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Is building models a dying hobby?
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:36 pm
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:36 pm
I remember when I was a kid my dad got me a few models and I started a few but was too young to finish and/or make them very well. Glue dripping all over and misaligned parts. I also wasn't very drawn to it and didn't have many friends that were into them either. My dad's generation seemed to be really into them. I don't know any friends with current kids who have built models at all. They are all into Lego's instead. BTW Lego's are crazy intricate/specialized now.
It seems to be that boomers were the last generation to enjoy and actively built models.
It seems to be that boomers were the last generation to enjoy and actively built models.
43
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:37 pm to sidewalkside
Darth Vader and choppadocta would like a word
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:38 pm to sidewalkside
Man I hope not. Was just talking about getting into this with my 5yo boy. He loves planes
He’s also big into Legos
He’s also big into Legos
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:38 pm to sidewalkside
I thought it'd be cathartic but when I tried it all it did was piss me off.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:40 pm to sidewalkside
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:41 pm to FightinTigersDammit
quote:
Darth Vader and choppadocta would like a word
Not at all. Have been doing it for a long time. My threads are here.
My last plane build, posted here:
1/48 Tamiya F4F-3
This post was edited on 9/3/24 at 1:46 pm
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:46 pm to sidewalkside
I built a lot of estes rockets as a kid. don't see them in stores much like michaels, but hobby lobby usually has a few, but the engines are tough to find in the right sizes.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:46 pm to Loup
quote:that is how I felt about the girl version- the paint and wine events
I thought it'd be cathartic but when I tried it all it did was piss me off.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:47 pm to sidewalkside
Building them for tabletop games seems to be pretty big still. Warhammer was going to get an Amazon show, not sure if thats still in the works or not.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:50 pm to madamsquirrel
I built a bunch as a teen, I’m Gen-X.
My pop was a boomer and was into them big time, so I got the interest from him.
He was also a draftsman before software so was good at that kind of precise craftsmanship.
I was also a big student of military history which goes hand in hand with model building.
My pop was a boomer and was into them big time, so I got the interest from him.
He was also a draftsman before software so was good at that kind of precise craftsmanship.
I was also a big student of military history which goes hand in hand with model building.
This post was edited on 9/3/24 at 1:52 pm
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:54 pm to Spaceman Spiff
What's the best source for models, paint, etc these days?
Posted on 9/3/24 at 1:59 pm to sidewalkside
Scale model building has had a similar arc to model railroading. At one time the majority of the money spent on them was for low end low quality "toys". At the time almost every boy in a lower middle-class family or above had exposure to one or both. Today both have transitioned to a much more adult oriented hobby. There is not a lot of low-end entry-level product available but the amount of high-quality product has increased. Given the amount of new product coming out in both they seem to be doing fine in terms of sales but far less individuals participate. It is arguable as the Boomers and earlier Gen Xers that spend big money on them now die off there won't be as many to replace them. That remains to be seen. It won't have the nostalgia draw that it does for my generation and older.
I used to see model railroading as an incredible hobby for a kid. It required understanding and working in electricity, electronics, woodworking/carpentry and a host of modeling and art-related pursuits.
I used to see model railroading as an incredible hobby for a kid. It required understanding and working in electricity, electronics, woodworking/carpentry and a host of modeling and art-related pursuits.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:02 pm to TimeOutdoors
My go-to site is Sprue Brothers, then Squadron, then a few others. However, they don't always have what I am looking for so I'll search ebay, etc. I absolutely HATE amazon for this.
Now, I paint with lacquers - Hataka, MRP, Mr Color. Also, Mr Color Leveling thinner is liquid gold. I use two primers depending on what I am doing - Tamiya fine gray out of the can, or Mr Surfacer 1500 (black) thinned with Leveling Thinner.
Here is Sprue Bros link:
Sprue Brothers
Now, I paint with lacquers - Hataka, MRP, Mr Color. Also, Mr Color Leveling thinner is liquid gold. I use two primers depending on what I am doing - Tamiya fine gray out of the can, or Mr Surfacer 1500 (black) thinned with Leveling Thinner.
