Model Clubs

[John1955]

When you were a school kid, was there a model club there? At my grade school, they had one and meetings were held in the basement of the old building. For some reason, I didn't join it until I was in third grade, I can't remember if that was because it didn't exist until then or if I simply didn't know about it. In any case, it was a strange area to have plastic kits since the boiler room was down there as well. The kits were kept on a wall as far as possible from that noisy beast though, the school had steam heat and had those big radiators in the classrooms. (Since there was no cafeteria, we brought lunches our moms packed and warmed up stuff on the radiators). 

The teacher who chaired the model club did so in his own time most of the time and also spent his own money on glue and paint for us. The principal was in the club as well and bought supplies sometimes. When I was in fourth grade, a girl asked to join and was accepted (my little sister). We were lectured on the safe use of model glue and paint, how to brush and spray paint and Mr. Slebodniksy used to yell "PATIENCE, PATIENCE, TAKE YOUR TIME, ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY!" It irritated him when we made glue bombs, LOL. By the time she was in the fourth grade, my little sister was building better models than most of the boys were. 

By then, I was in another school, junior high (7th grade), and there was a model club there, too, I joined it but quit shortly afterward because I seemed to be the only one there into strictly stock builds plus it interfered with my participation on the school's sports teams. By high school (grades 10-12), no model club existed in any school in our entire district. I kind of stayed in sports a bit (a team mate was Joe Montana), then lost interest because I had an after school job and between that, school and building models at home, who had time for sports? 
 

[peteski]

Growing up in Poland in the early '70s there was a model club in my elementary school. But not plastic models of any kind, but stick-and-tissue modal airplanes.  The ones that fly.  No radio control though - just either gliders or control line.  I build couple gliders, but I was also into model RR at the time (on my own).  Model trains were not as easily damaged (crash).

[Rodent]

No model car club, but a 7th-8th grade science teacher sponsored a model rocket club. Yes, some of the model rockets were glue-bombs. We didn't have a huge amount of room, so we were limited to "A" engines.

[Snake45]

No model clubs of any kind at any school I attended, but in Elementary School, one month a year, the main display case at the building's entrance would be filled with student-built model airplanes. I can't remember specifics but I think I contributed a few a couple of years. 

I don't remember if there were other model types--cars, tanks, ships, trains, etc--just airplanes. There might have been a couple rockets too. 

[Tom Geiger]

Junior high school, we actually had a period called Hobbies.  I was in the model club of course. We built an hour a week, there was the issue of packing up stuff with wet glue and paint to put back in your locker. We had a display at end of the year.

[stitchdup]

All the clubs at my school were for sports, but I did find a book on buulding rail dioramas that i must have read every lunch time. I tried to start a model club locally a couple a years ago but everyone that turned up just wanted to buy expensive diecast trucks and had no interest in building them so it seemed a little pointless. I might try again next year as I've noticed the army model kits at my local record shop have been selling pretty well the past year so there must be some interest