State of the Site - 07/07/2016

YT1

NO LONGER A MEMBER
Mar 15, 2011
1,974
0
36
I've been coming around a little more lately. I got fed up with some of the nut cases that were hanging around here for a while. Glad to see the site it still here.
 

NSA

Brotherhood
Admin
Mar 13, 2011
28,536
918
113
Southern California
www.fighting118th.com
I've been coming around a little more lately. I got fed up with some of the nut cases that were hanging around here for a while. Glad to see the site it still here.

Well, I'm pretty sure we're all nutcases depending on who you ask :)

And yeah, I'm at the point where I've invested so much time and capital into the hobby that I can't just walk away, but at the same time I don't really feel the compulsion to keep going either. I've gotten myself to the point where I haven't gotten anything new in a while, other than some cheap BBI figures last fall.

At the same time, I still think 1:18 military stuff is supercoolomgwtfbbq, and desire to own it all. Thankfully the general price barrier is keeping me from dipping back in.

We bought a small house, so there is zero place for me to put or display anything. That definitely contributes to my overall lack of enthusiasm at the moment. Everything is in boxes in the garage. Out of sight, out of mind takes over though.. and I start to care less and less about all this stuff I never use/look at. The nagging from the Mrs doesn't help either!

I still have dreams of making a massive diorama and taking cool pictures.. but the space+time+energy is just not looking like a reality these days, which is kind of depressing, but at the same time, it's just not really a passion of mine at the moment.

I calculated that in a typical 24-hour day (Monday-Friday) I get about 2-4 hours of 'me' time, from 8PM when the kids get settled until I go to bed. If I want to play video games, catch up on TV shows, etc.. it's during this time. Right now, sacrificing games & tv to play with my toys just doesn't seem appealing. I've vacillated back and forth in the past between hobbies.. so who knows.

My kids mostly don't care about any of them.. I'm sure the younger one (3) would play (and break them), but the older ones are too into video games now. Another downside of most 1:18.. it's not meant to be played with! Oof.
 

Digler

Officer
Officer Club
Nov 28, 2012
819
88
28
Vancouver,BC Canada
www.facebook.com
Jesus, you guy's are depressing me. :) I do this now to get away from my kids. LOL The skills that I have learned from making the stuff, to the photography, and getting to know you guy's..... Before my hobbies were fixing cars....took a pinto....and a Triumph TR8 hard top....gutted them both, replaced the TR8s engine and drivetrain with the V6 pinto's......that was one of the best cars I made. Triumph's are shit to repare and expensive. I traded that for a 66 Pontiac rag top....gold block V8.....chick magnet....painted it and traded it for a 48 Chevy pickup.....and the list went on until I realized the money and time was not worth it. Then I concentrated on singing/performing all over place until I moved to Vancouver....and thats when it all stopped. Until I had kids.....and then met you guy's. Don't give up boy's.....
 

NSA

Brotherhood
Admin
Mar 13, 2011
28,536
918
113
Southern California
www.fighting118th.com
Haha.. it's more about a changing of priorities I suppose. We all only have so much 'free' time to devote to things (some more than others).

Typically it's been women and kids getting in the way, but now for me its other hobbies that are taking my time away (in addition to the kids and aforementioned women!).

We shoulda started the naked airplane hanger thing when we had the chance..
 

pcsguy88

Deuce Deuce
Staff member
Mar 14, 2011
12,421
635
113
KC
www.fighting118th.com
I had totally forgotten about the hanger. :eddieism:


I dumped my entire 1:18 collection, military and Star Wars... Well, I still have my alt uni walkers and troops, but that amounts to very little boxed in the garage. I still have 3 of my 1:16 rc tanks stored away also. Most of my stuff was traded away raffled off here or donated to friends with kids and damn does it feel good.

I switched over to Legos 2yrs ago which seems to be much more acceptable to the general population and can be used to build whatever the hell I or my daughter want when we are done with the actual model. They never seem to go down in value, last forever and cannot be replaced with digital media. Now that Mega Bloks has upped their game to levels never dreamed of as a kid, I get my military, sci-fi, Star Wars, action figures and customizing fix all from bricks. It was an expensive 2yrs, but I now have a big enough stash of parts that I no longer need to buy much, just the really nice sets like the Bradley, etc.

My living arrangement is blissful with my GF of 2yrs moving into the same apt complex as me, so I have free range to have whatever out that I want. Absolutely love building stuff with my 10yr old daughter and we have some crazy cross overs with elves, dragons, Halo and military going on. I could never do this with 1:18.
 

