How Do We Get More Junior Modelers Involved?

In the 30 odd years i have been modeling i to have noticed a decline in young builders starting in the hobby , the lack of hobby shops, the lack of kit selection,
supplies and soforth and so on . I saw this happening not only locally but also
nationwide from circa 1984 to 2000 but hear recently I had up lifting suprise
happen to me the 1st suprise was at a walmart store of all places while i was
browsing their somewhat limited selection of kits and supplies a couple of kids
noticed me and started to ask me questions about our hobby and some of the
kits on the shelves , the supplies at hand and soforth , it brought forth a smile
from me as i answered their questions and passed on a little of my knowlage
on types of kits to start out with and the supplies that would need to build the kits they selected I gave them basic information they would need to get started
building and let them know thats it's not only how perscise that they build it
but mostly having fun in the process . I also let them know that all the fancy
precision would come in time with trial and error in future kits most of all I let
them know that as long as they tried their best followed the instuctions and
took their time building the model that even if it did'nt turn out perfect like on the box that it still was alright !!! because they could proud of themselves because
they started with nothing and they bulit something they could be proud of no
matter what it looked like , because at least they didn't give up !! that they would
get better over time with doing other kits that they would learn from their
mistakes and it was only natural and the biggest things they would learn and
would develop would be a keen eye for detail and patiacence It made me
very happy inside because of their intreist ..............
the 2nd suprise which was the biggest of all , was that all three of my children
two girls and my youngest which is my son have all expressed a great intrest in
the hobby and wanting to build their first kits I must have done something right
or it's in the genes hmmmm .. thats a thought !!!! okay getting back to the subject
at hand I really have a lot of hope for them because there is a lot more cooler
stuff now than when I started such as air brushes , supplies aftermarket parts
and soforth and so on it really suffices to say that it's a great time to be alive in
the hobby !!!!!!!!!!!
I think that if we take our time and show all of our young people how much fun we
are having it will rub off on them and the'll take up the torch for us and carry it and
all they can do is improve on it and make it better !!!!!!!

but thats just what i think of it

hillbilly70631 thank you all

I don't really recall exactly how I got started in the hobby. I do remember my Dad having a few models on display that he had built when I was young although he wasn't real serious about it. I know I built a few models myself, as well, but I don't actually recall the building process. I just know cause I still have a couple of the empty boxes kicking around at home. I suppose that did have an impact on my sub-conscious though and somehow influenced me to get back into the hobby again.

Ray

My father got me interested in the hobby, as well. My 3 year old daughter is starting to show an interest as well, but she can't play with exacto knives just yet. I've also talked exhaustively to a friend of mine that owns his own hobby shop, but he addamantly refuses to stock models, as he says that there is no interest in the hobby. He won't even let me do a demo in his shop, for the same reason. Great fun, this town. Maybe I'll move to Seattle...

My dad got me started by building a kit at the kitchen table when I was 7. I wanted one, too, so the next Saturday night we were both at the ktichen table. That was a tradition that went on for 14 years until Dad got Parkinsons' and couldn't build any more. He had planted the seed, however, and he spent a lot of time afterwords at my bench just watching me enjoy the hobby that he couldn't , offereing advice and constructive criticism when asked. I did the same when my cousins wanted to build car kits and the Aurora monsters. My son now sits at my workbench Saturday evenings after we've both enjoyed a Star Wars XBox game or a fight to the finish on Halo. His friends are starting to hang out more on Saturdays. That's how it's done: mentoring, treating every question with dignity and giving a useful, respectful response. When someone realizes that they are being taken seriously, they'll stick around and get more involved. Just my thoughts. - Ed

Ahem! Assuming anyone wants to get back on track, let me turn the basic question around and ask "How did YOU get started in the hobby?". That's where you'll find your answers. In my case I was given a SNJ "Texan" (Monogram, I think) for my eighth birthday. And it didn't exactly hurt that I came in second in a small contest with my second attempt (an utterly box-stock Beechcraft that set me back a whole $0.50 in 1955 money). There you have my formula for attacting the young: Low cost and lots of encouragement. ciao.

Si quid novisti rectius istis,
Candidus imperti; si non, his utere mecum
[If you have come to know any precept more
correct than these, share it with me, brilliant one;
if not, use these with me] (Horace, Epistle I.6.67)

Sorry I didn't see this topic earlier. I missed some meaty point & counterpoint. I think (for anyone who cares) that modeling is intrinsic. You do it because you gain something by MAKING something. You see the results of YOUR efforts. It's tough to get somebody involved in that because they are just looking at a car or a plane that somebody else made.

