Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Collection Size and Age

Measuring and assessing collection size is complicated.  One of the survey questions asked in the Great Wargaming Survey 2021 (GWS2021) was,

How many painted figures do you have in your collection? 

How many respondents actually know the size of their miniatures’ collections?  Even when the contents of a collection are known, how are they counted?  How does one define one figure?  Is a cavalry trooper and mount one figure or two (I count as one)?  Is a chariot with crew and team one figure or many (depends on number of crew and team but I always more than one)?  

To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld,
There are known knowns.
There are known unknowns.
But there are also unknown unknowns.

Some may keep detailed logs of their collection.  These wargamers know what they have.  Some may know roughly their collection sizes but know their data and memory are incomplete.  These wargamers know their information is incomplete but may have a rough idea as to collection size.  Some may not even know that they do not know the size of their collections.  These wargamers may have great difficulty in even assessing this question with a modicum of accuracy.  

Estimating is hard!

An anecdote following from the 2020 survey brings this situation to light.

One respondent answered last year’s survey with a collection size estimate of 5,000 figures.  After discussing collection sizes and how I track collection size, the respondent dove into the task of tallying all of his painted figures and entering them into a database.  The result after this, likely, multi-week effort?  Well, he came up with a collection size of about 20,000 figures!  He under-estimated the size of his collections by 75%!  How many others are in similar situations?  Plenty, I bet.

The size of one’s miniatures’ collection likely is governed by a variety of attributes.  Some of these attributes include a wargamer’s age, interest, budget, figure size, storage space, etc..  Now, the survey may not consider all of these contributing attributes but the survey can provide insight for some.

In the 2020 survey, counting bins for painted figure collections were,
Less than 100 painted figures
101- 500 painted figures
501- 1,000 painted figures
1,001- 2,500 painted figures
2,501+ painted figures

In the 2021 survey, the number of bins was increased at the upper end to provide more details into the more than 20% of responses settling into the 2,501+ bin.

The bins for the 2021 survey were,
Less than 100 painted figures
101- 500 painted figures
501- 1,000 painted figures
1,001- 2,500 painted figures
2,501- 5,000 painted figures
5,001-10,000 painted figures
10,001-15,000 painted figures
15,001-20,000 painted figures
20,001-25,000 painted figures
25,000+ painted figures

For this GWS2021 study, only one attribute will be examined.  That is Age Group.  Other attributes may be tackled in follow-up analyses.  Analyses of the 2020 survey suggested collection size was affected by a number of attributes.  These earlier results suggested younger wargamers tend toward fantasy/sci-fi gaming genres.  Older wargamers tend toward historical gaming.  Survey results suggested that many fantasy/sci-fi games require fewer figures than large historical games.  Collection sizes ought to reflect this tendency.  In a similar fashion, older wargamers have a longer time to collect and amass figures than the younger generations and typically more discretionary income.  Overall, one would expect collection sizes to show an increase with age.  What do the 2021 data suggest?

Looking at overall bin counts, the 101-500 collection size is the most chosen bin again in 2021.  Consistency is good.  Note that a lot of activity and variation occur in the 2,501 and above bins.  These details were masked in the 2020 survey.  Still, a small bump is present in the 2021 25,001+ category.  See Figure 1. 

Figure 1
Collection Size vs Age Group
What do these data show when examining Collection Size by Age Group? To begin, in Figure 2, note that the 31-40 age group makes up the largest component of the largest collection bin size of 101-500 painted figures.  About 50% of respondents hold collections of 500 figures or fewer while about 77% of all respondents have collections of 2,500 figures or less.

