Your wife - collecting friend or foe? (2 Viewers)

[sam04]

I think some of you can relate when I say my wife doesn't quite "get it" when it comes to our level of fascination with toy soldiers.

With a little "nudging" I managed to convince her to give me a membership to the Britains Club for Christmas. I was so excited when the membership package arrived earlier in the week. I decided to just enjoy my reading, and not treat the package like some future "collectible" that needs to remain in mint condition. I'm half kidding, but it wouldn't shock me if someone on this forum has two memberships so they can keep one package unopened in a temperature controlled room!

Anyway, after checking out "The Standard" for awhile, I left it in one of the "reading rooms". Last night, I "caught" my wife curled up in bed reading it! Mild shock, instead of watching TV, she’s reading a magazine mostly about toy soldiers! Immediately, I'm scrambling, trying to figure out where to strategically place catalogs.

My mind starts racing... I can see it now… TWO soldier rooms, vacations geared towards buying new soldiers, attending shows, soldier themed parties, furniture! Dinnerware? I’ll have to flesh out my plot tomorrow… time for bed. Oh wait, I couldn’t possible go to bed without getting my "Ebay soldier fix"... right? I stay up entirely too late hunting down new finds.

Fast forward five years… the house is over flowing with soldiers. We’re eating dinner off our “Trooping the Colour” themed plates. Everything seems great, until she starts gloating AGAIN how it was her, (The Soldier Goddess) who “sniped” me out of my had-to-have vintage Britains sets the night before. I’ve lost my appetite. That weekend, I’m at Home Depot gathering supplies to build a plywood divider to split the house in two. A month later, the lawyers are fighting over how to spilt the collection. The cats are thrown into an ugly custody battle.

It’s too late for a soldier prenuptial agreement.

 

[Dickbuttons]

On the other hand -- I can leave soldier magazines, periodicals, catalogues, lists, etc., lying out, and all my wife does is ask me to move them otherwise she is going to toss them. No fear on my part that wifey will ever collect soldiers. I more fear that during one of her house cleaning binges, she may throw out any loose or out of place figures. I guess under your heading, i would have to call her a "friend" -- but one that needs watching!

 

[The Lt.]

We have a fellow collectors whose been blessed with a soulmate that has joined him in collecting toy soldiers and if I'm not mistaken she started with matte figures from WBritain. She has also ventured into collecting Gloss figures from other soures as well as WBritain. What a rare find and a number one keeper...The Lt.

 

[Leadmen]

My wife tolerates my obsession with the little men. What she does not approve of is when too many orders arrive in one month. I find she goes through moods like "I really like these guys" or the other mood "when are you going to grow up". After 45 years of marriage I have not changed my interest in this hobby.

Sometimes it is strange when she moves figures and keeps giving me more room to display them. All the years we went to shows and other events. She only bought about ten figures. The last one was a Monarch Samurai figure from Ted Deddens. Retirement does restrict me somewhat on purchases.

I do know that this hobby keeps my interest in retirement. No golf or Florida for me. I rather have the four seasons and working on my figures or model kits. I enjoy a good cup of coffee, paints out and figures or dioramas being worked on. I look out at the woods and watch birds and wild life while painting. John

 

[steel wheels]

I'm a former military officer, so my wife knows that the soldier in me will never die. I don't over do it, but our home office is decorated with my own Army momento's, a military library, dvd war movies, and of course several ww-2 diorama's. Iv'e actually seen her showing it off to family members, so I know she has no problem with it. Her dad fought in the Battle Of The Bulge, so I made a Bulge diorama, to honor her dad, which she liked .

 

[kilted vampire]

When I first started dating Nancy I began to include her in the hobby. I made "commemorative figures for our firsts. Going to a ACW re-enactment or Highland game got her one offs made by yours truly. Parisian set followed , Santa for Christmas and so on.

 

[Cardigan600]

I think some of you can relate when I say my wife doesn't quite "get it" when it comes to our level of fascination with toy soldiers.

With a little "nudging" I managed to convince her to give me a membership to the Britains Club for Christmas. I was so excited when the membership package arrived earlier in the week. I decided to just enjoy my reading, and not treat the package like some future "collectible" that needs to remain in mint condition. I'm half kidding, but it wouldn't shock me if someone on this forum has two memberships so they can keep one package unopened in a temperature controlled room!