QUOTE: Originally posted by demono69 This forum has now officially transitioned into the realm of Chaos. But , hey, at least Britney Spears hasn't been mentioned...

Has anyone else noticed that her initials are B.S.?

Ray

This forum has now officially transitioned into the realm of Chaos. But , hey, at least Britney Spears hasn't been mentioned...

I (i'm 15) play some tank and plane sims, and in a couple of weeks I'll find myself looking for a model of the vehicles/planes I used. I find wargames are a great stimulant for modeling for me.

The way I got pulled on to the forum was I picked up a FSM mag at a store for fun and voila... two weeks later I've posted around 20 times in a day on the website

Just remember kids! Getting older is mandatory. Growing up is not! (I stole that, just as we all steal most of our material...)

I switched to the Hitler History Channel, but I'm not really interested in the Tsars of old Russia. So I'll see what's on the Traffic Channel...

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Now I see how we're getting more juniors involved. We're just regressing ourselves.

Remember - You can't stay young....but you can stay immature. - Red Green

Ray

Hmmmm....weather...rain...Noah's ark...THAT"S IT!! History channel!

Hmmm...

Wonder if there's anything interesting on the Weather Channel...

Fade to Black...

You don't think we have ADD/ADHD, do ya?

QUOTE: Finally, a quote from the comedian Dennis Miller: "Americans have the attention span of a ferret on a double espresso".

As we can see by where this thread went

About a year ago, Terry Thompson did an editorial titled, "Why I like Gundams", which was very timely. I recall the tv commercials for the gundam kits, showing different age groups and "levels of committment". I applaud the father earlier in this thread for doing a 1/144 Gundam kit with his son.

I would also present the prefinished car kits as a good introductory experience. The Toy Liquidators at your nearest outlet mall would have them for a very low price.

Now I have a question for the good of the order: Now that Revell-Monogram has withdrawn its support for Make 'n Take, what new mechanisms are being developed to attract new modelers?

Finally, a quote from the comedian Dennis Miller: "Americans have the attention span of a ferret on a double espresso".

Regards,
Brian

Blackwolf: I don't actually play MOH online yet; i live in a rural area of canada and we don't have a high speed node out here yet. However, sometime in the future, if you see a name somewhere along the lines of the one i'm using right now, chances are its me.

Longhair: I didn't say you in particular; every one is entitled to their own opinions. It's just that even in the part of FSM (the magazine) where the editor does his little blurb that video games are portrayed in a negative light.

PS just picked up Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. Anyone who hasn't definitely should; it's the best SWAT team simulator out there.

TechniMuyo,

WAY ahead of you dude! Been there done that, being a peer to peer network, I looked into what WinMX (and the others) were all about and learned about the pitfalls.

I'm well protected and alert, but thanks anyhow. And I settled on WinMX because I found more of what I'm looking for there as opposed to KaZaA/KaZaA Lite , BearShare, Morpheus, eDonkey2000, Gnucleus and LimeWire.

Fade to Black...

Good point about the competition modeling gets from other pasttimes now. I was 10 when I started, and part of the impetus for modeling--aside from my blossoming interest in World War II--was that for 98 cents or $1.09, I could get a 1/72 scale airplane, build it (waaaaay too quickly!), and afterwards still have it to play with as a toy. I still approach modeling as a "cheap[er]" hobby, though as we've discussed on this forum, it can get quite expensive if you want to take that route.

The most important factor in getting kids into the hobby is their parents: Kids like to emulate what they see the adults around them doing. If Dad (or Mom) builds models, chances are junior will want to do it, too. Here's a way to get a foot in the door. Junior will probably go about it the same way I did when I was 10, but at least the seed is planted. Even if the parents don't model, they can still encourage their child by getting him/her a nice beginner's kit (mine did). Maybe it'll stick, maybe it won't. Modeling teaches a lot of skills that'll be useful later in life (reading, interpreting, and following instructions, patience, hand-eye coordination, crafstmanship, etc.).

Maybe your kid will even grow up to take a bunch of liberal arts courses in college and eventually end up an editor at a modeling magazine! [:0]

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Techni, where do I get that software above? is it free? No money in the budget for it.
Lee

Stop using WinMX RIGHT NOW. Download a nice copy of Lavasoft's Ad-Aware6.0 Spyware Remover, and download the free version of Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus. Run both, uninstall WinMX and start using KazzaaLite. More content, no spyware, and less files w/ viruses!
As with models vying for attention, the same thing happened to radio when TV came around, and with TV when computers came around. And neither of those died! We just might have to see models emerge in a new and different way.

