Is it just me ...

[Lizard Racing]

Is it just me, or is our hobby populated mostly by old duffs like me?

I look at the birthday list and I see mostly older (over 40) adults.

I go to shows and I see few kids in attendance.

Did most of us start model building in our teens and stayed with it or came back after an absence?

I understand this is a problem for manufacturers in attracting the younger set.  Kids today have a lot more distractions than we did.  The kids want more current subjects, while I think the adults would want older cars ('50s - '70s) from our youth.

Is it just me?

[Snake45]

Yes, this is an aging hobby. And it's even older over in Model Airplane World.

[Greg Myers]

Then there's the train guys  

[High octane]

I think that a lot of plastic modelers today have been building plastic model kits back in the 50's & 60's and have been doing it since, or they have quit the hobby for awhile and then came back. As far as the younger generation goes, I choose to build plastic kits way back when as it was my hobby. What the kids choose to do today as far as hobbies is up to them.

[Lunajammer]

All of the above is true. Unfortunately, there's become such a generation gap that sometimes the perception among young modelers dipping their toes into the hobby, whether true or untrue, is that they are kind of ignored. Though we are welcoming and encouraging, the discussions are so age centric that young visitors may feel like they don't belong. Not our fault, nor theirs, it's just the nature of generational interests.

[Harry P.]

Yep, this hobby is mostly comprised of older guys.

Used to be that building model cars was very much a kid's hobby. Back in the late '50s and the '60s, many model kits were marketed specifically to kids. Remember all of the Tom Daniel kits, and the Deal's Wheels stuff, things like that? Obviously meant for kids, and kids were in fact the largest part of the hobby.

Most of the adults in the hobby today are those kids from the '60s, who either took a break for girls, marriage, kids, etc. and came back to the hobby many years later, or some who continued building straight through.

The hobby just doesn't excite today's kids the way it did kids back in the '60s. Part of it may be the fact that today's kids have a much wider variety of things to do to keep themselves occupied... things that didn't exist in the '60s, like the internet, video games, social media, smart phones, etc.

I'm not sure if the hobby is growing, overall... or shrinking. But one thing's for sure... it's aging.

 

[keyser]

Considering smart phones are derided, as is "facespace", video gaming, and non-carburetted, non-V8, dual clutch/automatic, built after '85 cars by many, I'm thinking "Get off my lawn" is favorite phrase here. 

Room for everyone here, but shows are pretty polarized age-wise.

Still amazing people here don't have smartphones, my 80yo mother-in-law and her friends all have them and use them for banking, commerce, photos, everything. Just weird the generation between them and the 50yo that HAS to use tech are such troglodytes. 

Then there's the hygiene problem at shows, sometimes evident in eBay purchases as well.

Oops, gotta go, kids on the lawn again.  

[bismarck]

Considering smart phones are derided, as is "facespace", video gaming, and non-carburetted, non-V8, dual clutch/automatic, built after '85 cars by many, I'm thinking "Get off my lawn" is favorite phrase here. 

Room for everyone here, but shows are pretty polarized age-wise.

Still amazing people here don't have smartphones, my 80yo mother-in-law and her friends all have them and use them for banking, commerce, photos, everything. Just weird the generation between them and the 50yo that HAS to use tech are such troglodytes. 

Then there's the hygiene problem at shows, sometimes evident in eBay purchases as well.

Oops, gotta go, kids on the lawn again.  

Yeah. That sums me up pretty well. Smart phones just don't interest me. Nor does Facebook, twitter, or any of the other social media. I'm a dinosaur and never took to computers and technology, I admit it. I'm only 44 years old, but I don't have an obsessive need to share every little detail of my private life, or learn anyone else's via smartphone or any other social media. Yes, it has all kinds of uses for everyone else, just not for me. I can see where it has advantages for older folks too. Convenience being a huge reason. I stay to myself and out of the social media foodfights that seem to rage over some of the stupidest things. No Thanks. My private life is just that. Private.  That, and I can build kits in peace and quiet without the phone dinging, whistling , burping, or whatever the dang thing does to get my attention...

Edited April 12, 2016 by bismarck

[bubbaman]

growing up in the  late 50`s and into the 60`s  it was big  - than  girls cars and the ARMY came  and now  moved here  in NC  and retired  i  am sooo glad i picked it up again

[Ace-Garageguy]

This topic has been hammered in several threads recently, but you're newish, so you probably weren't here at the time.

Welcome, by the way.

