Hobby Anxiety

[Warshipsfan1]

I'm 23, turning 24 next month....but I have a slight problem I'm worried about.

I still love buying those plastic army men toys.

I love setting em up for display, painting em to fit historical soldiers in battle and I've been making short films about battles playing tribute to movies I love like Windtalkers.

I'm worried about people judging me for playing with toys at my age, what should I do?

Anyone else on the spectrum still like toys as an adult?

 

[SDRSpark]

Is it weird? Maybe. Is it awesome? DEFINITELY!

You do you. You're not hurting anyone by doing this, so even if it is "weird" it's not anything to worry about.

 

[Crossbreed]

Is it weird to still likes toys as an adult?

WE don't think so...
Lego Sofa (w/Nichelle0 & Mike)​

 

[Progster]

No, I don't think it's weird at all.

 

[Misery]

I'm over 30, and as a long-time member as what I suppose could be called the "geek community", I can tell you: your enjoyment of toys aint exactly unique. Do you know how many freaking plush dolls are sold at conventions? I'll tell you how many, it's like 50 bazillion. Everyone loves those. And all the figures. And all the... everything.

And then there's the board-gaming and tabletop community. Let's not even talk about freaking Warhammer.

It turns out, things like toys can be fun, if people actually ALLOW themselves to have fun with those things.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: society thinks that "maturity" means sticking to an extremely rigid set of interests and drinking yourself stupid at least once a week while doing bro-tastic fistbumps during sports events. But *I* say, REAL maturity is realizing that YOU are the adult here, and you get to make your own bloody decisions... instead of letting popular opinions make them for you. If you want to play with a bunch of toys, well dagnabit, it's YOUR decision to do so, and if someone else doesnt like that, well, tough for them. You're the mature adult, you get to make that decision... not them.

Have some confidence and just be yourself, instead of trying to be anything else.

 

[unperson]

I regret throwing my teddy bear out at 40. I was visiting the 'folks' hadnt seen teddy for a long time and thought, oh well, betta throw this out.

 

[Sherlock77]

Lots of people of any age, even NT's, collect toys, display toys, etc...

I have a small collection of die-cast toys myself, and some of them are on display in my place

And some vintage toys are worth lots of money!

 

[Booknerd515]

I adore all five of my stuffed animals I still have and most toys I can get my hands on.
So no I don't think it's weird to. If people judge you for having plastic army men toys, then they're not extremely trustworthy. Do whatever helps you feel better.

 

[blue_bird]

I don't think it's weird, personally. I think kids using an iPhone as a "toy" as weird.
If LEGO wasn't so darn expensive I'd have a room full of it.

 

[clg114]

I have always had toys. The old saying "Bigger Toys for Bigger Boys" really holds true with me. I really do not know how many dirt bikes I have had over the last 60 years. I would guess about 35 or so. At times I had 2 or 3 at once and that is not counting my kids bikes. It is easier with the snowmobles , I have had 16 sleds over the years. We usually had two, since my wife liked the snowmobles. My wife and I still golf. She will not allow the dirt bikes or sleds, so we both have Jeeps. While they are street legal, they are just toys. Our kids are all grown and have families of their own and they are the same way.

 

[Aspychata]

So agree about jeeps. It's a street legal toy. l want a life size Lego sofa now. And Lego knees to be invincible.

 

[Tom]

No way!

Here's an article on a forum listing famous people from all walks of life who are into aspects of toy soldiers/miniatures. I'm not gonna tell an NFL Quarterback or Offensive Linemen it is childish.

[TMP] "Famous Wargamers and Toy Soldier collectors" Topic

I've collected, and bought and sold as a side business all my life. One of my earliest memories is playing in the grass with green army men when I was 4.

Here's some of my collection.

Plastic medievals made from 1960s to today

Britains plastic parade troops 1960s-70s

I also collect some of the green (and tan) army men that I started re-getting for my son. This is a company I get some nice Timmee Toy reissues from.

Tim Mee Toys

 

[Misery]

So agree about jeeps. It's a street legal toy. l want a life size Lego sofa now. And Lego knees to be invincible.

Ya know, what, this bit about the jeep makes me think of something.

Have you guys ever seen an RC car? No no no, I dont mean one of those little junky things you buy at a store that you stick some AA batteries into. I mean a REAL RC car.

Massive, heavy, bulky things that use a frankly confusing charging device, a battery the size of Kansas, and that can often rival the speed of actual cars (yes, really) and are larger than your freaking cat. Getting 50-60 MPH from one aint exactly uncommon, and for those REALLY into it, 100 MPH isnt out of the question.