Maybe a little less gluing, a little more snap-together. After all, if models want to keep up with faster hobbies, they must get faster too! But, that future isn't too bleak! What the folks at Bandai can do with snap-tite is simply AMAZING, and they have recessed detail just like something straight out of Academy or Revell-Monogram!! Also, detail sets are(and Thank God for this one!) quickly becoming unneccessary, what with the detail of modern kits! Things will get more streamlined, things will get cheaper, more mass-produced, but models will ALWAYS be around!

Exactly, Longhair. Lotsa competition these days for model building, games being a big competitor. I've fallen into that trap. I've formed my own online gaming group (called a clan) for one of my favorite games, Medal of Honor. Before you know it, you've been online with your buds for hours, taking and losing territory.

Another competitor, ironically enough, is the very thing I'm doing now...

This isn't exactly a chat room, but I know several folks who, ever since they got onto the net, have done nothing but chat on the PC all night. Or hang out in a forum, like this one.

I myself almost fell into still another trap. I collect OTR shows (Old Time Radio) as well as music; both from the period of my main modeling interest, WWII (big band/swing), as well as modern stuff. I got hooked on WinMX, a peer-to peer file sharing network. I also spent entirely too much time searching other places on the net for music and OTR stuff.

Before I knew it, I hadn't looked at a model in MONTHS! There's alotta things out there that are competing for our attention. I'm just glad that I can balance it all fairly well, if even for only a short time 'til I discover another new "toy" or interest.

But I'm also glad that most of my interests tie into each other. I collect books on the subjects I model as a matter of compiling reference, but I also have developed a passion for the history of what I model. I would be just as comfortable in researching and learning about this stuff, as I would be in modeling it. Matter of fact, I'm getting to the point where I enjoy the research more than building.

Some may think of me as a know it all, cuz I'm all over the place when someone needs a photo of this or that. I simply like the research and I like the fact that I can actually help someone out.

I can honestly see a day when I have no models left in the dungeon. But not yet...

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I'm sorry Cader28, if you got the impression that I was 'bashing' video games. That was not my intention, as I also have more than my fair share of video games on my shelves. My point is, and I think most of the other poster's as well, is that in this technological age there are more 'things' vying for our attention and that leaves less time for modelling, playing video games, or whatever else you want to do. I'm not, dare I say it, that old but in the 30 years that I've been alive there have been so many new and exciting pastimes introduced that it really 'waters down' your spare time, especially if you are involved in several different hobbies. Years ago there weren't as many, or maybe I should say, it wasn't as easy to access so many different hobbies as it is today (especially with the internet, etc.) so people had more time to devote to their chosen hobby, whether it be modelling or something else.

Truce Cader?!?

Ray

Well this weekend my son and I sat down with his first kit, A Bandai Gundam in 1/144 scale, It's a snap together but we had fun. I cut the parts loose and trimmed them and he assembled. No paint necessary as it's molded in several colors. It was good for me too-after many hours on my P-40 and Typhoon with crummy fitting parts it was relaxing. I had forgotten how much those quick builds could be.

Video Games RULE!! MECHWARRIOR 4 FOREVER!! W00T!!1! R0x0r OMG!!(Oh, yeah, Tactical Ops: Assault On Terror and GTA3 come in at close seconds...)
But anyhoot, most of the forums I go to show the exact same thing. Millions of people register, very few ever actually post. The problem isn't a lack of interest, it's a lack of use! Most people simply don't think they have anything postworthy! They just think(most often incorrectly) that they need to register to view threads. So, they register, get the info/advice they need, and then never return! It happens quite frequently, really. Matter of fact, I rarely post anything of use here! It's mostly spam and my two cents(or three or four!)! But, every now and then(see the Dullcote post in the "Techniques" forum, where I actually get acknowledged by name!) I post a nugget! That's the story of the internet I geuss, everyone has a web page, but only a few people actually need one!

Bashin' video games!?! Who's bashin' video games? LEMMEE AT 'EM!!!! LOL

I agree wholeheartedly that the two can intertwine. I myself have more than my fair share of FPS, RTS games & Flight Sims. Matter of fact, it's the core hobby of model building that got me into many other interests I have, OTR, Swing and, yes, "video games". And each of these has further inspired me in my model building.

Cader28, you play MOH alot? Online? Just curious...

