Stash Porn!

Its the end of the year and the holidays are now upon us.  What better way to sit and anticipate the season of receiving than to scroll down a blog entry about model stashes?  And if there is one surefire way to get views and responses on a forum then just invite people to post stash shots or look at stash porn.

Now I know what you are thinking: this is going to be one of those confessional or reflective pieces like “When I first got back into this hobby I didn’t have a stash, but then I got a basement…Woe is me.”

No – no it won’t.

Nor is this going to be a hobby hoarder shame piece or one of those “how did I get here?” articles.

I’ll level with you, this hobby can take you to weird places:  Model contests; Hobby clubs; An hour and a half drive to some weirdo’s hobby farm in the middle of nowhere because of a kijiji ad. But it was the bargain of the century on a couple must-have kits.  Bargains are bargains and who among us is not a sucker for a deal?  Believe me, the longer you do this, the more you will acquire cheap kits, estate kits, partially started kits and recycled kits.  My advice?  Bring a fully charged cellphone, tell someone where you are going and plan alternate escape routes.

No, this is not some judge-ey pap piece on “reasonable” stash size.  This is a celebration of the stash!  And why not?  We all have them to one degree or another.  And unless your stash becomes a “cache” (a stash that is accumulated in secrecy) or the “investment” in your stash has prevented the enjoyment of things like living space, basic personal hygiene, feeding your family, or sending your kids to college – then really, what is the problem with the stash… even if it borders on the obscene?

Own your stash!  Be proud of it.  Live the stash…

LOVE the stash.

Stash!

Stash!

Stashy!

Stashy!

Stash!

Recently there was an ad posted where the seller, presumably a spouse, was selling 11,000 model kits as a lot.  While I did momentarily feel bad for the previous stash Emperor, I then thought “He who dies with the most toys…”

So… did this guy win?  Yes. He. Did!  What would 11,000 kits look like?  Well, cherry picking the pickins I’d be interested in (mind you I am only posting 17 out of the 300+ pictures of this God Level stash):

Lets see……carry the 1…. and sweet jeebus, that’s a lot of kits!  Now assuming an average kit price of $20.. that would be….. carry the 500…. Ok, lets not do that.

My stash?  Well its nowhere near 11,000 kit high water mark but I can safely say I am almost 1% of the way there.  This stash is composed of:

1. LHS and internet “gotta haves”
2. Hobby show and model forum bargains
3. More than a few “hey, what would you give me for this bunch of airplane kits?”
4. And one very strange rural experience and hour and a half outside my generally pleasant smelling and fully toothed city.

I’ve purged a few bargains I know I will never get to.  While that does mean volume loss; I see it like trimming a bushy beard as it grows. Here is how it started:

And then:

And where we are today:

Notice that most of it fits “cleanly” in an Ikea Pax wardrobe.  That top shelf is 3 rows deep! Clearly years of Tetris were not wasted and there is little space left in that wardrobe – except for on the ongoing projects shelf.  I’d say it is a decent and healthy stash.

So lets hear it!  Do you dig stash porn?  Are you loving your stash?  Thinking of expanding?  I’d like to know where you get your models and how you stack them!