So The Music Died?

[tosouthern66]

I have watched a couple vids on YouTube from people talking about Revell. They say that the company will only be known as Revell World Wide. ROG and the US Revell are no more. All we can do is wait and see. When it comes to aircraft I buy Hasegawa and Tamiya. I gave up on Revell due to the lack of details and too many fit issues. When it comes to cars I buy Revell, they are the best made kits for American muscle. But even some of the new car kits are starting to have fit issues. The fit issues are not like the aircraft kits, it's more of they are making the tolerances so close they forget that there are valances that cover parts and they don't fit without  a lot of modifications. I have enough kits in my stash to last me the rest of my life. Some will probably never get completed, but when a new kit or a re issue comes out I want I get it. He who dies with the most toys win!

[john53]

I did, picked back up on modeling 15 years and a divorce later. My sons won't, got out of

Airborne and went into on line gaming, his younger brother got into video games and

older games from 80s when he was a kid, the youngest son after school and marriage

got into Pokemon card games and video games BUT he also got into Mt biking and

hunting, but NO modeling. My father taught me and my brother, my brother took it a level

higher to stick and paper  line planes then RC then ROTC. I think it will die with my generation

a few may get the itch but from what I see and people I talk to we seem to be a dying breed.

I sure hope I AM WRONG!---John

Edited April 22, 2018 by john53

[82Whitey51]

Not only do the "molds go on"...I was just at a model show this past weekend, the vendor tables are stacked to the gills with Monogram & Revell kits. Old and new, and will be long after we're dead.

[RKic]

My wife, and other young, hip women have made knitting cool again, and that community is HUUUUUUUUUGE!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So all this talk of crafting being dead is nonsense. 

Modeling gets a bad reputation because people on the outside still see modelers as unwashed troglodytes who play with war toys. We need rebranding and an image make-over. And less troglodytes :D 

[picknpluck]

I got back into modeling in 2016 after active duty/marriage/divorce/life, etc. I'm 40 now...I was really into models as a kid, joined an IPMS club and everything! Now, I don't have as much time to build as I like, but it is a form of therapy for me.  I thought I'd mention something nobody else has brought up: As a kid building model airplanes in the '80s, there were a ton of cool jets in service at the time.  It was that transition period between the Vietnam era and the modern era (for US aircraft, anyway). F-4s were still around, but the new kids were coming to play as well with the F-18s and F-16s coming on line.  Add to that the movie Top Gun.  How many kids got their parents to buy them an F-14 kit after watching that movie? I know I did.  Iron Eagle too!  And the Blue Angels were transitioning from A-4s to F-18s...and the Thunderbirds were getting their F-16s.  Lots of excitement!  Today? Everything is F-22, F-35 or F-18 Super Hornet.  Look at picture of an aircraft carrier circa 1986 and compare it to one today. And you can't read about any of those new airframes without getting smacked with controversy and politics.

 

[Fishwelding]

22 hours ago, RKic said:

My wife, and other young, hip women have made knitting cool again, and that community is HUUUUUUUUUGE!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So all this talk of crafting being dead is nonsense. 

Modeling gets a bad reputation because people on the outside still see modelers as unwashed troglodytes who play with war toys. We need rebranding and an image make-over. And less troglodytes :D 

 

Very much, yes.  If people are even aware of the hobby they think it's an anachronism like Brylcreem or moon pies, and about as fun as polio. 

 

Comic books also became cool again well before Marvel became a major movie franchise, and the publishers really took digital comics seriously.  Video games - many of which introduce kids to World War II history - could just as easily be a complimentary activity to plastic modeling, instead of a competitor.  I can't help but hold what was left of U.S. kitmakers at least partially responsible for missing these possibilities.  If anyone revives the hobby in the U.S., it will probably be Bandai, since Anime is popular among younger people, and the Star Wars kits are gaining minor attention outside the usual modelers' circles.  