Figure 2
When these data are transposed such that counts of Age Group by Collection Size are examined (Figure 3) rather than by Collection Size and Age Group, we see that collection size tends to increase with age group.  The 31-40 age group is actually the largest group for collection sizes of 1,000 figures or less.  The age group 51-60 appears to holds rein as the largest collection group for collection sizes above 1,000 figures.  
Figure 3
If Figure 3 is changed from count based to percentage based then tendencies are more readily apparent.  In Figure 4, notice that the number of respondents having collection sizes of 1,000 figures or less tends to decrease with age while the number of respondents with collections sizes of more than 1,000 figures increases with age.  Also notice that collection size diversity increases with age.  While the 21-30 age group has almost 90% of its collections in the three bins under 1,001 figures, the 61+ age group counts 90% of its collections in the seven bins under 15,001.      
Figure 4
Although these results illustrate that some aging gamers are content with capping their collections at a particular size or jettisoning collections as the lifecycle unfolds, collection sizes continue to grow as time marches on for others.  I find myself firmly entrenched in the latter.  Where do you find yourself along this Collection Size vs Age Group spectrum?

In the next installment of GWS2021 analyses, the study of collection size continues with a look at another attribute or two as I build up to a multi-dimensional analysis to tie it all together. 

70 comments:

  1. Interesting analysis. I seem to recall years ago that for purposes of cost, an infantry figure was 1 unit cost, a cavalryman 2 unit costs and artillery 10 unit cost. It seems a pretty fair rule of thumb and might have been a helpful guide for the responders to use.

    The collection across age no doubt is influenced by the generations who have solidly collected over time and one might expect the profile to reflect that, with younger people having small collections.

    However, even if that is a pillar of how it has been since the Airfix days, it is now likely distorted by the fact that for the past decade, there has been a swing towards skirmish gaming and that has happened across all age groups.

    Also, there is that age thing where you reach a point of suddenly realising that you are closer to the horizon of life and perhaps reflect on how much more you can accrue and turn into actual armies, perhaps that of itself becomes a cap to collection growth.

    There are a steady stream of blog comments of people slowing down projects or even downsizing collections in preparation for retirement and things that go with it such as downsizing of property. I see this thing reflected on the boardgame side of things, where the collection of 400 - 600 games is no longer an achievement, but rather something that needs ‘dealing with’.

    Of course I am only 21, so I am guessing at much of this :-)

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    1. Norm, great point. im guessing most of us fall into the 17-21 age category :)

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    2. I know I've been taking a long hard look at my lead pile of late and thinking about realistically what can I paint alongside what do I really need. The answer is much less than I thought maybe 10 years ago.

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    3. Hi Norm.
      Not all of us have swung to skirmish gaming!

      Good point on downsizing with age as a possibility too. Are you seeing this unfold in Real Life or anecdotally? Will we see a Great Unwinding of collections as the Old Guard marches off over the horizon? I have yet to experience of jettisioning large swathes of collections but may, some day. Downsizing could easily influence the diversity in collection size. Some of us (you in particular) are more disciplined in maintaining control of the hobby than others (me!).

      I often think about culling parts of the collections but those thoughts are fleeting.

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    4. Steve (DG), no, we are simply young at heart...

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    5. Steve J, I try not to think of such matters...

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    6. I am noting it from forum and blog commentary and interestingly the comment seems sympathetically understood by the wider audience. Of course for every item sold, there is a buyer!

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    7. Norm, thanks for the additional feedback. Could these collection reduction proclamations be akin to stating one must go on a diet or quit smoking?

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    8. A little like AA, perhaps we must all state we are wargamers and addicted to collecting? I’m afraid Norm the prospect of retirement is doing the opposite for me as I consider new and exciting projects. I am strongly of the belief that we should beat ourselves up over our hobby. Like many other hobbies it is all fine as long as it is not having a negative impact on other people or yourself.

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    9. Matt, retirement has given even more energy to the hobby for me with much more time to pursue these passions. Moderation, as in all things, is good. I am sure you meant that we should NOT beat ourselves up over the hobby.

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  2. I have 2 estimates of my collection. One for other wargamers and tge one I tell the wife. They are significantly different

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    1. Neil, a new twist on "double-entry" bookkeeping...

      Which tally is accurate???

