LOBBS

Below I have posted a link to the general homescreen thread to an Android forum known as XDA. It is by far the largest Android forum online with well over 3 million members. The majority of the posters there are your Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, etc. This thread in particular is their open forum to display their creative sides. Do any amount of surfing and you will see a dozen or so real trendsetters. There are some icon sets and clocks that get popular but it's really no different than seeing Torque Thrusts on multiple builds. These "kids" do have passion to create and do take pride in what they put together it is just a different medium. This energy is what I'm referring to that could be tapped into. I'm not saying they should be forced to build models but if they had subjects that inspired them to do so, it may be another avenue of expression. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=476483 Venture outside this thread and you will find thousands of developers, most self taught, doing everything they can to offer the best apps, ROMS, themes, etc. so that members can essentially hot rod their devices. Devving is not easy, I am one so I can attest. Edit: I guess to be fair, I'll post a couple of my go-to setups for reference. With the exception of the Vette wallpaper, everything you can see here is of my own creation; icons, clock, carbon fiber wallpaper,etc. My apps on Google Play are here to check out my other stuff. I've only recently, in the last couple of months, started listing there so this would be my most current work. https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=LOBBS

As I stated in the OP, I encouraged the return of true 2n1 kits. Maintain a stock option but flesh out the 2nd option to be more complete not merely wheels and tires and a few tidbits. I'd even be completely in support of a return of the parts packs with complete engine assemblies such as LS motors, modern Hemis and the Ford modular motors so that those interested would not have to part out an entire Camaro, Mustang or Charger just for those pieces. Same goes with the wheels sets similar to what Aoshima and Fujimi have done for years. Oftentimes, those wheels were offered in a full kit and concurrently sold as a stand alone item. They were almost always a hot seller sometimes requiring a pre-order to even obtain in any quantity.

If you need any help getting set up, just let me know.

Thanks for the kind words Kerry.

Subject matter is huge with kids. With my kids, at their birthdays, I take them to the store and give them a budget. They are then free to pick anything they'd like as long as it fits into that number. Having 4 kids, I could give countless examples of how this has played out to prove my point but for the sake of argument, I'll go with my older boys and their love of Lego sets. Lego, quite frankly, is run by geniuses of marketing. Nearly every blockbluster movie is followed shortly after with a full line of building sets. My boys, cash in hand, go in and work their budgets to the max to get as much as possible from each of these lines as they can. Being close in age and having b-days only a few weeks apart they've even been known to pool their resources to gain the bigger, more exclusive sets. Now, when they hit the aisles, there are no shortage of other styles to select from. Everything from un-themed basic brick sets to a half dozen other lines that run concurrently much less toys of a completely different nature they could pick. But, it is almost always without fail, the subject that drew them in that gets their dollar at the end of the day. If they go in and can't find a set they had in mind, I encourage them to save their money instead of wasting it on something that they don't love. There are always other stores or the internet to have another chance that it may turn up.

I am a developer for Android apps in the Google Play Store. I have several icon packs and clocks that people can download and customize their smartphones or tablets with. https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=LOBBS

I have four kids and the three oldest have all expressed an interest in building as well. The difference I'm trying to point out that my generation and older all had offerings that were relevant to their interests. That becomes a self-fueling process because you're always looking for the next project. I'm not saying that kids should be forced to build but it is ridiculous to insinuate that the model companies should just please the older crowd and never make any solid motions to change their offerings to serve the next wave of generations. That is akin to committing business suicide. At some point, the older generations will have passed on and they've done little to nothing to save their own existence. Perhaps if the model companies were paying more attention we wouldn't have to be debating the future of the hobby. Now, I don't know when exactly I began to pay real attention to what the younger generations prefer, probably about the time my oldest boys became of building age. The genres I pointed out are however based on my own observations online, at car shows and cruise ins and in the aisles of hobby shops themselves in addition to paying attention to what the owners of 1:1s of the younger crowd tended to own themselves. It was not meant to be all-encompassing but certainly what they are drawn to more often is greatly underserved.

