when i were a young-un, mom and dad splurged on models at christmas because the stores were trying to clear the shelves before new years' inventory... most of them weren't even wrapped because they'd bought them late on christmas eve! my friends at school derided me for "playing with cars" at my age (15-18) so i tended to keep to myself with the hobby.
once, on the school bus, i was sitting next to a younger kid who was carrying a model to school, and ended up talking to him about it, and the next day GAVE him boxes of spare parts. i gave up on them for about three years while i was in the navy, but back stateside i picked it back up.
THAT was 20+ years ago. i've sold a bunch, traded a bunch, trashed a bunch, and still got a closet full of "projects" waiting for completion.