The way to fix the root cause of all our country's ills....

[Garth]

I began modeling in 7th grade with the old Monogram series of 1/72 aircraft, which were purchased VERY cheaply at the local grocery store and pharmacy.

For 8th grade I transferred to a new school that had a teacher who was into balsa kits and model rocketry. He taught an elective class in them, first half of the year was balsa modeling, second half was rocketry.

But the class was a 7th grade one, closed to 8th graders. But my Mom was able to talk my way into an exception. Never really got into the balsa kits, and when it came to disposable income plastic scale modeling was more appealing than the rocketry was.

But I had a heck of a lot of fun in that class, and it probably spurred my continued interest in the scale aspect. It seems to me that a great way of preserving and propagating the hobby is to do so through the schools. If not advocating for dedicated elective classes then for after-school extracurriculars. And then VOLUNTEERING to either teach the classes or supervise the after-school clubs.

(Which I plan to do once my kids get older and I have more time on my hands).

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

Great idea!

my dad got my brother and I building kits when I was about 4 or 5, so they feature heavily in my childhood. From building models I learnt not only how to follow instructions, but also how to work out solutions to problems (lost parts, screwed up decals etc.), and then of course building models leads to researching them and indirectly learning about history and geography. Not to mention skills such as painting, which leads to weathering/aging, and after a while you start modifying kits to make a version that isn't offered, which requires more research...all in all its a great way to learn many different skills that will serve you well throughout your life.

Love the early Revell boxart; check these out:



I really dig the PB4Y-1, I'd love to see a real one in that colour scheme, or even done up as a Coastal Command Liberator III or whatever they were called.

As far as kit costs go, yes new kits can be very expensive, but at my local hobby shop there are many decent older kits for cheap, especially if you don't have your heart set on a certain subject and are happy enough to shop the bargain rack. I remember seeing a nice Hasegawa 1/72 "Rita" for $15 recently.

Should also mention the Guillows flying models (the ones I could never get to fly); those add a whole other dimension to things:

http://www.guillow.com/

cheers

greg v.

The Lanc and the PB4Y were reissues of the Dam Busters and the Ploesti B-24. The Condor came along in late 65 with these reissues.



.

[EDowning]

I almost skipped reading this thread because of the title. After reading it I must say that the idea seems like a good one. While I have never built a model in my life, I can certainly see the value in anything that has the potential to capture a childs interest and give them a sense of how things go together.

One thing that I would like to point out from my own experience is that you if you want to influence children effectively you have to get some level of buy in from the parents and more importantly some sort of role model, where disinterested parents are an impediment.. I grew up very poor, on a farm, and while the lack of money in the family was certainly a deterent to buying any kind of toys or play things, my parents attitude towards "wasting time" with anything that wasn't "productive" (read work), would have caused them to ignore the potential of such an activity.
So, what stood out to me in this thread was the number of posters that were (or will be) introduced to the modeling by a parent or got involved with the 4H route or something like it. The parent or other role model to stimulate and encourage involvement is essential.

BTW, growing up on a farm and learning to work on tractors and other machinery can give you a great basic understanding of all things mechanical. The work ethic you learn there can serve you very well for the rest of your life and that work ethic can provide you with the financial resources to pursue your warbird collection.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

Eric

[RyanShort1]

I almost skipped reading this thread because of the title. After reading it I must say that the idea seems like a good one. While I have never built a model in my life, I can certainly see the value in anything that has the potential to capture a childs interest and give them a sense of how things go together.

One thing that I would like to point out from my own experience is that you if you want to influence children effectively you have to get some level of buy in from the parents and more importantly some sort of role model, where disinterested parents are an impediment.. I grew up very poor, on a farm, and while the lack of money in the family was certainly a deterent to buying any kind of toys or play things, my parents attitude towards "wasting time" with anything that wasn't "productive" (read work), would have caused them to ignore the potential of such an activity.
So, what stood out to me in this thread was the number of posters that were (or will be) introduced to the modeling by a parent or got involved with the 4H route or something like it. The parent or other role model to stimulate and encourage involvement is essential.

