Remember Boys Life?

I remember Boys Life too. I used to subscribe to it.

Whoa, that brings back some memories!

Yep, how about nuns life? ( a reference to the movie airplane .ha)

My ten year old used to get Boys Life his first year as a scout. It used to come with your cub scout membership. Now you have to subscribe to it separately and he doesn't get it any more. Been about a year, maybe more since the last issue he got. I don't think he ever opened one. I might have on the way to the restroom, but I'm more of a sports illustrated reader, so I doubt it.

I remember a lot of ITC and Strombecker kits got reissued by Glencoe in the mid 1990s. I still have a number of ITC kits.

Hmmm, maybe I do remember the ITC kits.

Where they kind of a cross between a model and a toy? Say a toy that came it parts that you built. More durable than a model. More detailed than a toy but not as detailed and delicate as a model. Sort of a model that could actually be played with instead on sitting on a shelf.

ITC military model kits were definitely designed to be built and played with, moving parts, motorization, that large 1/15 scale M41 by Glencoe was an ITC kit called Battlin' Betsy. I think it was originally designed to fire a projectile.

I was a Cub and Boy Scout for quite a long time. Came for free.

I was a whole it more interested in my Model Railroader subscription.

Yes, the change came just recently. My son has been a cub scout since 2012. He got it free, but either this year or last (2013 or 2014), it changed to a separate subscription. My wife is the Webelos den leader and mentioned the change to me a little while back.

Not only Boy's Life, but some men's magazines used to have models in them.  Popular Science and Popular Mechanics (and Science and Mechanics too) used to have plans and model projects in them.  Those mags in particular used to have some great scratch built sailing ship models, especially Clippers.

Don Stauffer

Not only Boy's Life, but some men's magazines used to have models in them.  Popular Science and Popular Mechanics (and Science and Mechanics too) used to have plans and model projects in them.  Those mags in particular used to have some great scratch built sailing ship models, especially Clippers.

I once wanted to start building classic styrene sailing ships. A visit to a local museum that had a traveling exhibit of scratch built sailing ships deep-sixed any desire I had. These ships were some of the most amazing, exquisite, detailed models I've ever seen. They were more than models, they were works of art!

Indeed, my local art museum (Minneapolis Institute of Arts) has a model of the Constitution in its collection.  However, I have seen plastic models built so well I consider them in the same class.  Attend a serious ship model show, like the Manitowac show.  They have a class for plastic models, and some of the entries are stunning.

I got Boy's Life back in the 40's when I was a Cub Scout.  As I recalled, it was interesting but devoted to outdoors stuff like camping, and crafts such as whittling a wooden neckerchief slide.  (You'll slice your finger off, kid!!!)  Never tried any of their projects, as playing with sharp knives bothered me!

I had to take the wife to the dentist yesterday to have a bad tooth removed (after a week of arguing!) and in the waiting room he had the last two copies of Boys Life

I didn't realize Boys Life was still being made!  Do they still had model advertisements?  Do they still offer air rifles as prizes?  I, too, used to subscribe to Nuns Life but I let the subscription lapse after I had the lasagna.

Eric

I used to get it too. Can't say I remember anything about it though!

As a current Assistant Scout Master (but younger, I got Eagle, aged out and just stayed with my Troop), Boy's Life is still going strong. Hasn't ended and I don't see it ended anytime soon. They still run Pinewood Derby and Bachmann train ads every issue. As of the last issue I received I didn't see any model ads except for the trains.  Also no air rifles, at least not that I remember. 

I don't think anyone said it ended. I know until recently, it was arriving at my house for my 10 year old Webelos scout. I just remember my wife telling me that the subscription to Boys' Life is no longer automatic with scout membership and that you have to subscribe to it in order to continue getting it.

She asked me if I still wanted it. I asked her if our son read it, she said no. So I said it was up to her since I barely had time to read my Sports Illustrated.

I prowled through a couple of issues from the early 1960s (couldn't resist December 1961, the month I was born), and the ads were interesting to say the least! As for all the air rifles ("You'll shoot your eye out!"), you won't see those in a kid's magazine in this day and age!

Funny, but I still have all of mine in a box somewhere.  ITC models? I had some but hell, I played with ALL the models I had at that time.  That is where I spotted the Carbine Action, 200 shot, range model air rifle I got for my birthday.  When I wore the models out playing with them, they became targets for the rifle.  Life sure seemed easier then!  LOL!

Jim Barton

I prowled through a couple of issues from the early 1960s (couldn't resist December 1961, the month I was born), and the ads were interesting to say the least! As for all the air rifles ("You'll shoot your eye out!"), you won't see those in a kid's magazine in this day and age!

These ads were not only in BL but comic books as well. I don't remember the name of the company but you could win a "free" bb gun from them for selling their junk!

The outrage against ads like these today would be brutal!

Back in my day many kids had a BB rifle, usually a Daisy. One lucky sucker even had a BB pistol!

Sparrows landed in our neighborhood at their own risk. This is something I honestly regret, you realize things like this as you get older.

I never personally knew of any kid that had an actually serious injury from a BB gun. Now I did get a few blister like injuries from shooting myself in the hand and fingers. Yeah, there were also an occasional opportunistic shot to a friends buttocks area, but always through their clothing, not bare skin.

We had the common sense not to shoot someone in the face or bare skin.

Remember the ads for Johnson & Smith company?  Oh what a marvelous variety of stuff they promised kids!  I always sent for the catalog every year (it was only a dime).

Jim Barton

I prowled through a couple of issues from the early 1960s (couldn't resist December 1961, the month I was born), and the ads were interesting to say the least! As for all the air rifles ("You'll shoot your eye out!"), you won't see those in a kid's magazine in this day and age!

It's still around; one of my colleagues writes for them on a regular basis. About to pitch a couple of articles myself. I wish kids still built models, but unfortunately it seems they'd rather buy something that's already put together.