Here is Sprue Bros link:
Sprue Brothers
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:09 pm to sidewalkside
Kids can't tear their faces away from their phones long enough to glue a model together, much less paint and detail it.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:13 pm to sidewalkside
I'm Gen X with Boomer (duh) parents. We spent a small countries' GDP on models. I sniffed a lot of Testor glue, ruined a lot of wall to wall shag carpet with Testor glue and paint, washed my brothers hair with Testor glue (it was NOT cool to have a crew cut in 1976) and have a 3 inch deflated gummy worm looking scar on the top of my left foot from the time a butcher knife slipped when I was trying to cut model parts off one of those dumb fricking plastic trees.
Hence, when I became a parent, I was wise enough not to let my millennial kids become tweakers and frick my house and medical deductible up over some shitty arse Revel model that looked like arse unless you could airbrush professionally. So I had some other Gen X people perfect CNC tech and injection molding and they made bad arse Lego kits for all future generations.
I still sniff glue, but that's for another day.
Hence, when I became a parent, I was wise enough not to let my millennial kids become tweakers and frick my house and medical deductible up over some shitty arse Revel model that looked like arse unless you could airbrush professionally. So I had some other Gen X people perfect CNC tech and injection molding and they made bad arse Lego kits for all future generations.
I still sniff glue, but that's for another day.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:14 pm to sidewalkside
Millenials can’t afford houses so we wouldn’t have a place to keep them
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:18 pm to sidewalkside
Back in the 80s, models were $3-$7. It was easy to ask grandma for a few extra bucks to run over to Howard Brothers, K&B, or TG&Y and get a model. They were sold at the local retail shops vs. just hobby shops. I don't remember the last time I saw models for sale at Wal-Mart, Target, or even the corner drug stores.
Some fond memories of putting models together back in the day. Again, it was easier access and models weren't like $20 something bucks either like today.
I remember when the snap togethers came out too.
Soaking the decals in the water and then putting on the car was a work of art.
Some fond memories of putting models together back in the day. Again, it was easier access and models weren't like $20 something bucks either like today.
I remember when the snap togethers came out too.
Soaking the decals in the water and then putting on the car was a work of art.
This post was edited on 9/6/24 at 6:08 pm
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:19 pm to sidewalkside
I and 54 and build about one model plane a year. I take my time and work on it for about a month or so. I have built a lot of 1/48 Tamiya models but the last two have been 1/32 scale. They are the F-15 Eagle and the F4J Phantom II. The 1/32 scale are sturdy with die cast metal landing gear that require screws to secure. But about 22” long when done so they need a larger display space. Going to do the F-14 sometime soon.
All of my 1/48 scale models are WWII era planes. B17 and B24 were fun.
Like most people my age who build models(picked it up again in my 40s), I tried when I was a kid but just didn’t have the patience and didn’t have the tools and techniques to build them right.
All of my 1/48 scale models are WWII era planes. B17 and B24 were fun.
Like most people my age who build models(picked it up again in my 40s), I tried when I was a kid but just didn’t have the patience and didn’t have the tools and techniques to build them right.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:22 pm to sidewalkside
It’s nowhere near as popular as it was 40-50 years ago. But I still see a surprising number of youngsters at model shows both entering builds and buying kits.
My son built a few models when he was a kid. And he says he’d like to get back into it. But right now he’s too busy. I get that. When I was his age, I still built models, but I’d do at best one or two a year and would go weeks or months without even touching it. Now though I’m at a phase of life where I have the time to really get into the hobby.
Frankly, I think one of the main reasons modeling isn’t as popular as it was years ago is because it takes time and patience, two things most people have little of nowadays.
My son built a few models when he was a kid. And he says he’d like to get back into it. But right now he’s too busy. I get that. When I was his age, I still built models, but I’d do at best one or two a year and would go weeks or months without even touching it. Now though I’m at a phase of life where I have the time to really get into the hobby.
Frankly, I think one of the main reasons modeling isn’t as popular as it was years ago is because it takes time and patience, two things most people have little of nowadays.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 2:22 pm to TimeOutdoors
quote:
What's the best source for models, paint, etc these days?
Micromark is a good source, particularly for tools.
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