Two hobbies, two demographics. A view from the middle

[Dr. Cranky]

Kyle, thanks for possibly one of the more interesting topics in recent memory here in the general section.

I've been staying up with the discussion.

My take on the whole issue is more personal, I think, in that every thing I've tried to do in my life, I've tried to make a positive impact. Life is short, they say, and at 51 it seems to be getting shorter every day. So you work, you live, you love, and you participate in a hobby you enjoy and hope that others do as well.

I don't stay up at night worrying too much about what is going to happen to the hobby, but I certainly do go out of my way to maybe get others interesting in joining in the fun. I've been a teacher most of my life, and too old now to still believe that everything you teach or preach is going to find its way into everyone. Not everyone will get it, not everyone will retain in, not everyone will thrive because of what you teach them. But I do know that as we walk through this life, we do make deep impacts in others' lives. Family and friends, sometimes complete strangers.

I remember when I first got back into the hobby I picked up books by Pat Covert, Ken Hamilton, Bill Coulter, Terry Jesse (to name a few) and I learned a lot from them. I really did not know if they were still around. Well, I knew they were still around because I started doing my homework, and then I found out that they were still very much an integral, contributing members in the hobby, and that made a world of difference. I sought them out. They were there. They were generous with my questions, with their time.

I will forever remember them, as I think anyone who reads their books will. They've made a positive impact in the hobby, and a heck of a lasting impression. I think it's the organic (and beautiful) exchange between teachers and students over the ages. When we go, we really don't go altogether. Our contributions hopefully will last long after, but if they don't, I would agree with Harry, I don't lose any sleep over it.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Dr. Cranky

[Kaleb]

I'm in that age bracket, to where I want to hold on to the past, and embrace the future. Simply because I'm young enough to do it. Here is the thing I have learned, life goes on regardless if your there or not. Things also pass from us, that's a given. My next statement is for everyone and maybe there is something to it, maybe there is not.

Regardless of what comes and what goes, and what is here to stay. It's not the value of things, its the value of life that is behind us of what it has taught us. We hold onto these things from when we were children, not because of the object itself, but of the life it reminds us of. We don't see the values, and the principles taught for the most part, in the American home anymore. O how I wish that we could go back to the old days, where people were friendlier, could drive better, would lend a hand in a second. And yes go back to the days of the horse and buggy sometimes. It isn't the fact of having those things, its just the fact of how we lived life. It's not that I'm scared for the hobby, because look at it now. I don't know the last time I have seen grass stained knees or muddy children. They are usually inside playing video games or being washed by what they call cartoons now. That's part of my two cents.

[sjordan2]

As has often been mentioned in other threads on this subject, cars are only part of the model kit industry. Real data on market segmentation by subject type, buyer profiles, sales figures, growing or shrinking markets etc., would be very interesting to know. Hobbico probably has such data.

Edited May 15, 2013 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

I have to jump back in here because I've read some comments by people who reacted to my comments in a completely unbelievable way. I don't know what you guys are seeing when you read my comments, but obviously you're seeing things that I not only never said, but never even hinted at.

For example, mspeanut said:

Harry, you don't care what happens when your gone, Really? which means that you don't care what happens to those who you leave behind, I'm not a smart man, but I at my older age I care about my Family that I'll leave behind, you sound like a very hard person, that doesn't care much, hell, I care about our animals when I leave them Home, you can not have people that you Love, and leave them to a unknown future!

Where do I even begin with this nonsense?

What I said was that I don't feel any "duty" to pass on my hobbies to others, and that future generations will choose on their own what they want to spend time doing, without me needing to "pass on" my own personal interests to them. I even told you guys about my experience with my own kids, who all tried model building and all decided it wasn't their thing, and that was perfectly fine. In fact, as it should be... they were free to decide what they were interested in, and building models wasn't one of those things.

From that, mspeanut somehow read that I don't care about my family, I don't care what happens to them after I'm gone, and I'm leaving my kids to an "unknown future."