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    2. I’d wager neither due to most of us failing terribly at keep tabs of what we already own versus what we “think” we need to add?

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    3. Dai, you are probably correct in that humans, in general, are notorious bad at estimating especially when assessing risk.

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  3. Hehe, erm, how about 1080 unpainted 28mm? Although I did just shift 3 into the painted category last night. The beads on my abacus fall off when I try to get an inventory count.
    Interesting data across a decent number of respondents. I wonder if the pandemic will juice some of the next set of numbers?

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    1. Hi Joe. Yes, a good number of respondents. If what I hear from vendors, the pandemic has been very good for figure sales. Will that translate into a huge bulge in the number of painted figures? Time will tell.

      I shudder at the thought of counting my unpainted lead...

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  4. Jon, this was an interesting piece of analysis. I never thought (dared?) to count my painted collection. Rather, I've inventoried my un painted minis to get a sense of what I have for embarking on new projects. For instance I have 2,032 un painted French, Austrian, and Bavarian 10mm Napoleonic troopers awaiting their coats. That is further itemized by infantry type (line, elite, command), cavalry type (hussars, dragoon, etc) and gun type (light, medium, heavy).

    just started thinking about counting the painted stuff and perhaps I will do so!

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    1. Steve, I would enjoy seeing your count of painted figures. It can be an enlightening endeavor.

      As I noted above, counting my unpainted figures is not a task I have undertaken.

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  5. Hand up as the man from the anecdote. I think that people should also declare on the survey if the figure count is an actual or an estimate. I was musing with a friend recently about culling some of the collection. Mostly I have pairs of armies, so the decision is whether to get out of a period completely. I have one or two stand alone armies, bought when I thought I might go to competitions, and they could go.

    Or I could buy opponents for them.

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    1. Yep, that was you! Good to see you step forward and accept responsibility. Did your wife see your revisionist accounting?

      I suggest buying opponents. Think of the joy of fielding BOTH armies!

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  6. Well I seem to fit in nicely with the 51-60 age group and the 1,000 - 2,500 category of painted figures, which is the top percentage in table 4. However this was very much a rough calculation and may in fact be a tad higher.

    Very interesting to see the correlation between age and collection size, which tends to agree with what I used to see at the club years ago as well as the trend to more skirmish games over the past few years.

    If my collection was 28mm as opposed to 10mm, then I doubt very much that I would be able to store them and the associated terrain at home, due to space restrictions, hence my collection might be significantly smaller.

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    1. Steve, note Graham's revelation when he actually took on counting his collections. He under-estimated his collection by a HUGE margin. I wonder if you would find the same?

      If storage space is at a premium, I can see that constraint providing a hard upper bound on collection size. Given your situation, the smaller scales work perfectly for you. You have taken this constraint on masterfully as so well demonstrated in your recent SCW campaign.

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  7. Collection size strikes me, intuitively, as a product of "generation capacity" (resources, time) and storage capacity. It makes sense that that would peak in middle age and early retirement. You're usually relatively established, are more likely to have the resources and space to generate a collection, and aren't yet at a point where, nest empty, you're facing incentives to downsize, etc.

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    1. When data support our intuitions and hypotheses, it is reassuring. "Generation capacity", I like that term.

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  8. Jon, what a great read. I think about this question of how much is too much and what to do with it all the time. Of course I keep adding to my too large list of projects as well. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Kevin! Yes, our ambitions are high.

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  9. Very interesting analysis. Despite considering myself to be self-disciplined, most people have smaller collections (5,000-10,000) even in my age group (51-60). Though in mitigation mine are tiny little fellahs so should only count for a fraction when compared to say 28mm.

    Also, I suspect that the Trebian Syndrome is fairly widespread.😉

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    1. For this census, one-figure, one-vote, I say.

      Not only does Trebian have his own syndrome but a cure as well. That cure? Inventory and catalog your painted figures!

