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Hobby Shops and plastic aircraft


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My local  Hobby shop has been around for forty years ! From a boy to an old man I've seen things come and go.Now I see a heart breaking thing. plastic model kits are being pushed out of the store.Being replaced by Drones and r/c cars (r/c planes just holding on) I do know that web shopping is taking out stores and web sites like this one are the new( shoot the bull place to go),but really! no comparison to going down to the hobby shop were a good crowd would be, just to see whats in the display case and what new kit came in.I asked the owner of the hobby shop if I could bring in some finished kits to show in the shop the other day..And what I got is "Sorry no room for that stuff".(he did have room) it's more the fact that they haven't any interest in models.Again I know things have changed,but you know there is a loss! a loss of local hobbyists coming together, of histories of the models and of the youth who would in awe look at the models when they went in with there dads and later would take up the torch in building kits.I guess i'm just getting old.and feeling dejected!  Cheers Bill

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We can all relate to those memories of going into the stores. And it's sad they have a difficult time keeping up with the changing dynamic of the industry. But overall plastic modeling is booming.  We've never had so many choices! And it's very, very popular in Asia and Europe. Have faith, it will be good for many years to come. 

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 Yes! when I was living in japan it was different and when i grew up in northern Va. but now I'm in a state were things are diffrent. (Mayberry)! the other is education, most people interested in history and or aircraft move out of the area. My nearest I.P.M.S. is 2 hours away. The one thing that has changed here is the milatry base, it's no longer here,but that was over ten years ago.I know that living in the desert you shouldn't complain about not having water. but I do feel the hobby is not as evenly spread across the population.as it was in the 60s and 70s.   We are now a specialized group          Cheers Bill

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I don't know if I too am getting old and grumpy , but I find that I sympathise with baronred3. The loss of the LHS is a problem to me, kits can certainly be ordered via the net, although ridiculous postage is killing that avenue as well. A $10.00 kit and $45.00 to post from the US for example. The main worry that I have is the staples and their lack of availability, for example I find a need for some Humbrol  Polished Aluminium and Dull Aluminium paint for a current project. As far as I know there are only three shops within a reasonable drive of my home and all are out of stock of this and many other colours in Tamiya and  Revell as well. On enquiry, the stock answer is usually "When the Traveller comes in I will order some" or "It's not a big seller Nowadays" and many overseas stockists will not ship paint and cement etc. I am afraid that I am a bit of an impulse builder and not organized enough to plan ahead and shop on line to gather all the paint and decals and so on. that I am going to need in the future. I NEED IT NOW!.  As for the opinion that we have never had it better, I am even doubtful there, having seen recently that Airfix are releasing a new RAF version of the B-17 and Hobby Boss a  new C-47 / DC-3, the initial rush of excitement was soon tempered with the sobering thought of "What the hell will they cost". At present here in Adelaide South Australia, the Airfix DC-3 retails  at around A$90.00, The Victor at A$120.00 and a representative collection of 6 or so BAC Lightnings would set you back around A$350.00 or so. I have all these on my display shelves, built long ago from kits that I had no trouble affording at the time but no matter how good today's wonder kits are, I could not afford to replace my existing builds with up to date versions. To those of the opinion that the costs have not increased if converted into today's income, my experience tells me that I once could afford each new release as it came but no longer. The hobby is becoming for the "Expert" and the Wealthy with Grandparents being asked for ready to run R/C cars and Drones instead. So where is the growth of interest in the hobby coming from? there is not too much evidence of it around here and I am saddened by the prospects for the Local Hobby Store.

 

 

   Trev.  (vh-bob)

Edited by vh-bob
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Yes! I so agree with your assessment on the price of kits.I know the kits today are better with more detail and the extra photo etched parts etc. It's all very nice! Maybe?Here are my complaints both of price and the modern attitude in model building.

