Model Building Stereotypes

[Tom Geiger]

I hadn't seen this one in a while!

`We are the Rodney Dangerfield of hobbies! When I've told people that I build models, the reactions have varied over the years. Some try to comprehend and ask if I mean radio control cars, or other motorized cars, which leaves me to explain it. I'll tell them that yes, I build the same model cars we did as kids, but now it's a very detailed adult driven hobbies with national shows and tons of high tech advances. When I show people some of my work, most are pretty well convinced that it's a respectable hobby.

[cobraman]

That picture is funny as heck. I have never seen that before.

[rel14]

You think model building is something,, You should hear them when i tell them, I'm a Ghost Hunter,

( do what you love, and love what you do.)

[cobraman]

I would guess that most of the people here have at least one other hobby.

[Guest]

Hey! I'm a Trekkie and a model car builder!

Scott

Same here.

[Guest]

Also, if people and your so called friends don't like your hobby, who cares!? You may not like theirs either.

[Evilbenny]

I feel we all get lumped into a stereotype due to the actions of a small group of people in our hobby. I've been attending model swapmeets and contests for the last decade or so and one thing that they all have in common is the oddball guy in the group. You all know him and will avoid him as best you can once he is identified. He is usually the socially awkward middle aged guy who has terrible body odor, unkempt hair, breathes through his mouth and stands way too close to you when talking. If this describes you please stop. Bathe before going out in public and schedule more social activities outside of your model room to learn proper social skills.

[tbill]

well, as I said, I do my own thing, so I cannot wait to see the looks on faces when I start to build the doll house I have stashed!

seriously, have you folks seen the cool stuff for doll house builds in a Hobby Lobby??? not to mention the cool free printable stuff on line for all manner of accessories! I don't play with dolls, but the houses and all the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH you can get for them intrigues me.

if it piques my interest, i'm doin it [as mentioned, if it's legal, and it doesn't hurt anyone ], and I don't care what anyone thinks about it.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The fear of not being accepted is what triggers people to be judgemental about others hobbies. They just do not want to people to think less of them so they throw the muck on you so that no one is looking at them.

There's a lot of truth in that, and...

Many MANY people, and young people in particular (yes, I can remember that far back) seem to have a desperate need to fit in with their peers. It becomes a herd thing, and everybody wants to be trying to do what everybody else is doing, and making fun of those who do something different. But TRYING to be "cool" is the guaranteed absolutely best way to be not-cool.

If you're interested in a creative and technically demanding hobby like modeling, you're already ahead of the game. You will be someone who actually DOES things, as opposed to some boring me-too twit who tries to follow all the latest trends and goes along to get along.

Know and follow your own head, your own likes and dislikes, your own mind, your own taste in everything, even your own ethics and moral code., and you will be that rarest of all things these days...an individual.

[Tom Geiger]

We are artists, no different than those who paint, draw, etch, compose, quilt... we are creative people. Not everyone is, and those who aren't have a difficult time understanding the concept. At the very least, I have a hobby that I enjoy. That's more than many people can say.

Amen. Model builders are artists, thinkers and creators. People who would rather build their visions with their hands than sit and watch TV. I once had a guy ask me if I had any hobbies on a job interview. He seemed impressed with my answer. My career coach told me that employers will ask that question because they have found that people with hobbies are well rounded, make good decisions, and make better employees.

[kitbash1]

i march to the beat of my own drum, not real interested if someone doesn't like what i do on my own time.

having said that, most people that find out i build, often comment that they did it as a kid, then when they see what i have built they think it's cool.

I myself never did or do give a rats behind what anyone thinks. That's their problem not mine. I also don't judge what others may choose for a hobby. If they enjoy it whatever it is, good for them.

My thoughts exactly. This is how I view my place in this hobby.

[pharoah]

Other people might think modelers are nerdy, but I'll tell you one thing - Modelers are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

[Pete J.]

Model builder, miniaturist, artist, table top machinist, museum display builder, commercial artist, historic diorama artist. All things you can call those who participate in our hobby. We do things that are far beyond the nerd buried in the basement for hours on end playing video games that have no tangible evidence of success.

I look at the people I know that build models and they are about as far from being nerds as I can think of. Business owner retired(owned a BMW repair shop), Rocket scientist(well respected engineer at JPL), Auto mechanic, Race car builder, the list goes on.

One little story. In the 70's the first job I tackled out of college was US Air Force pilot. Flying fast moving multiengined jet aircraft with guns and bombs attached is about as far from the image of a nerd as I can think of. Pilot training was 53 weeks long and three phases. In the middle of each phase, the flight commander would hold a model aircraft building competition. There was no prize, just bragging rights, but just about everyone joined in the fun. The ultimate result was a ceiling full of plastic aircraft. A bunch of nerds? No, not really.