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  10. There is nothing like moving to a smaller living space to highlight the size of your miniatures collection if not its numbers (You can fit a heck of a lot more 6mm figures in the cubic space occupied by a given number of 54's ). Mind you finding your self unemployed for a lengthy period with insufficient resources van have you eyeing the resale value if not the numbers.

    When I moved to this old farmhouse (esp 170 yrs old) with little cupboard space and small rooms with sloping ceilings on the top floor, the excess of figures over storage and display space soon became an issue and for the 3rd? 4th? time, some of the little chaps had to go.

    I did once try to estimate how many figures I had painted, counting and recording the little blighters was more work than I was up for after both day job and family business chores were done but I did note that I routinely painted an average of 1 new unit of 15's or 25's a week, say 50 weeks a year and rounding down for off weeks and ignoring extra busy works, came up with an average of 500 figures a year.

    I stopped there. I still have and use figures I painted in the early 70's but I've also sold or given away more figures than I still own, sometimes because I painted them to match someone else's figures and didnt want to paint a replacement enemy when they moved away, sometimes I had lost interest or just didn't have time to play 30 different periods in 5 scales and made choices or sometimes just to free up storage space or because I needed cash at a difficult time.

    So how many do I have left out of the 20,000+ that I've painted? I don't know! and I'm not going to spend a day inspecting shelves and cupboards, pen in hand. In truth I'm not sure I want to know or think about the ones Idon't still have though they inevitably come to mind now and then.

    Shall we say the 2,500 to 5,000 bracket? 75% of which have seen action within 3 years.

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    1. Thanks, Ross, for your comprehensive and enlightening response. You provide a great look into your hobby travels.

      Downsizing may force many to reduce collection size, for sure. Loss of interest in the hobby too but one of the questions asks about longevity and enthusiasm for the hobby. The survey suggests that once in, historical gamers are in it for life.

      We do not count the number of painted figures passing through one’s hands but for some that could be a large multiple of the current collection size.

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  11. I would have expected the size of collections to increase over time as people accumulate more, but hadn't really factored in the downsizing effect. Perhaps 50-60 is the apogee. I know I am making a conscious effort, and largely succeeding, in slowing down purchases as I have more than I can now realistically complete.

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    1. Lawrence, it is good to see that you have your collection size under control. I know my Lead Pile may be larger than I can realistically complete too but I am at peace with that.

      Speaking from my own experience, this can get out of hand if not diligent. You should see the stacks of boxes crammed with figures in my game room. Stacks almost reach the ceiling in places.

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    2. Well, the purchases have slowed down, but I lost control of the collection around ten years ago. I too have boxes stacked to the ceiling and it has reached the embarrassing stage where, for example, I need some Front Rank French eagles for a few more battalions. I know I have purchased two large lots of them but neglected to throw them on the French pile when they arrived so am seriously thinking about just purchasing some more to save myself the effort of having to look for them.

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    3. Funny about misplacing packs of figures. Mine are usually rediscovered soon after I place a replacement order!

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  12. Yes I did find that one a bit difficult to answer as I've never counted my painted miniatures. I believe I went for the 1000 to 2500 bracket with it likely weighted toward the higher number.

    Christopher

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    1. I wager many were in the same situation with no absolute answer to this fuzzy question.

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  13. Thanks Jon, I think I am going to do a proper count and start a catalogue, and try to maintain it. I think I have quite a small collection, but it will be interesting to put actual numbers on it..

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    1. I found that once I sat down with it Access, which comes with Windows Office/365, is actually quite easy to set up and use. Better than using Excel.

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    2. David, a proper count is a useful endeavor, I think. After this exercise, you at least know what what you know. As Graham suggests, building and populating a database is the proper way forward. Mine has been in use since 1995.