The price of kits. I'm an artist and a teacher and most prices are out of my range. I build mostly 1/32 scale aircraft and $50+. is just too much for a ww2 fighter, and some are quite a bit more. I believe this is one of the reasons new hobbyist are few and far between. companies are pricing the hobby out of  the main stream of leisure activities. BACK IN THE OLD DAYS. model kits were cheap. An average 1/32 scale ww2 fighter was $3. This price with inflation would be less than $30.I know the quality  of the the kits don't match the new kits but look at Revell of Germany great kits and great prices!.                                                                                                              This is my second complaint .I always here "the parts don't fit well, the detail is lacking,.must replace the decals", so on and so on! come on now I know many modelers who shelf very good kits because of imperfections. Nit picky ways! I believe craftsmanship is the true part of the hobby, rolling up both sleeves, and getting to it. Old timers can take a old kit  and make a gem out of it, with out complaining !  No after market parts on top of it.The over all look of an aircraft model was the goal of the model builder, it's now details and more details and even more details.This scares a lot of of people from showing there work.and some from entering the hobby all together!                                            thanks for hearing me soapbox about Modeling                     cheers Bill 

Edited by baronred3
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pigggbacking

I thinking it more the price even hobby lobby is expensive eny more even with  the40%off coupon I use it  manly my LHS is over forty miles way  only oders the the pant you need butt u have pay all of them

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Agree with vh-bob and baronred3 on kit prices, as a 1:72 scale builder, some kits are getting very expensive, particularly aircraft like MiG-29 and Su-27 kits. 

 

Also agree with baronred3 about people whingeing about what they call 'unbuildable' kits. My interest in cold war Russian aircraft means I encounter many kits that are not modern wonder kits. I shut up about it's faults and build it. 

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Ryan,

 

I think that you have the right attitude , there are still many types only represented by kits produced in a simpler time, for example the Airfix 1/72 F-86 D Sabre. To my  mind a great kit and although hard to obtain today was the only viable option in the scale. For those of us who are not pot hunters but try to produce a finished model to the best of our abilities and maybe a small group of them to illustrate the various markings carried by the type, a kit of this standard is all that is required. However were this kit to be re released today the knockers would have a field day with it's raised panel lines and crude air intake instead  grabbing the chance to add the Dog Sabre to the collection and doing a bit of filling and re-scribing. If kits of this style were offered by the manufactures at a lower price than similar kits of today's standard, then maybe I would stretch the budget and buy more than I do now and the local hobby shop may find plastic model sales showing a bit of an upturn and not be treated as more trouble than they are worth when drones and R/C cars are considered better value by the un initiated. How many times have you heard "Oh , you have to put it together your self" or "What are you going to do with it , I suppose I'll have to dust it". Are we sure that what is  being offered  in the LHS today is REALLY attracting new blood to a hobby that is seen by many as the equivalent of making ships in bottles.

 

  Trev.  (vh-bob)

Edited by vh-bob
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Yes! Yes! I agree! I have seen kits get bad raps because there OLD SCHOOL, I also see resin kits go for $100 in 1/72 scale, I do one thing that my father showed me and  that's scratch building! It's funny to think of the deprogression of the modeler! Back in WWII kids (my dad) would buy or get a free 3-view from uncle SAM, then pick up some wood and a good knife and carve a very nice aircraft. True craftsmanship! Next kits had carved fuselages, you carved the wings. Then came plastics with simple detail and no cockpit. It took putty and tube glue you had to wait over night to dry,Kits got better and better then computers took over making very detailed molds. And cottage industries with resin and photo etched parts.C.A. glues,putties so smooth and airbrushes .Less and less personal craftsmanship! I would love to see more scratch building,but no! It scares the hell out of most modelers I don't know why. The 3 and 5 view drawings today are very detailed with cross sections. Wood,sheet plastic,resins and ploy mere clay are just some materials that can be used. Cost is very little ,but time and craftsmanship are the bases to it! Now back to kits! If Revell can produce very good kits at good prices why can't other companies.I think the hobbyist is being duped by the industry! But if we our selves treat the not perfect kit as crap and not build it then we are just as at fault! 