 

From experience as a teacher, I also think the parenting-wisdom obsession over the last 25 years with collaborative, team-oriented, and extroverted development means most parents would view plastic modeling as a great way to turn their kid into the next unibomber.  

[Roberto123]

That and the way schools and others seem to believe that any work using one's hands is somehow distasteful.  All the computer geeks will wonder how to fix their toilet when they're no plumbers left.

[habu2]

On 4/21/2018 at 10:25 PM, tosouthern66 said:

 I have enough kits in my stash to last me the rest of my life. Some will probably never get completed, but when a new kit or a re issue comes out I want I get it. 

 

I can relate to this. As Whitey said, I could probably fund my retirement by selling my remaining stash at vendor tables....

 

Quote

He who dies with the most toys win!

 

If only that’s how it really worked.....   

[Charlie D.]

On 4/19/2018 at 5:21 PM, Roberto123 said:

 Revell hasn't come out with a really new kit in decades.  Other than nostalgia, I won't miss them.

 

Maybe rethink decades...Lots of new cars in the last decade. the PV-1 Ventura came out what, 6-7 years ago, the stearman came out 2-3 years ago. Granted, they weren't cranking out aircraft kits, but the latest ones weren't bad. Last big flurry of new aircraft tools were the promodeler line, when we got the f-84, f-86, me-110, ju-52, me-410 and a bunch others.

 

There's still us based companies. Round 2/polar lights is now the biggest and they still shoot a number of their kits in the states. Pegagsus, moebius (now part of pegasus), and Atlantis are also us based, albeit much smaller.

 

My almost 6 year old nephew loves models, Legos, anything you have to put together. He's got over a dozen snap tite aircraft and star wars models under his belt already. I got him a pair of sprue cutters a few months back, and he's showing interest in painting. For all those who crap on the build and play aspects of the snap Tite kits they're a gateway for kids like him, he loves that aspect of them. I know he'll progress, as he's shown interest, and readily admits he doesn't think he's ready for glue and paint yet. I also see lots of kids at the local make and take events...so they're out there. 

 

There is a push back against tech with parents of young kids, who want them involved in STEM, and doing stuff with their hands, playing outside, etc....

Edited April 26, 2018 by Charlie D.

[Charlie D.]

On 4/25/2018 at 11:36 AM, picknpluck said:

I got back into modeling in 2016 after active duty/marriage/divorce/life, etc. I'm 40 now...I was really into models as a kid, joined an IPMS club and everything! Now, I don't have as much time to build as I like, but it is a form of therapy for me.  I thought I'd mention something nobody else has brought up: As a kid building model airplanes in the '80s, there were a ton of cool jets in service at the time.  It was that transition period between the Vietnam era and the modern era (for US aircraft, anyway). F-4s were still around, but the new kids were coming to play as well with the F-18s and F-16s coming on line.  Add to that the movie Top Gun.  How many kids got their parents to buy them an F-14 kit after watching that movie? I know I did.  Iron Eagle too!  And the Blue Angels were transitioning from A-4s to F-18s...and the Thunderbirds were getting their F-16s.  Lots of excitement!  Today? Everything is F-22, F-35 or F-18 Super Hornet.  Look at picture of an aircraft carrier circa 1986 and compare it to one today. And you can't read about any of those new airframes without getting smacked with controversy and politics.

 

I feel like I could have written this post... although I never really stopped modeling over the years, but did seriously slow down at times. I'm a few years older than you, but can seriously relate to this post.

 

When I first started building the F-101 had just been retired, the F-105 was on it's way out, and the 106 would soldier on for a few more years. They were still using Huns for target practice.

 

Top gun and iron eagle about made my head explode..LOL, Van Halen had that awesome Blue angels video getting airtime on MTV...the Navy still had three active WW II era carriers (Midway, Coral sea, and Lexington). On a road trip we saw F-4s flying out of Fresno, Buffs out of Castle, and in the bay area P-3s coming on very low over the highway to land at moffett field. A-7s and Intruders flying out of Alameda all the time. American was still flying 707s out of San Jose ( that might have been earlier 80s though), and Aspen was still flying convairs out of there as well. Great time to be a kid/teen and a airplane geek.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Charlie D.

