discussion The future of the hobby ?

[Alan 45]

ive been giving this a lot of thought lately and I think that in 20 years this hobby could disappear,


For me this hobby started in my youth and let's face it in the seventies the only other distractions were your football or your bike but today with social media computers DVDs blu ray and so forth very few kids are taking up the hobby , I myself returned to the hobby by accident, I built a kit for someone and my wife encouraged me to take it up as a hobby after seeing how much I enjoyed it so without that happening I wouldn't of started back up


Ive noticed that many of the new members on here are returnees to the hobby and I can't think of any youngsters joining , even at shows you don't see many kids now


So enjoy it because we could be the last

 

[Guest]

In 20 years I'll be 68 so I doubt I'll be doing it then. Probably just sitting in my armchair drooling ... hmm no change there!


I can't comment about shows as I've not attended one, but my local club has kids there who build models & most are pretty damn good!


I think like any hobby, model-making has its ups & downs. Look how cooking & gardening have seen a resurgence in popularity over the last 10 years!

 

[Alan 45]

I'm glad you have kids in your club mate it's great to see


I think imo you have to take up the hobby when your young and enjoy it enough to be your main hobby , I think most of us have had our private life interrupt our hobby but return in latter life to it , I'm rubbish at gardening so I was never going to become a gardener !


Without that I think eventually It will end sertainly mass production makers like airfix tamiya and others and could become more niche and expensive


I'll be 68 in twenty years but ive got enough in the stash to keep me going past that

 

[Guest]

I've lost count of the number of times I've read of the death of the hobby; computers started it, and it's been downhill ever since. It's not as if there have been any new companies coming in, and nobody shows any interest in resurrecting old companies, do they?


We're lucky if we see a couple of new kits each year, and of course nobody's investing in new technology like laser "tape" measures, since hard-headed accountants won't allow it, in case the company goes under.


I don't understand this everlasting complaint about the lack of youngsters in the hobby, either. Children come into the hobby, for (maybe) 10 years, then discover (the opposite) sex, and go off to produce 1:1 replicas of themselves, until they fly the nest, leaving a great big hole to be filled.


We keep reading fatuous comments about the "aging population," as though we just sit and stodge for 20+ years, until that bloke with the scythe comes calling; well, surprise, surprise, some of us want to find something with which to occupy ourselves, while the brain and fingers still function.

 

[Alan 45]

I take it debate isn't a strong point of yours Edgar

 

[Guest]

I don't think the hobby will ever die more likely computers and tablets, people have been building models since we first learned to stand upright. Computers are relatively new things and have grown incredibly quickly, but I think people will suddenly get bored of them just as quick I can't see the youngster now still playing with them when they are our age.

 

[Guest]

In 20 years I'll be 68 so I doubt I'll be doing it then. Probably just sitting in my armchair drooling ... hmm no change there!
I can't comment about shows as I've not attended one, but my local club has kids there who build models & most are pretty damn good!


I think like any hobby, model-making has its ups & downs. Look how cooking & gardening have seen a resurgence in popularity over the last 10 years!

Hey Patrick don't give up hope yet LOL, I only returned to modelling a few years ago..


I was 67 on Friday & have severe Emphysema, I cant walk more than 20 steps without needing oxygen if it was not for my model building it would be me sat in my armchair drooling LOL


For now I just want to improve my model making .


John.

 

[Alan 45]

I don't think the hobby will ever die more likely computers and tablets, people have been building models since we first learned to stand upright. Computers are relatively new things and have grown incredibly quickly, but I think people will suddenly get bored of them just as quick I can't see the youngster now still playing with them when they are our age.

Says a person who's using a computer/tablet/phone to post lol


I don't think computers will disappeared Ken unless another medium appears like virtual interaction in the form of actually being there but not there if you understand me


What ever comes next will just be another thing that kids will have to stop them taking up older hobbies

 

[Guest]

Computers & tablets etc are obviously not going to die out!


But look how they've helped our hobby - the sharing of information & techniques, purchasing kits that our LHS doesn't stock, buying kits more cheaply via eBay & other online retailers.


