Modelling can be an expensive hobby
December 22, 2023 5:15 AM Subscribe
I wandered the aisles of craft supplies, nick-knacks, and hobby paraphernalia, not absorbing much, drifting into ennui, until I stumbled across a row of plastic model kits.
Model kits saw a resurgence of popularity in 2020, helping many to cope with the onset of the pandemic, though it can lead to repetitive stress injuries. Discussions within the hobby lament its decline, though there remain complaints about modeling being really just a hobby for children. Either way you cut it, usually model kits mean plastic.
Model kits saw a resurgence of popularity in 2020, helping many to cope with the onset of the pandemic, though it can lead to repetitive stress injuries. Discussions within the hobby lament its decline, though there remain complaints about modeling being really just a hobby for children. Either way you cut it, usually model kits mean plastic.
Boy, I don't know about the modeling, but that's some gorgeous prose! He should keep writing!
posted by newdaddy at 5:52 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by newdaddy at 5:52 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was a serious model-builder as a kid. I would spend hours cooped-up in my room building planes, cars, ships, etc. This was back in the day of real model cement, so, after those hours, I would come stumbling out of my room, high as fuck.
Model-building definitely can be a bottomless rabbit hole, especially if you strive for realism. For me, that meant adding just the right amount of subtle visual wear to the object, so it didn’t look factory-fresh.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:52 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Model-building definitely can be a bottomless rabbit hole, especially if you strive for realism. For me, that meant adding just the right amount of subtle visual wear to the object, so it didn’t look factory-fresh.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:52 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
I built a few models when I was young and really enjoyed it, but a lot of these links are grown-ups lamenting that kids don't want to build models of WWII aircraft or early mid-20th century muscle cars any more. Why would they? They don't have a cultural connection to those machines. What they do have, however, is a cultural connection to badass giant robots. Young people nowadays aren't interested in owning a Toyota Tacoma and the accompanying debt; they dream of having their own Pokemon. Modelling is still around, it's just changed topics.
Also, 3d printers cost about as much as a high-end model kit, and there's a whole world of people designing and printing their own models.
posted by phooky at 5:59 AM on December 22, 2023 [19 favorites]
Also, 3d printers cost about as much as a high-end model kit, and there's a whole world of people designing and printing their own models.
posted by phooky at 5:59 AM on December 22, 2023 [19 favorites]
(Also, obligatory link to The Red Caboose, which is still in business to the best of my knowledge)
posted by phooky at 6:09 AM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by phooky at 6:09 AM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
the fun part is building it. having all this stuff sitting around when you're done is annoying.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:24 AM on December 22, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:24 AM on December 22, 2023 [17 favorites]
i always sucked at model building, but i excelled at model destroying. the 1986 F-19 stealth concept wasn't meant to mount two class c rocket motors, but all post-launch evidence, strewn over a debris field of ~100 yds, says it should have been.
posted by logicpunk at 6:40 AM on December 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by logicpunk at 6:40 AM on December 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
Modelling is still around, it's just changed topics.
Yes. I've been building Gunpla and related model kits for a handful of years now, but only really got into it this year. As with the old school kits, Gunpla exploded in popularity thanks to the pandemic. During that time, some interesting new figure model kit lines have started, and Chinese kits have risen to prominence (here's one I built earlier this year; wonderful design, inconsistent piece quality).
It can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be. For example, airbrushes and their assorted accessories can be a major expense, but hand painting is considerably cheaper. On that tiger kit I linked to above, all I painted were the teeth and the interior of the mouth, both with a brush. Some hobbyists don't paint at all. In my opinion, the one tool where it's worth investing in is nippers; God Hand is the favorite brand of many Gunpla builders, but there are other excellent options out there.