Anyway, after checking out "The Standard" for awhile, I left it in one of the "reading rooms". Last night, I "caught" my wife curled up in bed reading it! Mild shock, instead of watching TV, she’s reading a magazine mostly about toy soldiers! Immediately, I'm scrambling, trying to figure out where to strategically place catalogs.

My mind starts racing... I can see it now… TWO soldier rooms, vacations geared towards buying new soldiers, attending shows, soldier themed parties, furniture! Dinnerware? I’ll have to flesh out my plot tomorrow… time for bed. Oh wait, I couldn’t possible go to bed without getting my "Ebay soldier fix"... right? I stay up entirely too late hunting down new finds.

Fast forward five years… the house is over flowing with soldiers. We’re eating dinner off our “Trooping the Colour” themed plates. Everything seems great, until she starts gloating AGAIN how it was her, (The Soldier Goddess) who “sniped” me out of my had-to-have vintage Britains sets the night before. I’ve lost my appetite. That weekend, I’m at Home Depot gathering supplies to build a plywood divider to split the house in two. A month later, the lawyers are fighting over how to spilt the collection. The cats are thrown into an ugly custody battle.

It’s too late for a soldier prenuptial agreement.

Yes I have got "War Of The Roses" on DVD as well lol.
Bernard.

 

[aujj65]

I know this is on the Britains thread, but I am lucky in that my wife actually collects the K&C Streets of Old Hong Kong figures and has her own curio cabinet now just for these, so as long as I don't forget a set every now and again I don't have any problems with my dearly beloved!

Jeff

 

[Molloy]

I don’t think I could envisage my other (and much better) half experiencing a belated conversion to the hobby anytime soon! However, I can certainly say she’s never been a “foe” as far as my collecting is concerned – her attitude at absolute worst to it is sheer bemusement.

She’s always fond of saying that prior to meeting me she’d never even heard of the concept of collecting and displaying model soldiers, and that if she hadn’t met me, she probably never would have. As far as she’s concerned though, it’s a hobby that seldom takes me too far way from her, as I can by and large enjoy it from the comfort of my own home, and it’s infinitely preferable, from her perspective at least, to being glued to the football for hours at a time every week. It also makes present shopping an awful lot easier for her , as all she has to do is simply ask me which models/reference books/ DVD’s, etc., I’d like.

For my 19th last year, she brought me to Waterloo for the day – and to my surprise and delight, instead of merely tolerating it, she was actually quite taken with the battlefield, so much so that we’re planning on returning for the anniversary weekend this June. She’s also been very impressed recently with Sky’s “Ross Kemp in Afghanistan” – watching the show together has become our Monday evening ritual for the last few weeks.

All in all, I consider myself a very lucky fellow!

Regards,

Molloy.

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

My wife is very understanding and usually just asks if a piece is new. If she did say anything negative I can always point to the 1200.00 designer hand bag or 500.00 dollar shoes in her closet

 

[WBritain]

My wife bit the bullet and purchased a 10 foot wide cabinet for me last Christmas - she thought that would keep me both happy and contained. Two problems - we need another one and now my five year old son - "wants one just like daddy" for his growing collection - she might be regretting this decision. But, unlike many of you, toy soldiers are a net income to the Walker household, so in the words of my five year old - "daddy has to make the soldiers so we can buy more soldiers/toys"...and so my wife can hit the Nordstrom shoe department every once in awhile. That said she does know her Civil War and Napoleonics and considers them her favorites.

 

[Saber]

Wife loves the glossy Naps from WBrit&Tradition mainly because she thinks they go with her English country decor. Doesn't want the study to clash with the rest of the house! Bad news is, limited options for displaying the ancient Romans/Greeks, WWII dios in the garage and LAH from K&C completely out. Good news she wants me to build a seperate room out back for all of the latter.

 

[PolarBear]

My wife loves the Britains Classics lines and gave me a batch for Christmas. It was also through her interest in the French & Indian War that I began to collect this subject.

Randy

 

[Saber]

Wife thinks the Britains Redcoats releases are fantastic, just picked some up for me a couple of weeks ago and I didn't even have to ask.

 

[PolarBear]

Wife thinks the Britains Redcoats releases are fantastic, just picked some up for me a couple of weeks ago and I didn't even have to ask.

I think there is another whole market out there for Britains to tap--the collectors' wives. Ken & Ericka's new Petticoats series might be a good start.

