What are you in it for?

modpsych wrote:

I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to unwind after a day at work. Yeah sometimes it can be frustrating (when parts go flying off the sprue or you put a little to much glue on etc) but what hobby isnt frustrating?. I build mainly aircraft but am getting into armour and ships. I also enjoy it because like alot of other modellers out there it is the closest I will get to the real thing. Mine may never be model show material but I doesn't bother me as long as I am happy with the finished model.   Modpsych

That's about right. It's a good way to relax & unwind after a hard day.  Most modelers don't get the chance to work on a 1:1 scale military  but, There is always the off chance of getting to spend the day at an air museum as a Volunteer. I did once

I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to unwind after a day at work. Yeah sometimes it can be frustrating (when parts go flying off the sprue or you put a little to much glue on etc) but what hobby isnt frustrating?. I build mainly aircraft but am getting into armour and ships. I also enjoy it because like alot of other modellers out there it is the closest I will get to the real thing. Mine may never be model show material but I doesn't bother me as long as I am happy with the finished model.

 

Modpsych

because i enjoy the time i put into them, and how they look when i am done. i rarely show them to anyone. only because they just aren't interrested in them.  i was amazed when i first came to the forum and saw all these people that had the same bug that i had. and after seeing how good you all are, is even better i can learn alot from all of you. and i can't wait to put what i have already learned into the Me109

Nothing quite so philosophical here...I'm "in it" because modeling is fun. Everything else - history, sense of accomplishment, keeping busy, problem-solving, creating, learning - is secondary to the simple enjoyment I derive from the hobby.

My Dad got me into modeling. I don't remember how old I was when I started. My older cousins did models. I remember one cousin building me a semi with a tandum trailer and my other cousin helping me with a '56 Ford. I blame my dad for getting me hooked on aircraft (thanks Dad!). I really don't know how or why I build. My granddaughter asked me the other day why I have so many models. I told her I like to build them, after I had to think about why. It's a part of me, it's who I am. It also keeps me out of the bars and places like that which makes my wife happy. Over all, it's fun and challenging.

My reason is simple. I like it...I like it for the relaxation and enjoyment, the sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing and bringing a collection of parts into being as a scale replica, the sense of exploration and stretching with each build to do something different or try to produce a certain look or result, but most importantly, it's not work. It takes effort but that effort produces enjoyment, not stress. The connection to the history or timeframe is what determined my genre interest but it's not what drives my involvement in the hobby. In terms of dollars spent per hour of enjoyment, it can't be beat.

well, there are several reasons of why i do this:

1. i like to be different from others, and here, modeling is strange enough for others, so modeling is perfect here to be different from others

2. since a friend introduced me into modeling, i havent left it, because its one of the few things i can do here.

3. i love history, specially WWII history. the bad part is that one of my favorite side of WWII is the rare aircrafts/tanks/weapons, and  some of these are hard to find. but in general history, the modeling is the hobby that fill most of my historical needs

4. i love to see 3d things, specially with full detail. and thats a model, a 3d thing with lots of details

I think that I build for the sense of accomplishment to see something I have done from start to finish.  Unlike most other things I touch which usually end up getting half done.  I seem to have the talent  to remember and finish things that arent ultra important in the grand scheme of things to most.  I think I mostly focus on WW2 because it takes me to a better perceived time and place.  It makes me feel as if Im working alongside Rosie the Riveter on every build.

For me the entire experience is rewarding . The box art , buying the model, opening the box and seeing the parts , the challenges of assembly , having nice tools to build with , I really enjoy the airbrushing and the selection of paints , the finished model is inspireing and fun to look at from different angles , and researching the history of the model subject . Oh , and i enjoy going thru my model stash every once in a while , some kits i've had in the stash for a long time and they are like old friends to me . Its fun to look them up every once in a while .

Shell

Overall I just do it because I simply like to build things and history plays a part in it too. When looking at B&W photographs of old aircraft I can’t get the visual effect unless I build it. When the model is built, you can see what the aircraft really looks like, compared to a photograph.

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)

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

overkillphil wrote:

I'm in it for the chicks.

heh heh, chicks dig modellers 

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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".

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.

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...

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

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.

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 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

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

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

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.