It's down to us to promote the hobby through encouragement with our own kids or those we know.

 

[Guest]

Hey Patrick don't give up hope yet LOL, I only returned to modelling a few years ago..
I was 67 on Friday & have severe Emphysema, I cant walk more than 20 steps without needing oxygen if it was not for my model building it would be me sat in my armchair drooling LOL


For now I just want to improve my model making .


John.

Good on you John, keep it up! Fingers crossed that I'll still be capable of making stuff in 20 years

 

[john i am]

I was born in the swinging 60s and as a child loved playing out on my bike football cricket kick the can dodgeball armies etc etc but I also liked building planes and tanks from airfix and matchbox and I had quite a collection.eventually as time moved on into the teenage years and I discovered girls all of my models died by air rifle.I went on to get married and have two sons etc etc. 34 years later I returned to the hobby happily with no air rifle this time.Although my 2 boys showed a brief interest in modelling it soon became apparent they didn't have the same fondness of the hobby as I had at the same age.I have now compiled a rather large stash of models and paints etc in which in my opinion will take me to the grave and beyond so if someone pulls the plug for me it will have no real consequence.It just seems a shame that if the hobby does die out then a lot of people without even realising will have missed out on something which brings great pleasure and relaxation to the individual

 

[stona]

as time moved on into the teenage years and I discovered girls all of my models died by air rifle.

I did exactly the same thing! I obviously don't have the models anymore, but I do have the air rifle and it still works


I think that the prognosis for the hobby is better than most imagine. There are more and better kits available now than ever before and, importantly, always more on the way. I came back to the hobby at a relatively early age (in my early thirties) and have spent the last twenty five years reading about the imminent demise of the hobby, but it doesn't seem to happen.


I have met people recently who are a little (okay, quite a bit) younger than me and have started the hobby never having done it as kids. That must be a good thing. I don't think it is generally a young person's hobby these days, though there are always welcome exceptions. Some of them are very good too!


What has happened is the virtual disappearance of the 'bricks 'n' mortar' hobby shops I frequented as a boy and even upon my return, but this is something not unique to this hobby. It is a shame, but the proliferation of online retailers should surely be seen as a boon.


Cheers


Steve

 

[Guest]

I am 69 years old and have just started this hobby, never got into it as a kid, too busy playing outside with my mates. I have started now because ill health prevents me from doing all the activities I used to love so much when I was healthy and I desperately needed something to occupy me. This fits the bill well and is a very enjoyable and relaxing way to pass the time, and also rewarding.

 

[Jim F]

I can imagine that following the Battle of trafalgar two midshipmen sat over their evening meal debating the demise of scrimshaw modelling or even a couple of legionnaires following the Roman invasion of Britain bemoaning the lack of decent modelling materials, I personally feel that model making will continue as long as there is a subject to model, the real debate in this age of the computer age is what are people going to use as their subjects ? as in a hundred years most of the museums of today will be long gone and just be a byte or two on a memory device..


food for thought Jim

 

[Robert1968]

ive been giving this a lot of thought lately and I think that in 20 years this hobby could disappear,
For me this hobby started in my youth and let's face it in the seventies the only other distractions were your football or your bike but today with social media computers DVDs blu ray and so forth very few kids are taking up the hobby , I myself returned to the hobby by accident, I built a kit for someone and my wife encouraged me to take it up as a hobby after seeing how much I enjoyed it so without that happening I wouldn't of started back up


Ive noticed that many of the new members on here are returnees to the hobby and I can't think of any youngsters joining , even at shows you don't see many kids now


So enjoy it because we could be the last

I totally agree with you Alan


We have lost majority of hoby shops and it mainly boils down to Internet buying these days


I was like you as a kid I bought my first kit ( or mum and dad did ) a 1/72 me 163 komet. I built it with help from dad and just played with it, till it broke but then at 17/18 bought a mammoth kit the Convair B-36 peacemaker ( think this is still the biggest model kit of an aircraft out there in 1/72!!!!


