What are you in it for?

Thinking about it, I just don't know.  I like the feeling of putting something together, taking my time, the attention to detail, and seeing a finished product that I made.  My interest in WWII also plays a big part, but to be honest, my grandfather got me into modelling and its something that I've always got great pleasure from.

Well to be honest It keeps me busy and my mind of other things since ive been drugfree for close to 2 years and helps me use my brain more, also i have chemical inbalance so it helps me control my attitude. And i like the history in the ww2 stuff god knows there arnt vary many flyable A/C out there and this is about the only way to get close to them.

 

History is a big part of it for me. Ever since I saw Tora Tora Tora at age 7-8, I was hooked on WWII. I haven't looked back since. I'm very fascinated by the machinery of the war. It's fun to build a scaled down replica. One of my favorite things to do is to research each subject that I build.

tigerman wrote:

History is a big part of it for me. Ever since I saw Tora Tora Tora at age 7-8, I was hooked on WWII. I haven't looked back since. I'm very fascinated by the machinery of the war. It's fun to build a scaled down replica. One of my favorite things to do is to research each subject that I build.

Precisley how I feel! I forgot to mention the researching aspect.

I like replicating the big, snarling machines of yester year. Whether it be Carrol Shelby's GT350, or Chuck Yeager's P-51, I love building. I've always been an avid motorsports fan, so when I build cars I build them because I can't afford the real thing. When I build planes, I just like to think about the history of them, the impact those brave guys had on the world. Axis or Allies they had their roles. I like to think of my builds as a tribute to the pilot. I also enjoy the fact that I know it's something I've done.

I like the history part, but I really love it when you've put hours and hours in to a build and get a great result. It just makes it all worthwhile. I just love what you get out of it. It also teaches you history, patience, etc.

Will

I just like to build. I find it very relaxing, it is a hobby after all. I enjoy building models of tanks I crewed throughout my career as well as science fiction models that put the imagination to work. I also like to build the occasional car, plane or boat.

Hang´on smokinguns, it works.

Just like any other hobbies, it makes me feel good and satisfy.  I like the history behind war machines.      

I like the feeling of satisfaction when a project is completed. That's it. I build a variety of subjects, mostly armour, and the history does interest me a bit, but for the most part, its the act itself that is the satisfaction.

For me it's about the history.  I view my models as a snapshot back into a moment of time.  I spend more time researching the vehicles, planes and the people who used them than I do building them.  And I guess a part of it comes from being a kid and watching movies like Tora Tora Tora and Kelly's Heros that sparked my imagination and fascination with WWII modelling.  And part of it is the satisfaction that comes when people look at your completed kits and "ooh and aah".  That's a nice feeling. 

Plus, let's be honest.  Chicks dig guys who build models.

 

The history, the joy of building, the sense of accomplishment, the camaraderie.  But mostly... it helps keep me from going INSANE.

i just love mechanical things 

i like the history to a point

i say to a point because everytime i get to too involved with the history end

and think too much about what these machines (people in them ) did, i sometimes would rather smash them

and as i get older this seems to be more and more

i started at 35 to combat alcoholism so that i may see more years than my former life was going to give me......now days i like the history of a subject as well as the sense that i can SEE something that i accomplished while sober

Now that is a tough question! I am in it cause I enjoy building things, but the feeling when your project starts to take shape, starts to look like a car, or a plane, or bike, is great! I like to take my planes when I get them close to that shape and mock them up, looking at them from diffrent angles, seeing if it needs to be busier, or if leaving everything closed and just letting the lines speak for themselves is the way to go.

Just a side note, something I learned in church, men's brains are wired so, to a point, we are always wanting to create. Others may have diffrent ways of doing it, this is just the way we do it, that and men tend to be more obsessive... well some anyway

I love doing it because of the history, as well as the fact that I love making things. Now I am starting to become more into detail - PE and resin because I want it as close as possible, but still have not lost my mind no offence to those who have lol. I've just starting doing more modern subjects because I find it is easier to make them realistic because more info. is available.

I build partly because I've been fascinated with armored vehicles since my early teens, and partly because of the history.

I build because I'm fascinated by military history.  It also fuels my active imagination of being able to serve on a battleship or be a gunner in a WW2 AFV.  Since I'm not physically able to do so, my imagination is all I have.

 

Modeling is also pretty good for keeping my fine motor skills from degenerating too fast, so the hobby actually benefits me.

I'm in it for the three 'Fs'...

Fame...
Fortune...
Females...

We got lotsa toys, better tools, and we're good with our hands. Chicks DIG modelers...

LMAO

Yeah, and my middle name is Hef... hehe...

Actually it's more like Fun, Flight and Friendship. Model-building, whether you view it as a hobby or as an art, or as a blend of the two, should be fun. And it is... most of the time. And if you're gonna have fun, it should involve something you really like... and I am an incurable nut for things with wings. And what better way to have fun, doing something you like than with some friends? Modeling in and of itself is mostly a solitary activity, but build-n-bulls are fun now and again, and besides... you gotta share your efforts with someone who's going to appreciate it, right?

That's why I like going to shows... not to win an award. But to put my stuff on the table and hope someone gets a kick out of it. If only one person likes what I've done, then my mission for that day has been accomplished.

That's the basic gist of why I do this... there are more involved reasons, however. Like many of you, I'm fascinated with the history behind what I model. And that fascination has actually become the #1 factor that keeps me interested in building. It's been a while since I've actually built anything, and I guess that's because my main hobby is no longer building models. Learning about the subjects I'm interested in modeling and trying to share what I learn with others is now my main goal. Modeling has taken a backseat to the history... and I could go so far as to say that I've thrown modeling into the trunk of the car. But I haven't been building for all this time (almost 25 years) just to give it up entirely. Seeing the work produced by other folks, some on this forum, some not, has continually inspired me to clear off the bench and start cuttin' plastic. Inspiration is abundant... it's the motivation that I find hard to hold on to for some reason.