R.

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Since none of the wives have posted yet I thought I might. I have to say that toy soldiers were never a part of my life until just recently. And I married into them in a very, very big way.

There are soldiers in the library, soldiers in the living room, an artillery team taking aim at the china in the dining room, soldiers in the basement, studio, office, every closet, storage space, shed & garage. Though the main bedroom does not have any soldiers, it and the "reading rooms" have books, magazines, flyers and catalogues all toy soldier/ military miniature related. There are tanks on library shelves, planes on computer desks, the front entryway table has a floral arrangement and a panzer tank... You get the idea.

And that is just the little stuff. It is the real stuff that really takes up the room. In every closet and dark corner there are brown bess's and German mauser's, WWI French canteen kits and British Shakos, campaign trunks and shelter halves, German jump boots and every type of web gear ever worn, by any soldier, in any era. If we don't have an original to look at, than we must have a book or 10 about it. We have lots of books. Literally thousands of books. Enough books that we had to add extra jacks to the basement so the floors don't collapse under the weight (Not kidding).
I live my life completely and utterly surrounded by the toy soldier world, and I wouldn't change a thing.
Well, maybe the panzer in the entryway...
All the Best,
Ericka

 

[sam04]

Thanks for all the responses guys (and girl ). I've enjoyed reading through them all. Especially the ones that made me chuckle a little.

"artillery team taking aim at the china in the dining room" - I love it.

I kid about my wife, but she has always supported me with anything I have ever tried to do. Including hobbies that she doesn't quite "get" like soldier collecting.

Regards,
sam04

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Sam,
Bet you thought I was joking...
All the Best,
Ericka

 

[Harrytheheid]

I know this is on the Britains thread, but I am lucky in that my wife actually collects the K&C Streets of Old Hong Kong figures and has her own curio cabinet now just for these, so as long as I don't forget a set every now and again I don't have any problems with my dearly beloved!

Jeff

Also with apologies because I am well aware this is the Britains thread, but please bear with me Britains collectors;

Likewise Jeff. My wife loves the K&C SOHK and IC ranges. It helps that she's Chinese of course.
We look through the ranges together, then decide what I'll bring home from Hong Kong next time. Basically she would like both the entire ranges with the exception of the SOHK Chinese "Bobbies" - and I think this is cos the "Baaaad Blitish STOLE HK from China" - unquote. . Political and historical discussions in our home tend to be lively.
At the moment, it looks I'll only be getting 2 or 3 SOHK sets for her this time.
I have a recent TF order which ought to be delivered to our office in Bangkok soon and it includes the 3 Patriot Han Swordsmen. This gives me an opportunity to get IC030 "Spear Practice", IC031 "Sword Practice" and IC032 "Getting Ready for Battle". Lucy really doesn't care that the era's are 100's of years apart - they're Chinese figures..!! And I might just get her IC005 "The Opera" set as well. Mainly cos she (and I) love the paintwork on the Opera King. Don't know yet what to do with the "Woman" in that set though.

So, its almost time for her to branch out into a different range. I've been trying the movies hook. We've both watched Troy and the recent made-for-TV Helen of Troy movie (and the old 1950's version of HoT) of course, so I decided to put some EofI Ancient Greeks & Persians on order. I think the subject matter will appeal cos she can relate it to the films she's seen. She doesn't like "Arab Men" - unquote, but I'm going to try and pass off some K&C Saracens as The Golden Horde. This just might work.....needs must.

Another range I might try and encourage an interest in is JJ FIW. She's seen "Last of the Mohicans" umpteen times and the blockhouse & civilian figures might appeal. Unfortunately, I don't see her being all that interested in the Britains Petticoat Range. They are Glossy - and there's no movies I can think of offhand that she can reference to. The only way I can think of to get her attention might be to obtain a few Duchess of Richmonds Ball figures from Alexanders Toy Soldiers. That might work.

So, just to finish off here, although my main interest is WWII EA/AK and K&C UK Crimea, I'm able to obtain figures that the wife loves - and I would probably have bought anyway.
Win/Win.....

Thanks
H

 

[sam04]

Ericka,

Judging by your initial post and subsequent photo your home sounds like a fascinating, lovely place to live.

The set in your photo is my favorite from the current catalog. I hope to have one "taking aim" in my house shortly.

Regards,
sam04