It's a fun and relaxing hobby, but oh boy is my backlog getting out of control...
posted by May Kasahara at 6:47 AM on December 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yes. I've been building Gunpla and related model kits for a handful of years now, but only really got into it this year. As with the old school kits, Gunpla exploded in popularity thanks to the pandemic. During that time, some interesting new figure model kit lines have started, and Chinese kits have risen to prominence (here's one I built earlier this year; wonderful design, inconsistent piece quality).
It can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be. For example, airbrushes and their assorted accessories can be a major expense, but hand painting is considerably cheaper. On that tiger kit I linked to above, all I painted were the teeth and the interior of the mouth, both with a brush. Some hobbyists don't paint at all. In my opinion, the one tool where it's worth investing in is nippers; God Hand is the favorite brand of many Gunpla builders, but there are other excellent options out there.
It's a fun and relaxing hobby, but oh boy is my backlog getting out of control...
posted by May Kasahara at 6:47 AM on December 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’ve never thought of model building as something for children because I associate it entirely with men of a certain age who may or may not be pretending to be Char as they paint their tiny Gundam.
posted by betweenthebars at 6:47 AM on December 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 6:47 AM on December 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
Model-building definitely can be a bottomless rabbit hole, especially if you strive for realism.
I was in the US National Air & Space Museum a couple of years ago, and there was a guy at the Me262 exhibit with a camera sporting a really long lens for being indoor furiously taking notes in a very thick notebook. Struck up a conversation with him, and he was a model builder who wanted the *exact* dappled camouflage paint job and the *exact* rivet patterns on his model as the real thing. The long lens was so he could take 'close up' pictures of the entire plane from as close as they let you get. He traveled to DC just to do this, and had already spent a day or two working on it, and at some point I had to just back away slowly.
*having all this stuff sitting around when you're done is annoying*
Yeah, I know a couple of guys (all guys) who have multiple shelves full of more-or-less complete military models with more-or-less thick layers of dust collecting on them. On the other hand, the folks with the *insanely detailed* Warhammer 40k models use them all the time. So...YMMV.
posted by kjs3 at 6:55 AM on December 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
I was in the US National Air & Space Museum a couple of years ago, and there was a guy at the Me262 exhibit with a camera sporting a really long lens for being indoor furiously taking notes in a very thick notebook. Struck up a conversation with him, and he was a model builder who wanted the *exact* dappled camouflage paint job and the *exact* rivet patterns on his model as the real thing. The long lens was so he could take 'close up' pictures of the entire plane from as close as they let you get. He traveled to DC just to do this, and had already spent a day or two working on it, and at some point I had to just back away slowly.
*having all this stuff sitting around when you're done is annoying*
Yeah, I know a couple of guys (all guys) who have multiple shelves full of more-or-less complete military models with more-or-less thick layers of dust collecting on them. On the other hand, the folks with the *insanely detailed* Warhammer 40k models use them all the time. So...YMMV.
posted by kjs3 at 6:55 AM on December 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
Boy, I don't know about the modeling, but that's some gorgeous prose! He should keep writing!
You can read his previous books until he puts down the model kits and gets around to writing some more.
posted by pracowity at 7:06 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can read his previous books until he puts down the model kits and gets around to writing some more.
posted by pracowity at 7:06 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
As a kid I enjoyed building Revell models. I enjoyed blowing them up even more!
posted by bwvol at 7:13 AM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by bwvol at 7:13 AM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
There's also a whole branch of miniature making, especially for dollhouses and bookcase scenes, that is modelling, but you know, for girls.[*]
[*] By which I mean mostly practiced by women and thus treated with disdain by a significant portion of society despite the level of skill and creativity involved.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:22 AM on December 22, 2023 [27 favorites]
[*] By which I mean mostly practiced by women and thus treated with disdain by a significant portion of society despite the level of skill and creativity involved.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:22 AM on December 22, 2023 [27 favorites]
Re dollhouse modeling, check out The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge. It's one of these crafting competition shows, and the best part is that after the contestants are finished decorating a 12-inch room, the presenter shrinks down (through the magic of green screen) and walks around the room.