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G.I.*EDDIE

gobbles a LOT of cock
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
43,432
428
83
S.E. Mich :(
ALL of it?! :eek:

I could see myself bailing on a lot of it, but I don't think I could ever part with at least one of each of my JOEs. Troop doubles could go. :wave: I could probably part with most of the vehicles :wave:... but never, EVER could I part with my JSI spotcat.
 

pcsguy88

Deuce Deuce
Staff member
Mar 14, 2011
12,421
635
113
KC
www.fighting118th.com
My Spot Cat went to Ignorant Blanket many years ago. I never had a deep nostalgia for actual Joes and the Target clearance of all BBI vehicles is what sucked me in after buying the original 5 packs just for the hell of it. My real nostalgia lives with Transformers and Legos, but Legos/Mega still pretty much sucked until these past few years. The one piece I thought I'd never get rid of was my BMF, but that monster went to Sean last fall (along with all my SW figures I tossed in for free to his newly adopted son) in exchange for the new Lego version of the Millenium Falcon. Living in a small apartment, being able to break a model down into tiny parts in under the bed tubs is priceless. So much more manageable.

If Joe would have stuck with the POC formula, I'd probably still be collecting.
 

Slaymaker

Mostly Ignored
Officer Club
May 13, 2011
2,777
64
48
51
Iowa
PCS - I almost did the same thing...then Marauder figs came out and I held on to 1:18. I have very little in original figs...only thing I have are customs and I buy figures now only for parts.

I still may end up purging it all and going all bricks...but I got into the MTF Val Kickstarter...so we will see what happens after those are released.
 

NSA

Brotherhood
Admin
Mar 13, 2011
28,536
918
113
Southern California
www.fighting118th.com
Yeah, I've been tempted by the Halo megablocks and Call of Duty stuff.. but I don't even want to dip my toe as I don't know if I could stop.

I liked 1:18 over 1:12 or 1:6 stuff because it was small enough to be able to have decently cool stuff.. but 1:32 & whatever scale Lego is lets you do some really cool stuff with the same amount of space.

The detail in that LCAC or whatever is impressive.
 

K-Tiger

All solutions are final.
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
31,266
190
63
I've managed to reign in my LEGO madness quite well. Just wish Ewok was here so I could get rid of the bricks. :D
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
I live on the TN river, which is controlled by a series of dams. If I get flooded, it can only be due to massive dam failure.... meaning that it'll be more than a foot of water and a call to service master. It'll be more like one of those "end of days" movies where 40ft of water wipes away a town.

Bottom line, I'm never leaving the site, just for good measure.
 

NSA

Brotherhood
Admin
Mar 13, 2011
28,536
918
113
Southern California
www.fighting118th.com
I live on the TN river, which is controlled by a series of dams. If I get flooded, it can only be due to massive dam failure.... meaning that it'll be more than a foot of water and a call to service master. It'll be more like one of those "end of days" movies where 40ft of water wipes away a town.

Bottom line, I'm never leaving the site, just for good measure.

Wise man. I need to get more people to live river side!

Behold the power of the site!

I stumbled across SmallJoes on accident today, wow those prices for 1:18 stuff. I can't tell if that's market value anymore, or people have held on to this stuff for so long they don't want to let it go for anything less than a princely sum?

Is the WWII market at all viable anymore?
 

pcsguy88

Deuce Deuce
Staff member
Mar 14, 2011
12,421
635
113
KC
www.fighting118th.com
I stumbled across SmallJoes on accident today, wow those prices for 1:18 stuff. I can't tell if that's market value anymore, or people have held on to this stuff for so long they don't want to let it go for anything less than a princely sum?

Is the WWII market at all viable anymore?

I got that email yesterday and was going to ask you if you had shipped your garage to Missouri. $189 for an M113?!? I'm so glad I'm not bitten by the bug these days. :wtf:
 

dannyc

Resident Cuban
Jan 28, 2012
627
20
18
25
miami
I got that email yesterday and was going to ask you if you had shipped your garage to Missouri. $189 for an M113?!? I'm so glad I'm not bitten by the bug these days. :wtf:

To be fair the m113 they have is the r/c variant
 

pcsguy88

Deuce Deuce
Staff member
Mar 14, 2011
12,421
635
113
KC
www.fighting118th.com
To be fair the m113 they have is the r/c variant

Which means it's the shitty plastic one instead of the badass solid chunk of metal one with full interior.

