I whole heartedly agree. I spend most of my time on planes of different eras, and was searching these forums for that genre specifically. Until one day I wondered into the ships, and now I also build ships. Sometimes I will look in awe at some of the model trains and every now and then I'll grab one of their magazines. They do amazing work and I feel it often goes completely unknown to most modelers stuck in their genre. Great post jtilley!

The guys at policecarmodels.com have been advertising in the back of FSM almost forever. A niche within a niche hobby, but obviously they have been successful at it.

I agree that there are probably many modelers that could learn from looking at models outside of their main interest, and talking to those builders.

Back before the internet, which now sort of sorts us into groups (see the index on this forum), I and all the modelers I knew called ourselves "plastic modelers",,,,we built ships, cars, planes, tanks,,,,,,,visible V-8s and Dinosaurs.

At the shows I go to, we spend almost more time in "other genres" of plastic models,,,,,mostly because I had to go for one main theme to economize somewhat on things here (it worked, too, the stash is down to 600 or so, lol). The Sci Fi and Junior categories catch our eyes the most, it seems.

One show has a definite slant towards model cars,,,,,,,and the resin aftermarket for that group is a lively one,,,,,,,everything from resin engines that you can't get in injected plastic to whole car bodies that were never released by the big plastic companies. A little tip, if you are looking for different colored wires or hoses for a tank or aircraft,,,,,,look at the aftermarket parts in the car section. If you want to learn about high gloss finishes,,,,,,again, bug the car guys. Tiny etched parts and doo dads you look at the locomotive detail parts in the model railroad section. (diorama stuff too)

Rex   (3 weeks until our next show, who knows what we will see at that one?)

I'm afraid those mutually exclusive groups predate the internet by many years. I can't count how many times I've heard wood ship enthusiasts sneer at plastic modelers. I particularly remember one very widely known and respected gent who once told me, "We don't have any of those plastic guys in our club. We tell them they've got their own clubs."

I get particularly incensed when I hear that kind of thing from somebody whose credentials consist of having built a few HECEPOB kits. It's happened on this Forum, but I've kept my mouth shut. Like I said, I don't want to pass judgment on anybody else's hobby; I just wish those people wouldn't pass judgment on one of mine.

I'm not about to start into model railroading. I'm too old, and I don't have either the money or the space. (Houses in eastern North Carolina don't have basements - for excellent reasons.) But I pick up a model railroad magazine every few months, just to admire the quality of work these guys do and maybe pick up some inspiration. I somehow got on the mailing list of Walther's, the big model railroad supply company. I get a Walther's flyer every month, and I've ordered several hundred dollars' worth of stuff from there in the past few years - ranging from metal stock to obscure fittings to decals (and dry transfers) to figures. (An HO figure who's a bit on the short side works fine on a 1/8"=1'-scale ship.)  A friend and colleague of mine once asked me to weather a steam locomotive and build a caboose from a resin kit for him; he was just getting into model railroading. I had a blast with both of them.

And I remember back in my hobby shop clerk days introducing several model railroaders to the delights of boxwood, pearwood, and holly. Most of them had never used any wood but basswood. And the only brown paint they knew about was Floquil "Roof Brown." When I pointed them toward the various ranges of camoflage paint, and told them "Forget the name of the color; think how you could use it," they were interested.

I feel the same about this topic as I do about opera. Forget the notion that it's somehow good for you. Dagnab it, it's FUN.

Very interesting post.  And I agree with you.  I was (as most have mentioned) primarily a plane, Sci-Fi, and real space builder.  I now own a couple of ships, but have not ventured to build one....yet!  When I saw the GB here on FSM for the Hero/Villains, I talked to some friends on here about it and decided to jump in and do it.  First time I had ever tried my hand at figures.  HAD A BLAST!!!!  As I started to know folks here on the forums, I got into the armour genre.  Started off with some wheeled armour kits and just fell in love with them!  I'm doing my first (as I call it) big boy tank for the Orphan GB.  The common factor with both of these is that I learned a lot!  It was great!  Now, recently, my grandfather (who will be 90 this year) gave me some old stick and tissue kits!  Boy, do those look intimidating!  But I have been doing some research and look forward to diving into one of those soon.  You mentioned model railroading.  Now granted my son is only three, but he is REALLY into trains!  So I might just be getting into that genre in the future.  But like you said, it's fun!  And I have learned a LOT by stepping out of my comfort zone and diving into new things.

Eagle90

I agree with you too. IMO, one misses quite a lot if restricted to only one group or subject. I try to stay diverse building armor, aircraft, ships, figures, and off the wall subjects like a guillotine as my last build. I  recently got interested in old fire trucks and grabbed an old Heller ladder truck from the 1930's that I plan on building really soon. Unfortunately, old fire truck models from the 30's and 40's are none existent otherwise I would have several in my stash.

Why do you think it's excellent not to have basements in houses jtilley? We love basements.

Balack sheep

If I may get into the basement issue. I recall watching an episode of This Old House a while back and they were discussing that certain soil, specially heavy clay ones will not let water drain away from the house which is a problem in N. Carolina.

Lol, not sure I totally agree with you, I used to build a lot more variety but my stash has gotten so big I had to limit myself to only certain subjects!  

Still, yes we can learn from everyone, I generally skim even if I don't read in depth every article in FSM. I don't build autos but it's amazing what I've picked up from them. 

One of the modeling clubs I belong to ( I belong to several) really pushes trying different genres.  It seems to work. There are a couple of members who do not care to try any other genre, but the majority of the club is expanding their interest.

I put in a brief stint doing model railroading, and learned a lot about weathering.  I believe they were the first modelers to weather models.  This was in early-mid 60s.

Black sheep - I love basements too. In the thirty years I lived in Ohio, I did most of my modeling in the ..basement. And I wish I had one now. The problem is that in eastern North Carolina, basements flood whenever there's a heavy rain. Scarcely any buildings have basements. I suspect the insurance companies wouldn't insure a house with a basement in eastern NC.

As one poster mentioned I'm guessing it's because of the soil in Eastern N. Carolina being clay. Makes sense...

Being a model maker or as its really known prototyping I get a lot of heckling from wood workers as well as other mediums of modeling. Some cant imagine what it's like to have a company like American Eurocopter North America grant you permission to use their line drawings. I've never been genera specific where my hobbies are concerned. Line drawings are the surest way to get the model you wish. I feel like this forums founders see the history in wood modeling. Really I like to show my work and inspire companies to possibly offer kits some time...