It struck me this evening how this forum and the now all but lifeless Hat forum have changed in what is now twenty plus years. Once there endless requests for new sets and quite engrossing debates about history, warfare, uniforms, plastics etc etc etc, now very little of any of that. While still places to visit at least once a day, once upon a time they were places you just had to visit multiple times in case you missed something. The people too, many whom I used to chat to seem to have vanished or are rare visitors indeed. I found myself being rather nostalgic about it all, they were wonderful times for our little hobby, whilst very glad I was a part of that, I miss it all and wonder with all things 3D and what ever else the future holds are the glory days of our little plastic play mates gone for good.

Hate to say it but I think those days are indeed long gone now. Strelets were pretty much the manufacturer who was churning out new sets quickly and keeping the hobby alive. Sure there are others but they were'nt releasing on the scale of Strelets I dont think. But then someone decided they wanted to start a war and understandably it has hit Strelets for six.
3D print has come on a long way, as has the quality of the poses. Once printers become a lot more common and affordable for the masses, so long as someone wants to design them, the future of figure production will likely be in that realm moreso.
Technology evolves. Once some tin or lead soldiers would been all there was until along came plastic and injection moulding. So I dont see 3D print as an "end" more that a page in the book has been turned.
But heres the main thing that probably has damaged the hobby, how many youngsters are interested not just in toy soldiers, but conflicts of history as a whole? Dont forget "empire" and "imperialism" are really looked down upon now, so their upbringing and education has probably had an impact also.
As for HaT........I am just glad that some the old back catalogue are available and get restocked......sometimes!

I have felt the same way Alan. Those were fun days. It seems like many manufacturers have either considerably slowed down their figure output or ceased making new figures altogether (I'm still holding out hope against hope that the Caesar set of WW2 Dutch and Belgian Army will somehow see the light of day). I didn't even realize how it was mainly Strelets and other Ukrainian manufacturers who were keeping the hobby going until the current war started, and it's truly amazing how these companies continue to operate and release new sets in such a difficult time.
As for the future of the hobby, whenever I go to to my local toy soldier show there are enough kids there that makes me think (and hope) there will still be a market for small scale plastic soldiers in the future. I also think about when I was a kid and the main 1/72 manufacturers were Airfix, ESCI and Revell. The hobby has truly exploded in growth since then, and there are so many sets now covering so many different eras that were unimaginable when I was 12 (I'm 43 now). I think that even if our hobby has slowed down for good, it's still incredible how far it has come and we can be proud of it.

Alan,

Linear-a have picked up the mantle in terms of both production (almost as regular and certainly top quality) and particularly open discussion with we 'punters' on their forum.

Hopefully, in time, Strelets will be able to return to something like previous times and the forum will reflect it.

In the meantime, it is just great to see and hear what is posted and especially when we hear from Strelets/Yuri.

Regards, James

Three sets produced, two or three more in March

https://linear-a.xobor.de/t753f30163-linear-A-Neuheiten-new-sets.html#msg5739

As a now only occasional visitor to the Strelets Forum, I feel I may be part of the 'nostalgia' issue that Alan has flagged up. Yes, it is certainly true that this Forum - for very unfortunate reasons that we are all very well aware of - and also the HaT forum, have seen better days. The case of HaT is particularly unfortunate in the sense that here we had a once-thriving company that, with the takeover a few years back, has simply become a passive producer of re-run sets. Granted that the back catalogue is huge and impressive, but even so.

So far as the Strelets Forum is concerned, then I am with all people who support the Ukrainian cause, and who look forward to better and more peaceful days. This Forum will again become vibrant, I am sure.

As with many of us 'older' collectors/modellers/wargamers, I feel that I have been there and done it. Health and other issues start to impose on the hobby, and it is not always possible to devote as much time to those stacks of 1/72 armies as it was. Again, I hope for better days when this becomes possible, but for the time being things are in abeyance. Painting 100+ figures in a month is not always possible!

What I will say is that I feel that the general hobby of collecting armies and 'playing' with model soldiers remains a great hobby that has many followers. This observation does not limit itself to one scale only, and neither does it distinguish between metals or plastics, ready moulded or 3D printed. There is no doubt that printing your own armies on demand with your own home printer seems to be the way to go, and I find this a fascinating development. The days when every town had a model or toy-shop well stocked with models and figures (as things were in the pre-internet era) will not return, but new technologies and routes-to-market are there and continue to emerge. You only have to look at the variety of figures, in whatever scale is capturing buyer's imaginations, to realise how vibrant this hobby is.

And long may it continue. I'll stick with plastic 1/72 figures; it is what I know and what I have collected over many years. But for others, let them have the choice and just enjoy the hobby!

Minuteman, you expressed my sentiments and situation exactly. Having spent the last three years dealing with health issues, including lymphoma (I'm in remission now, thankfully) I've had to step back a bit. I still love the little guys but have had little time to "play."

For Christmas, my wife enclosed our back sun deck giving me a huge "war room." I finally have the space to really enjoy my collection. But in moving my stuff from the old room has been a mixed bag of experiences. I'm finally able to get to figure I literally haven't seen in a decade in both 1/72 and 1/32 scale. I'm getting a full realization of just how enormous my collection is.

For all the literally thousands of figures I've painted over the last forty-plus years I realize I literally have cases more waiting that I know, even cancer-free and healthy I won't have time to touch in my natural time on earth. At the same time my eyes aren't what they used to be. I'm looking at the shelves of figures still in boxes and thinking I'm better stocked than most hobby stores were back in the day. LOL

I also feel Alan's nostalgia for the bygone days of fun debate over the history these little guys are about. I never left any of the sites that used to be my daily visits (still are) without learning something new. I know many of the friends I made over the years online, some of whom I got to know well through correspondence and getting together at shows, others whom I never met face to face are gone; some, I wonder how they're doing - IF they're doing.

I miss the good ol' days. There is one site I used to enjoy that has devolved into constant bickering over politics. I believe a few have chased away some of the guys I had fun with sharing our pictures and swapping hints. We used to do a 12 Days of Christmas thing where every day we would count down the days to Christmas showing items from our collection, like "On the 12th Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Cannons Firing" and I'd post a picture of twelve Napoleonic French Cannons set up. Or Third Day... Three Riders Riding - and have three cavalrymen.

It was a fun way to show off our stuff and several of the guys got really imaginative with their pictures. We haven't done it in years; most of the guys who supported it are gone. I tried to revive it this year, there were no takers. What are you going to do?

The hobby, if it survives, will move to a new phase. Nothing stays the same for better or worse.

I guess I will be thankful for those good times we used to have and try to adapt to the current situation.

Wayne, sorry to hear of your health issues, and very pleased to hear your in remission. You are one of the very few of the old guard still posting, whilst some keep in touch via facebook, most have seemingly vanished and I had hoped this thread and my original post may prompt one or two to say hello. Of course they still may, depending on how often they visit.

Alan, thanks for the kind words. I always enjoy hearing from you and knowing you are doing well. There seems to be few of us left. I do hope they are well.

BTW: Occasionally I visit the private country we used to visit. Recently there was some life there. Sander is doing well.

Hi Alan!

I recently checked the HaT website and found evidence of life - masters of forthcoming Napoleonic Hungarian infantry. They looked good.

Keep up your great work!

ReillyD

I will drop by, I did a little while ago, and the most resent post was ages old.

This one is a couple months old by now, but talking to some folks there is hope in reviving it.

Wayne, I changed my pc a while ago, with my old one went my map to our land peace tranquillity and little plastic guys, please ask Sander to send me a map on facebook messenger.

Will do.