I model in my spare time. - Really! You dont look like a model!

TheLastPriest wrote:

...And I have even been known to pick them up and make airplane sounds(only to test the engines)...

We all do that

People have tried to make demeaning comments to me about my hobby, at 24 most of the people I deal with wanna hit the club, or party of some sort. I just rattle off one of my many crazy party stories. Some ended great, some ended with me in a padded room getting asked too many questions by a guy in a white coat that apparently thinks he is superior because he has never picked a fight with a telephone pole. then I finish up by telling them how lucky I am to be alive and how great I feel every morning knowing everything that happend the night before, and what a wonderful thing it is to be in a trusting marrige and have a wonderful son, where I can scream  from the top of a mountain about how deep and true a love I have for my wife and how I look at my baby son and cry on almost a daily basis and not feel any less masculine. I tell them about substance and true interests, about feeling good about a days accomplishments and not trying to fill a hole in myself with petty things. These are the things that make my life great, losing what it means to be cool, forgeting what the word geek means and being happy with what I do and not having to answer to anyone else. So yes I build model airplanes, and I have even been known to pick them  up and make airplane sounds(only to test the engines), what have you accomplished lately?

I figure most people are too stunned by the fact that I do models, to even say any snide remarks...I put myself through engineering school by bareknuckle boxing (undefeated, thank you), and working the odd construction job, and most of my fellow rugby/hockey/football players are/were afraid of me a bit, I think...

Instead I get this one..."You? You football playin', rough-neckin, country boy??? You build MODELS??!?!"

Hell yeah I do, and I listen to Country (with a capital C) and drink beer and watch the ENN EFF ELL, while doin' so! So there! GIT 'R DUN!

How's that for a frightening mental image?

Bgrigg wrote:

Nothing worse than a de-frocked geek.

The mental image you conjure is frightening…

DrewH wrote:

Triarius wrote: Careful, Drew! Remarks like that could result in a revokation of your geek license—you could even get unfrocked! I, uh, er.....eh! How's it going Triarius

Sideways! At high velocity!

Nothing worse than a de-frocked geek.

Triarius wrote:

Careful, Drew! Remarks like that could result in a revokation of your geek license—you could even get unfrocked!

I, uh, er.....eh! How's it going Triarius

Careful, Drew! Remarks like that could result in a revokation of your geek license—you could even get unfrocked!

   Must need to be a geek to get that

Bgrigg wrote:

buff wrote: The best responses come from the 15-17 year olds I teach.  My school selects by academic ability, so it's fair to say that it is something of a geek colony.  Even the geeks think its a geeky thing to do.  Uber-Geek for the win!

Properly, that should be: "Der Übergiek/Die Übergiekin für den sieg!

buff wrote:

The best responses come from the 15-17 year olds I teach.  My school selects by academic ability, so it's fair to say that it is something of a geek colony.  Even the geeks think its a geeky thing to do.

Uber-Geek for the win! 

The best responses come from the 15-17 year olds I teach.  My school selects by academic ability, so it's fair to say that it is something of a geek colony.  Even the geeks think its a geeky thing to do. 

gzt wrote:

I heard a funny one: "You must waste a lot of time while building those models" LOL

 

Mowing the lawn-

That's a waste of time.

Funny thing is, back in college I actually did a very small amount of real-world runway modeling for a local clothes retailer.  A girl I was interested in told me about it and since I figured that I would get to spend time with her, then it was for me.  All told, it was an interesting experience... the store manager was more interested in me than the girl I had in mind.  Two weekends, several sets of the latest in men's fall fashions and a pocket full of beer money to boot...

Now, when I say that I model I get the usual stuff already mentioned in this thread.  The kids jokes, the 'when will you grow up' and whatnot.  A coworker was giving me some grief one day for searching color schemes on the internet and mentioned that his kids build "little cars and stuff".  So the next day I brought in a TigerII that I had just finished and that ended the jokes.  I told him that with practice and patience, then one day his kids would be able to build and finish kits better than I.  The best part?  All day long I had a steady stream of people coming back to the darkroom to see my little tank!  Nothing like having a finished kit to do your talking for you.

One time at work the subject of me painting miniatures came up, and one of my co-workers, who's into real "guy stuff", responded "you mean you paint little people?"

My response was "No, they're not people. At least that's what my psychiatrist tells me to remind myself." 

 

centerdeck wrote:

With the exception of engineers, I would have to say that doing models is...I am sorry, modeling,

Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh at that one

Though seriously, you may have a point.  It might just be coincidental - folks drawn to careers where they work with their hands may also be drawn to hobbies where they work with their hands.  I'm not sure if I'm an exception or not - I'm only "white collar" when it's a summertime change of command, the rest of the time my collar is green or tan!!