So because I think that future generations ought to decide for themselves what hobbies they want to participate in, that means I don't care about my kids, or what happens to them? Interesting conclusion you've drawn there, peanut.

For the record, peanut... the future is, by definition, unknown.

As for the rest of your comments... well, like I said, I don't have any idea how you process the written word, but you obviously process it in a way unknown to me.

[johnbuzzed]

"Every generation blames the one before"; sometimes, the blame is passed along to the following generation. It's nobody's fault. We all have contributed to the changes in our lives, lifestyles and world in one way or another, and humans will continue to do so as long as our species exists, wherever it does.

I am happy that my sons are into scale modeling, albeit different subjects. My daughter tried a couple of snap kits way back when; the interest in building didn't last long, but she does appreciate my efforts, as do my sons and my wife. I would like to see my grandchildren involved in the hobby (and I will lump all genres and call it "scale modeling"); so far, my grandson has a few snap kits under his belt (and on the floor and shelves). If at some point, the interest is gone, so be it. It's their decision and not mine. This is "my" hobby and I have no pretensions of needing to pass it along or on to anybody. If a colleague at work, a friend or neighbor should express an interest in building, we'll discuss and I'll offer advice (as I have done in the past). That's it. Times change, so do people and interests. One day, we'll probably find that those popular electronic devices which seem to captivate young and old alike today will become passe and those who are "into" them will bemoan the loss, but the world will go on, as it will if scale modeling, as a hobby, should fade away.

[Rob Hall]

This thread has gone off the rails into an incoherent mess of off-topic directions.

[martinfan5]

This thread has gone off the rails into an incoherent mess of off-topic directions.

And it only took three pages for it to happen

[ToyLvr]

I guess the mods will move it to the new off-topic column. ;-)

FWIW, I say "ditto" to mspeanut's comments....

[sjordan2]

This thread has gone off the rails into an incoherent mess of off-topic directions.

And it only took three pages for it to happen

I've gone back through the thread and I don't see anything that doesn't relate directly to the Original Post, in spite of a bit of contentiousness. It may have taken a slight detour, but I don't think it's off the rails. Virtually all replies reference appealing to younger generations. From the original post:

"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". "

Edited May 15, 2013 by sjordan2

[Rob Hall]

I've gone back through the thread and I don't see anything that doesn't relate directly to the Original Post, in spite of a bit of contentiousness. It may have taken a slight detour, but I don't think it's off the rails.

See posts #41, 42, 45, 47...off-topic ramblings.

[sjordan2]

See posts #41, 42, 45, 47...off-topic ramblings.

I'm not going to go back and nitpick, but I would say that posts 63, 64 and 65 now substantiate your position.

Edited May 15, 2013 by sjordan2

[Danno]

See posts #41, 42, 45, 47...off-topic ramblings.

And 59 and 64.

[sjordan2]

And 59 and 64.

And 66 & 67.

Edited May 15, 2013 by sjordan2

[Danno]

And 66 & 67.

And we anxiously await 69!

[Harry P.]

And 69?

[Danno]

Winner, winner! Chicken dinner.

[Brett Barrow]

If this is a dying hobby, I hope I'm doing this good when I'm on my deathbed. I don't think it's ever been better from the POV of a hard-core hobbyist, especially when you factor in all genres of modeling, there are now armor, airplane, and ship kits I never thought I'd see in long-run injection styrene, and sci-fi is just plain-out exploding, despite all the present-day licensing we thought would kill that segment when it started. The American model car companies certainly took it on the chin about 10 years or so back, but that was mainly due to their toy-company owners at the time and focus on supplying the whims of big-box stores and those types of consumers. Now that they've come out of that period and are all now under more hobby-focused ownership I think they're in a stronger position than when they went in, especially Revell since Hobbico bought them. If we can get AMT/MPC and now Lindberg making new tooling under Round2's stewardship we might just enter into a new golden age. Considering there was a huge global recession and record-setting yen-to-dollar exchange rates over the past handful of years, it's surprising we're in as good of shape as we are. The hobby industry beat it's own pre-recession growth estimates which came as a pretty big shock to most of us when the last state-of-the-hobby survey numbers came out a couple years back.

