Old Hammer & Midden Hammer thoughts
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:24 am
Hi all,
Just a warning...this is going to be a contemplative rant from an old WHFB coot. I've been collecting WH miniatures for close to four (4) decades now...yes, I am afraid to say that out loud . I, like many of you, have bought and sold hundreds, nay...thousands of figures and multiple armies over this time too. I continue to track Ebay and other sellers for years to keep a finger on the current 'temperature' of what I think my 'original' figures are worth and to see if the value is still holding. I have become somewhat of an expert in my own mind of the lore, the fantasy, the miniatures and the trends...like many of you...
I don't play any of the games...I just collect and paint when I have the time.
I read a commentary from an open forum about 6 months ago...I can't remember which forum....remember 4 decades.. , but someone said something that hit me to the core and I haven't stopped thinking about it since that time. The comment was made from someone probably with not the amount of grey hair that I have, but it went something like this "The problem with the trend of trading and buying old school figures is that the value in the original figures is based solely a very small group of people who seem to be more engaged in nostalgia rather than in actual values of the figures."
The argument was that 3D printing, and it's ever improving process, will eventually make old metals obsolete. Even if you believe that the 3rd Ed Bretonian Men At Arms looked more regal than the later more peasant-like editions, or that a single 80's GW dwarf warrior had more personality and character in his nose and cheeks than an entire army of Mantic - Kings of War figs, it doesn't matter, because eventually, these miniatures will be phased out...just like the home case 'flats' of old. Phased out due to disinterest, non-support by GW or no need for big and cumbersome armies anymore...
Of course, I don't collect based on the value of my miniature collection, so that argument does not really impact me, but what impacted me the most is that the younger generation will not understand why having a collection of Empire Imperial Generals WITH BOTH wings (foot and mounted) is so cool and understand the time it took and the hunting and patience it took to land a collection of these guys, OR having an entire table filled with an army with hundreds of figures that you collected and painted...
So, I am not selling my mini's, but I had to deal with a little bit of depression about the ultimate direction that something I love is going in. Maybe this is what Ford felt like when the Model T was phased out due to the popularity of Volkswagen Beetle .
Ok rant over. Does anyone else have similar laments?
Chris
Just a warning...this is going to be a contemplative rant from an old WHFB coot. I've been collecting WH miniatures for close to four (4) decades now...yes, I am afraid to say that out loud . I, like many of you, have bought and sold hundreds, nay...thousands of figures and multiple armies over this time too. I continue to track Ebay and other sellers for years to keep a finger on the current 'temperature' of what I think my 'original' figures are worth and to see if the value is still holding. I have become somewhat of an expert in my own mind of the lore, the fantasy, the miniatures and the trends...like many of you...
I don't play any of the games...I just collect and paint when I have the time.
I read a commentary from an open forum about 6 months ago...I can't remember which forum....remember 4 decades.. , but someone said something that hit me to the core and I haven't stopped thinking about it since that time. The comment was made from someone probably with not the amount of grey hair that I have, but it went something like this "The problem with the trend of trading and buying old school figures is that the value in the original figures is based solely a very small group of people who seem to be more engaged in nostalgia rather than in actual values of the figures."
The argument was that 3D printing, and it's ever improving process, will eventually make old metals obsolete. Even if you believe that the 3rd Ed Bretonian Men At Arms looked more regal than the later more peasant-like editions, or that a single 80's GW dwarf warrior had more personality and character in his nose and cheeks than an entire army of Mantic - Kings of War figs, it doesn't matter, because eventually, these miniatures will be phased out...just like the home case 'flats' of old. Phased out due to disinterest, non-support by GW or no need for big and cumbersome armies anymore...
Of course, I don't collect based on the value of my miniature collection, so that argument does not really impact me, but what impacted me the most is that the younger generation will not understand why having a collection of Empire Imperial Generals WITH BOTH wings (foot and mounted) is so cool and understand the time it took and the hunting and patience it took to land a collection of these guys, OR having an entire table filled with an army with hundreds of figures that you collected and painted...
So, I am not selling my mini's, but I had to deal with a little bit of depression about the ultimate direction that something I love is going in. Maybe this is what Ford felt like when the Model T was phased out due to the popularity of Volkswagen Beetle .
Ok rant over. Does anyone else have similar laments?
Chris