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Female scale modellers, do they exist?


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CapCon 2001 here in Ottawa is now past history but to add to this we had 2 young ladies, sisters, sweep the Junior Cars category!!!

Very true, and there were two women in the figures category (I think it was that category) who swept it. To be honest, I don't see why there are not more out there.

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To be honest, I don't see why there are not more out there.

I was looking at the contest rules a while back, and "modeling" seems to cover a pretty wide swath of activities. Most of us are into tanks, ships, airplanes, and autos, but is there anything you can build a model of that won't fit somewhere in the IPMS contest rules? Didn't someone even make a kit of the Eiffel tower once?

http://www.ipmsusa.org/NCC/Rules_2011.htm

I don't see why women aren't building models of what interests them. We've got armor dioramas with tanks rolling through demolished city streets, but why couldn't someone build a diorama of a scene from "Under the Tuscan Sun", "Grey's Anatomy", or even the summer camp they went to as a kid or their family reunion or something?

Anime figure modeling like they do in Japan could bring in so many more kids...

I also don't see why railroad modelers don't come to IPMS shows. I've seen the weathering they do on their cars and locomotives at a recent train show and some of it is spectacularly good. If we can have a model of Anzio Annie, why not a model of a box car sitting on a side spur? Come to think of it, those guys entire hobby is devoted almost entirely diorama building. City streets, farms, hillsides...A diorama of crop picking time in a grove. Somebody combining a field. A guy and his girl riding together on the tractor tilling the field. Somebody hanging laundry up on a line in the back yard. A barn full of animals. A veterinary hospital. Cat in a tree.

I go to these shows and I can't help think it's like we've got blinders on. This could appeal to a much wider base than it does. I don't think I've ever met any woman that wasn't into some kind of crafting. Why not more of this? It'd be interesting to see what they can come up with.

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Working from my sometimes erratic memory.......

Jodie Peeler; airliners and cars and a seminar presenter at the Atlanta Nats in '05

Mandie; aircraft builder from right here at ARC

Shannon DiMaulo; terrific builder of street rods and hot rods

Jackie Cheyenne; an excellent builder of factory stock cars, even though wheelchair bound

Su Moran; able assistant to Allan Buttrick's Airfix building and now branching off into model railroad style structures

Janet Hein; top quality modeler of almost anything and a regular attendee of midwest contests

Danielle Lang; aircraft modeler from the antipodes and poster on HS and Aussiemodeler

It's been my observation that women are very good at detail work and if they try this hobby and enjoy it they can become top modelers.

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And, women that date builders don't have to worry where we are. "Yea, he's down in the basement working on a tank or something. Any idea where your husband is tonight?"

True enough, Sir. My Divine Wife is always very understanding when I disappear for ages to the RAF Museum at Hendon, or for a day out at Duxford. Then there are the overnighters for Telford, or the FAA Museum at Yeovilton -all things which would bore the uninitiated witless, far less lead them to question your whereabouts...

:evil-laughter: !

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I was wondering why there aren't more.

... Why go to a meat market bar or club where you have to compete against 50 smoking hot women when you can go to a LHS and have practically any guy there without even trying? I really don't get killing yourself to win something that's easily free and readily available...

LOL, well dude as much as I hate to admit this, but ummm..have you looked around the hobby shops? We ain't exactly the coolest guys around if you know what I mean. I was rather relunctant to tell my now wife about my hobby until I was sure she was ok with me being a dork...then I broke it to her gently that on top of being a dork, I build and collect little plastic toys that I obsess over "getting it right". It took her a while to accept, but she's come to terms. I don't think I could have sold it from date one though.. :whistle:

Bill

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Last year I met Tasha from UK, here on ARC... She makes Concordes in 1/72 scale as piece of cake!

Sadly she's not active here anymore...