[stillnotpc]

If you want to see the future of modeling, just go to model train show. It is attended mostly by men in their late 60's and up. That's what they grew up with. Those of us in the mid 50 to 60 age range grew up with plastic models. Yes, modeling will probably only continue to become more of a niche hobby. Just look at the volume of each subject model produced. In the 60's one single model sold a million units. Now it is more like tens of thousands at the very best, most are much lower. As for as younger generations interest is concerned, the average age of teens getting their drivers license is steadily going up. More and more they see cars only as appliances. A lot of the interest by younger people is in foreign cars. That's what they grew up with. Times have always changed and they will continue to do so long after all of us are gone. We are lucky to have as much being offered as we currently have. If their was really enough interest for newer subjects, the most likely be produced.

[dig]

1st of all, my apologies for not being a larger part of this group. Because of user friendliness, I tend to hang on the Facebook modeler groups. I was googling model car demographics out of curiosity & was just pondering the same thing & totally agree.

Catering to the next generation is huge. Sure those of us deep in the hobby can & will find all of the hard to find parts, spend 3-10x the amount of the original kit cost to get the results we desire. But those generating their interest would definitely benefit from having something cool right out of the box.

& to those who share the "who cares" mentality,wow.. narrow minded! I guess since you guys are already catered to, you can feel that way. Makes sense I guess. All the more reason to cater to the next generation.

[mrknowetall]

I have three kids–two daughters and a son. They're all adults now, but trust me... they started out as kids... Anyway, when they were young, they all wanted to build model cars. Probably not so much because they had an actual interest in doing that, but more likely because they saw me doing it and they wanted to be like dad.

The girls built maybe one or two models before they both just said "eh," and gave up. My son stuck with it longer, he built maybe 8-10 models before he, too, dropped it.

I never tried to "pass on" my interests to them. Sure, I probably could have insisted that we all build models together, and I'm sure I could have kept their "interest" in model building going on for months, maybe even years. But I didn't want to tell my kids what they are "supposed" to be interested in. My interests included model cars, but that obviously wasn't true for them... and left to make their own choices, they all chose to drop model cars and pursue other interests. Which illustrates my point–that everyone should be left to decide for themselves what they are interested in. If that includes model cars, fine. And if not... fine, too! It's not my duty to impart my interests onto others. And it's not my duty to try and "pass on" my interests to the next generation. That's why I always wonder why so many people seem to have the idea that they are somehow supposed to make sure that building models gets passed on to the next generation. I say let the next generation decide for themselves what they want to pursue as a hobby.

I'd have to agree. My son was always exposed to some form of modeling in our house, mostly because of me. My primary interest has always been automotive modeling, but I did tinker with model railroading for a while. I encouraged him to try modeling, but never "pushed". In the final analysis. he's more of an outdoor kind of guy, and is happiest with a big kite strapped to his back, sailing over a lake or ocean somewhere. So be it.

Hobbies evolve, and future generations might be making their own "kits" with 3-D printers.

[Tom Geiger]

I'd have to agree. My son was always exposed to some form of modeling in our house, mostly because of me. My primary interest has always been automotive modeling, but I did tinker with model railroading for a while. I encouraged him to try modeling, but never "pushed". In the final analysis. he's more of an outdoor kind of guy, and is happiest with a big kite strapped to his back, sailing over a lake or ocean somewhere. So be it.

I have two daughters, each who built a model when they were young. I think it was more to do something with dad, than the hobby. Dave Burket (Model King) has twin sons, neither of them ever took an interest in cars or models! But his daughter did some of his early box art.