Sad state of affairs.....

Well, I don't golf.  A Japanese friend tried to teach me, but ended up telling me "Neeru-San, golf not like baseball - no three strikes!"  

I'll just join Eaglecash867 yelling at the kids.  I can do THAT!

Real G

I'll just join Eaglecash867 yelling at the kids.  I can do THAT!

Heh...that reminded me of this comedian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Nu7vamRCA&ab_channel=timhawkinscomedy

Eaglecash867

 

 

Tcoat

Model building has been a "closet"hobby for a long time now. The electronic world really hasn't hurt it. In fact places such as this forum may be all that are keeping it alive at all!

 

 

Yup.  Its not like it has ever been massively popular or well-known.  If it weren't for the electronic world and the internet, I wouldn't have access to nearly as much variety of the stuff I use in modelling.  I don't mind at all that other people don't know about it.  I'm sure there are lots of things that other people do for a hobby that I know nothing about.

 

It was popular during WW2.  It was goverment-subsidized.  The thinking was that it would bet youth more in aviation, and supply more pilots and mechanics.

missileman2000

It was popular during WW2.  It was goverment-subsidized.  The thinking was that it would bet youth more in aviation, and supply more pilots and mechanics.

We could definitely use a revival of that now.  Too much emphasis being placed these days on the virtual world while the real world falls apart all around us.  I guess I can't complain too much though.  When you're one of the few people left with those kinds of skills, you get paid really well.  

Eaglecash867

 

 

Tcoat

Model building has been a "closet"hobby for a long time now. The electronic world really hasn't hurt it. In fact places such as this forum may be all that are keeping it alive at all!

 

 

Yup.  Its not like it has ever been massively popular or well-known. 

 

I'd argue against that. When I was a kid, it was extremely popular amongst all the kids. At birthday parties it was quite common for kids to give or receive models as gifts. In grade school, built models were often brought in for show and tell. It was part of Cub Scouts once a year at a meeting where the Den leader would provide models for a build by all the kids in that Den.

Aside from liquor stores and 7-11, just about every other store carried models in the toy section/aisle. Most of us grew out of it by high school as girls/sports/jobs/cars came into reach, but not all of us.  I thought I would stop when I joined the Army, but then my first duty station after training and arriving at a line unit had a PX well stocked, with models! Afterwards, during those years, stores that carried models became fewer and fewer. The hobby changed, as did the demographics of the participant. It wasn't school age boys anymore, but adults doing the majority of the buying and building.

As far as the post about allowances and earning money to buy kits or other goodies by kids...

I'm 53.  When I was a kid model building was really popular.  Nearly every store carried models and those little Testors paints.  Our local grocery store had models.  I remember some of the kits I built as a kid and now I'm looking for some of those models.  I have acquired a few.  The kits are exactly how I remember them except I didn't have to mow the neighbors lawn to buy them.

Hey Stik, we had a liquor store that sold model kits.  And sports betting sheets (for entertainment purposes ONLY), and adult mags and novels, and other stuff, right out in the open.  

I remember seeing the 1/32 Revell Beaufighter in the window.  I got my Monogram Cylon Raider there.  And nobody cared that us little kids were in that store.

Another liquor store sold me a pack of cigarettes for my mom.  The cashier just chuckled and said "Hey, you boys kinda young to be smokin' cigarettes."  Me and my friend were in 4th grade I think.

Fortunately for me, mom "tried" to quit a few years later, and watching her suffer was the most effective anti-smoking PSA I ever saw.

wpwar11

I'm 53.  When I was a kid model building was really popular.  Nearly every store carried models and those little Testors paints.  Our local grocery store had models.  I remember some of the kits I built as a kid and now I'm looking for some of those models.  I have acquired a few.  The kits are exactly how I remember them except I didn't have to mow the neighbors lawn to buy them.

 

The main place was the town's department store that carried all sorts of kits. Even after that store went out of business and was replaced by a discount department store (like a precursor to a Kmart), they carried more kits than I had ever seen before.

But it was a chain of photography stores called something like Fitz Photo and Hobby Shop that I got introduced to Tamiya kits. The original Tamiya M113 with interior was a game changer.

stikpusher

   

 

You had a POWERED mower?

In Stik's defense, it looks like he's pushing the mower uphill.  And you know the lawn goes uphill both ways, right?  That's how it was back in the day, before physics was invented.    Sorry, I had to crib Stephen He.

