Average age of everyone and modeling's life lessons?

I am forty, as many other seem to be?

Lessons - Patience, take good advice, do things your own way, be resilient, check & double check, use         references, choose Tamiya - not Humbrol.

35, basically 36 here, also have  2, 4, 7, 8 and 10 y/o modlers in the house. Trying to get ms 3 to build the model I have her for christmas, hasnt happened yet.

I started a kid, did some more mid teens, did some more early twenties, now I have an airbrush really enjoying it :)

Milairjunkie tanks for the reply! I guess later on we will see the average age. Calculating our replys has a average of 39 years young

97...

Always take a change of socks with you when you invade Russia...

Manstein's revenge

97...

Seriously?

Konigwolf13

35, basically 36 here, also have  2, 4, 7, 8 and 10 y/o modlers in the house. Trying to get ms 3 to build the model I have her for christmas, hasnt happened yet.

I started a kid, did some more mid teens, did some more early twenties, now I have an airbrush really enjoying it :)

Hmm, shall I average in the younger modelers? Ok criteria:

Must have completed 1 plastic kit by themselves. 1 Basic skill demonstrated. Such as either assembly with cement, paint and or parts clean-up or use of hobby tools such as knives. Snap together ok if 1 other skill mencioned is used.  

So you are 35. Im thinking the kids are in accept the wee 1(2yr old) Unless some sort of Tazmainian superbaby who is building 1/700 resin ships w/ photoetch handrails...

I'd skip the 4y/o as well, I do his parts clean-up and help position his more delicate/fiddly items. As for finished? Better wipe miss 10 as she's only half way through her first viper (f-16). Both Master 7 & 8 have completed at least one each with cutting/trimming/painting/gluing by themselves. So far miss 2 is yet to handle the knives, sprue cutters yes, painting (and very colourful paint selection) and some gluing.

Andrew

I'm right at the average of 45, although in less than 2 weeks I will be 46. I'm still on my 1st wife (18 yrs this spring) and I've gotten everyone from my household (wife, 2 stepsons, stepdaughter, daughter and 2 sons) to build a model at least once in their life. My wife built an Airfix Anne Boleyn (sp?) figure and a vinyl figure by Horizon of the Dark Phoenix. I was amazed at her painting ability, much better than mine. My daughter entered and won several awards at her first model show, but cheerleading and now boys have occupied her time.

As far as kids and video games, my brother is 4 years younger than me and he never got into model building. We built together, but it was my passion and not his. Conversely, as kids were got an Atari 2600 and he loved that thing more than I did. He used to like going to the arcade as a kid, I would go to but it was his passion and not mine.

Likewise my 12 yr old son was born into the video game era, more than any of the other children he was into games. At first, the Blue's Clues PC games that helped him learn to read and count. Now he plays his Wii or DSi. None of my other children, except for my now 19 yr old stepson, was into video games (he played Halo on Xbox live until they booted him from the game).

Bill, 50 (pulling up the average), 1st (and only) wife (25 yrs in May), 2 boys 18 & 15.

The 18 yr old tried modeling and didn't like it. Too impatient for it. He spends half his time on the computer and the other half on his piano.

The 15 yr old tried it and liked it, but has so many other interests (hiking, judo, electronics, rocketry, guitar, wood carving, mechanics), that he doesn't spend that much time on it. He's in the middle of putting decals on his Gloster Meteor, so he actually completes models, which is more than I've done lately! He has a stash of his own growing in his closet.

My life lesson is don't push it. Kids are people, too, and have their own interests.

40.

Some friends (fellow modelers) and I were talking the other day and we all agreed that the way you have life spelled out (modeling, girls (or whatever), cars, then later, modelling again) seems to be the way it went for all of us. I got back into it when my wife and I split and this board helped me through it all.

Lessons? Everyone needs a hobby. Get one and allow yourself to forget the rest of the world while you do it. Life will wait.
Be patient.

At 73,  I guess I'm one of the Elder modelers.  Oh well someone has to keep the average up.

As far as Lessons, I've learned much wisdom over the years.  I just can't remember most of it .

Regards,  Rick

Just turned 31. Modelling since I was 7. Lessons: Patience and what's good for you doesn't have to be good for other people. Won't repeat lessons by other modellers, though I agree with many of them.

