My experience with not buying miniatures for a year

[syrinx0]

My plans to limit my purchases while increasing my painting never seemed to work for any given year as I always bought more than I painted. In 2022 I painted nothing and gamed very little for various unplanned reasons, I sold 40% of the lead mountain and my purchases decreased to zero. Last month I started painting again and bought 31 figures. Definitely seems to ebb and flow for me at this stage.

A side effect of purging the larger projects was I sorted everything in plastic bins and I now know exactly how many figures are on the shelves and what they are. I doubt I will ever paint all of them but I am comfortable with what I have left.

[Norm]

A good idea if only to reduce the lead / plastic mountain, though collective action to do this would likely put our figure manufacturers under pressure.

[Pijlie]

I have however gotten a resin 3d printer And have bought loads of resin and STL files that I have printed. Does that count as buying miniatures?

I don't know if it has to "count". If the number of printed figures doesnt stress you out, it apparently isnt a problem.

But you wont find me buying a 3D printer anytime soon 

[Dr. Zombie]

I don't know if it has to "count". If the number of printed figures doesnt stress you out, it apparently isnt a problem.

But you wont find me buying a 3D printer anytime soon 

I actually find that I paint the minis i print. So They do not add to the unfinished heap of shame.

I think that with the 3d printer I get a much more instant gratification. I can get an idea, print something off and then be painting. All within a weekend. But when I have to order physical minis. I have to wait 10-14 days. And by then my scatterbrain has moved along to and abandoned 5 other ideas.

[Pijlie]

II think that with the 3d printer I get a much more instant gratification. I can get an idea, print something off and then be painting. All within a weekend. But when I have to order physical minis. I have to wait 10-14 days. And by then my scatterbrain has moved along to and abandoned 5 other ideas.

In my case the 3D printer would probably only add to the distraction   

[Ragsta]

Here’s my 2p. I have actually only bought a single squad of 10 figures in 2023 so far. This was to help out an indie company but I also had a ‘place’ planned out in my list of projects.
 
Previously I realised that in my own case the volume of models awaiting work was beginning to get me down, hence why I put a stop on buying. I also worked out all my current storage and display options and now my future plans have a definitely finite limit I can accommodate! I want to see my toys in all their glory, not heaped in boxes for me to forget. That’s just my own feelings of course, we all have our own preferences.

So yes I would say currently I’m looking at 200+ models to do. But now I know the pile won’t get any bigger, and in the end I’ll be able to see my loot without the hobby hill growing further. Whenever that end is 

[mikedemana]

Very interesting ideas being bandied about! Before going to Historicon 2023, I sat down in my gaming cubbyhole and made a list of all MDF, resin, and other buildings that I have on my shelf that were not put together or painted. I separated the list out by category and I found that it kept me more focused on what I purchased.

Now, the REAL test will be to find some time to slowly, over the course of months, do the exact same thing with my unpainted lead pile! I used to do this with a spiral notebook, but now use the Notes section on my iPhone for it. That way, it is always accessible for consultation or review at a convention. Plus, I find if I reading through what I currently own unpainted cools the buying enthusiasm a bit.

Of course, all the figure and terrain manufacturers reading this thread are doing this:
 

Mike Demana

[Fred Mills]

A very enjoyable exchange and blog post, with many things that resonate.

If unfinished projects emotionally bother you, if they create friction within the family or generate storage challenges in your living space, or if they consume money badly needed for other things, there's clearly a problem.

But if the lead pile is no bother, family is content, storage space sufficient and tidy, and funds available, one's concerns are clearly less.

There is an important competing value proposition here: what enjoyable, affirming, or socially beneficial things might one be doing if not painting little troops and such? This is the opportunity cost of the venture, and precisely the same for any leisure-based deployment of our time. How much is enough? And how much is reasonable before it begins to edge out home maintenance or parenting or community service or work? There is also the possibility that we create such time-urgent demands on ourselves, especially in complex or large-scale hobby projects, that they start to become work, and therefore perhaps a source of stress instead of solace.

This leads to a related enjoyment proposition: what things about the hobby are your sources of greatest joy, from research and reading to collecting and painting to playing and competing? Thinking of your stash's eventual disposition to descendants, the local gaming group, or the waste bin might be practical but it's also rather daunting. The easier but no less relevant questions are about the things in which you find real joy, and constructing ways to do more of those and less of the others.

Personally, the hobby is a mostly solitary pursuit by design because my work is busy ad people focussed, and I use precious hobby hours to restore some life balance. Because of this, I devote vast amounts of time to reading, research, OOB organization, and painting, and almost none to playing, displaying, or competing. My stash is large but very well organized, and my work table usually tidy and well managed.

On the flip side, there are tons of quasi-finished projects, including a few of the stop-and-start variety, a large 'inheritance' that will annoy a child or grandchild someday, and plenty of social opportunities I've probably missed while quietly noodling away in the hobby dungeon.

I could certainly use a similar abstention from buying, but acquiring is also part of the fun.

Thanks for the thoughtful piece.