[slusher]

I have gone through the same stigma from others before too. My wife never understood the love of the hobby life but women like doing crafts?...so whats the difference right? My wife now understands to a point what all it can take to build and the work that goes into it....its a art form with a high level of skill to make a few pieces of plastic look like a replica of the real thing or ones version of. My 69 Plymouth 4door wagon I made under my photobucket here in my profile took a month to do just the body alone...she was very enlightened at the amount of real work involved to do it starting from a 68 GTX kit.

#1...build for yourself it only has to make you the builder happy.

#2...never let anyone keep you from what you love to do.

#3...modeling is how the real car manufacturers come up with the new body styles of real cars/trucks.

#4...its not just for kids but all ages...build because you love to.

Well said, Mark

Other people might think modelers are nerdy, but I'll tell you one thing - Modelers are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

So true, John

[Tom Geiger]

To add a thought... model building is my sanity...

The other day I got a new kit and couldn't wait to start it. So yesterday morning, I cleared off my bench and started my Trabant wagon. Just the morning of carefully removing the parts from the sprue and cleaning them up relaxed me so much that my little aches and pains went away. I came out of the room happy, with a sense I accomplished something, mentally refreshed and ready to enjoy the evening out with my wife.

You can't beat that feeling!

[MADDOG]

I am almost 40.... I spend my free time watching cartoons and animes, old action movies or kung-fu movies. I have RC cars , action figures, video games, airsoft guns.... and I enjoy pencil drawing. I do feel like I am a bit childish. When I was younger, (late teens, early 20's) I was a little ashamed of my hobbies. But one day, I don't know when, I just stopped caring what anyone thought about me.

But even with all of these fun things I have to play with..... my son and daughter still thing I am a dork. Having the support of my wife tho.... thats a huge plus. It makes me feel so much better when shes seems happy I found a kit I want to build, instead of getting mad at me for spending money on a model car.

[mikemodeler]

Over the years I have had other hobbies but came back to model building when I decided I needed something that could be done while my children were small.

I used to play softball and buying new shoes and maybe a bat every season added up, not to mention the Aleve and bandages for the scrapes! Playing a couple of nights a week also meant some bar tabs that today would equal 3-4 kits a week, BEFORE the Hobby Lobby coupon!

I also bowled in a league, and 36 weeks of bowling times $25 a night added up too.

Now, my wife likes to check on me and asks what car I am working on, and when I explain "all of them!" she looks at my bench and says "How do you know what goes where?"

The upside is that she developed a summer camp for our YMCA that is called "Build It" and one day is spent building the Revell '34 Ford snap kit! She got the inspiration for it from me and I got a leftover kit last month! The kids love it and several will be in the class again next week after being in it last month.

Yeah, some look at us as nerds but some friends of mine who are excellent bodymen, mechanics and painters all built kits when they were little.

[heinz74]

i never consider myself a nerd,,far from it..

i'm always curious about the way things work or are put together..

i get a kick out of developing skills and know how..and that's not soulely in moddeling ,just about anything i see i wanna know about

couple of years back i could not have imagined building the last large scales like i did recently..

by learning looking and trying ..you constantly develope as a person..

if it's restoring a real car or building as correctly in scale as possible ,learning to ski,riding high power motorcycles or even play drums..those are things that make you more of a 'rich' person..

i'm 40 years old and in a way ..still 16 years old..i could not see me sitting in a retirement home playing Bingo ..ever..

i wanna learn at least another foreign language..i still want to build a 3 series BMW with a M5 engine in it ...and build models..

even if people think i'm a nerd or a freak...

i just don't care...live your life full ..not half assed because you are afraid what other people think..

and in a way..you'll never satisfy everbody at the same time..

[teardrop96]

I was 10 when I would be allowed to watch my brother build cars. We could rarely afford them. I didn't build my own til I got married and was able to afford to buy kits.i was around age 21. Then life happened, divorce, alcoholism, any thing that would hit the fan, I experienced it. I mention that I did a tour in RVN with the First Team in 1970. I started building again in 2008, then the woman I was married to started complaining, and threatening to go out dancing without me, if I didn't stop building. Guess what I am still building, and I see her every now and then, just by accident. I am in a relationship with a Lady from Costa Rica, and she supports this 62 year old "kid" in my hobby. She even picked out a Camaro she wanted built. She also helps me with body colors. I am proud to say I am 25 years sober, and I am a Army veteran, and if somebody doesn't like it-well lets talk about it. I can still turn 18. Keep building...

