post to get promoted as it is not long for the forum!

Cheeky sod, I'm relying on the movie thread.:wink2::wink2::wink2:{sm4}{sm4}
Wayne.

 

[Jack]

Cheeky sod, I'm relying on the movie thread.:wink2::wink2::wink2:{sm4}{sm4}
Wayne.

Use of insulting language - that's another strike!

Here is a filty, disgusting, in the gutter Australian insult for you -


You like soccer!

 

[waynepoo]

Use of insulting language - that's another strike!

Here is a filty, disgusting, in the gutter Australian insult for you -


You like soccer!

I have a one BIG word (sorry two) reply to that - CLIVE PLAMER!.
{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}
Wayne.

 

[jrsteel]

I think there would be more collectors if the hobby was marketed more. Before I went to Gettysburg in 2000, I thought the only toy soldiers in the world were the green army men in plastic bags. When I walked in those toy soldier shops, I was amazed at these beautiful toy soldiers that I didn't know existed. I don't know how they could be advertised or sold in more mainstream stores but I think there would be more collectors if more guys knew about them.

 

[TomNT]

I have a one BIG word (sorry two) reply to that - CLIVE PLAMER!.
{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}
Wayne.

Now now Jack and Wayne settle down, go down to the local TS store and kiss and make up ^&grin

To add my 10 cents worth to this thread, i think you would have to categorize this thread further to define the overall hobby. If you include every brand and item that's on this forum then yeah, i think there would have to be millions of collectors around the world, but if it's just 1:30 or 1:32 matt or glossy metal figurines and military vehicles, then i think it's a relatively small group of people. Im pretty sure here in Darwin there are very few people that collect the later and i think this is the case Australia wide. I know my local dealer in Brisbane doesn't know of anyone else other than one other person in Darwin that collects metal figurines.

Tom

 

[Alex]

it is something very difficult to know since you have to define what is a toy soldier.
I have shifted my collecting habits to almost only one of kind figures painted in Russia.
Last two figures I bought were 600 and 400$ respectively. I call these figures some small work of arts and they fall in the 'miniature arts' category. this has been around for centuries.
Are there a lot of collectors ? No I don't think so. as there are not a lot of collectors of paintings. y Rubens, Vermeer, etc. Not only it is a question of taste but of disposable income. Who has 100.000.000$ available to buy one painting ? 1000 persons, 10000 or more ?
Cheers
Alex

I have a one BIG word (sorry two) reply to that - CLIVE PLAMER!.
{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}{sm2}
Wayne.

 

[waynepoo]

Now now Jack and Wayne settle down, go down to the local TS store and kiss and make up ^&grin

To add my 10 cents worth to this thread, i think you would have to categorize this thread further to define the overall hobby. If you include every brand and item that's on this forum then yeah, i think there would have to be millions of collectors around the world, but if it's just 1:30 or 1:32 matt or glossy metal figurines and military vehicles, then i think it's a relatively small group of people. Im pretty sure here in Darwin there are very few people that collect the later and i think this is the case Australia wide. I know my local dealer in Brisbane doesn't know of anyone else other than one other person in Darwin that collects metal figurines.

Tom

Tom, mate you'll be pleased to know that we nappy people met up today at the Sergeant Majors, at one stage there was six of us there and with some other paying customers you couldn't swing a cat in the place (it ain't that big a place). But my point is we out number you by two to one, if that is any sort of point, any way the S/M did a brisk trade.:rolleyes2:
Wayne.

 

[TomNT]

Tom, mate you'll be pleased to know that we nappy people met up today at the Sergeant Majors, at one stage there was six of us there and with some other paying customers you couldn't swing a cat in the place (it ain't that big a place). But my point is we out number you by two to one, if that is any sort of point, any way the S/M did a brisk trade.:rolleyes2:
Wayne.

Yeah mate, i know about the invasion that took place in Brett's shop today and i have been there a couple of times so i know you need a pretty small cat to swing around in there (sorry to any cat lovers...) ^&grin

Tom

 

[VIRIATO]

I suppose the manufacturers must have a pretty good idea of how many collectors we have worldwide, this must be important information for them to plan their runs, especially when we talk of the bigger players. Am I right? FL, Britains and K&C, for instance, can you chime in here? My feeling is that there are much more modellers than collectors, and sometimes people cross this border...


Paulo

 

[larso]

"Now now Jack and Wayne settle down, go down to the local TS store and kiss and make up"

I'm pretty sure I saw this happening up the back behind the Nile boat.

 

[TomNT]

"Now now Jack and Wayne settle down, go down to the local TS store and kiss and make up"

I'm pretty sure I saw this happening up the back behind the Nile boat.

I didn't know Brett was running a Porn shop as well Larso??^&grin

Tom

 

[larso]

"I didn't know Brett was running a Porn shop as well Larso??"

Well not quite, though it must look like it from the outside judging by all the men who go in trying to shade their faces.

 

[TomNT]

"I didn't know Brett was running a Porn shop as well Larso??"

Well not quite, though it must look like it from the outside judging by all the men who go in trying to shade their faces.

