Average age of everyone and modeling's life lessons?

I'm 51, turn 52 in July. I've been getting my fingers stuck together along with plastic, metal, and wood since I was 7. The best lessons I've learned are to have fun with the little things that crop up and to keep the band-aids handy for the inevitable slip of the X Acto knife.

33 about to turn 34 a week from today. Today the world seems to be wanting to remind me of that at every turn. Anyway......

Through modeling I have learned to be resourceful, patience -still have a little problem with that at times-, helps keep my research skills up, all the ways to thin puddy and paint, verious ways to get paint off your fingers, how to and how not to skin your self with a x-acto. A few more that I just can' t think of at this moment.

Im 43.  Built as a kid and then left it for over 25 years.  Now Im back Muahahha!  Seriously though, I think this hobby teaches you patience, reverence for history and in particular the sacrifices made by man in the course of world history.  It also teaches you basic history of the genre you are modeling.  You learn whether you intend to or not!  My wife is very supportive of my hobby as its a stress buster for me.  She even comes into my room, asks questions about what Im doing and comments on various things Im doing.  She has a genuine interest and I think thats pretty cool.

Steve

 Thanks for the excellent thread. I'm 47, married once for 4 yrs and no children of my own. The wife is very supportive of my hobby yet I do get my share of raised eyebrow moments. I started modeling when I was 8 yrs old and was quite a prolific builder through my high school years. I had a subscription to "Scale Modeler Magazine and the old Squadron Shop supplement catalogues. In fact when I was 17 yrs old a group of my friends and I organized a local plastic model contest with the help of the LHS in Grand Junction, Co. a 100 miles away. They are still in business today and frequent them when possible. I took 2nd place with a 1/72 Mirage F1 (I still have the ribbon but not the model).

 Through my college years and my 25 yr career with the Forest Service I fell away from building much. In fact my one and only model I built for 20+ years was a Tamiya T-34/85. I did though maintain an interest and continued to buy kits and accessories with the thought that I would eventually be sedentary and get back to building. Just over a year ago I had to make some major lifestyle changes and this brought me back to modeling with a passion. I completed my first model in some 15 yrs this summer and am nearing completion on my second with many more to come. 

  My lessons learned are indeed patience and acceptance but also appreciating my connection with history and with those who sacraficed so much for us.

  I owe a large debt of gratitude to all of you here on this forum for the constant inspiration and enthusiasm you all provide.

                                        Thanks, Joe

I'm 42.  I've been modeling off and on since I was about 10. 

My modeling life lesson?  Have fun!

I'm 46 here, will be 47 on March 1st.. My mom got me started at age 6 and I never stopped at all, even through my teen and college years. I may have slowed down, but I never stopped. It shows in that I now have over 1,135+ models finished. I build almost exclusively 1/72 scale aircraft and armor. I also build ships, the occasional car, building/bunker, and Sci-Fi subject.

I'll have been married to my first wife for 20 years on July 14th this year. She hates my hobby; mostly for the money it costs, but once I made a few hundred bucks from an occasional commission build and started winning a few awards, she has slowed waaaaay down on her criticism of it. She now recognizes that it keeps me going, keeps me sane, and she begrudges me the time and supplies I need to keep building. She was understanding enough that when we went house shopping six months after we got married, she insisted we buy a two-bedroom condo so I could have one room all to myself. That way I can close the door and she never has to see it.

I also have a nephew age 18 who builds models. He's completed about 20 or so now and is working on one more.

Life Lesson: When life really starts stressing you out, there's no better remedy than to go into the hobby room, crank the tunes, and dive into your latest project so intently that all else falls away.

I must be in the minority as I never stopped building at any time until I was in my 40's... I was at the rough point in my career then with deployments happening more often and the normal PCS moves, then my second war started and well... Finally retirement... I got into flight sims during that time as well, and was doing a lot of "painting & weathering" on computer-generated aircraft.  Actually got to "fly" my models then...

Even then I managed to still buy a few kits and picked up an occasional model magazine, so I wasn't completely out of the net...  Never had a wife or girlfriend tell me to give up a hobby, even wife #2 put up with my "model railroad phase"... THAT was a wierd time.. My layout went from the front foyer to the kitchen via the livingroom (I had several "lift-out" sections) on benchwork that was mounted to the walls...  Even a section that ran right across the top of the TV... She used to kinda harp on me when a 15-car frieght-drag went across it one way and a 25-car coal-drag went the other while she was watching "China Beach", though...

Really enjoying the replys. It seems a few common threads keep us happy as modelers. A quick conclusion would be:

#1 Find a spouse thats supportive and interisted in your hobby. Not saying one that isn't leeds to break-ups or divorce yet a few replys suggested it was a factor.

#2 The average age is late 30's to early 40's. Quite a few in their 20's while no teenagers replied. We all built as kids and took our teen years away from the hobby for various reasons, girls and cars being the main two.