Everyone's comments are on-target, and Lunajammer sums it up pretty succinctly with "Not our fault, nor theirs, it's just the nature of generational interests."

It's somewhat the same in the real-car world. While there ARE some young guys who really get into it, the majority of the hot-rodders and muscle-and-vintage car enthusiasts are past 40. 

There's a serious cultural shift going on too. I see a LOT of younger guys riding shotgun in some girl's Prius or Camry, noses stuck to the smart-phone, and oblivious to everything else in the universe...especially, apparently, the functioning of the vehicle they're in, completely unaware of the idea that it might be fun to modify a vehicle or build one from junk.. And why on earth would anyone want to take the time to learn the skills to build a little MODEL of one? It's just not 'relevant' in a society that values instant gratification and communication about nothing above all else.

Get off my lawn, indeed. 

[Snake45]

Then there's the train guys  

I was wondering about them. Probably even older than us, or Airplane Guys.

[gbdolfans]

It's just not 'relevant' in a society that values instant gratification and communication about nothing above all else.

 

I think this is so true!!! Even among some adults,they require the instant satisfaction.

It might be different if they could build a model in 1/2 hour or so.

[bismarck]

I think this is so true!!! Even among some adults,they require the instant satisfaction.

It might be different if they could build a model in 1/2 hour or so.

Buy them a snapper.

[Daddyfink]

I was 6 when I first built my own model. That was in 1973! And there still was a model building interest amongst my friends and I all the way up to the 80's. After that, I really started seeing a decline in new builders and most of my same age friends started getting replaced by guys at least 10 years older than myself!! 

Some of us stuck to the hobby and some faded away. Some of my friends say that they miss it and would like to build a model with their kids, and I have even given them kits to do so, but eventually they fade out again. 

Yup we are truly a breed that is thinning out, and it appears sadly,  rather quickly. 

 

 

[keyser]

It's NOT about social media. I don't care social media daily life. It's about managing everything, news, marketing, buying, banking. At 44, if you don't use tech, you'll be stuck career-wise. 

I haven't used mail for a bill, or paper filed taxes in a decade, or actually used a desktop computer in months. I use phone for everything. Not a matter of instant gratification. Its a matter of keeping up, or getting left behind. 

I bought a home, got loan, down, signed everything, arranged inspections, contractor planning, all of it with my smart phone alone. Only actual paper I needed to sign was at close, and mortgage company was stunned how little paperwork we had. Walked out of 30' closing with a USB drive with full docs. Bank transfer of inbound and outbound funds done in minutes, text from banker let me know. 

We didn't discuss anything about day to day life, or tweet, post, like, whatever. Just. Got. It. Done. That's how it works now, and if you don't do it now, you'll have to fairly soon. 

PS, 16 yo's don't even get drivers licenses much anymore, Bill.

You can't hook an OBD2 up to a Mac, or a phone, or a tablet, and laptops don't sell. Only reason I keep a laptop around is to deal with tunes and uploads for the cars. Had to finally get Windows 10, XP-SP3  just too old. 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2016 by keyser

[bismarck]

Please don't confuse the fact that I don't use tech with the ASSUMPTION I am not familiar WITH it. I use it every day in my job. I work in logistics for a company that ships goods all over the face of the planet and I have to be able to track shipments in real time. Our main office is in Tokyo, Japan. And yes, if your not on the tech wagon, you will most certainly be left behind. That's how the world works now. That being said. In my PRIVATE life I do not CARE for being wired into all the social media stuff. Some people are not comfortable outside of that world. Tech does not rule, and will never rule, my life. I could unplug tomorrow and be perfectly happy. When I come home from work, that high tech world does not exist. Its just something that I do from 9-5, its not my life. I have an entire room full of plastic that the wife thinks IS my life though.

Edited April 12, 2016 by bismarck

[Harry P.]

In my PRIVATE life I do not CARE for being wired into all the social media stuff.

Same here. Aside from this site, I couldn't care less about "social media" stuff like Facebook, Twitter, etc. I have absolutely no interest in that sort of thing.

[bismarck]

Me either. And people taking pictures of their food and posting it?? Really??  The wife facebooks, and some of the stuff she runs across really makes me fear for this country's future.....

Edited April 12, 2016 by bismarck

[Ace-Garageguy]

It's NOT about social media. I don't care social media daily life. It's about managing everything, news, marketing, buying, banking. At 44, if you don't use tech, you'll be stuck career-wise. 

 

Tech's not about social media for you, and it's not about social media for me (other than this site) and it's not about social media for the 70-year old lead mechanic (!) who works in the shop I recently joined (he's highly reliant on his smart-phone to manage his work day too, by the way).