BTW, growing up on a farm and learning to work on tractors and other machinery can give you a great basic understanding of all things mechanical. The work ethic you learn there can serve you very well for the rest of your life and that work ethic can provide you with the financial resources to pursue your warbird collection.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

Eric

I've got to say that I think Eric's really more correct. Even models can get you into a bad mindset if you're just doing them to "pass the time" and be entertained. My parents were good about keeping me disciplined, and providing a decent balance of time usage.
Most kids I see today would really benefit from more discipline, more learning of the work ethic, less time being entertained in front of a computer, video game, or TV, and more training in things that will really be significant in their lives later on. You can tell who those kids are when they start coming out of college, or whatever training the do or don't get, and start working with you in the real world. It's bad when an average joe, who's probably not nearly as well skilled as his parent's peers, looks like a really good worker because all of his peers don't know how to work.

Ryan

[JetStarMech]

Excellent topic, when I clicked on to this one I thought it might be dealing with politics etc.
I agree 100%, I've been building kits since I was a kid (as far back as I can remember),
building a kit is a great start to things like attention to detail, checking your' work, following
instructions such as blueprints or maintenence manuals.
My kit building led to building actual flying models, back in the good old days there were no
ARFs, (almost ready to fly kits), you would have to cut out every rib, stringer, former and tissue
cover the kit and dope them, building those kits and then to see them fly made all that time
worth it.
Todays mechs and pilots want a ready made no hassle product, even home built kit planes,
experimental/light sport types are now ARFs, less hassle, no work.
I continue today building kits, my finished product may not be museum quality but they are
really good builds, look at all the planes I've constructed for the Warbird Heritage Foundation,(without ever getting a thank you I might add)..
I've made every plane they have in 1:72nd scale, as accurate as possible.
Some of my work is posted on "Lizas' pics.com".
Any mech. or pilot that says "I've never built a model, it's a waste of time", is either lying (feels that they will be made fun of)
or missed out on a great hobby.
Out Here, Tom

[JetStarMech]

Somebody posted a pic of the old Revell 1:72nd scale B-17 "Memphis Belle",
I have that kit box top with a signature by the right gunner Bill Winchelle
(I think I spelled his name correctly) he was at a club function/monthly meeting
as the guest speaker, it was packed, standing room only, this was only weeks
after the release of the movie.
That was too cool to have one of the crew to sign the top of that kits box.

[RSpivey]

I did some car model kits. my few airplaines that were finished are an f18 that is in poor shape (not to mention i thought OD Green would be a good color for it seeing as it was broke before i finished it.) and an F4, I've got an ah64 that my sister finished for me. ( I ran out of summer and the only place i could build em was her house.

I've got a P38 that i think only needed paint but im afraid to open the box back up and see the damage its taken over the years, also an Me 109 that just needed finish paint and glass.

[DaveG]

I've mentioned this a few times over the last few years in the modeler's thread, but I sponsor a model-building club at my school. For $12.50, the kid gets a 1:48 airplane or 1:25 car (or occasionally a tank or battleship or dinosaur) and all the paint and tools necessary to build it over the course of several afternoons. We spend the first meeting or two just reviewing the instructions and tools and terms and how to paint and all that stuff.

I have a friend who runs a local Hobbytown USA and he sells me everything for 40% off + we are tax-exempt since I buy for the school. A very sweet deal. I still end up a little short on the money end because there are always a couple of kids who can't really afford it or their parents won't give them the money so I give 'em a "scholarship" and make them wash out the brushes and help clean up after each meeting.

Anyway, I've done it for 8 years and it's a blast...plus, since there are no athletic or grade requirements, it opens up the club to a wider range of students; I've had boys and girls each year.

http://model-building-club.southdoylems ... gid=714711

Dave

[the330thbg]

the relaxed mood may have been from a combination of the 'vapor cocktail' of Testor's Glue and turpentine!!!! LMAO!!!

the culmination was of course.., several weeks or months post build.., when you either set them on fire.., blow them up.., usually coincided with 4th of July!!! or shoot them!!!!!