#3 Patience is something we all developed stronger at the hobby table or bench. Problem solveing and a constant evolution of aquired skills rounds up the top lessons.

Thanks for your comments and replys. Looking for 100 to really get a accurate average. 

Jason 

Need to help drop the average.  26 n turning 27 in less than 30 days.  Started building at 8 with a 1/72 matchbox avro lancaster.  Lesson in modeling?  If you think it's dry, it's NOT dry.  Lesson in life?  Don't go with engineering if you plan to have time left for modeling after work, social life, and girlfriend.  She wants to try a kit so I got two 1/24 Tamiya new beetle lined up for her with a can of electric pink spray paint.  We have yet to get around to that.

Just turned 48. Like most, it seems, I built into my late teens, chased girls for 15 years and am now back to modelling and have never enjoyed it more. Regarding wives, live-in lovers etc. Wife No. 1 reluctantly put up with it, but didn't really understand what the attraction was (that was sort of my feeling toward her, too). No. 2 thought it was stupid and secretly thought I was being "a big kid, playing with toy soldiers." No. 3 thinks it's fantastic that I do it and takes a great interest in it. It blows her mind that you can turn a box of plastic bits into a work of art. She is enthralled by the tiny details, how I build them, and inspects closely, especially paint jobs, which also fascinate her. I have a job which could fairly be described as 'high stress' and she loves the way modelling mellows me out. She's the keeper! 

Life lessons: Don't rush. Do a lot of research on the subject, plus research any new techniques you may wish to attempt. Do test-fit everything and then test fit it again! I scuba dive, and my favorite diving saying is "Plan your dive, and dive your plan." I think the same goes for modelling. "Plan your model, and model your plan." You can never plan enough. Life works like that sometimes, too.

Cheers guys.

Group #1 -  832 combined years divided by 21 modelers=39.62 average age

Group #2 - 276 ''                   ''        ''              by  9  modelers=30.67 average age

Group #3 - 188 "                   "        "              by  4  modelers=47.00 average age

Group #4 - 202 "                   "        "              by  5  modelers=40.40 average age

Group #5

Kolschey                     36

Gigatron                      35

St plane nut                36

Jim Barton                  48

cassibill                       25

Total age                   =180 combined years

Divided by # of modelers       5  = 36 average age

average of all 5  groups              =  1678 total age % 44 modelers

Overall average = 38.14 years old!

The average has dropped, Hmm maybe the older fella's are to busy building for a reply.

25, 45 days short of 26

Begged for a 1/72 Monogram Snaptite of one of the F/A-18 Prototypes at Walmart (I think) when I was 7, my grandmother nudged Mom along, recieved strict orders not to open it until we got home, ignored orders, built it in the back seat of the '91 Ford Tempo Mom still owns.  Mom helped tighten up the joints at the kitchen table when we got home.  Picked up a paint set the next week.  Added a B-26, Space Shuttle, and SR-71 along the way.  Last time I truly finished anything was a police cruiser that I hated.  Not a car person but I think I'll have to make an exception or two. Built up an impressive collection of unbuilt and partially started kits over the years.  Mom takes me to at least two shows a year and the college roommate figured out quickly when I got ticked off to confiscate the text book and sit me down in front of the desk with whatever I was messing with at the moment (I'm pretty sure she just didn't like stuff flying against the wall and bouncing out the door).

I like video games.  I take my temper out on Nazis, outlaws, barbarians, et c., instead of smashing whatever ticked me off.  Screw up model. Kill cyber enemies. Repeat until calm.  Fix model. Continue build.

They didn't teach me patience but they helped get me to channel the temper.

I turned 48 in December. Mine is the same old story: started modeling in 1972, when I was 10. By 1979, I had gotten out of modeling thanks to other interests (in particular, collecting old insulators). In 1994, I found a RC fishing boat model at a garage sale that I was originally going to mail to a friend in Hawaii, but I ended up building it instead, and I'm still at it. I don't complete very many models (I've been working on my latest project for more than seven years), but I'm still at it.

Modeling life lesson: You can never have too much storage space at your workbench!

Gigatron

35, here and the best lesson - the difference between you and the "pro" builder is that the pro builder decided to try the technique you sit around saying "boy I wish I could do something like that".  Stop wishing and start doing.  Thre is no magic in this hobby; it's styrene and glue - if any other modeler can figure out how to make it work, so can you.

-Fred

 

Ahmen Fred

I have found just diving in and going for it works very well. As my Dad used to say " God hates a coward"

36 here...same story...built as a kid an got back into it later in life then got really going when i decided to quit drinking..  Wife #2 is supportive even if she does look at me funny when i am on the computer and asks "What are you buying now?"...We will be moving back east later this year and buying a house complete with basement that will be dude land...Cant wait to build a whole new work room the way i want it...

For some reason i started but large lots of kits and selling them on ebay...it has been a fun money maker and has filled my stash really cheap...if anybody wants my seller ID PM me...