Fade to Black...

Initially, for me it's always the build, seeing something come together and the sense of achievement thereof. Painting, contrariwise, doesn't thrill me quite as much. There is, on the third hand, a definite sense of awe at completing a build, seeing a model finally stand there completed.

smokinguns3 wrote:

Well to be honest It keeps me busy and my mind of other things since ive been drugfree for close to 2 years and helps me use my brain more, also i have chemical inbalance so it helps me control my attitude.

Congrats smokin, hang in there, 2 years is a great accomplishment. 

lone wrote:

i started at 35 to combat alcoholism so that i may see more years than my former life was going to give me......now days i like the history of a subject as well as the sense that i can SEE something that i accomplished while sober

Glad to hear and I assume it's been working. Isn't it amazing what we can do once we sober up for an extended length of time? Hang in there and keep modeling. 


I started modeling when I was about 7 or 8 years old back around 1966 or 67 when I broke my jaw. I couldn't do much, even walking hurt like h_ll. So my cousin got me a car model (paddy wagon I think, I always admired his models) and my parents got me the paints and supplies, I was hooked. I always liked doing things with my hands, taking things apart to see how they worked, putting things together. Building diorama's for school projects or holidays. You could say I was always into the arts & crafts stuff. As far as modeling, I turned towards my favorite subject, muscle cars. I love old muscle cars, if I was as rich as Bill Gates I'd own more than any one person should. I started off customizing the model car kits to look similar to what I used to see in Hot Rod magazine. Now that I am back to modeling after a long absence, I am building factory stock. I research what colors/combo's were available for that year and model. I try to match the color int. & ext., I am now adding extra details such as wiring, flocking, etc. I enjoy the quiet time, the quality time when my son joins me, and the sense of accomplishment when a project is finished and turns out fairly decent. I place the finished model on a shelf, sit back and think to myself - "yep, if I only had the money, that would be a sweet car to own".

This is a doozie of a question I got back into models in part  due to an uncle I had never met. He was a Naval Aviator killed in Vietnam in the RA-5C Vigilante. He had an impressive career having flown various aircraft which I tend to be drawn to building each of them in the squadron colors/ markings. And, if possible, do them up as the individual a/c he had flown (RA-5C BuNo: 149312 AC 901 which he was killed in, then there's the A3D Sktwarrior he'd flown in the 1961 Paris Airshow)
This is where History becomes personal Other a/c, ships, etc take on some meaning too. Some just because I think they're cool or, they have a historical significance to it such as the PT-109, The B-17G. Now, I am awaiting the arrival of the USS Arizona which, I lost 2 great (grand?) uncles when she went down. (My grandmother's uncles).

I do find building models to be a fun way to relax & it keeps the hands busy & the mind occupied

Rob Gronovius wrote:

I just like to build. I find it very relaxing, it is a hobby after all. I enjoy building models of tanks I crewed throughout my career as well as science fiction models that put the imagination to work. I also like to build the occasional car, plane or boat.

My thoughts exactly

There are many many reasons I like building models.  Each of your reasons is at least partially my reason for building, but the larger share must be the way it makes me feel a little closer to the subject.  I will NEVER be able to own, work on, or fly an F-105, but building one makes me feel like I at least know the machine in some small way.  Autos don't interest me because I've experienced a lot of cars, and I have no interest in racing at Le Mans.  My life experiences are/will be limited to what time and my wallet will allow.  Models let me live beyond my means without actually spending a fortune.  Maybe I over fantasize about what I'm building, but it keeps me happy and I don't get frustrated about the doldrum of my life.

I'm in it for the chicks. 

 

Unfortunately, that really hasn't been working out the way I hoped it would.

So I'll go with:  I like working with my hands and the subject matter fascinates me.

I have mostly a brain job so I like to work with my hands when I get home.  Modeling makes me work with my hands and occupies my brain also.  I prefer doing that than watching tv.  I also like to renovate the house.  It's almost the same but at bigger scale.  And for both, I hate putty and sanding.

Like Zokissima said, I like the hobby mostly for the satisfaction of building something and I do love the history part of it but it is not the primary reason.  Sometimes, I cut down in the research part.  And most of the time it ends up with an error on the model.

overkillphil wrote:

I'm in it for the chicks.

heh heh, chicks dig modellers 

Ha i must have gotten lucky. She evan goes to the hobby shop with me.

I simply like to build things. History plays a secondary role.

Model building for me actually started out with building full scale siege weapons (my last one weights about 600 pounds, and requires a 2000 pound winch, but i have issues with a power supply). What I truely enjoyed was the "testing to destruction". Watching parts fly, 2x4 pices of oak snaped in 2, putting so much tension on the rope that it starts to crush the catauplt even with 3 4x4 spacers, and the rebuilding untill i can not destroy it.

I had to give all that up when i started my career in welding (i get to melt metal, beat expensive parts with the largest object i can find, shoot jets of flame/sparks and ect. all day long). Due to the total lack of jobs localy and the huge demand else where plus what i need to do for my collage training i have to travle around Canada a lot, and proably will contine to do so for many years.

Model building is actually a cheaper, quicker and easier hobby that i can pick up and drop easily.

I do not mind giving away good models to people who want them, or disposing of models that air on the -error- side of "trial and error" by pellet/real guns, arrows, rocket motors, fire works, ect.
(safey warning to kids- fire works can miss fire and explode in your face -trust me on that- so set them off remotely, and pellets from pellet guns can bounce back at you, so wear eye protection)