Now you tell me: Do you want a child driving one of those monsters around remotely?

Source: I have two of them.

And then there's drones. Drones!

An even more confusing pile of spinning blades that flies where you want it to if you actually know what you're doing. Like RC cars they can reach ridiculous speeds. Unlike RC cars they are FLYING BUZZSAWS. Did I mention the part where they fly? No you're not going to lose an arm or something to them, but you better be ready for some stitches if you have a derp moment around the larger ones. Even the smaller ones (for a given value of "small") hurt like heck if you touch them while they're spinning. If they should slam into a wall, they also have a tendency to... burst.

Also some of them (the camera types) can weigh a heck of a lot. Guess what happens when an improperly maintained/checked drone suddenly loses engine power when it's up high?

Again... would you trust a child with one? Even the really, REALLY small ones, the weird little micro flyers, usually say "not meant for children" on them.

Source: I have a LOT of them.


RC cars and drones. Both are often "toys". Both are NOT for kids.

And that's just THAT type of thing. I can think of more than a few "toys" that really aint meant for kids, related to all sorts of hobbies/interests.

I think it sums it all up pretty well, really.

 

[Crossbreed]

And then there's drones. Drones!

FYI, they made a couple of paratrooper GI Joes in 1:6 scale (12"). Neither adult nor child can get them up high enough to deploy properly without going on a tall building. Some have creatively used drones for that purpose.
I like the Star Wars "speeder bike" drones.

 

[GrownupGirl]

Having toys as an adult is definitely not weird. And if people think it is they're the ones who ironically need to grow up.

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I collect toys too. Even if it is weird why does it matter. The internet has shown me their is plenty of other people who enjoy what I do. I collect dolls and figures,

 

[callmeriver]

i still have plush toys and collect stim toys, this is my plush cat jade, i legit can’t sleep without her

 

[Thinx]

I have Lego. And some soft toys. Including the Aldi Kevin the Carrot family. In fact there's 2 Kevin's, as this year they brought out motor cycle Kevin. I recently made yellow trousers for one of the bears, and a superhero cloak for the Highland bull. Lockdown gives time for such luxuries...

 

[Streetwise]

I'm 23, turning 24 next month....but I have a slight problem I'm worried about.

I still love buying those plastic army men toys.

I love setting em up for display, painting em to fit historical soldiers in battle and I've been making short films about battles playing tribute to movies I love like Windtalkers.

I'm worried about people judging me for playing with toys at my age, what should I do?

Anyone else on the spectrum still like toys as an adult?

Nope the part of your brain that is designated for communication is 18 months-2 years of age a 2 year old has little concept of what is proper that's why they lie on a supermarket floor and have a tantrum,Neurotypicals have no idea how hard it is be 2 years of age for the rest of your life when they consider you a curse.

 

[Nitro]

I don't uh, think collecting toys is very adult-like at all..........but then again, who ever said I was all grown up


As I approach my 61st year on our planet, I definitely have more toys now than when I was a little kid.
There is no way to even begin to showcase what I have.
My new in package Hot Wheels cars now number about 150
They have them in my local grocery store for a buck, so why not?
My used ones are nearing over 200
I have nearly 100 1:18th scale diecast Ertl cars
(they are huge)
My antique Gilbert Erector sets number to six now
The Gilbert chemistry set is hella cool too
Flying model aircraft, oldschool u-control ones, not those silly RC ones where it is more like a video game than actually experiencing the vibrations of the nitromethane engine running and each burble in the wind thru the control lines
I think there are nearly 20 kits here now, and a few finished ones
There are a few electric RC cars and trucks in the lineup too
I own a mini bike, a 1970 250cc OSSA American Enduro motorcycle and an amped up 1989 1200cc Harley Davidson Sportster
Two 4 wheelers, one a 110cc 2wd and the other a Polaris 425cc 4x4 unit
I think I own 7 unique Monopoly games now
The antique toy collection is too big to properly describe, but a few of the highlights are a full sized a Tri-play Crashmobile, a pre 1966 Marx ZaZooom bicycle "motorcycle" engine, a huge Lego set, A huge new never played with Tinkertoy set and on and on
There are over 50 bicycles here on the ranch
A nearly finished 427 cubic inch 1966 Chevy Caprice (7 liter) dragster, a Jeep Wrangler, a Toyota 4Runner, a 454 cubic inch (7.4 liter) 1979 Chevy Malibu streetmachine project

That really only scratches the surface here
Like I said, my toys are too numerous to properly mention