Life lessons?...it has been repeated over and over... patience....

35, here and the best lesson - the difference between you and the "pro" builder is that the pro builder decided to try the technique you sit around saying "boy I wish I could do something like that".  Stop wishing and start doing.  Thre is no magic in this hobby; it's styrene and glue - if any other modeler can figure out how to make it work, so can you.

-Fred

SuppressionFire: Regarding your age survey: I neglected to mention the F-104 and I were "born" in the same year.

SuppressionFire:  My life's lesson: build 'em while you're eyes are still good enough to see 'em or switch to 1:18th scale or larger.

Manstein's Revenge: You "made me smile" but I must disagree. Wear Russian style sox when you invade the steppes.  ref: film Le Chagrin et la Pitié (Sorrow and the Pity) 1969  & book "The Forgotten Soldier".

Total as of monday febuary 15, 2010

**For further accuracy, pay no attention to the date...

Ha ha ha can't slip up aroung the Hammer! Nailed that one

Ok monday Febuary 8

Doh!

Hey there,

36 years old. Married. No kids. 2 wonderful cats.

Building since middle school. Transitioned to scratchbuilding/kitbashing exclusively in college.

What I've learned? That the world is just full of potential building materials if you keep your eyes open.

SuppressionFire

Thanks again for the replys!

Total as of monday febuary 15, 2010

Some of the replys are excellent with inspireing life lessons! Lets hear some more while adding to group #5

* for accuracy the average age of each group is carried to the second decimal place*

**For further accuracy, pay no attention to the date...

# 1 Life-lesson: Common Sense-- Isn't...

#2: Life's Tough- It's tougher if you're stupid...

#3: She's gonna try to change you after you marry her, then when she does, she'll cry, "YOU'RE NOT THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH!!"

#4: The most important one of all-- A pop-fly over the third baseman's head is the Short-stop's play...

SuppressionFire

 = 39.42! wow miliarejunkie you hit the # first thing! 5 short of my prediction.

Just a knack, wish I could find a profitable use for it though!

Thanks again for the replys!

Total as of monday febuary 15, 2010

Group #1 -  832 combined years divided by 21 modelers=39.62 average age

Group #2 - 276 ''                   ''        ''              by  9  modelers=30.67 average age

Group #3 - 188 "                   "        "              by  4  modelers=47.00 average age

Group #4=

Smeagol the vile                       23

sk3tch                                         33

Hsteve                                         40 (predicted average)

vetteman42                                54

ruddratt                                       52

Total age                                 =202 combined years

Divided by # of modelers       5  = 40.40 average age

average of all 4 groups = total % 4

Overall average = 157.69 % 4

                               = 39.42! wow miliarejunkie you hit the # first thing! 5 short of my prediction.

Some of the replys are excellent with inspireing life lessons! Lets hear some more while adding to group #5

* for accuracy the average age of each group is carried to the second decimal place*

Age 52 here and happily married. Modeled a lot in my teens, took a break until I hit about 30 when the bug bit me again. Been at it ever since.

If it's taught me anything, it's taught me patience.

54 here I came back to modeling 2 years ago after a 36 year layoff. I do enjoy it much more now than I did as a kid.

jtrace214

I will be 40 in a few months(May).

 

John

 

40 in May as well...

I hope I don't break a hip...

33 here. 

Same story as alot here.   ...Stopped the hobby for a while and got back into it here recently.

Lessons learned:

1:  Sometimes walking away (from a frustrating incident) for a while makes things not look so bad when you come back.

2: Even though you strive to make the kit you're working on the BEST EVERRR.  Sometimes it doesn't come out that way.  Sometimes learning what works for you is best in the learning process. 

im 23.  I have been building... lets see, probably about...5-6 years I would assume.  My family is supportive of my hobby, thankfully.  I started, as you all know, with gundam kits, still doem, but have moved on from there to armor, figures, and sculpting.

biggest lesson I have learned is that you learn more from failed and unfinished projects (because you hit impassable roadblocks) teaches you so much more then finishing a kit.

'bump' Well the feed back has been slow the last day so I thought of getting this thread back on the main page. So far group #3 replied:

stikpusher                      44

Hew Hampshire            30

fox                                    69 dude! + 45 year old step son

Total:                               188 divided by 4 modelers

                                      = 47 years old average for group #3

Will wait for more replies before averaging into the first two groups. Thanks again for your comments and feedback!

Jason

    Age -  69  Building since 6. Both uncles started me building and I just never stopped. You name it and I've probably built it. Wife #1 OK with it for 25 years. Wife #2 OK with it about 80% for the last 21 years(Have too many already in stash and new ones cost too much). Good thing I brought a good sized stash with me. One of my stepsons(45) has built models most of his life. He's pretty much like me in that he builds whatever strikes his fancy. Right now it's R/C planes and rockets. His son isn't interested.

    Lessons learned - Patience, patience, and more patience. Also, you're never finished learning.

Jim