Thinking about leaving the Hobby (2 Viewers)

[o!erlings]

After looking on the latest releases of the Napoleon area, I‘m really thinking about dropping the hobby. Whilst I recognize the painting quality and the details of the First Legion figures, I have to ask myself, if I‘m really willing to pay 80 - 95 $ for a single foot soldier. I‘ve seen this not only with First Legion, almost all major brands have risen the prices massively.
I do own a significant Number of individual pieces from Russian and other manufacturers which I‘ve paid top dollars for, but let‘s face it, the regular stuff is mass production in china. And I‘m not sure, if workers payment went of up relative to the sales prices.

My point is: I‘m in the early fifties - Gen X - and my salary is in the first 1/3 of the six figures. I wonder, how we could make the hobby interesting for younger and less financially potential newbies? With these Prices, I do not think so, that there will be another generation of collectors anymore. Which leads to smaller batches and higher prices for new releases. I think, its a deadly spiral for the hobby, isn‘t it ?

I‘m interested in your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Eric

 

[Poppo]

After looking on the latest releases of the Napoleon area, I‘m really thinking about dropping the hobby. Whilst I recognize the painting quality and the details of the First Legion figures, I have to ask myself, if I‘m really willing to pay 80 - 95 $ for a single foot soldier. I‘ve seen this not only with First Legion, almost all major brands have risen the prices massively.
I do own a significant Number of individual pieces from Russian and other manufacturers which I‘ve paid top dollars for, but let‘s face it, the regular stuff is mass production in china. And I‘m not sure, if workers payment went of up relative to the sales prices.

My point is: I‘m in the early fifties - Gen X - and my salary is in the first 1/3 of the six figures. I wonder, how we could make the hobby interesting for younger and less financially potential newbies? With these Prices, I do not think so, that there will be another generation of collectors anymore. Which leads to smaller batches and higher prices for new releases. I think, its a deadly spiral for the hobby, isn‘t it ?

I‘m interested in your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Eric

I totally agree with you!Clear and exhaustive {bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}

 

[Alexander the Great]

I also agree, the hobby has a life span of about 20-30 years in my opinion.

 

[MLH13]

Eric,

I completely agree with you. The cost just to live has risen exponentially and for me, my disposable cash is drying up quickly. While I believe a seller can set any price they want for an item, I am getting squeezed out of the hobby by rising prices for miniatures. I think it's time I find another "vice" to take part in.

Mark

After looking on the latest releases of the Napoleon area, I‘m really thinking about dropping the hobby. Whilst I recognize the painting quality and the details of the First Legion figures, I have to ask myself, if I‘m really willing to pay 80 - 95 $ for a single foot soldier. I‘ve seen this not only with First Legion, almost all major brands have risen the prices massively.
I do own a significant Number of individual pieces from Russian and other manufacturers which I‘ve paid top dollars for, but let‘s face it, the regular stuff is mass production in china. And I‘m not sure, if workers payment went of up relative to the sales prices.

My point is: I‘m in the early fifties - Gen X - and my salary is in the first 1/3 of the six figures. I wonder, how we could make the hobby interesting for younger and less financially potential newbies? With these Prices, I do not think so, that there will be another generation of collectors anymore. Which leads to smaller batches and higher prices for new releases. I think, its a deadly spiral for the hobby, isn‘t it ?

I‘m interested in your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Eric

 

[Alexander the Great]

Anyone leaving the hobby, feel free to send me a list of their FL figures lol...I will buy them until it is my turn to leave the hobby!

 

[bromhead]

Eric,

I completely agree with you. The cost just to live has risen exponentially and for me, my disposable cash is drying up quickly. While I believe a seller can set any price they want for an item, I am getting squeezed out of the hobby by rising prices for miniatures. I think it's time I find another "vice" to take part in.

Mark

Agreed,,iv gone to castings of my own,,repair of old britains i bought up like mad back in the day and the great plastic figures these days tho i passed on a set of 12 for 30 $$ a bag,,,tho a dollar jar of olives a year ago is three today,,

 

[jazzeum]

I also agree, the hobby has a life span of about 20-30 years in my opinion.

Those things are impossible to predict. Toy soldiers have been around a very long time and before the 1/30 revolution started companies like Britains, Trophy, Fusilier and Tradition existed. Companies come and go. For example, Trophy a very important company that influenced other makers, no longer is around and it’s quite possible that some of the present companies may cease to exist but others will take their place. Just 25 years Yahoo was the dominant search engine and there was no Facebook or Google. Today, Yahoo is a small division of AT&T and the other two are major companies.

Going back to the OP, as long as this Forum has existed, people have been complaining about prices and that’s when a K & C tank cost $90. This has always been an expensive hobby. Some will be able to afford it and others won’t. That’s just reality. FL doesn’t seem to have any trouble in selling many of their rare tanks and the recent K & C Tiger sold out pretty darn fast so there are people who can afford this hobby.