Hmm, maybe Brett should put in an entrance out the back....^&grin

Tom

 

[Fubar]

Well, Chris, here is where we differ. I don't cast such a wide net. I agree that metal, plastic, composition, 54mm, 60mm (and other sizes), glossy, and matte, qualify. However, I do not personally believe that war gamers, for example, are toy soldier collectors, per se. As for GI Joe--they are dolls for boys as conceived by the marketing department of the company that introduced them to supplement the dolls for girls they were already producing. Your comment that "then you exclude glossy collectors..." is at variance with my view that the 54mm glossy collector is the traditional, historic heart of 20th century toy soldier collecting. That would be the last group I would exclude. I was collecting before Andy Nielson, by accident, launched the 60mm matte craze that is now so popular with collectors; I had a fairly decent collection of K&C glossy, 54mm sets. So, the 60mm matte collectors are johnny come latelies in the long history of toy soldier collecting. But I am glad they are here.

I believe your estimate of several million is wishful thinking---I wish it were true. I was using the subscriptions to the two afore mentioned toy soldier magazines as a way of gaging interest in the hobby. I figure that some collectors subscribe to one of them, others subscribe to the other, while many do not subscribe to either. So I combined both subscription bases and doubled to get a wild guess as to the number of toy soldier collectors. One can also consider the attendance at the Toy Soldier Shows. On average, it is somewhere around 1,000 for the larger shows. In fact, I am hoping it will be that high for next week's West Coaster---it has been about half of that number for the last couple of years.[/QUOTE

Nope, I guess I aint a toy soldier collector.25,000 troops and Not a glossie to be had. I wonder if HG Wells was a toy soldier collector? He played war games I hear.Made and painted some of his own figures too.

 

[Jack]

At one of the recent K&C dinners in Brisbane (I think 2012) the number 30 000 was mentioned. I cannot remember if it was Andy or one of the attendees who mentioned it or even whether it was a 'legitimate' approximation or just used to illustrate a point. Perhaps one of the Brisbane boys remember the context in which it was used and might add to this thread. With the number of new releases there must surely still be a solid body of collectors who are purchasing regularly. Certainly the small group of collectors I have regular contact with are by and large new to the hobby or have returned after decades of inactivity. Start introducing your friends to the hobby is one small solution!

 

[HistoryfortheAges]

I also, would not include GI Joe or 1/6th models as being included in the toy soldier hobby. Although, I would include scales both smaller than and larger than 54mm or 60mm (i.e. considered the standard) that are painted to a certain minimum level of historical detail and multi-colored or solid colored plastics. I would also include historical scale modelers. I have seen collections that vary in scale and style and that look great on display. Some collectors like to depict some historical engagements in a grandeur scene which is difficult using the 54mm or 60mm sizes and therefore, opt for 28mm or something smaller. Just aside to that display, they may have a smaller scene in a standard size or some stand alone highly detailed figures that are in a 75mm or 90mm scale. They may also mix in some displays of glossies or plastics. It all looks good and gives the viewer a nice variety to look at and gives an idea of what is available in the hobby.

Having said that, I would venture to say that some collectors could also be wargammers but most are not which would eliminate a good majority of wargammers from this hobby of toy soldier collecting. Collectors have a particular mindset which has more to do with the art of display.

The number 30,000 worldwide was mentioned and that sounds reasonable but shrinking due to a variety of reasons mentioned in other posted threads... {eek3}

 

[ucla1967]

Well, Chris, here is where we differ. I don't cast such a wide net. I agree that metal, plastic, composition, 54mm, 60mm (and other sizes), glossy, and matte, qualify. However, I do not personally believe that war gamers, for example, are toy soldier collectors, per se. As for GI Joe--they are dolls for boys as conceived by the marketing department of the company that introduced them to supplement the dolls for girls they were already producing. Your comment that "then you exclude glossy collectors..." is at variance with my view that the 54mm glossy collector is the traditional, historic heart of 20th century toy soldier collecting. That would be the last group I would exclude. I was collecting before Andy Nielson, by accident, launched the 60mm matte craze that is now so popular with collectors; I had a fairly decent collection of K&C glossy, 54mm sets. So, the 60mm matte collectors are johnny come latelies in the long history of toy soldier collecting. But I am glad they are here.

I believe your estimate of several million is wishful thinking---I wish it were true. I was using the subscriptions to the two afore mentioned toy soldier magazines as a way of gaging interest in the hobby. I figure that some collectors subscribe to one of them, others subscribe to the other, while many do not subscribe to either. So I combined both subscription bases and doubled to get a wild guess as to the number of toy soldier collectors. One can also consider the attendance at the Toy Soldier Shows. On average, it is somewhere around 1,000 for the larger shows. In fact, I am hoping it will be that high for next week's West Coaster---it has been about half of that number for the last couple of years.[/QUOTE

Nope, I guess I aint a toy soldier collector.25,000 troops and Not a glossie to be had. I wonder if HG Wells was a toy soldier collector? He played war games I hear.Made and painted some of his own figures too.

That is an impressive number of figures you have there Fubar. You must be a war gamer with that number of figures. I know several war gamers in Southern California who have thousands of small-scale figures that they paint. They regularly meet to play war games with them. Several of them are members of the group I founded eight years ago, the Southern California Toy Soldier Collectors Society. Not one of them has ever bought or owns a set of toy soldiers, as we use the term in the hobby, to the best of my knowledge. I don't consider them toy soldier collectors. I am sure there are others out there who are both war gamers and toy soldier collectors (Warrior?). Although I am getting up there age wise, H. G. Wells was before my time, so I will defer to you on that question.

I am not sure what you meant by "Not a glossy to be had" since I included matte, plastic, composition. etc. in my earlier comment.