Being an owner of several 1:16 RC tanks, I'm not sure 21C's attempts really qualify with it's suspension-less road wheels and rubberband tracks. :grumpy:

RC Tanks
 

WVMojo

Mocha Viper
Jul 20, 2011
4,004
3
38
Looks like Smalljoes purchased someone's back stock. Don't think they have many in stock of each one...probably one or two. the blackhawk I wanted was Sold out by the time I went to the site.

If you guys have some WW2 stuff you aren't interested in anymore, let me know I'd like to get some stuff.
 

K-Tiger

All solutions are final.
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
31,266
190
63
Well, I reckon I won't be Acid Rain-ing any of those fuckers. Must have bought one hell of a collection.

Thinking of letting go of my damaged Panther. Whatchoo got to trade, WV?


EDIT:

FUCK, I missed that goddamn Pegasus Gee Bee Z!
 
Last edited:

Contraband

Controlled Substance
Mar 26, 2014
2,159
22
38
Obviously I'm still here! Pretty much the only forum I hang out at! I visit the others once a month or so,but forgot my HT password.

All but one of y'all are alright folks
 

Contraband

Controlled Substance
Mar 26, 2014
2,159
22
38
I don't even know who you are really! lolz. For like a year I thought you where someone completely different:trollface: serious as a heart attack tho! I can't say you&I have ever had any interaction at all.
 

PROVOST

Colonel in Chief
Officer Club
Jun 28, 2011
30,592
39
48
Terra Australis
I don't even know who you are really! lolz. For like a year I thought you where someone completely different:trollface: serious as a heart attack tho! I can't say you&I have ever had any interaction at all.

Glad to hear that mate as I know of course online persona stuff can mean people get a hate going and often with cause.

If had've been me I'd have unreservedly apologise as I offer also now to any and all I've ever offended.
 

Mandingo Rex

★★★★★
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
14,392
7
38
41
Gone Baby, Gone
Through the many years, we tried (and failed) many different things. A chatroom! (Remember that?) A front page with new and interesting stories (so close, almost made it happen).

Chat room? A/S/L?

We have a front page?

NSA said:
Finally it looked like it was just me and Mandingo Rex, who would have thought? Then EVEN HE RUNS OFF (with a woman this time). Later I remembered he didn't do anything anyway, so I was really alone to begin with. :wave:

Hey now! I take offense at that! :crying:

I'm still here! Sort of! Working on finalizing this "wife" thing with my new lady. I've gotten into some other hobbies, mostly healthy ones (or healthier, all things considered) by being more active. She's gotten me into "hashing" (hash house harriers) which basically involves drinking and some running. Which is frankly the only way you'll get me to run, short of releasing a bear behind me.

We've also gotten to go camping and do other outside things. So now I'm slightly less pale than in past years.

I've also lost 25lbs, and I'm working on another 25-30. Slow process, but at least it's progress. I tried on a suit this past week and I was swimming in it, so I had to get it tailored. As expected it wasn't ready in time for my fiancée's sister's wedding, but I did get it taken in 4" in the waist and the jacket had to be taken down as well.

So there's some progress!

Job-wise, I got laid off in February and have been freelancing off and on to pay the bills, but I'm taking some time off to enjoy time with the missus. Toy-wise I'm collecting what few Joes I still want, and have a handful of customs I'd like to still get around to someday... More importantly, I'm spending most of my nerd budget on Masterpiece and third party Transformers, which ain't cheap. (Ask Eddie, or nacho, etc in the Takara thread).

All-in-all though, I'm growing tired of collecting. I'm running out of space and have no desire for it since I can't really display anything at the time. Living where I do, I can't move anywhere cheaper that'll give me more space due to the cost of living in the SF area, so if I wind up moving anytime soon it'll either mean clearing out my collection, or moving to a city with a cheaper market.
 

pcsguy88

Deuce Deuce
Staff member
Mar 14, 2011
12,421
635
113
KC
www.fighting118th.com
Those bears in SF can be a bit frightening. I'd certainly run if a gaggle of them were chasing me. Especially the ones with red hankies hanging out of their pockets.
 

Contraband

Controlled Substance
Mar 26, 2014
2,159
22
38
Eddie!! You see I have Mcfly? That's your boy! You'll be the second guy to get a copy after the guy who sent me it...that and anchor man iirc


Glad to hear that mate as I know of course online persona stuff can mean people get a hate going and often with cause.

If had've been me I'd have unreservedly apologise as I offer also now to any and all I've ever offended.

Lol,I'm more likely to offend then be offended. I think I've aggravated everyone on here at least one,if not more:trollface:

You're cool man! Shit,I may have rubbed out some knuckle children to some of your cosplay posts tho:whatever: