Help break Fortnite addiction!!!

Kids are fickle and change their minds and likes as quickly as they change their socks!!

Thanks, John.  I didn't get a chance to post pictures earlier in the spring when the kits came in.  The boys were excited on un-boxing day and I was happy to see their genuine happiness and excitement.  Unfortunately, I upgraded my phone that weekend and lost the initial pictures.  The phone guy said "I transfered everything from your old phone onto your new phone."  "Everything?" says I......."Yes sir, everthing."  I get home and check my data and I'm missing all the pictures I took within 2 months of the phone swap.  Ugghhh!!  Hated losing those pictures; these kids so seldom smile!!

 

Here's Christian's USS North Carolina so far....some dark sea blue on the topsides from a Testors MM rattlecan....(Thanks Hobby Lobby for marking down your paints once in a while!!!)  Chris is learning to 'drybrush' for the first time.  He completed the nameplate with a drybrushing of gold.  I think he did pretty good.  What do you think?" alt="" />

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Here Christian is contemplating his next move on the 1/700th scale Trumpeter USS North Carolina that his mom sent to him.  Chris is a great building with all the small parts.  Working to help him with his painting skills....(Keep your fingers crossed and pray for me; I haven't built or painted a ship in over 25 years!)  Matt is looking on, determining what to do first on the F111.  Life of a Blue Devil Modeler is good!!

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The F111 was claimed last week by Matthew.  Despite directing him to an easier kit without variable-geometry wings, Matt opted for the Aardvark because it looked "cool."  I hope he doesn't get in too deep!!! LOL!

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Julian's zombie killer, complete with zombie goo and blood!  There are also a few cracked windows and windshield from high speed zombie 'impacts.'

Great pic Dave!

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We just started meeting as a club 2 weeks ago.  We have a lot of kids on our sports teams who try to drop by after practice for an hour or so.  So far, it looks like we have ten to 15 cadets actively building.  Here's a shot of Julian and Walker working on their latest projects.  Julian is building a post-apocolyptic zombie hunting former police cruiser.  The kit is based on the Lindberg Ford Crown Victoria 'curb side' snap together kit.  He has added some detail paintwork and is fabricating a zombie crushing push bumber from sprue.  Walker is working on an old Italeri or Esci? Fiesler Storke courier plane.  After a few false starts, he's got the fuselage closed up and doing a little initial painting.

Good insight into the teenage boy's mind.  I will have to keep a close watch on that as my incoming 8th graders report next Thursday for class.  I'm hoping to steer a few of them towards healthier options like model building.  Our kids are back this week early for football, soccer, and leadership training.  I've seen a few of my modelers from last spring and they are happy to be back....such youthful enthusiasm!!!

THanks for the intel heads up!

Dave 

He's been playing an online version of minecraft with friends. I was very surprised that Eli (the boy who always begged to spend the night) said he didn't play any more. That boy would always play and we would have to kick them off the PS4 when they got too rowdy.

LOL, Rob.  Maybe they've all moved on to the next big thing!?  You'd think with that big game winner, kids would be using that multi-million dollar payout as 'evidence' why they should be allowed to stay immersed in the game.  Kids are fickle!!

 

My 14 yr old son and his friends played Fortnite all the time, played. They chatted on headsets and worked out strategies or goofed off in games or hunted one another.

Sometime during the summer, they just stopped. I don't know the exact reason, but even the boy who begged to be allowed to spend the night so he could play says he no longer plays that game.

My 29 year old so used to play as well, but now ridicules the game.

Real G

Some of the games have model tie-ins, like World of Tanks, so it’s not all bad.  There are elementary school kids running around that can tell me what an AMX-13 is!  When a game set up facilitates kids building “their” character or vehicle, it can lead to models.

 

You are so right, Real G!!  It's amazing how much some of these kids know!!  I have kids in summer school that are history geeks (like me) and we all look forward to getting back to building again this fall!