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How do we get more junior modelers involved?
1 thing, some of you (no names) need to stop bashing video games. I'm 16, and i thoroughly enjoy both modelling and videogames. I find that the two are somewhat intertwined, as well. Games like Medal of Honor, Ghost Recon, and Delta Force: Black Hawk Down simulate modern war fairly well.

Okay, this is going to be an abbreviated reply. I just spent a whole-lotta time typing up a nice long novel (as I am apt to do) and at some point I was automatically logged out?!? The rules of the forum regarding language prevent me from expressing my true feelings at the moment, but I digress...

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR............

The "job" of attracting new members to the hobby belongs to any and all who are associated with the hobby.

As an individual, this can be done by taking someone under your wing. If someone seems interested, probe a bit and see if you can't peak their interest a bit more. Don't push it in their face, but try and see if you have a potential builder on your hands. Encourage them, bribe them... LOL Seriously, encourage them in any way possible.

Clubs are a good way to get folks involved in a hobby. Some who may have had a bad experience in a club may be convinced that all clubs are a waste of time, which is NOT true.

I have belonged to many a club of varying interests over the years and the only one I still belong to is my model club. And yes, it's an IPMS club. Some seem to think that IPMS is "evil" and a BIG waste of time. But remember, though the world is full of self-centered, self-serving AH types, and even though many belong to clubs, including those of the model-building variety, not all clubs or, more specifically, IPMS clubs are full of jerks.

I have been privvy to the goings on of several clubs besides my own and, indeed, there is alotta political, self-righteous BS that goes on withinin many of them. Some of them have a balanced mix of good and bad, and some have none of the above. I'm fortunate in that my club has survived some BS in the past to become a strong organization and one of the premier clubs in the northeast, if not the USA. We have some jerks, yes, but very few.

Each year we hold our regular model show and a mall show. We also run a kids' class to teach the young ones to build models. Whenever we run an event, we make sure that the local hobby shops are well-stocked with "plastic propaganda leaflets". ie; we advertise our events BIG time. Flyers, flyers and MORE flyers!!!

Even if it all ended tomorrow, I'd still have a good group of friends to hang out with and talk plastic. (The Saturday-Nite Mafia's Groovy Get-Togethers at Guidos!!! )

The real target audience we aim for is the kids, and we try to encourage them in any way we can. We have the aforementioned kids' class which wraps up at our mall show with an awards ceremony for those who attended the class. Every kid gets a certificate of merit.

At our regular show as well as at our mall show, (for those outside of the kids' class) we go out of our way to whoop it up for the kids and again, THEY ALL get something. Take a kid under your wing...

Now when that kid grows up, he/she can decide whether or not they want to continue in the hobby and why. But regardless of their ultimate decision as an adult, it's our job to initially get them involved.

This site and forum, as already mentioned, are excellent tools for communicating in this hobby.

Use this forum to it's fullest. if you have a link to a good modeling or reference site, post it! If you have a photo that may help someone post it, if you are able. Directly contact someone who is in need of help, if you're so inclined.

Here's a few links to some sites that you may or may not have seen or heard of:

http://modelingmadness.com/ A good aviation-related modeling site with how-to's, reviews and more!

http://www.scalemodelindex.com/ A reknowned resource site for modelers, run by a club-mate of mine, Tony "NetBoy" Matteliano.

http://airforce.users.ru/lend-lease/english/index.htm Another site co-run by a friend of mine, Ilya Grinberg. This site deals with Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union in WWII. Obscure subject matter, but some GREAT reference for aircraft modelers and, to a lesser degree, armor modelers.

http://spasticforplastic.1hwy.com/ My own meager general-modeling site. It has WAY too many pop-ups and has been neglected for awhile now, but both of these issues will soon be rectified! (Suuuuuuuuuuure Steve! LOL)

http://www.ipmsniagarafrontier.com/ My club's website. If you're in the Buffalo, NY area and think that you may want to check us out, all the info is here.

http://www.ipmsusa.org/Groups_Contests/EventsGallery/events_frame.htm This is a page on the IPMS USA site that covers NOREASTCON 2003, the regional that our club held at the beginning of May, 2003.

http://www.ipmsusa.org/index.htm This is the IPMS USA website. If you think you may be interested in IPMS and/or joining a club, check this site out and see if there's a club near you.

If you have a site that you admin, or know of one, whether run by a friend or just a really cool site that you think may be useful to others, post a link. Just make sure that in doing so you adhere to the rules of THIS (FSM) site's forum.

Remember, the job of promoting and inciting interest in the hobby, on all levels, belongs to all of us.

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