Edited by baronred3
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When I was a kid and got into building plastic models, mostly 1/72scale military aircraft and 1/76scale armor, it was all rather quick and rudimentary. My best bud as a kid growing up was doing the same and we'd   build up 1/72scale air forces, mostly WWII but at times  jets too and we'd bring over to each others houses our  mini air forces and set up airfields with armor and a few 1/76scale painted up soldiers for airfield defenses. We'd spend  whole afternoons playing war vs each other. IT WAS SUCH A BLAST!!!! We had much in common about stuff military, WWII and watching war movies etc. He was more a pro Britain guy and I tended to be more pro USA. His Grandfather fought  for Canada in WWII so this  gave my best bud his British/Commonwealth feelings.

 

We would take our allowance monies and from time to time  go to  hobby shops  or toy stores and  buy then straight forward 1/72 scale kits, mostly Matchbox but also  Airfix and MPC and Monogram. No Tamiya or Hasegawa as they were just too expensive and too fussy for us to build. My mind floods  with great memories...

 

As we got older and  drifted  apart, he moved and I moved etc. Modeling became  more serious  for me and less about playing. I tried to build  better models and moved more to 1/48scale aircraft and 1/25scale cars. Then  going to a  hobby shop was more purposeful and was fun to  look through shelves of kits  to   buy a   kit or two, some paints, cements, tools  etc. This  lasted  through much of my teens, then  fell away as adulthood and life, love etc.  took over. Fast forward and a return to model building as a  mature adult and now I was very serious about my quality of building. More money spent and more time taken to build kits including some complex 1/48 scale kits. Toss in building 1/25 scale cars and  trying to get the paint  finish of them  looking great as well. It was a  good 10+ year run and fun but aggravating at times too. I did not see it then  but I was burning out of  building models, until recently when I  rediscovered 1/72scale aircraft. These can build up nice and  can  be  fun as they require less futzing about. They are cheaper too and a lot more choice. My enjoyment of model building is  returning as such now. I hate seeing LHS close up or move from plastic models. Yes, online retailers are great too and have great selections.  They may be our only true viable choice in future, I hope not, but so be it I guess.  With online sellers it's  better and  cheaper  to  bulk buy stuff  and save on  bulk shipping.

 

But alas and my two cents. I think much of the stuff that   was fun for us as  boys and young teens, has been feminized out from many   young boys in recent years/decades. THIS WILL BE A SOCIAL MISTAKE, TRUST ME!!! Though I never did Cadets  my best bud and a few other school age peers did growing up. I just  read a lot  and watched a lot on  20th Century war and  military stuff especially   aircraft. I played with BUCKET of SOLDIERS as a kid too.  Played War board games starting with Risk and to Avalon Hill games. My best bud lived on a  farm and  us school buddies would   spend weekends at his   farm playing 'mock war' and stuff. It was so much fun as a  kid/ young teen. But much of this male type hobby stuff and play time has been and is under attack   by  the  feminizing  of  young boys.  I was  able to grow up and realized that  playing war, playing  war type board games, playing with  toy soldiers and  building military models along with watching  war movies  and t.v. shows (cough cough COMBAT and 12 O'Clock High to name two) was not going to turn me into some psycho   abuser and killer of people. 99% of us grow up rational enough to separate play and learning   from reality of  doing stuff including bad stuff  up to killing.

 

Toss in fast moving technology and a lethargic youth life for many kids both boys and girls today, but more so boys as  in reality  they are by nature more energetic and such but are pushed  down to be more docile and  feminized to not be so masculine growing up today. IMO our western society will pay a  bad price  for  this social experiment on growing boys.

 

Gender and  each person's growing  development  of gender  is not a  mere social construct. It begins with human  biology and natural drive. Social customs obviously  shape things  good, indifferent  and/or bad.  But not letting boys be boys is   going  result in much failure in our western world lifestyles.