I can safely say that at least for my goofy 8th graders, Fortnite is an addiction!  LOL!!  Our club is going to be a pretty flexible and elastic organization.  We have no budget but have given carte blanche to do whatever we want to do as long as no one gets hurt. 

As we are a military school, we do have a semi-competitive rifle team.  We are currently using Crossman air rifles.  We hope to augment the pellet guns with .22 cal competition rifles in the future.  I'll have to gauge interests in other areas when the cadets get back from summer leave to see where and how they want to expand their club.  There are at least a couple of guys interested in radio-controlled aircraft and vehicles.  I'm excited for the kids and look forward to working with them again.

TAD

Some of the games have model tie-ins, like World of Tanks, so it’s not all bad.  There are elementary school kids running around that can tell me what an AMX-13 is!  When a game set up facilitates kids building “their” character or vehicle, it can lead to models.

Fortnites just the latest fad game kids are playing online these days. It's no different call Call of Duty, Counter strike, Quake or Doom. Same ol' game. I did the same thing on a dial up modem and a family PC that could barely run my games of choice. I'm not sure I would call it an addiction as much as a folly of youth.

Nice to see people trying to get others into different hobbies though. Far too easy to be consumed by the internet and become isolated, considering random people online your community rather than those around you. Assuming you have the skills maybe try getting the kids to do some out doorsy stuff too. Half the time inhaling glue fumes and the other half wandering the woods trying to set fire to things for the marshmellow sacrifices to the tree spirits.

I don't know how popular Halo is with kids these days but there's a few Halo kits running around they might like. And a lot of games are now getting tabletop versions like Dark Souls. Tabletop gaming might draw more of them in who want to play the game instead of building models. I think there's even some card games which maybe suitable. Final Fantasy has one, Bloodborne and probably more. Cheap as chips and easy to do larger games with.

LOL! It isn't a drug, but it is just as addictive as crack or heroin! Middle school and high school aged boys hooked on a fantasy, first person shooter battle, set on a remote island (I think?!) Crazy........

What kind of drug are you talking about? Where are kids getting hooked on it? Aren't parents concerned or involved? I haven't heard of it. Is it a common drug? Please let me know.

Yeah, it's a pretty interesting game.  A little crazy, but less bloody and realistic than other first-person 'shooters.'  It is like crack to middle schoolers!!  I am actually surprised that I got a handful of them interested and excited about an 'old school,' low tech hobby like model building.  It's not immediate gratification and they are learning some good life lessons out of it.  I'm also happy to say that there are at least 2 'serious' modelers out of the bunch!

I agree that the young boys are playing this a lot. My youngest son and his friends play together via the internet. At least its not quite the same as Call of Duty or similar games.

Thanks for the kind words, Chris! It has really been an eye-opener that most boys have never heard of scale modeling. I started off with 2 kids, the next day I had 4, and our final 2 days of building before the end of school, I had 10 boys actively building their first models. They were really excited to learn and to start building. Maybe a little too excited; I have some paint spills to address before school starts up again. I'm in summer school now, and I have some of the partial builds sitting around the classroom awaiting completion. The unfinished models are a conversation starter, and I already have some interest for next year's club. A rising 8th grader came in to look around and I asked him if he built models. He said "Yes sir; jets are my favorite." When asked about his favorite jet, he said it was the F-22 Raptor. I was immediately impressed with this small fry and welcomed him to join the club when the regular club started. As this is a start-up, there is no 'official' support for model building. I have been fortunate that a couple of generous guys donated some kits to get the club started. That served as a catalyst to spark interests, so we are building our little club one day at a time. I can't wait for the kids to get back! I feel the need to build again and to help others learn the hobby that got me through a challenging adolescent period!! Take care, Dave W.

This is so Cool, Dave W. Good for you! I have an 8 year old son and can definitely understand the struggle in combatting all the digital distractions.