My dad was a cheap SOB at times, but never as cheap as my friend's dad. They had one of those push mowers that motion of the wheels turned the blades... We always had that type of power mower as long as I can remember. After all, he had to mow the lawn until I was old and big enough to do that... And thankfully, our yard was pretty flat...

But yup, yard work and paper routes funded most of my hobby purchases for many years.

stikpusher

My dad was a cheap SOB at times, but never as cheap as my friend's dad. They had one of those push mowers that motion of the wheels turned the blades... We always had that type of power mower as long as I can remember. After all, he had to mow the lawn until I was old and big enough to do that... And thankfully, our yard was pretty flat...

But yup, yard work and paper routes funded most of my hobby purchases for many years.

 

Fort Knox still issued that manual type of lawnmower at quarters on base in 2005-08.

I had a powered mower I had bought when I was stationed in Alabama that I used instead.

I remember when Dad bought a self propelled mower. Absolute heaven.

And riding my bike to Toys R Us with my paper route money burning a hole in my pocket. 

Great memories fellas. In Oz when I was a lad there was only one variety store, Coles, but I can't remember if they sold models. They certainly sold Matchbox cars. Models were usually carried by mum and dad toy shops and newsagents.

Ancient Mariner

Hey Neal

Glad to see you're alive, still kicking, and building models!  Not only are the local retailers out of models, it's hard just finding a dedicated hobby shop anymore. Here in Ohio, we still have Wings Wheels & Waves that manufacures MSW Paints, but they're moving to North Carolina. Hope Weller's is still in business. I don't see them advertising in FSM anymore. I always enjoyed driving to the northside - they had a great selection of books and other research materials.

Yeah, I'm still building but really slow. Usually work on 2-3 models at a time, them finish them all at once which averages to 3-4 models a year. Been feeling nostalgic lately and built the Atlantis/Revell "S" Scale repop of the B36, P6 Marlin, B720 Mainliner, and Blue Angels F11F glue bombs I built as a kid.  Hopefully, they came out better this time - heck, I spent a lot more time on them!

Currently working on the Revell USS Currituck seaplane tender updated to Vietnam configuration [Yeah, I also built that as a kid]. Most challenging part is scratchbuilding the P5 Marlin seaplanes to go with the ship. Since this is one of Revell's infamous flat-bottomed "carpet scooter" ships, I'm planning to do this as a waterline diorama.

Anyway, take care and say "hi" to Jay, Brad, Lance, Pete, Glenn and the other IPMS Hawaii guys if you see them.

Marshall

 

Oh hey Marshall, sorry I missed your post.  Long time no see!  Yep, still buying kits and yelling at kids to get off my lawn.

Walmarts by me in NJ have never had any models.  Was in a Hobby Lobby last week and the space was cut in half with most of the kits being cars.  They had no armor and only a few aircraft subjects.

Hobby Lobby has seriously declined as a viable model source. Used to be an entire aisle, cars on one side and everything else on the other. Could get Tamiya, Trumpeter, etc. Now everything is on part of one side of an aisle, competing with die cast, Gundam, and Star Wars on that single side.  The kit selection is almost all tired has beens, that switch up maybe twice a year, dropping one or two items for a different moldy old timer. 

None of the Walmarts in my area have had kits in over a decade. 

Yeah but I  can get any model that I can possibly want from any place in the world online,I couldn't care less what models Hobby Lobby or Walmat have or don't have.

Tojo72

Yeah but I  can get any model that I can possibly want from any place in the world online,I couldn't care less what models Hobby Lobby or Walmat have or don't have.

 

Tojo72

Yeah but I  can get any model that I can possibly want from any place in the world online,I couldn't care less what models Hobby Lobby or Walmat have or don't have.

 

Maybe I'm old fashioned too.  I like going to the LHS.  I guess I like seeing  people and stuff.  Plus in Hawaii, we can't get paints and glue via air mail.

MJames70

 

 

Tojo72

Yeah but I  can get any model that I can possibly want from any place in the world online,I couldn't care less what models Hobby Lobby or Walmat have or don't have.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you like to go into a physical store, and look at stuff. If you don't, great. I do. 

 

 

I agree with that,I do too,a great LHS,even a nice LHS,I have a good Hobby Town close by,and a great one 90 min away,but I don't need a Walmart or HL for models