At 33 years of age, I'm "old" enough to have grown up building models. It was an important and satisfying part of my childhood and as such the hobby followed me into adulthood. From my years here and elsewhere it is safe to say that I am on the younger end of the group that strongly supports the pastime. I'm coming back into the hobby after a couple of years. While I was away, I took up an interest in developing for Android especially on the visual side of customization. I have several items available in the Google Play Store for theming one's smartphone or tablet. In the time I've been involved there, I can comfortably say that I am on the older end of that spectrum. Modeling needs to attract these newer generations if it is to continue on for much longer. That realization has been around for years. Being a member of this middle ground, this gray area between the younger end of one and the older end of the other, I can see some real opportunities for the modeling community to draw in these "kids". From seeing countless screenshots and setups they've posted there is still a love for things automotive. They are willing to learn new methods to come up with something that fits their vision. The question then becomes how to channel that energy into a physical manifestation of a model rather than a digital one in their technology. First and foremost, is the available subjects. They tend to most interested in the newest high-end sports cars and classic iron of the pro-touring variety. Companies such as Revell have to get better with bringing these to market much quicker. ZL1 Camaros, Shelby Mustangs and Vipers, Italian and European supercars need to be ready to go when the real ones hit the street. On the pro-touring front, it's not good enough to slap a set of big-inch billets on an old tool ala the Cali Wheels or Foose and call it good. They have more limited funds and buying a kit just for that LS7, or Cobra motor or new Hemi is a hurdle for them. We need the return of true 2n1s that have the stock pieces to satisfy the older crowd but also the separate tooling of the modern performance pieces that the younger crowds see in their magazines and online. The same goes for the wheels. There needs to be more of the true pro-touring wheels much like the sets Aoshima and Fujimi put out. Some of the heritage-style wheels, from the Cali Wheels series for example, are fitting but in general the options are seriously lacking in scale. I have never once seen a drag racing or rep stock classic car in one of their screenshots. These subjects are pretty much a representation of a bygone era and they have no connection to the subject matter at all. Secondly, mobile computing and social networking is here to stay. The era of the desktop PC and even laptops is drawing to a close. Online forums are a royal pain to navigate with a mobile browser. Most forums today offer an app hosted thru Tapatalk, or an equivalent, that is much better suited for phone or tablet based browsing. I've yet to see this adopted in the scale communities. I'm sure that some of these observations will ruffle some feathers. I do truly love both of my hobbies however I do fear for the future of modeling if there are not serious changes in strategy soon. Continuing to push re-issues of kits that have no appeal to younger builders is a mistake. Half-heartedly trying to capture trends they do have an interest in will not work either.

I can see possibly picking up the '67 Vette for the road-racing parts and maybe the Foose Camaro. I'm still holding out hope that someday Revell will tool up a new '67-72 GM truck and a '67 Camaro based off their '69 tooling. Pipe dreams.

Thanks Jonathan, I started this project so long ago the original thread doesn't even show up anymore in a forum search. I guess they cleaned house while I was away.

Wow, just wow

Xara is also another great vector program that is not terribly expensive. I've been using it for about a decade now.

Great looking Nova. Love the color

Very nice build

Sinister

Great looking build

I've been away from the hobby for awhile but just pulled this project back out. Hopefully finishing this one up after so many years will get me motivated to keep building again. Revell '69 Vette with the L-88 hood and flares from the '68 racing version. Gunmetal with a black stripe and red hashes all from Tamiya. My tastes have changed over the years and this build originally called for a modified widened version of the Cali Wheels Torq Thrusts but after mocking it up with these Aoshimas I may go that route. Same goes for the motor. I had originally planned an EFI'd Hilborn but I may go with a different EFI setup this time around. Still all-aluminum BBC with a T-56 six speed from the Revell '02 Camaro. Interior will be the same Italian Red as the valve covers and seats.

I like where this is heading.

The version in the orange sketch I'd probably pick up. The black version I'd have to be convinced to buy.

Thanks guys. Yeah, he's got a bunch of great looking stuff. It looks like the only way to get his EFI setups for BBCs is to buy the whole motor. I can't find them listed separately. I'm also looking for someone to cast my T56 six-speed master. I can't remember how Revell '02 Camaros I've bought over the years just to saw off the tranny for pro-touring projects. I'll run it by him and see if he's interested.

I'm getting back into the hobby after a couple of years away. I can pull their website up on my phone but not on my computer. I'd like to take a closer look at some of their offerings before placing an order and I'm just wondering if they are still active.

I'll be there if nothing else to take some pics. I still haven't been able to get my new hobby room set up since we moved to the new house in September. The missus has kept me busy with honey-dos and remodeling projects.

A word of warning on those silent compressors. Since they lack the tonal quality of a gas-powered weed whacker that can and will assault your ears at any moment you'll miss out on several modeling experiences such as: -Dropping your airbrush as you're startled from an intense concentration. -Watching the cat do a backflip and then accelerate at speeds approaching the speed of sound. -Hearing your better half pounding on the floor at 3am because you needed to lay down one more coat before calling it a night. You buy what you wish, I'm just sayin' it's something to think about.

The Lowrider kit is basically the truck from the Waverider release with the exception of the stock grill and front bumper.

At last count, we're down to just one real shop in the entire KC metro area and it's on the other end of town from me. I'd love to have one out this way for no other reason than my own convenience.