Unpainted Figures: You Are Not Alone!

One of the new questions asked in Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategies' The Great Wargaming Survey 2023 Edition explored the number of unpainted figures awaiting a slap of paint.  Perhaps an innocent question for some.  Perhaps traumatizing for others.

The range of choices spans from having none or very few unpainted figures all the way up to having more than 1,000 unpainted figures.  While estimating the number of unpainted figures one holds may be a difficult if not impossible task, where do YOU fit into the larger scheme?  Let's see what the survey says...

By counts, less than 4% of survey respondents maintain no surplus of unpainted figures.  Almost 41% of respondents have between 100 and 500 unpainted figures.  About 82% hold fewer than 1,000 unpainted figures in their storeroom.  Still, the remaining 18% of wargamers hold more than 1,000 unpainted figures.  Why maintain a stockpile of so many unpainted figures?  When is enough "enough" to have on hand? 

While the survey totals above illustrate the distribution of these unpainted figure piles, can the survey offer any more enlightening insight?  To help in answering that question, these numbers are broken down by a few demographic attributes.

Age Group

When stratified by Age Group, what does the survey suggest?  Broad themes seem to rely on the notion that younger gamers have fewer unpainted figures than older gamers.  Focusing on the extremes of the unpainted figure count distribution offers an interesting observation.  Once a wargamer reaches the 41-50 age cohort, the percent of respondents having unpainted collections of over 1,000 figures doubles. 

While small inroads are made into reducing the unpainted figure pile down to nothing as one ages, the percent of gamers having more than 1,000 unpainted figures remains stubbornly high at about a quarter of all respondents.  This observation suggests wargamers never really paint down their pile of unpainted figures. 

Primary Interest

When stratified by Primary Interest, gamers tend to bifurcate into two groups.  Fantasy/Sci-Fi gamers tend to hold fewer unpainted figures than the Historical and Mixed groups.  This tendency is likely due to the nature of their games and gaming.  Notice that Historical/Mixed gamers hold collections of over 1,000 unpainted figures about double the percentage of their primarily non-historical counterparts. 

Collection Size

Examining the relationship between painted and unpainted figure collection sizes, produces an unmistakable observation.  This finding illustrates that as painted collection size grows, the percent of respondents having an unpainted pile exceeding 1,000 figures grows.  Often dramatically. By the time a collection reaches 20,000 figures, more than half of those gamers have unpainted figures totals exceeding 1,000 figures.           

What can we deduce from looking at these results?  

Survey results reinforce the anecdotal notion that wargamers never really manage to address the elephant in the room.  That elephant is the large, unpainted pile of figures growing silently in the background.  Is the accumulation of a large pile of figures, seldom seeing a lick of paint, a misallocation of resources?  Why do we tread down this path?  Do these piles of figures slowly and silently accrue over time unbeknownst to the holder?

How large is your unpainted pile of figures?  If the pile is large, why?  Do you ever intend to fully paint down this stockpile of unpainted figures?

Where do I fit into this scheme?  For those who know me, the answer is clear.