I would also suggest seeking out some of the Star Wars kits to see if you could hook some of the kids who don't immediately take to the aircraft. Perhaps something more "of their time" will spark their interest and they can then proceed to the intersection of art and history that I love so much about scale modeling. Honestly, anything that's not on a screen is a plus!

I noticed Hobby Lobby had some of those Star Wars kits on clearance for around $7 last time I was there - it could be a national markdown so worth checking out.

Well done and best of luck with the boys!

Chris L.

keavdog

That's great Dave.  I have a couple more to send out.  It would be fun to see some of their builds.  You're doing good work Dave!  Happy to support it.

 

That's great news, John!

The last few days of school we were all busy grading final assignments and exams, but we did manage to squeeze in a few build afternoons. I took some pictures of the build sessions and hope to post a few here once I figure out the best and cheapest means of posting pictures!!

Thanks again for your support!!

Dave W.

That's great Dave.  I have a couple more to send out.  It would be fun to see some of their builds.  You're doing good work Dave!  Happy to support it.

keavdog

Happy to help Dave.  Thanks for taking an interest in these kids and our hobby.  

 

Hey John!

Took a bit of a breather at the end of my first school year.  Just wanted you to know that we had a great final week with our fledgling model club.  It was a great week and the kids were super excited to get to the classroom at the end of their academic day and after parade practice.

I was amazed at how many of the cadets had never heard of models or knew of anyone who had built a model.  That was an eye opener!! I'm still finding out that these young teenagers are short on patience and have a lot to learn still.  I have a handful of kids that listen and their skills have improved greatly.  They especially like the Monogram kits.  So far, the RC 101B Recon Voodoo, the F-86, and the two Skipjack subs are built and gone.  The boys were very happy to build their first-ever model kits.  Most are still afraid to start painting their kits, but I do have a few daredevils who are "all in" on building and painting.

I have one 8th grader who asked for permission to take home a kit to teach his little brother how to build models over the summer!!  That was such sweet music to hear!! In only a matter of 3 weeks, our club has 'weened' about ten cadets off the Fortnite addiction!!

I took some pictures of the club in action and will try to post some of them here, as soon as I can figure out how to post them.

Thanks again for your generosity and support of these young cadets! They are having a blast!!

Dave W.

Happy to help Dave.  Thanks for taking an interest in these kids and our hobby.  

Keavdog!!  Thanks so much!

I was able to break away at lunch break and sign for the box of models you so kindly sent last Thursday.  On Friday, my avid 8th grader stopped by and picked out the A37 Dragonfly.  He reminded me of myself as a kid as he carefully inspected each of the kits and asked questions as he went along.  You sent some real gems that I had built as a kid and I was able to offer a little advice.  He was stoked, to say the least.

He completed that over the weekend, and was really happy with it. I haven't seen his work yet on the Tweet, but hope to see it soon. I had hoped to have an open build day on Friday afternoon, but found out that the faculty has a mandatory luncheon with our Board of Trustees...So, I had to scrub that....  Julian, my 8th grader, shot me a quick email after he got the bad news and asked me to sit aside one of the Skipjack subs for him and that he would pick it up on his break, Wednesday morning. 

Thank you so much for the kits!! The kids are really excited and interested in modeling.  I hope to have a dedicated build session soon to capture some of the kits and also to start teaching this guys how to paint up a kit.  Wish me luck!!

Dave 

Hey Jay Jay, Just wanted to let you know that your package arrived safe and sound today here in Virginia. One of the kids that I coach knew what was in the package and begged me to open it up. Pretty soon we had a small crowd gathered around. It was good to see kids excited about something other than video games. We are still organizing as a club and can you believe that some kids have never seen a model?? Crazy!! We will hopefully have our first build some time after Easter when they get back to school. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again, Dave

Wow...great stories there from both units, I'm sure.  Thanks for your service, and welcome home, Soldier!  Thanks for your service, sir!!