 

[Poppo]

I also think there won't be another generation of collectors, not because of the rising prices... I think young men wouldn't buy a figure not even for 10 dollars, not even take it for free because they never played with plastic soldiers when they were children, so they have no interest at all for toysoldiers.Time will tell anyway.

 

[Horus]

I also think there won't be another generation of collectors, not because of the rising prices... I think young men wouldn't buy a figure not even for 10 dollars, not even take it for free because they never played with plastic soldiers when they were children, so they have no interest at all for toysoldiers.Time will tell anyway.

I've given my Nephews plenty of Toy Soldiers, boxes of Airfix soldiers and WBritains DEEtail Cowboys & Indians and WW2 figures, but though they did play with them some, it's the Star Wars figures that they have grown up to collect. I guess Star Wars has the advantage of the films to inspire collecting, though of course us Baby Boomers were bought up on all the War films of the fifties and Sixties.

 

[Warrior]

No matter what the hobby is, prices are going to be a barrier for some, hobbies no matter what form they are in are for the most part not cheap, unless collecting cans is your thing.

As has been pointed out in this thread (and countless others in the past whenever this subject comes up), the real sticking point is in 2023, there really is no "entry point" to come into the hobby for younger people, specifically kids.

To use me for example, I grew up in the 1960's/1970's on plastic toy soldiers, there were loads of "mom and pop" type department stores back in those days that had toy departments and in the toy department they had toy soldiers, like the 5 and dime, Value Village, Sandy's, Spark's, Mal's, then the chains like Woolworths/Grant's/Kresge's, then the toy stores like Sanco Toys, Child World, plus loads of hobby shops everywhere.

My point being there were loads of access points for kids to buy toy soldiers; one of the things that shocked me in the early 1990's when I got back into the hobby after about a 13 year layoff was how many of those stores were gone.......................there were still a few around, but not a lot.

BMC toys did wonders for the hobby in the 1990's; affordable playsets stocked by the mass merchandisers, but after they were tossed from those stores, it became harder and harder to find plastic toy soldiers for kids.

Kids today; they don't "play outside".........where I live, I had a neighbor, a retired couple who got saddled with their two grandkids due to their daughter being a complete dumpster fire, I never saw those kids outside playing, riding bikes, skateboards, nothing..........they came home from school, went into their condo and that was that.

They sold their place and a divorced woman with a son in high school bought it; he plays video games from the moment he comes home from school until he goes to bed, he has no other interests, period.

There are generations of kids who are now adults who collect nothing, not a thing, twenty somethings mostly, they live in minimally furnished apartments and starter homes and collect nothing.

My customer base from a numbers standpoint is probably 35-80, the meat of that is 55 to 70........certainly not kids, I always joke with my youngest customer who is 35 "Someday, you'll be the last man standing, all of this will be yours."

So again, as was pointed out, with no seeding being done with kids, who's going to carry the torch for the hobby moving forward, time will tell.

If as suggested the hobby has legs for another 20-30 years, if I'm still upright by then, I'll be 92 and long retired from selling toy soldiers...............................:wink2:

Oh and gee, I hope this is not perceived as being negative, gosh no, especially on the eve of the "Chicagoland Toy Soldier Show"............good luck everyone, have fun and all of that.

 

[Combat]

The price of just about everything has gone up in recent years. A lot. That's even if the item is in stock. The price of toy soldiers has been outrageous for years but the market still apparently supports it. This is a niche hobby for old, white guys. One generation of old, white guys is just replaced by another. Many hobbies are like that. The kids of today play video games. Decades down the road some of will have an interest in history and collect toy soldiers. Even if you stop buying them due to the cost, that is not exactly leaving the hobby if you keep the ones that you have collected. An overlooked part of our hobby is just quietly enjoying them.

 

[Warrior]

The price of just about everything has gone up in recent years. A lot. That's even if the item is in stock. The price of toy soldiers has been outrageous for years but the market still apparently supports it. This is a niche hobby for old, white guys. One generation of old, white guys is just replaced by another. Many hobbies are like that. The kids of today play video games. Decades down the road some of will have an interest in history and collect toy soldiers. Even if you stop buying them due to the cost, that is not exactly leaving the hobby if you keep the ones that you have collected. An overlooked part of our hobby is just quietly enjoying them.

Yeah, I never understood the "leaving the hobby" part, unless the plan is to liquidate your collection, you're still "in the hobby" even if you are not purchasing figures.

As many of you know, I collect metal 20mm figures, I've got north of 30,000 painted figures from Napoleonics to ACW to Franco Prussian War to WWII, to my newest period/era, First Sudan War, I've spend a **** ton of money this year on the First Sudan War figures to beef that collection up, it will be completed by the end of the year.