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    3. Thanks Graham, good suggestion. How do you organise your database? I might guess at one record for a unit, giving name, strength, uniform colour, make of figures etc. Separate tables for each army or period, maybe? Even 'battle honours', perhaps? It may be slightly ironic that despite working in IT, I have not bothered to buy MS Office for my home machine.. 😄

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    4. Hi David. I cannot answer for Graham but below are the fields I track in my Painting Log:
      Unit_Name
      Unit_Type
      Nationality
      Era
      Scale
      Facing Color
      Manufacturer
      Painted_Date
      Item_Number
      Number_Figures
      Number_Equipment
      Sold
      Sold_Date

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  14. Discussing age and size how controversial. Hard not to see a self evident situation ? where on average or perhaps for most, people collect more the older they get. Although I have my original figures from childhood I really only became fully active and productive about 20 years ago. In that time I have amassed a lot of stuff. I’m in the I know what I don’t know category and am sometimes drawn by the idea of counting but then get put off as it feels like a totally meaningless figure. Although I am absolutely not suggesting we go down this line (you first Mr F) I suspect counting the unpainted lead pile would be a more interesting and psychologically challenging/interesting question. Another interesting question would be how many figures would we like to have ? A final point for me as I contemplate my potential retirement from full time work is whether I will continue to be as productive as I am now, that being the potential case how many figures will I potentially have and where the hell will I put them !!!!!!! Oh dear I think we should discuss a different topic 😀 thought provoking as always 👍 happy thanksgiving

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    1. Hi Matt! You raise a number of interesting points and questions for further consideration.

      Not knowing what I have painted in quantity, scale, and period would, I think, be more debilitating than not knowing. How do you plan a game? Fill out OBS? Plan future purchases to complete or expand collections?

      Counting The Lead Pile of unpainted figures. This topic comes up repeatedly. In that task lays madness but perhaps I should give it more consideration? Really, I wouldn’t know where to start and the task appears more arduous than planning an expedition up Mt. Everest.

      You provide many thought provoking thoughts yourself!

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    2. Second thoughts let’s not count the unpainted figures it really isn’t helpful, we both know we have plenty of time to paint what we have. It is I fear a route to madness so don’t be tempted ! I think I might do a little counting at least of units as that would be helpful. As to future purchases I kind buy stuff to expand collections which I think would be nice 👍 my only two positive aspects are 1, I do manage to paint quite a lot of stuff and 2, I don’t (often) buy random stuff, not collected to existing projects, on a whim 🙂

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    3. Whew! Not counting unpainted figures sounds good to me. Those who paint a lot can have the luxury of buying lots too. I paint a lot as well and the steady state in the height of The Lead Pile suggests I must buy a lot too. I may not make purchases of random stuff but I have tackled a new project on a whim.

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  15. Several years I created a database to track my collection, although the real purpose was not to count the figures but to keep a record in a single place of everything that was held in disconnected spreadsheets and paper lists. Since then various queries have been added to count figures. I have set it up to count foot figures, mounted figures, guns and equipment pieces (counting horse teams and riders as a single piece). In this way I have a pretty accurate record of the collection.

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    1. Good for you Mark! I knew you followed this path of accountability and disciplined science. You should see all of the scores of queries and reports built over the decades present and routinely used in my DB.

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  16. Great post Johnathan. I have never really planed the size of my armies. Its simply the way I am.Many years ago I actually set up a journal of units but that was for my Blenheim re fight and then my Leipzig refight.It was the only way I could know if I had enough figures. Now,I identify a period and set to,buying and painting until I think I have enough. Unfortunately it means I have more units than I can ever use, As a result Ive never counted my figures. I dont want to stress myself.

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    1. Thanks, Robbie! Good to see you back! I understand the stress of having to count your figures. If started early on, the the is additive and so overwhelming. Now, counting unpainted lead, that is a real and daunting challenge for me.

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  17. Well, I'm embarrassed to report that since your last analysis of collection size, have yet to do a figure count...but at least this falls into a known unknown (goodness knows what my unknown unknowns might be!).