Have a nice day

Pawel

Here goes the average:  55

The usual story.  Assembled as a kid.  Lost interest through my college years.  Had a period of interest when my boys were young.  Became a football, basketball, baseball coach as my boys came of age and then followed their junior high, high school, and short college sports careers. And around 50 really became a modeler and started doing some nice work.  Finescale Modeler has had a lot to do with my interest and improved skills.  I have nearly every issue back to #1.  My boys have never really become interested in the hobby, but they are still in the girls and college age, so there is still hope.  My beautiful wife of 29 years supports my habit (she's a knitter).  She lets me keep a display cabinet with my recent stuff in the study.  Although my spray painting facility is in the basement, I have a great building desk in our finished attic.  When I built the attic space, I built in a large display cabinet. It currently holds 40-50 models in one side and 800-1000 54mm painted civil war figures in the other.  It's a great space,  Home theater, pool table, and my cubbie hole decorated and dedicated to my hobby.  Life is good.   Rick

Well we need to get our numbers up here to make the sample size useful don't we!

I'm 35, married, one kid. For me modeling started as a kid and can be blamed/attributed to my grandfather. Spent a lot of time at their place over the summers, and nothing kept me occupied as much as building something either in the woodshop or a plastic model in the kitchen. It's funny though, he was in the airforce (thus my fascination with WW2 aviation) but the kits I remember building there were ships & cars.

Similar cycle to everyone else I suppose. Built for awhile, into early teens. "Other interests" jumped in, and heavy-duty studies through high school & college. After working for a couple of years, I had an ankle injury that forced me to sit still for about a month - and that was just what I needed to break out the modeling supplies again, been going ever since.

Hmmm, life lessons learned: patience & attention to detail of course... find a hobby that is unlike your workday (graphic designer, working with a computer all day) to reduce your stress... learn a skill, develop it as far as you can & then learn something new.

Vance

A curmudgeonly 50 (51 in two weeks) year-old retired US Army Master Sergeant, married to number 4, two kids, both in the Army, one Warrant, one Commisioned O...  I have been building since 1965 or 66, I don't like new kit-prices, and if you ever want to know why I'm the way I am, I got the names & addresses of three ex-wives that I'l gladly give to ya...  I don't like retirement, everyone's running around out of uniform and ain't NOBODY in charge...  My other interests are intimidating my daughter's potential boyfriends,  lurking in alleys at night, and picking up aluminum cans along the Interstate while yelling at passing cars...

I'm 51   started as a kid,built some Aurura Monster kits,some ships,and planes.Didnt build again till 1982-1993,worked basically in my apartment on a card table in the kitchen,had to drag everything out and put everything away when done,did okay and my stuff was decent,but that got old after awhile plus discovered computers and golf ,didn't start up again till 1999 when I bought a house with a basement,been learning a lot and trying to improve ever since.

My advice: It's only a hobby,don't make it another thing in your life to stress over,always try to improve and try new stuff,but build to your own expectations and abilities,and when it becomes work or frustation,just step back a little.

I'm 42, will be 43 in April. Started out when I was about 10 with Revells Baa Baa Blacksheep Corsair. Built many up until I joined the Air Force. Finished one while I was in, and started a couple but never finished them. In the past couple years have gotten back into it. Finished my first last year in about 20 yrs. Felt good, REAL good!!! Almost have another finished and have several irons in the fire  now.

if there is one thing I have learned modeling, as has been said before, build to the best of your abilities and constantly improve the next one. Most of all in doing so, have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

41 here; no kids, no wife, no life and no worries! 

Lessons learned? 

These things don't build themselves, so get off my bum and get to it- this year alone I have finished 4 shelf Queens from last year... 

41 years of age, started building before Kindergarten (thank you Aurora!).

Lessons:  I learned basic skills as a kid and discovered that when you read the books of the masters your skills can improve exponentially.  Reading was my key to building better models.  Learned to be methodical, organized and to plan ahead.  Learned that good craftsmanship takes a long time to develop.

~Dave

Hans, that has to be one of the funniest posts I've read. LOL

56.

My dad got me started modeling at age 6.  Typical story, kept at it until high school when girls, football, etc. took priority.