[Dragfreak]

Being 15, and a teenager in todays world, if my friends found out I "play" with little cars I'd get laughed at. Only my close friends who come hangout at my house know I build models and they don't really care, they know I'm into cars and drag racing so they think it's just part of what I do. Besides them, nobody knows about my model building, its like living life in the witness protection program, I keep it all under wraps because I don't want to have to deal with that. Yeah I shouldn't really care about what people think, but being a kid in todays world is much different, every body judges each other and bullies are everywhere. It's just part of being a kid in today's world.

[unclescott58]

I don't drink, use drugs, chase women, or do anything illegal. I take care of my adult responsibilities. Who am I hurting by building model cars? Plus now as I tell people, I now have the money to be the kid I wanted to be when I was a kid. I'm as happy as most people I know. My life today is pretty darn good. And I have lots of good friends. Many who build model cars like I do. So again, the heck with what anybody else thinks, if they think what I do is childish. How happy are they in their so call "adult" life?

Scott

Edited July 26, 2014 by unclescott58

[kitbash1]

I feel we all get lumped into a stereotype due to the actions of a small group of people in our hobby. I've been attending model swapmeets and contests for the last decade or so and one thing that they all have in common is the oddball guy in the group. You all know him and will avoid him as best you can once he is identified. He is usually the socially awkward middle aged guy who has terrible body odor, unkempt hair, breathes through his mouth and stands way too close to you when talking. If this describes you please stop. Bathe before going out in public and schedule more social activities outside of your model room to learn proper social skills.

And move out of your parents basement !!!!

[charlie8575]

Being 15, and a teenager in todays world, if my friends found out I "play" with little cars I'd get laughed at. Only my close friends who come hangout at my house know I build models and they don't really care, they know I'm into cars and drag racing so they think it's just part of what I do. Besides them, nobody knows about my model building, its like living life in the witness protection program, I keep it all under wraps because I don't want to have to deal with that. Yeah I shouldn't really care about what people think, but being a kid in todays world is much different, every body judges each other and bullies are everywhere. It's just part of being a kid in today's world.

That's kind of a sad state of affairs.

When I was fifteen and in high school (1990-91, graduated in 1993,) all of my friends knew I built models- evidenced by having copies of Model Car Journal, Scale Auto Enthusiast, Plastic Fanatic, and Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman and Fine Scale Modeler with me most of the time for use in study or at times when I once again outpaced most of my classmates (and occasionally the teacher!) Except for a couple of other guys, nobody really got it, but everyone thought it was a good thing that I had something to do outside of school- just as well, as outside of school, I didn't really exist, or so it seemed.

At my class reunion last Thanksgiving, a lot of people asked me "do you still do that?" "Yes, I do, and I'm trying to start a business manufacturing kits and accessories. For better or worse, it's become more of an adult hobby, but in the long term, I'd like to do stuff that'll interest younger kids and teenagers, too." The universal answers were:

1. This doesn't surprise me at all. Go get 'em!

2. I think it's awesome. You've done this all your life, and I remember you talked about doing that for work in high school, too. Go for it!

3. Pursue your dreams- we're all here behind you. (And they are. I think I have the best classmates in recorded history.)

Idea for you, Jason. Talk to your teachers (art or industrial arts are probably good places to start,) and consider starting a craft and hobby club. I think you'd be surprised at how many kindred spirits you have. When you, as a club can stand up to these hecklers, a lot of them change their tunes- and PDQ. Take it from someone who has experience doing that at your age.

Charlie Larkin

[Dirt Demon]

I too have run into my fair share of people that think the hobby I love is kinda childish. You know what......I could care less what they think. Im 48 years old and still a kid at heart at what I do. When these people have seen what I have built and the awards Ive won, well lets just say....they feel kinda stupid for what they said in the first place.With all of that being said..... then you have friends or so-called friends that also build, but are jealous of what you build and your skills. I had a friend that I used to go to model shows with. Every show that we went to.... on the way home.....all he did was complain..because he got beat by this one or that one. It got really old fast. Having an attitude like that takes all the fun out of the hobby. Its suppose to be fun.....I mean... if you win or lose, who cares. I told him build for yourself, not what a judges would like to see. Its what you like and what makes you happy. Well....... I'm no longer friends with this person....and glad I dont have to listen to the complaining because he lost out to whoever..lol!

The bottom line is this........Enjoy this hobby that you are in, and dont let the negative people drag you down because of what you like to do. Model shows are a great place to meet new people and exchange ideas as well as maybe learn something new. Heck, at 48, Im still learning new things. Happy Modeling everyone!

Edited July 26, 2014 by Dirt Demon

[moparfarmer]

I still build although not much since my stoke in 1998..Lots of the car guys in Winnipeg still build or have built and keep their models..A friend of mine in the Street Rod club who I went to school with, and traded and sold kits to when we were in hi school...He still has about 10 of the kits I did back then..Asked if I wanted them when he cleaned house and I said You bet..We still talk models and cars as do most of the car guys in our city when we get together...