Monday 28 May 2012

Triples report - part 3 - retail excess

It is, in my experience, generally a mistake to go to a wargames show without a shopping list.  With a list, there is a fair chance that most of the weekend's defence budget will be spent on stuff I knew I wanted.  Without such a 'plan', anything can happen!

My list for this year amounted to some additional bits of Hexon terrain and er, that was about it.  I had even pre-ordered and paid for the Hexon.  What could go wrong?  Well quite a bit actually.  Things started quite gently with some useful looking 54mm figures from a trader's rummage box.
Along with the Britains Horse Guards and bandsmen, the rather camp mechanic (in the fetching yellow & red outfit), I picked out the rather dodgy Ninja as a possible assassin figure.
On then to the Bring & Buy at which point the slippery slope became much steeper. The stall was awash with old 25mm ancients - most quite decently painted and temptingly cheap.  Negotiations were begun and I eventually emerged with a rather splendid Sassanid army with a few additional bits:
I already have plans for the Sassanids (and indeed had previously planned building such a force) so maybe it wasn't too ridiculous a purchase.  In fact this army falls into a poor second place in the list of silly purchases.  The number one spot was won, by a considerable margin, by the box of Chinese chariots.  Help me.

19 comments:

Peter Douglas said...

Tim

There is no help to be had - we all share the same fate! Squirrel!!

Enjoy the new toys

PD

Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com said...

What he said!

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
There certainly doesnt seem to be a cure!

Tim Gow said...

Ross Mac
Thanks Ross - that's a big help!

AlFront said...

DOOOOOMED! DOOOOOMED! We are all dooomed! We are, you know.

Tim Gow said...

AlFront
Yet more encouraging words! Just what I need....

Wg Cdr Luddite said...

Hello everyone, my name is Tim and I am a wargamer. I don't know why I am at this meeting of WA because i CAN STOP ANY TIME I WANT.

Archduke Piccolo said...

It was because they looked good, didn't they. And they just had to go to a good home. No one was going to appreciate those wonderfully colourful chariots as much as you were. And you were pretty sure that somewhere deep in your inner heart - in a place you can't quite locate or even remember right now - you had a plan for great things for these guys...

You see: we understand!

Tim Gow said...

Wg Cdr Luddite
Of course I can stop - its just a question of willpower. As soon as I get some of that I can stop.

Tim Gow said...

Archduke Piccolo
Hmm. Something like that.

Paul said...

Carry on Tim, I do not think there is any issue.

You came, you saw and you scored!

No tanks though, mildly disappointed in that respect, however.

Best you try another show.

Tim Gow said...

Paul
No tanks as such, but loads of armour-clad cavalry and elephants!

Martin Rapier said...

John and I more than made up for Tims lack of tank buying. I did manage to resist buying a second company of T34s, I thought just the one was sufficient.

Tim Gow said...

Martin Rapier
And that's a company as in more than one toy T34 - right?

David Crook said...

Hi Tim,

Personally I always find it a little flat just collecting preordered items at a show as nothing, but nothing compares to the sheer bonkersness of the curse of the wargaming fraternity - the impulse buy!

How on earth would bring and buys, not to mention Ebay, survive without such purchases?

Wasn't it Oscar Wilde that said something about being '....able to resist anything except temptation'?

Besides, what's not to like about Panzer Army Sassania? Close enough to a tank fix methinks!

All the best,

DC

Brian Carrick said...

On the upside just think of all the time and strain on your eyesight you've saved by buying stuff where someone else has done all the work.

Brian

Martin Rapier said...

Oh yes. Plus their little swarm of T70s.

And all the infantry, mortars, AT guns....

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

You have been caught "bang to rights" in the 'seen it, want it, no I REALLY need it so why not get it (magpie mode), followed by the "exactly why again" category of wargaming convention purchase'

Congratulations

I have a 15mm Han Chinese DBA/DBM army 'montage' (still as yet not painted) after a pint or two had been consumed at a Salute convention in the late 1990's (I had been intending to 'only look at' 15mm figures for the much earlier Four Season's period [historically a completely different proposition])

:)

AlFront said...

It strikes me that the disorder we suffer from is perfectly summed up by my 3 year old grandson when he says, 'But grandad, I neeeeed a jammy dodger'.