But aside from modeling I like tinkering on my truck and motorcycle, and am rather enjoying building a deck on my house.  So it's safe to say I like making/putting things together, creating something from smaller parts.  Something tangible that I can look at (or show off) and say "I put that front end on my truck" or "I put those pipes on my bike" or "I built that Prowler." 

Or, I might be full of it.  Come to think of it, the two possibilites are NOT mutually exclusive!

With the exception of engineers, I would have to say that doing models is...I am sorry, modeling, is more accepted in the blue collar community than the white collar. I would love to be able to do an official study on this and produce a paper, but I doubt if anyone would pay for it and it wouldn't really tie into my field.  I mean it does tie in perfectly until the buzz wears off.  But I remember I had a job interview and the lady asked about my hobbies and instead of the  "wow, so you are excellent at attention to detail, or you must excel at research (which I do not) I got "You still do that at your age?"  Thank goodness she didn't see that I rode to the interview on my vintage big wheel.

Steel is the Challenger a 340 painted Sub-lime or plum Crazy?

mightymax wrote:

Yeah I used to get that but now I say I build model airplanes. Then i get the "stuff" that goes along with that.. Also I have a great tan and when someone asks (usually female) where I got it I say.  "I ride my bike alot" You should see the expressions I get as they get all tingly. Then they ask "Harley?" AND i SAY "No, Schwinn!" Then you should see the light in their expression flicker out.  I now just say "Yes Harley" if I want to continue in a meaningless conversation. I may not be the '40 year old virgin' but there are some scary similarities!   Cheers, Max Bryant

 

That's funny - I have the exact opposite when talking bikes.  Lots of folks around here mountain bike up in the sierras. I ride a Harley.  So sometimes there will be something like "Man, I got cold over Mt Rose summit" They'd say "How could you get cold after all that up hill pedalling??"  So I've learned to establish early on just what sort of "bike" we're talking about...

As far as derision for modelling, I don't get too much of that.  "What do you do in your spare time" doesn't seem to come up as a conversation topic, so most of the time people find out about my hobby when they're at my house and see the completed work... a couple times they'll say "I used to do that" but in more of an appreciative tone and sometimes accompanied with the comment "...but I could never get them that good."

I get asked what I do for a living...try explaining that you make a special niche paint for models...they start thinking body paints. So no matter if I say I make hobby paints or I'm a modeler I get a stupid look.

But in reality I am a model...check the video on this site:

http://www.hairconnection.net

I work at a railroad roundhouse as a machinist. Everybody there works on cars in their spare time.  I do too. (1973 Dodge Challenger).  They found out that my friend and I also buold scale models.  Of course, they all had a good laugh at that, and we let them.  Then someone suggested we bring some in so they could see them.  We did, and that shut them up.  They really liked them, and started asking where they could get them too.  Now they build too.  Sometimes ribbing takes a turn for the better.  they like the progress of the Challenger also.  Let people laugh, it sometimes means that they wish they had something better to do, and are scared to let others know of their particular hobby.

The simple answer is the next time someone makes a sarcastic comment to you about model making or thinks you are wasting your time tell him or her to make one.

And yes they will have to mask off every piece and spray every part and detail the model with Photo etched parts.

That should shut them up.

 

Regards,

Beau

That's pretty much my motto. " I will become a responsible member of adult society and take care of my responsibilities, but I will never grow up."

I think I have just always said "I build models." I have never really received much in the way of comment or questions about why I do it, but when I have, I just go into a long explanation about how it is almost zen-like for me, and that I can focus on it to the exclusion of all of my other stresses, until I see their eyes glaze over. I have used the "I have to grow old, I refuse to grow up" line a couple of times too.

This is realy a good one !!!

danmcmartin wrote:

Hi, first post on the forum.  I recently decided to get back into modeling and a coworker has some model aircraft on display in his office.  I asked him if he built those and his response was, "Ya...why?", and he became very guarded and suspicious.  I told him I was interesting building models also and he let his guard down a little, but still was uncomfortable talking about it.  Something tells me he gets a lot of the "isn't that for kids" and "my nephew does that, too" responses, maybe even has taken some ribbing from other coworkers.  It is like a fraternity house around here at times...or maybe a daycare.

I get that a lot from people I know too.  They think I'm a grown up still playing with toys.  I ask them "if that is the case, isn't video game for kids?  why are you still playing with video games at your age?" 

gzt wrote:

"You must waste a lot of time while building those models"

I just had to post the perfect reply to that:

"Time you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted time." 

I heard a funny one:

"You must waste a lot of time while building those models"

LOL 

tabascojunkie wrote:

If people look at me funny for my hobbies, I just tell them "at least they keep at home with my family and not out drinking or doing God-knows-what wrong and getting in trouble."

Absolutely! And wifey should take that to note next time I make a purchase.