Comfort Zones

I hope you know I wasn't trying to be judgemental by any means.  I was just pondering.  That was all.  Heck I'd probably take a little of that money and get myself something purty, too.  By the time my last semester of college came, I was able to pay for it and my housing on the first day of school which left my bank account pretty much zero'ed out.  I was barely getting by when I graduated a few months later but I was able to get out without being a single penny in debt.

By the way, I'm 40 and have a 2 year and a 4 year degree.  I think I've gotten more mileage out of my Associate degree than I have out of my Bachelor's.  Good job on going back to school!

Best wishes,

Eric

echolmberg

Aren't you worried about paying the interest off for years to come?  I'm just throwing out some numbers but just to give a "for instance", let's say you spend $900 per semester on 30 kits.  After the loans are all paid off, you'll end up spending much more than that thanks to the accumulated interest.  I think that would bug me.

Eric

I spend about 300-400 a semester on models.  The vast majority of my student loan goes towards books, tuition, supplies, transportation, living expenses.  The models I buy are the only luxory that I spend my student loan money on.  Even the scooter that I bought is used almost exclusively for school (Bus is not always practical, especially when you have a 6 am class or one that gets over at midninght)  I don't look at paying the interest as something that would bug me because I need to go to school.  I'm 39 and have spent my life doing physical labor/factory jobs.  I've lost part of my right leg and am no longer able to do those kinds of jobs.  I'm working on a 2 year degree right now and will go for a 4 year as soon as I'm done with it.  Sometimes life throws you a curveball and you just have to swing with it.

I build aircraft right now but would like to get into armor, sci-fi and ships at some point.

Aren't you worried about paying the interest off for years to come?  I'm just throwing out some numbers but just to give a "for instance", let's say you spend $900 per semester on 30 kits.  After the loans are all paid off, you'll end up spending much more than that thanks to the accumulated interest.  I think that would bug me.

Eric

Aircraft and Amour

Tbh it always has, Ive got a model of Battle ship Yamato (1/700) sitting up in my cupboard for over a year now, probably should start but something just makes me want to build other things (above mentioned).

I guess it started when my older bro and oldman worked on the 1/72 scale Shackleton bomber back when I was very young, can still remember it now  :D

Mine's not so much a comfort zone as an obsession. I'm obsessed with aircraft and have little interest in modeling ships and armor.

Though I do like to see any model that is nicely done.

I usually build aircraft but I do build armor, cars, ships, and figures to. My comfort zone would be anything allied. Every once and a while I'll go out of the comfort zone though.

Aircraft

gonavycv64

I'd love to be able to do dioramas but my overall ability is pretty low.  I can follow directions and make stuff look decent but to be able to scratchbuild the stuff and mix and match other models to put together into a diorama is generally above my skill.  Especially the weathering.  Stuff like the Lunar Landing that is all in one I feel I can do.

The only way to learn how to build dioramas is build them... KISS Rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies at first... 

Then, before you start a dio, go get a copy of How to Build Dioramas by Shepard Paine.  It's the BIBLE for diorama-building... IF you ever only buy ONE modeling book, that's the one you want... It's also the textbook for "Gizmology 101"...

Shep takes you through EVERYthing you need to know...

I hope to do the same thing with the batmobile that you did atleast partially.  Hoping to use the 40% off at Hobby Lobby for the Batmobile. 

Don't feel apologetic, Gonavy.  My youngest daughter is in college right now, complete with student loans/grants and the whole bit.  I know that if she didn't have some way to unwind, she'd go nuts.

As a matter of fact, even when I was in college, I built models in my down time--right through grad school.  I have a few models left older than my marriage!!!

And thanks for your service.  It is appreciated.

I won't go away from what I do,but I do build armor,ships,and planes.but I don't see myself doing a car or sci-fi for example.

I'd love to be able to do dioramas but my overall ability is pretty low.  I can follow directions and make stuff look decent but to be able to scratchbuild the stuff and mix and match other models to put together into a diorama is generally above my skill.  Especially the weathering.  Stuff like the Lunar Landing that is all in one I feel I can do.

Yes CV64 is the Constellation, served onboard from 92-94.

I buy my models online form the same place where they are generally about 1/3 off, so I pay about $6-10 for each one.  I usually pay about $300-400 (with a max of $10 for shipping) for them all and occassionally get something from ebay.

Trust me, most of my student loan goes to pay for my class expenses and tuition but I have to have something to do to take a break from classes, I'm in class for about 25-30 hours a week.

My interests are so varied- aircraft, armor, racing ('80s NASCAR, F1, NHRA), tractor-trailers, space (real and sci-fi), some ships- that my comfort zone is rather broad. I don't often get bored perusing my stash......

There really isn't a model kit outside my 'zone', since dioramas are my thing, and the kits are just part of it... The only genre I've never venturered into would be flying models, although I did got R/C for a spell with "store bought" planes that were a lot of fun, but the "bug" never really bit me, and the cost was prohibitive, mostly because the learning-curve is pretty steep (Reverse-controlling when the plane's coming at you is something I never really twigged onto) ... I partially built a Guillow's Fokker D VII once, many, MANY years ago, but ended up using the balsa on a regular diorama...

Basically though, I'm a "Military Modeler"...

I'm pretty much all aircraft and armor now, but I DO have a Polar Lights (Ex Aurora) 1/32 scale 1966 Batmobile going into a Batcave diorama...   I wanted to do a dio with lotsa little lights, and wasn't on space-ship...  Saw the Batmobile in Hobby Lobby (40% coupon, naturally) and jumped on it...

Be looking for a Batcave diorama in about 3 months... 

I think student loans are used for living expenses, and what is living without models?

CV 64 is the USS Constellation?  Go Navy!!! 

My comfort zone is 1/72 aircraft, recently forayed into 1/700 ships.

Cadet Chuck

Funny, I always thought student loans were intended for education expenses, not 30 - 40 models......

LMAO.

30-40 every semester? Holy Moly.

Funny, I always thought student loans were intended for education expenses, not 30 - 40 models......

I build mostly aircraft but do some tanks as well.  This past year I have also bought a lunar lander dio, a '69 Mustang and a ship model for the stash.  It's nice to mix it up some.

Mike