posted by novalis_dt at 7:35 AM on December 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by novalis_dt at 7:35 AM on December 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
In my early teens, I did a lot of world war 2 model kits (bit of dadly influence on my choice of subject, I think). Been thinking about gunpla a lot, I got into the original Gundam anime in the early pandemic, but now there’s also upcoming Armored Core 6 kits that I’m probably going to need. A Steel Haze kit? A buddy of my own??
posted by rodlymight at 7:53 AM on December 22, 2023
posted by rodlymight at 7:53 AM on December 22, 2023
Canada has a dollhouse modelling show, too -- Best in Miniature. Susete's haunted house is sincerely fucking amazing.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:57 AM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:57 AM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
I've had some extreme side-eye at the prices of the tiny precision snips used by high-end modellers.
grand memories of scooting ill-assembled (unpainted, squinty decals) Airfix kits along a table on that curvy base that made "screee!" noises as you pushed it, faux engine noises for free for happy (and slightly high) tinies
posted by scruss at 8:05 AM on December 22, 2023
grand memories of scooting ill-assembled (unpainted, squinty decals) Airfix kits along a table on that curvy base that made "screee!" noises as you pushed it, faux engine noises for free for happy (and slightly high) tinies
posted by scruss at 8:05 AM on December 22, 2023
Try the SteadyCraftin way at dollar stores like TheCrafsMan
posted by falsedmitri at 8:06 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by falsedmitri at 8:06 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
You can get precision sidecutters for electronics at reasonable prices. Also, don't forget the venerable X-Acto knife.
Model-building and related activities continue, with the new avenues as already mentioned. And 3-D printing, woah. But model-building is not sexy enough for mainstream. Mention on a first date that you build/collect models, there probably won't be a second date.
posted by Artful Codger at 8:55 AM on December 22, 2023
Model-building and related activities continue, with the new avenues as already mentioned. And 3-D printing, woah. But model-building is not sexy enough for mainstream. Mention on a first date that you build/collect models, there probably won't be a second date.
posted by Artful Codger at 8:55 AM on December 22, 2023
I've had some extreme side-eye at the prices of the tiny precision snips used by high-end modellers.
Plamokojo has come out with single edge nippers with a replaceable blade. They seem to be selling well enough that my second-run order which was supposed to be out in October still hasn't been fulfilled. Good nippers are worth the expense, but having to replace them wholesale when the blades get dull isn't fun.
posted by May Kasahara at 9:03 AM on December 22, 2023
Plamokojo has come out with single edge nippers with a replaceable blade. They seem to be selling well enough that my second-run order which was supposed to be out in October still hasn't been fulfilled. Good nippers are worth the expense, but having to replace them wholesale when the blades get dull isn't fun.
posted by May Kasahara at 9:03 AM on December 22, 2023
This was back in the day of real model cement
Oh my god, I smelled that image!
For a few years in my early teens I built (and often subsequently destroyed) quite a few of the aforementioned WWII tanks/vehicles and muscle cars. That petered out by age 17 or so, but I kept all the tools, brushes, paints, etc. In my 20's I got into Dungeons & Dragons and really enjoyed using what was left of that (and buying plenty more) to paint the miniature figures we used during our games. Eventually that dried up too, as did the paint, and I found other hobbies to spend money on.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:14 AM on December 22, 2023
Oh my god, I smelled that image!
For a few years in my early teens I built (and often subsequently destroyed) quite a few of the aforementioned WWII tanks/vehicles and muscle cars. That petered out by age 17 or so, but I kept all the tools, brushes, paints, etc. In my 20's I got into Dungeons & Dragons and really enjoyed using what was left of that (and buying plenty more) to paint the miniature figures we used during our games. Eventually that dried up too, as did the paint, and I found other hobbies to spend money on.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:14 AM on December 22, 2023
Used to make models (very badly) for table/floor war-gaming decades ago (just before OG D&D hit) - luckily it tended to be more about the volume than the quality. Knock up enough vehicles to form a mechanized infantry platoon and you were all set. Bit depressing when the cotton swabs came out to simulate hits.