Once that happens, I'm basically all full up on Napoleonics, ACW, Franco Prussian War, First Sudan War and WWII, I am sure releases here and there will be of interest, but it's basically a wrap 2024 moving forward; just because my spending will be cut back does not mean I am "leaving the hobby", I hope to enjoy my now complete collections for many years to come.

 

[OzDigger]

This has always been an expensive hobby, and will become more expensive in ensuing years, why would that change, everything else is getter more expensive. I had heaps of plastic soldiers when I was a kid, had no interest in Glossy toy soldiers then or now, and still can't see why anyone would collect Traditional Toy Soldiers.

Of course that all changed when I got into collecting Matte Toy Soldiers and Tanks made by King & Country and many other subsequent companies. Yes I've had to cut back but still get a lot of satisfaction from rearranging my collection, and enhancing the displays by adding new buildings, trees etc. The hobby may change with different collectors, tastes and materials but I think it will still continue.

I do have other hobbies such as hiking, fishing etc, they don't cost me much as I use cheap fishing gear and don't own any boats. My fishing mad friends and relations have heaps of fishing gear and several boats, they can't see any value in Toy Soldiers, but whatever 'floats your boat' as they say. Another friend had to recently sell his Appartment and move into his parents house to keep his American Muscle car on the road, so some 'hobbies' can be 'really' expensive, just buy what you like most and keep it reasonable, you won't have any money probs that way.

 

[Regnar Rick]

George, I'm still only 30...don't age me to 35:wink2:

A good number of fair points have been raised. Speaking as one of the youngest collectors, yes the prices are pretty high...a big reason why I enjoy building smaller vignettes with a few figures, generally no AFVs or if I do they are repainted 21st Century/FOV which can squeeze in with W. Britain's or the K&C plastic Sherman everyone hated...BUT if you're decent enough at painting, you can create quite a bit of tank with that $40 plastic Sherman.

I'm one of those kids who had BMC playsets in the late 90's / early 2000's, plus a variety of other plastic figures to supplement my mass quantities of BMC figures. Honestly, it was a blast as a kid setting up hundreds of plastic figures for massive battles in the basement. I guess my department advisor in college was right when he called me a "boomer born in the wrong decade.":salute::

Lastly, I'll add if you wait your time on Ebay, you can snag up K&C or W. Britain for $12-25 per figure.

Jake

 

[Terp152]

...as I use cheap fishing gear and don't own any boats...

Me either, and thank God! ^&grin

 

[jazzeum]

I had heaps of plastic soldiers when I was a kid, had no interest in Glossy toy soldiers then or now, and still can't see why anyone would collect Traditional Toy Soldiers.

I thought as you did when I first entered the hobby; only WW II matte soldiers for me. However, when I went to Louis’ new house back in 2006 (think that’s when it was) and helped him unpack his collection for his Symposium I found the matte non WW II interesting and his K & C glossy more interesting. I remember when I emailed Pete Reuss about purchasing one of Treefrog’s last Nelson’s Navy pieces and his comment back was “Nelson huh?” After that I started picking up K & C glossy here and there and they have now become a big part of my collection. I later become interested in Trophy and Somerset’s Lawrence of Arabia line. The Lawrence of Arabia figures are some of the finest figures out there, in my opinion, of course.

I’m not saying you should like them but they do have a certain attraction and they do add to my collection, which tends to be quite varied.

 

[OzDigger]

I thought as you did when I first entered the hobby; only WW II matte soldiers for me. However, when I went to Louis’ new house back in 2006 (think that’s when it was) and helped him unpack his collection for his Symposium I found the matte non WW II interesting and his K & C glossy more interesting. I remember when I emailed Pete Reuss about purchasing one of Treefrog’s last Nelson’s Navy pieces and his comment back was “Nelson huh?” After that I started picking up K & C glossy here and there and they have now become a big part of my collection. I later become interested in Trophy and Somerset’s Lawrence of Arabia line. The Lawrence of Arabia figures are some of the finest figures out there, in my opinion, of course.

I’m not saying you should like them but they do have a certain attraction and they do add to my collection, which tends to be quite varied.

Brad, to clarify I was refering to the Traditional Glossy Toy Soldiers that were originally made for Children such as Hollow Cast Britains etc. They were rare items in Australia when I was a kid as most of us played with Plastic Toy Soldiers, the most popular being Airfix in 1/32 and 1/72-6 scales, these had excellent detail for toy soldiers and possibly influenced my preference for better detailed figures.

Obviously Britains could see the childrens TS market changing and subsequently released their Deetail range that included well detailed plastic figures and metal vehicles.

The more recent and better detailed Collectable Glossies which are made for Adults are attractive and I can see why people collect them. However, as you said, we all have made changes in the focus of our collections, over recent years I have been swapping/selling off most of my WW2 German sets, including the K & C LAH range, to make room for Australian based sets.