I just spoke to my 5 year old son and this weekend we are heading to our storage room (in NYC.., these are a must) and pick out a kit or two. It is TIME!!!! I am looking for one of those great 1:72 Revell, two in one kits.., that pitted the Wildcat and Zero in the same box!!! Cool kits.., but nothing compares to the Monogram 1:32 Mustang with retractable landing gear via a knob you turn on the bottom and it would even drop a bomb!! Cool, cool KIT!!!!!

Warmest regards to all of you and yours!!!

[Steve Nelson]

I do have a about 40 kits in my stash but that is nothing. Most model builders have 100+.

About 450 and counting..almost exclusively 1/72 WWII aircraft. This is about 95% of The Stash. For a number of years, my buy-to-build ratio was running about ten-to-one. My period of major kit acquistion began in the early 90s, after my divorce. With no parents or wife to nag or guilt-trip me about buying kits, I went on a bit of a bender. I've really cut back on my new acquisitions in the past few years..partly because there just isn't that much more out there that I want, and because new kits just don't give me the same "buzz" they used to.



I agree that the hobby has started to become prohibitively expensive for youngsters. That's because the bulk of model companies' sales are to the middle-age crowd, who demand much more accuracy and detail than the kids who built Airfix, french, Revell and Monogram kits "back in the day." I sometimes miss the old days, when every supermarket and hardware store had a rack of model kits and some basic paints and supplies. I remember I'd pick up a kit or two on Saturday with my paper route money, work on it until late that night, and finish it up on Sunday. I tried to get the colors and markings reasonably correct, but didn't bother with filling and sanding seams or any "fancy" finishing techniques. I ususally go bored with the markings and repainted them after a few weeks or months. After they had acquired a few coats of paint and the landing gear and props had been broken off a few times, out came the firecrackers and lighter fluid.

As for today's generation, there are still some reasonably priced kits out there..many of the old Monogram and Airfix classics are still available. Airfix has recently begun making simpler kits aimed at younger modelers. Their new 1/72 Spitfires aren't bad, although the Bf109 has some inaccuracies that limit it's appeal to more "serious" builders. The Chinese company Hobby Boss also has a line of 1/72 "EZ Kits," which only have a few parts (these use slide-mold technology, allowing the fuselages to be molded as a single piece..the wings are also usually molded as one solid piece.) Unfortunately, with today's electronic distractions kids just aren't interested in creative, craft-oriented hobbies.

SN

[Merlin540]

You are absolutely correct!
The building of models as a boy was responsible for much of the imagination, concentration and fine motor skills that I employ today in my business. But unfortunately, we have subsequently spawned several generations of 'legends-in-their-own-minds', video game-loving couch potatoes- in the many years since my childhood. Many skills have declined almost appallingly in the U.S. since those 'model-building' days.

[evanflys]

Bud Anderson signed these my dad and I made.







I got several P-38 Aces to sign this plane!




We paint them as close as we can to the ones the guy flies (or flew) and get them to sign them!

It's fun making models with my dad!

Evan

[muddyboots]

Boy now there is a great way to get a signature!

[michaelharadon]

I remember that when I was a kid, I wouldn't buy a kit if the gear didn't retract, the canopy move, etc.

MUCH later on, in my 40's, my marriage was falling apart, times weren't good, and I really needed some space for myself. One of the ways I got it was to sit at my desk surrounded by supplies and a kit, and when I took off my glasses, my world shrunk to a sphere the size of a beach ball. Perfect.

I would lose myself in detail and craftsmanship, tune out the outside world, and recover my sanity.

The marriage didn't last, but the skills I found I had did, and I credit no small amount of my success in home renovation and contracting, which I started doing a little while later, to the eye for detail and quality I developed building those half dozen kits ten years ago.

[wwiiaviator]

A great topic...

I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the autographed models. These are indeed the heros and idols whom our kids should be getting autographs from. Forget the steroid era, gun toting athletes whom we seem to put on a pedestal.

I think for their upcoming birthday I will buy my twin nephews WWII modeling kits and paint.

This topic is something to think about for the educational component of projects like the Redtail whose purpose is larger than just a flying aircraft. Could they give away or sell, at a marginal markup, some small and cheap model P-51Cs.

Ryan