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    1. No need for embarrassment, Ed. Your collection waits patiently…

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  18. I have tracked by collection since the earliest days, first on index cards, then note books, and now tables; I suppose I really should convert to a database at some point. My6 collection already exceeded 1,000 figures by age 18 - a lot of Scrubys passed under the paintbrush in High School! Current collection size is a little under the 15,000 mark, although almost exclusively 25/28 mm figures (another variable as to collection size for sure).

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    1. Thanks, Peter, and Happy Thanksgiving! I urge a conversion of your lifetime work into DB format if for no other reason than to allow a chance for comprehensive reporting.

      Yes, figure size will impact collection size but is not a deterrent for all. 15,000 painted 25mm figures is no small feat and one for which to be proud. It would be eye-opening to see 15,000 figures all arrayed on the table for a parade.

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    2. Trust me, that many figures wouldn't fit on even the 6 by 20 foot table in my basement! Eventually, my Napoleonic armies should have a parade each- the largest (France and Austria) would be a project by themselves!

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  19. Jonathan, you raise an interesting question about how to estimate figures. Painted/not-painted. Crewmen status is also uncertain, what if it only a head is popping up from a turret? If i have a cannon with 4 crewmen on a tray, how many figures are they: 1, 4, 5?
    The size of miniatures ilcould be an obstacle to estimaton too. It’s fine if they all 28mm, but what about size divercity in one collection. What if they’re range from 75mm to 6mm size or smaller? How to estimate ships, aircrafts, monsters in different size.
    Ones i’ve been questioned how many miniatures I have? I was puzzled as I start thinking about all these conditions and eventually said nothing, of course an absence of presise response was disappointing (fo all of us) It’s good idea to estimate collection devided by armies (epoch) and size. Like a byzantine army has 200 figures in 28mm, Germany WWII 15mm - 100 figures and 10 vehicles etc. but this answer seems boring for people who aren’t collectioners.

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    1. Yes, estimation is complicated exactly as you say. So many variables can enter enter the computation but, still, an actual count of figures regardless of size can provide a useful metric. For more precise measurements, I utilize the Painting Points counting scheme used by Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge. This system adjusts by figure size and figure type. I find it a very useful metric when assessing painting productivity.

      Dmitry, this whole exercise is likely boring to most people; collectors or otherwise!

      Thank you for your comments!

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  20. I'm pretty firmly within the 2500-5000 camp, but I am at the upper end of it, and growing...so while also aging, I guess I fall into the camp of the older gamer who has not stopped collecting. Though I do wonder if future retirement may put the brakes on and come with any collection rationalisation?

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    1. Thanks for providing feedback on your collection size. I, too, am in the same situation as you in that my collections continue to grow. My recent retirement did not stop my collecting. I actually began two NEW collections in 2021.

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  21. More interesting analysis Jon...maybe I will try a figure count one day over the Christmas holidays...I think it might take a day to haul all the boxes out of various storage locations, then open them up and count the contents. I will probably irritate mist gamers by stating quite categorically that my unpainted total would be minimal...maybe two hundred figures(and it's only that high because I remembered I have two boxes of Perry plastic WWII figures three quarters up assembled...if it wasn't for them, my unpainted total would be halved). My estimate would be 10-15000 .....

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    1. Keith, while the task of pulling and counting 15,000 figures is a big task, it will be worthwhile to document collections. With your steady stream of newly painted figures arching across your blog, I certainly am interested in seeing the result of your years of work. Others too.

      Two hundred unpainted figures? I can find that many tucked into my sofa seat cushions!

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  22. Jon, great post and the follow up comments are most interesting. I set an excel sheet to keep track of my purchased vs painted for the year back in 2015. Then set up another excel sheet for inventory of figures by scale and period noting what's been painted, unit type and cost per unit.

    This year I took the totals from the painting log just to see and over the past six years I've managed to paint 92 figures more than I bought. 1356 vs 1448. Not much of a dent in the lead pile. Once I thought of counting the unpainted lead but without getting off the couch it became so overwhelming that I gave up.