And I would love to see Bonehammer73's Su-30MKK in 1/48 scale further progress... pray.gif

Edited by supergru
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I am a 66 year old grandmother of 2, (#3 due in 2 weeks), that has been married to an active modeler for 47 years. I have fully supported his hobby for various reasons, including it keeps him at home, it is very theraputic for him, I enjoy his successes and the pleasure that he receives from building and completing each model. About 4 years ago, I decided to try my hand at building a model. I had previously done many years of sewing and other crafts, so I figured it should be within my capability. I have really enjoyed these projects and just wish that I had started a long time ago.

Grandma L

My first model was a 1/48 AMT Mig-15

DSCN0972.jpg

#2 was a 1/72 Airfix F-84F

DSCN2398.jpg

#3 was a 1/72 Revell F-89J

DSCN2490.jpg

#4 was a 1/72 Italeri RF-84F

100_1938.jpg

#5 was a 1/72 Monogram SR-71

100_1803.jpg

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LOL, well dude as much as I hate to admit this, but ummm..have you looked around the hobby shops? We ain't exactly the coolest guys around if you know what I mean. I was rather relunctant to tell my now wife about my hobby until I was sure she was ok with me being a dork...then I broke it to her gently that on top of being a dork, I build and collect little plastic toys that I obsess over "getting it right". It took her a while to accept, but she's come to terms. I don't think I could have sold it from date one though.. :whistle:

Bill

No doubt. It's like saying, "Hey, there are a ton of chicks that love to shop for clothes, maybe I'll go hang out at the department store to pick one up!"

And yeah, building models has its benefits but it's still a relatively solitary hobby.

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LOL, well dude as much as I hate to admit this, but ummm..have you looked around the hobby shops? We ain't exactly the coolest guys around if you know what I mean.

Feel free to speak for yourself :woot.gif:

Ken (one of the coolest guys around)

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I was rather relunctant to tell my now wife about my hobby until I was sure she was ok with me being a dork...then I broke it to her gently that on top of being a dork, I build and collect little plastic toys that I obsess over "getting it right". It took her a while to accept, but she's come to terms. I don't think I could have sold it from date one though.. :whistle:

Bill

No issues here from Lori. Her brother has built model cars since he was young, so she was quite used to the whole model building hobby well before we started dating.

She actively encouraged me to join a club and supports my hobby strongly. Just as I support her miniature painting hobby.

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No issues here from Lori. Her brother has built model cars since he was young, so she was quite used to the whole model building hobby well before we started dating.

She actively encouraged me to join a club and supports my hobby strongly. Just as I support her miniature painting hobby.

Actually I was just exagerrating. My wife really is great and does understand...ok, maybe she doesn't understand and I get the occasional eye-roll thing, but she's never really given me a hard time. The only flak I get is when I'm buying another kit of the same type. In other words, I bought the Academy 1/32 f-18. She noticed I had a couple of 1/48 scale Hasagawa f-18's (various types) and the revell F-18F. she didn't understand that just because I had some, didn't mean I wouldn't want another. Wait til I tell her I want another 1/72 scale space shuttle...her eyes are going to be tired from rolling so much! :woot.gif:

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No doubt. It's like saying, "Hey, there are a ton of chicks that love to shop for clothes, maybe I'll go hang out at the department store to pick one up!"

Actually, I know a guy who does that. He sorta comes across effeminate at first when he approaches, moving into giving them fashion advice and helping them choose stuff (which kind of reminds me of the stereotypical girl's "gay" friends like you'd see in a movie), then becomes gradually straighter the more relaxed they get. I've never seen him pull that and not have it work. It's sorta like getting them used to the fact that he's a guy or something. It's really remarkable to see in action.

Edited by redwoodmodels
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My GF dosent my my modeling addiction as long as its covered by MY bank account!!

I did build her the Iron maden jet that made here happy but she dosent want them anywhere displayed in the house apart from my office.

I do manage once i a while to get her to give me some opinions on my WIP and most of the time its really useful to get a outside source(i.e not an aviation nut) comment. But I do have to comply to any request on her part to comment on her paintings (she the I can but you cant type of love)

Cheers

Neo

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