[picknpluck]

1 minute ago, Charlie D. said:

I feel like I could have written this post... although I never really stopped modeling over the years, but did seriously slow down at times. I'm a few years older than you, but can seriously relate to this post.

 

When I first started building the F-101 had just been retired, the F-105 was on it's way out, and the 106 would soldier on for a few more years. They were still using Huns for target practice.

 

Top gun and iron eagle about made my head explode..LOL, Van Halen had that awesome Blue angels video getting airtime on MTV...the Navy still had three active WW II era carriers (Midway, Coral sea, and Lexington). On a road trip we saw F-4s flying out of Fresno, Buffs out of Castle, and in the bay area P-3s coming on very low over the highway to land at moffett field. A-7s and Intruders flying out of Alameda all the time. American was still flying 707s out of San Jose, and Aspen was still flying convair s out of there as well. Great time to be a kid/teen and a airplane geek.

@Charlie D. I grew up in Sunnyvale under Moffett's landing pattern. As a kid, it got so I could tell by sound whether a P-3 was approaching or a C-130 from the 129th.  An approaching jet was sure to get me sprinting outside!

[Charlie D.]

That must have been cool! All the Ames aircraft must have been cool to see as well, they were still.pretty active in the 80/90s. I worked on the Ames side in the late 90s, the ER-2s were still regular flyers then, so saw lots of take offs, never a landing though. The Dc-8 and harriers a few times as well.

 

We were in the landing pattern for Reid hillview, so mainly Cessnas, bonanzas, etc...but occasionally someone would fly a T-28 into there which would always get me outside. There were a couple stermans and a Texan and I could always tell when they were out and about. Someone flew an albatross into Reid hillview once, and that was quite a show. 

 

Driving up 101 was always fun, seeing those P-3s and occasional hercs come in so low over the highway. I'd ask my parents to speed up (which they wouldn't) to try and pass right under as they came over the highway..LOL

Edited April 26, 2018 by Charlie D.

[Don]

My Sons school has a model building club option for "Club Days" one afternoon a month (he built a 1/35 Revell snap-tite Abrams). It switches to a Lego and Kinetics (Kinex ?) club part way though the year (and they attend local competitions with other schools) and ends with a clay/pottery club and an evening exhibit. Its a well received club too with about 15-20 kids grades 3-8. Our local high school has great industrial arts program where kids can get their hands dirty and work on stuff from cars to clocks. Add to that computer design programs in the schools and I think kids are using their creativity to do some pretty amazing stuff.

[picknpluck]

4 hours ago, Charlie D. said:

That must have been cool! All the Ames aircraft must have been cool to see as well, they were still.pretty active in the 80/90s. I worked on the Ames side in the late 90s, the ER-2s were still regular flyers then, so saw lots of take offs, never a landing though. The Dc-8 and harriers a few times as well.

 

We were in the landing pattern for Reid hillview, so mainly Cessnas, bonanzas, etc...but occasionally someone would fly a T-28 into there which would always get me outside. There were a couple stermans and a Texan and I could always tell when they were out and about. Someone flew an albatross into Reid hillview once, and that was quite a show. 

 

Driving up 101 was always fun, seeing those P-3s and occasional hercs come in so low over the highway. I'd ask my parents to speed up (which they wouldn't) to try and pass right under as they came over the highway..LOL

Yeah, I remember the ER-2s, Harriers, and T-38s being pretty common. I remember the QSRA and XV-15 too, but not as common. I saw an A-3 just once...must've gotten lost en route to Alameda LOL. I also remember when the 129th flew Jolly Greens.  Air show time was always fun because of all the display birds flying in a day or two early. And I'll never forget the first time I saw the Blue Angels fly over in delta formation. First year of Hornets for them. (I missed the A-4s by a year--we moved there in 1986)