 

Well reading my post here I see I've  gone on for too long  and could keep going on here  but I will stop  likely  boring you guys with my run on thoughts here.  I will  leave  with this   LET  BOY'S BE BOYS! They can  be crude, rude, dirty  and  hurtful.  They can be hurt too, and are a   bundle of high energy.   They are not sugar and spice.   Girls should not be tossed in   or forced into boys only activities during the kid/teen years. The two genders  in general for millennia  as each grow up   FIND EACH OTHER NATURALLY FOR MOST OF THEM!!! SJW's/Feminists and  over-controlling mothers    need to stop the war on boys and boyhood.

Edited by Gordon Shumway
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That's interesting, but lets keep on task about Craftsmanship and the loss of it. I believe it's been replaced with nit pickiness. Modelers trying to make a prototypical aircraft with every bell and whistle that they can get to put on the plane. most of it can't even be seen.Now should I take it to the hobby shop? maybe I missed something on it (some new after market part) Is it up to class? and so on. This is killing the hobby. Because someone can't spend the time on working to improve good and even bad kits. Instead they super detail the plane.these same people put down anyone who's not in the know of what's available to so called up grades for the kit. I know someone who took an over priced 1/72 scale plane and with add ons came out to cost $123. my god! that's crazy! Lets all try to build a not so good model kit with craftsmanship and maybe add ons we made. Not bought !

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Or, "let's all applaud each modeler's finished product no matter what he started with or what he used on it."?

 

Nostalgia is all fine and dandy (especially for modelers that started before 1970 or so),,,,,,but, these threads that seem to insist that we have to buy our Texans in Hawk boxes and add bubble gum and bailing wire to them for details, instead of building a more modern Texan tooling OOB, are getting to read as "more elitist" than the modelers they are trying to put down.

 

Very sorry, but I will continue to build and enjoy building the Fujimi 1/72 A-6 series, instead of the Hasegawa/Frog, the Academy F-8 instead of the Fujimi or Revell, the Fujimi Phantom instead of the old Revell, Airfix or old Hasegawa/AMT, and the Hasegawa Skyraider instead of the Airfix/MPC.

 

What some that like these threads seem to have forgotten, a lot of us that prefer the new toolings already built plenty of the old toolings,,,,,,often *before* the poster was even into modeling.

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Yes! Buy the newer stuff!, I too will buy the better, but I will not be held hostage by high prices.and I'm not talking about the old kits when I talk about people complaning about the kits. instead it's the new kits that people pick at not fitting perfectly. just take that extra step to fix it instead of shelving it.Nothing about old kits here, it's just we had to fix them, so we did! 

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Rex, I most likely didn't explain myself well but in no way was I downplaying the efforts of modellers who build  today's excellent kits, nor was I advocating a return to the stone age. Like you , I have no use for a Hawk Texan either but it is a good illustration of what I was getting at. As I said, my interest is in colour schemes worn by aircraft and the various modifications made during their production life, hence my line up of eight BAC Lightnings for example. There have been a number of different models of Texans  produced over the years and I have built many of them. Currently in 1/72 there are the Academy and until recently, the Hobby Boss kits available here in Adelaide. The former is a gem, nicely detailed and beautifully moulded and I have half a dozen in the stash, the Hobby Boss kit is simpler but still beautifully moulded although lacking interior this is not much of a worry to me as I prefer the closed canopy look. The main difference is that the Academy example costs nearly three times as much as the Hobby Boss one so I am not advocating return to rivets and poor fits but can there not be a range of simpler, no resin , no photo etch and no highly detailed but invisible interiors kits much like the Eduard Weekend Editions but more so. Perhaps then the LHS may pick up some more sales to doting grand parents and we may just not hear of another shop closing here as I did last night.  

 

    Trev.   (vh-bob)

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