Marriage and kids putbthe kit to the loft for many years but after a few years down the line I see kids now wanting tech stuff and the movies etc have taken over with after market toys and the art of creating a spitfire or a tank from a kit are no interest to the wee ones


The history etc the sacrifice people made etc etc but the sheer fun of creating something has disapeered. I remember when in model zone ( when it was ) that they were bringing in more tech stuff all the time to please the kids etc and the adults in there 30/40 etc were looking at the kits and 00 gauge trains ( no kids not one!!


So my wife like yours gave me the chance to grabmy hobby and now I have a man cave ( spare room with all my gear my bench paints stash etc and my display cabinets


Long live our hobby we are the last of a dying breed!!!!

 

[Gern]

I certainly don't think that modelling as a hobby is dying out, but I do think the customer base is changing. Most kits produced today allow skilled builders to produce some amazing results, but that comes at a price. Firstly, it increases the cost of the kits which puts many of them out of the reach of young builders' pockets. Secondly the skill levels required for even OOB builds puts many kits beyond the abilities of many youngsters. The biggest market today is guys like us - returning to the hobby after 'building' their lives and careers and who now have some time, income and patience to invest.


Much of this has to be down to us with our constant demands on manufacturers to give us more accuracy and more detail - how many reviews/builds do you come across where there is endless criticism of the manufacturer? There are still kits available for youngsters of course, but there may be a market for less detailed 'mainstream' kits to give more youngsters a chance to get hold of affordable kits which don't require expert skills to build. That would depend on us trying to get more youngsters involved and not 'slamming' manufacturers because their latest Spitfire only has 60 parts instead of the 350 needed to include all the tiny details.

 

[Alan 45]

Dave I think what you have said is maybe the closest of all the responses ive read and heard on this subject


It not only highlights the reason so few younger people are starting up or should I say continuing in the hobby but also the faults of the manufacturers and we ourselves as model builders and our attitude to kits

 

[Guest]

Alan, no-one's doubting that there are more distractions for youngsters these days.


But that's life! I didn't continue to build models much after the age of 15-16 once I discovered girls, pubs & smoking! Then for years I didn't build a thing, until I had more time on my hands & wasn't distracted by being out most nights.


I think the same will happen in times to come - as people get older, they'll look for a hobby & model making will be the choice for some of them.


I agree with Dave to an extent in that adult hobbyists have wanted (and got) better quality kits, albeit at higher prices.


But there's still many kits out there of good quality at affordable prices. Some of the 1/72 Airfix starter kits have been my most enjoyable builds in recent months.

 

[Guest]

In 20 years I'll be 68 so I doubt I'll be doing it then. Probably just sitting in my armchair drooling ... hmm no change there!

Oh yes you will dear Patrick. I am 77 in a few months time. I am not sitting in "NO Armchair". Neither am I drooling.


I am just doing fine using "ACRYLICS". Since I gave up "ENAMELS" I have had a second childhood.


Also I can out run at 77 my eldest son who is 55.


In 20 years time at 97 I will still be model making. I may by that time have decided that I will, like many other vintage types (who are younger than me), have wilted and decided on scales of 1/24 shame on them. But that will not happen until I am turned 95 I do not want to given in to soon.


Laurie

 

[Guest]

Hmmm....


I'm 61 this year.....


I can out-run AND out-press-ups my 14 year old step son.


I'm still gigging as a guitarist, writing books, building my second garden railway - a small feat of civil engineering in itself.


I love and treat my cars like an 18 year old except I can now afford to do it.


Old??? - What does that mean???? I'll comment when I get there.


BUT - the topic here.


Model making dying out?


No new kits?


No real investment?


Try going to the Frankfurt model show each January.


There are literally THOUSANDS of brand new kits each year, and some - such as the Pocher revival - cost millions to develop.


Even if model making died altogether in the UK and France (our nearest neighbour) - there are still more model makers in the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan than we could ever imagine.


I doubt the manufacturers would hardly notice the drop in sales.


Computers etc won't die out, but their life as an attention-grabbing 'device' is very short lived.


Most 12 - 18 year olds' don't know how to MOVE without their gadget glued to their fingers.


Over the age of 20-ish, and the gadget reverts to being what it really is - a useful gadget.


Then they start looking at REAL hobbies and interests.


Roy.