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    1. Hi Dan! I agree that follow-up commentary is most interesting and often my favorite part.

      Painting more than purchased is a good metric to keep and a good accomplishment. If I attempted to count unpainted lead at this point, I would be overwhelmed and possibly quite depressed.

      Have you considered reporting on your work for all to see?

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  23. [A fun post that is right up my alley, so this is a long, rambling comment, sorry. I suspect (hope) that it will interest you Jonathan]

    To paraphrase 'Not the nine o'clock news':
    I like counting, I like counting, I like counting and I like to count...
    When asked by SWMBO several years ago, 'How many figures do you have?' and estimating 'Oh, a couple of thousand', I decided to actually do a count.
    Salutary, but great fun. I had more than double that estimate.
    That exercise lead me to create my first database of the collection for the 1/72 scale (my main one). I used Filemaker, adapting a template for an address book. Fields are:
    Set (pack) name
    Set (pack) number
    Manufacturer
    Period
    No. figs per set (pack)
    No. sets (packs)
    Total (I only count the men in this. The horses, guns, wagons and so on are included in the following fields, but are 'hidden' from the count)
    No foot
    No mounted
    No guns
    No wagons (expanded to tanks, planes for later periods)
    Description
    Notes
    Weblink
    Box art (image of figure)
    [Date of creation of the entry is added automatically)

    The size of the collection has risen asymptotically since then as I have taken a similar approach to Matt and have 'gathered resources' while I can (a combination of funds and availability of figures which go on and off the market). Adding in each purchase has become part of the enjoyment of the hobby for me.

    Now, I am more focussed on 'converting' unpainted to painted, I have started to record those totals from the database (in a separate spreadsheet), hoping to see the percentage steadily increase! :)

    I later created a separate database for a much smaller collection of 1/32. That left the 2 mm (which I counted and entered into its own database the other week) and now the few, remaining 15 mm figures that I kept, which I am working on the database of this weekend. This last one is really interesting as I had to work out what was what and then found that I had kept the original orders and/or invoices for most of them (circa early 90s). There are just a few, I think Minifigs, that I cannot recall what they are or where I got them from (gonna put out a post to see if I might get some answers).

    Oh year, I have a much older database of my books (created in the 90s) (including some that I have borrowed from libraries over time).
    I like counting!!

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    1. Excellent response, James! I enjoyed this very much and your reply is the stuff I like to see. You are not alone, my friend, as I enjoy counting too. My Painting Log began as an Access DB back in 1994. While Access has evolved over the last almost thirty years, my DB remains primarily the same and still seeing active service!

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  24. I think I'm probably at the 3000 figures painted mark,which seems about right for my age group. I don't really count painted figures but I do keep a record of unpainted figures which enables me to plan what else to purchase, Italian wars is virtually complete, I've just got artillery to do for the war of 3 Kingdoms/ECW so I can concentrate on early Imperial Romans, dark ages,Napoleonics, 100years war and maybe add to my war of the Roses, well I have the figures and know how many units I can produce, it's a useful exercise at night counting unpainted figures, sends you off to sleep!
    Best Iain

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    1. 3,000 painted figures is a nice size collection. Looks like you have solid plans for expanding all of your projects. You count unpainted figures and not painted. I do just the opposite!

      Counting unpainted figures to fall asleep? That’s a new one!

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  25. I put myself in the 1000 - 2500 category but I also just guesstimated by standing in front of my miniature storage place in the garage. I used the formula that
    28mm miniatures = 1
    A base of 15mm figures =1
    15mm vehicle =1
    15mm artillery =2
    28mm monster = 3
    And so on. I hit a 1000 about half way through and figured it couldn’t likely be more than 2500. It puts me in good company with my other mid forties brethren. One day I would like to do an actual count but that can wait till I have more time and maybe more impressive numbers. 😀

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    1. Estimating is hard, Stew, but happy to see you came up with a ballpark figure. 2,500 figures is a nice start…

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