In your opinion; What has really changed the hobby?

[Tom Geiger]

A $25 kit is most likely being sold for $12.50 on a wholesale level. If the model company sells 25,000 @ $12.50 each, that totals about $312,500 in gross revenue. They still have production, tooling, overhead, salaries, etc. to pay out of that gross.

Tooling alone can be more than your project gross revenue.

[Jeff Johnston]

Hands down...the internet.

[Deathgoblin]

Gotta say the internet and computers. The internet itself is indispensable for research, discovering new kits, learning new techniques, etc. I may not have gotten back into the hobby if it hadn't been for the internet. My first car kit in recent years was a glue bomb of an Aston Martin DB4 that I picked up on Ebay. The kit didn't make it, but it got me back into the hobby. And computers in general. I think the newer kits that are so detailed wouldn't be possible without them.

[GeeBee]

For me it has to be the Internet, many years ago if I was building a model that I didn't have any photos or reference material on the model I was building, I would go out and buy a new book on the subject, now I pop the info' I want into Google and I can now find any photo I need plus all the info' I need on factory colour codes so I can get the correct paint mixed up, plus the Internet has out mm e in touch with some great modellers here on mcm.

The 'net has also given me access to many 'how to' articles and compared to pre internet days I'm now using BMF, flocking and way more techniques than I thought possible.

Also it has made buying model kits from overseas so much easier, all done with a click of a few buttons, I can buy kits and pay for them without the need for expensive phone calls, the last couple of kits I've bought have come from Burbank hobbies straight to my door in less than a week.

[kitbash1]

​The ability to cast resin parts at home, the internet, the aftermarket and ebay.

Edited February 16, 2014 by kitbash1

[jas1957]

Everyone has brought up very good points here, in my mind the biggest change since I started building in '68-'69 is that the hobby is almost totally an adult thing now. Then it was almost exclusively a child/ youth pastime. That change has enabled many of the other changes. The aftermarket & such, as adults mostly have more disposable income than a twelve year old.

[Ace-Garageguy]

For me, the most important influence on the hobby has to be the web. In my distant youth, I had to wait for tech and reference articles to come in the monthly subscriptions, and was limited in kits, parts, paint and material availability by what the LHS had on the shelves.

I've only been building again since about 2006 or so, and the instant access to every kit imaginable, plus 1:1 reference material and modeling tech info from this excellent site and others has completely transformed my experience.

The ability to interact with other modelers all over the world, also instantly, sharing information, techniques and interests has created much more of a community spirit, in my mind anyway.

EDIT: Actually, Dave Ambrose said it all for me in post #73. I shoulda read it.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tom Geiger]

Everyone has brought up very good points here, in my mind the biggest change since I started building in '68-'69 is that the hobby is almost totally an adult thing now. Then it was almost exclusively a child/ youth pastime.

Nothing's changed! Today's modelers are the very same kids that you built with in '68-69! Only we got bigger, older and grayer! Same audience!

[jas1957]

Unfortunately the most of the youth who followed us have little interest in model building.

[ratdoggy]

Everyone has brought up very good points here, in my mind the biggest change since I started building in '68-'69 is that the hobby is almost totally an adult thing now. Then it was almost exclusively a child/ youth pastime. That change has enabled many of the other changes. The aftermarket & such, as adults mostly have more disposable income than a twelve year old.

I find that it's a LOT easier on an adults income than a paper route. I didn't really have to think twice about buying an airbrush or a Dremel. When I started I was painting with Q-Tips. I just counted that I have a backlog of $500 worth of kits (bought over time and don't tell my wife )

[Tom Geiger]

Unfortunately the most of the youth who followed us have little interest in model building.

True / Not True depending on who you talk with. There are more young guys building than we know. Keep in mind our little club buys maybe 5% of all kits sold. There's another 95% of unidentified people out there buying and hopefully building those kits.

I think one of the questions is, have we invited them to our party? We all know when you go to a model show it's mostly old guys. I haven't seen that much gray hair since I went to a Who concert! If I was a young guy, I think I'd be intimidated or at least not feeling welcome at this event. In NJ there is a club that's mainly young guys in their late teens and twenties.. called Diversified Scalerz. They build mostly modern subjects that they relate to. They are a nice respectful and friendly group of guys. And in our association with them we will have a Modern Sport category at NNL East this year, the first time we've added a category in my memory. Why? Well we felt that if this hobby is to continue, we have to bring in young blood and make them feel welcome.

I also think that as car modeling becomes more high tech with 3D CAD and 3D printing, it will become more interesting to younger folks who are more technical and computer oriented.

[jas1957]

Well said Tom, I'm trying to figure out how do we track the younger folks down & get them involved with what we are doing ? I'd be thrilled if 10 or 20 guys without grey hair showed up at the Toledo NNL this fall.

[1930fordpickup]

John and Tom. Every time I see a parent buying a kit I tell them of the Web Site and the NNL show. I did this just last week, they thanked me and smiled . I try to keep it short and sweet.

If we do not tell people about the sire they might not look for it.