But the 20-something who works in the bay next to me IS all about social media. His device is beeping and buzzing all day long, and he's constantly stopping what he's doing to check in with whoever has the most earth-shattering update about where they had lunch, took a dump, or bought awesome new shoes. All those texts and notifications and RSS feeds and voice-mails probably aren't from his lawyer, real-estate agent, accountant or NASA. Yeah, he uses his device to look up work-related things, but his knowledge-base is so limited, as is his attention span, that he rarely gets the right answer because he goes with the FIRST answer. He keeps his job simply because he's willing to work on greasy stuff relatively cheaply while he learns, and there's just not anyone standing in line to perform skilled work on older vehicles...who's either willing OR competent and certainly not BOTH. Interestingly...and one of the reasons I trend to cut him some slack when he does something idiotic...he's also a model car enthusiast. Not a skilled modeler, but at least he's interested.

Tech is wonderful as a tool. I just found parts for a 1967 Iso Rivolta online that I NEVER would have been able to source otherwise (and one of the reasons the car has been allowed to sit and deteriorate for years). But it is really easy to let it get in the way of living in the here-and-now unless you're driven by something internally to actually accomplish something.

Speaking of which, I have a lot of work I need to focus on. 

[keyser]

No offense, sorry. So many here think tech is solely for social media. 

My life has never permitted me to shut stuff off, for patient availablility, and time zone stuff for other business as you're aware. I'd love to walk away, but even in semi-retirement/chemo for last couple years, I can't. 

I agree facebook is a waste of time, a hobby that's not a hobby. Same thing for twitter. They are useful in business, and are basically an advertising portal and a platform for people who shouldn't have a voice to have a voice (or get elected)

Anyway, lots can be done, and social media isn't what tech is about. 

Funny you mention that Bill, I used to hunt cars and parts with a bag phone, a brutal memory, a fistful of plane tickets, and cash. Good times, but far easier now. 

Post up Rivolta pic somewhere, those things are pretty and really underappreciated. Don't post dump updates. 

[bismarck]

No worries man. Like I said , I'm a self confessed Dinosaur. I use tech as just a tool.I think at one time Bill did post pictures of it quite awhile back.  If  I remember it right, it had a tarp partially covering it,  being held down by a rather disinterested cat. Am I close on that Bill? It was a pretty cool looking project if I recall. A low slung job with rear engine(?).

Edited April 12, 2016 by bismarck

[Ace-Garageguy]

...I think at one time Bill did post pictures of it quite awhile back.  If  I remember it right, it had a tarp partially covering it,  being held down by a rather disinterested cat. Am I close on that Bill? It was a pretty cool looking project if I recall. A low slung job with rear engine(?).

That was my own Beck 550 Porsche Spyder replica. I'll post some pix of the Iso and a couple other interesting pieces we have in over on the "reference" board when I get home.  

[bismarck]

THATS the one!!! That thing was COOL!!!

[unclescott58]

Young people in general aren't joining in on most hobbies we old folk grew up with. A lot full-size car clubs are having trouble getting young people interested there too. It's a different world from the one I grew up in. Is this good? Or is this bad? I don't know. All I can do is enjoy the hobby while I can.

At the same time. With all the new kits and reissues that have come out in the last few years. I'm not so sure why we should be worried. The model companies seem happy with taking us old folks money. The day are are not. Is the day I'll start worrying.

[MrBuick]

It's definitely generational. Being 29, I'm the only person my age I personally know who enjoys this hobby, and most of my friends would rather oogle a boring lambo than enjoy the beauty and history of a classic. However, you have to consider, how many of my generations (millennials) parents raised them on anything other than the internet and a TV? I was limited to one hour a day of TV (or video games, my choice) when I was young...my dad made me go outside and encouraged me to hunt, fish, and do otherwise useful things rather than sit around in front of a screen...however, every friend I have who I've known from very young and spent their youth indoors "interacting" with electronics full time are the ones who now can't get their nose out of their phones. The few others who were raised in a similar environment that I was have less reclusive hobbies and tend to venture away from technology more. I often feel like an outsider at work because I work in IT, but don't play video games or spend my evenings glued to Netflix, and that stuff is about all my co-workers talk about. I remember when I was young we used to participate in Pinewood Derby competitions...I was one of the only people there who got the rectangle block and actually carved something out of it...most everyone else's parent's bought them the pre-made ones that they stuck the pre-calibrated weights on and called it good.