Started to get back into it my last year in college.  I had a Monogram Vigilante and a Revell 1/32 F-4J and an Aurora Boeing 747 hanging from the ceiling of my room in the fraternity house.

Stopped again when I got out of school and got married.  Was shopping with my wife one day after we had been married a couple of years and bought an Airfix 1/72 F-4 on a whim and slowly got back into it.  My wife has always been understanding (although she does occasionally suggest that I might think about thinning  out my stash).

Tried to get the kids interested when they were young, but they never developed an interest, although my son did get into RC cars for a while.

Being empty nesters now with the kids through college, I don't really have to worry about my budget - my biggest constraint is finding the time to build. 

Mark

I'll bring the average down a bit, as I'm 25. I am also married and  am a father to  a 2 1/2 yr old girl and a boy is due in March. My father and I are the only modelers in the immediate family though when the kids are old enough, i hope to get them on board.

I suppose the most important thing I've learned, at least about myself, is that when it comes to modeling I'm generally too stupid too early and too smart too late.

34 and same old story, built as a kid tnen I bought a guitar and went with that.

 One day I shopping with the wife(before we were married) and on a whim bought a "Mash" chopper and built(very crappilly...is that even a word!!!!) still wasn't into it. Then my bro bought a GTO and asked me to build it for him. From then on I was in and out, up til about 25 when I got Accuminis TBF to build for my grampa. Before that kit, I only knew Monogram and Revell, that kit hooked me. Now I'm consumed by it!!!

lessons: patients of course, problem solving, planning ahead, improvising.

Wow! Awesome response! There it is the tally so far...

SuppressionFire         37

Millairjunkie                 40

Manstein's revenge   97? ... naa won't use his.

Agentq                           54 funny ex wife post!

Kongiwolf13                35 Busy fella... + 7 yr. old + 8 yr. old

Rob Gunvius                45

Brigg                             50 +15 yr. old

hk.shooter                   40

rjkplasticmod             73 years young!

Pawel                           31

Wabashwheels         55

VanceCrozier             35

Hans von Hammer    50

anthany  2779             51

simpilot 34                   42

Dre                                 41

driost  2000                 41

Red Corvette               56

oddmanrush               25...

Total:                           =831!

Divided by # of modelers = average 

831 % 21=39.57!

The average is 40 years old! Well done Milairjunkie!                                         

'34 and same old story, built as a kid tnen I bought a guitar and went with that.'

Ok the first 21 are averaged all ready. Starting with fermis I will tally and average group #2 later today.

Thanks everyone for contributing!

 I apologise in advance if your screen name or age information is shown incorrect.

I'll start "group two" then (edit: "add to group two", missed seeing the start point)

53, started modeling at 8, built since then, right through my time with the Marines,,,,only pause was during my first marriage, she didn't come with a label that said "hates Rexes hobbies",,,,the current and last one was an Army Sarge,,,,so, she goes to shows with me, looks for bargains at the hobby shops while I am looking at the new releases, drives me nuts with questions in front of the hobby tool racks, etc

She helps me plan out our trips across the country, so, she's seen airplane museums, ships, and gate guards all over the country (she took my Avatar photo, that's the Little Rock in Buffalo in the background),,,,,,she's allergic to the modeling fumes, though,,,,,,,,so, I'm switching to Acrylics, etc, to cut down on her misery

life lesson, specific to modeling,,,,,,don't save all the great kits for "some day",,,,,,if you have more than a few done,,,,,,"some day is today",,,,,,you bought them, you deserve to build them,,,,and don't put off building all the old "bad" kits just because someone like me says that "X is better",,,,this is a hobby,,,,,take it as far as you want to,,,,,but no farther,,,,,it's YOURS, not mine,,,,,,"superkits" or "lessor kits",,,,,if you assemble with good workmanship, they all become paint canvases, and it's hard to tell once they are painted and put on the shelf

44

Best lesson for me - It ain't ever gonna be perfect.

WOW!!!

I am the youngest modeler!! I am 12 years old,but in April I will be 13!!

HOW cool!!! I think is great to be the youngest here.I can teach many things from you and I want to say that I really appreciate you guys!

23. Divorced once. Apparently I haven't learned much or, I have a lot to learn ... probably both. I think I'm still too young to provide any decent, logical experience that any person should actually listen to or take to heart. I haven't lived enough.

Josh