posted by phigmov at 9:38 AM on December 22, 2023
posted by phigmov at 9:38 AM on December 22, 2023
Speaking of glue sniffing... I had this booklet as a little sprog, loved to read it, the illustrations were just so marvellous.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:39 AM on December 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:39 AM on December 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yeah, a lot of the links about the decline of modelling are really about a specific type which does tend to be mostly associated with older guys (though, model trains and their intricate track/landscape layouts seem to have a fair number of younger kids involved).
Plenty of people building models and miniatures from various pop culture fandoms or for tabletop war games like WH40K, etc. Although, often these still tend to be slightly older than you'd expect due simply to the increasing cost of entry (and the need for storage space -- I gave away my relatively small space marine army not long after I stopped actively playing 40K, simply due to having no where to reasonably store my minis; even if I'd been willing to display my not very good painting skill, I simply didn't have much shelf space in my apartment at the time).
posted by asnider at 9:54 AM on December 22, 2023
Plenty of people building models and miniatures from various pop culture fandoms or for tabletop war games like WH40K, etc. Although, often these still tend to be slightly older than you'd expect due simply to the increasing cost of entry (and the need for storage space -- I gave away my relatively small space marine army not long after I stopped actively playing 40K, simply due to having no where to reasonably store my minis; even if I'd been willing to display my not very good painting skill, I simply didn't have much shelf space in my apartment at the time).
posted by asnider at 9:54 AM on December 22, 2023
One of the worst injuries I've ever had was directly related to the common (as seen in this thread) teenage boy activity of "build models and destroy them". My buddy Mike had built a large aircraft carrier model (probably Revell's version of the USS Enterprise, CVN-65). We took it down to a slow moving creek in the woods behind his house, set it afloat, and took turns shooting it with his BB gun until it sank.
Oh, the injury? On our way out, I stepped on a board and put a rusty nail completely through my shoe and the foot it enclosed, bottom to top.
posted by hanov3r at 9:57 AM on December 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Oh, the injury? On our way out, I stepped on a board and put a rusty nail completely through my shoe and the foot it enclosed, bottom to top.
posted by hanov3r at 9:57 AM on December 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Mom always told me BB guns were dangerous...
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:20 AM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:20 AM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Lego sets are basically less technically demanding model kits, and they are big with all ages now.
posted by metasarah at 11:23 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by metasarah at 11:23 AM on December 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Noodling around the side streets of a lovely Italian city (Bologna) I was amazed by a small shop filled to the ceiling in model boxes. Seemed thriving, perhaps a few other offerings but an incredible variety of classic models.
posted by sammyo at 11:34 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 11:34 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Modeling isn't just for single middle-aged men... it's for single middle-aged women too!
I can never resist linking to a few of my best projects when I see a post like this. Such as: The War Rig from Mad Max Fury Road, Christine, and Moya, from Farscape.
I love them all, have them prominently displayed and free of dust.
Yes, it can get expensive, but all the tools and supplies I have, I've put together over many years. And most of the stuff gets used for all kinds of DIY projects around the house. I regret nothing.
posted by Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss at 11:48 AM on December 22, 2023 [37 favorites]
I can never resist linking to a few of my best projects when I see a post like this. Such as: The War Rig from Mad Max Fury Road, Christine, and Moya, from Farscape.
I love them all, have them prominently displayed and free of dust.
Yes, it can get expensive, but all the tools and supplies I have, I've put together over many years. And most of the stuff gets used for all kinds of DIY projects around the house. I regret nothing.
posted by Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss at 11:48 AM on December 22, 2023 [37 favorites]
I did plastic models as a kid, actually up through college. A few years ago I threw most of them away, but couldn't quite part with my big Millennium Falcon model. I re-glued bits and repainted it, which involved paying over $12 for the tiniest can of spray paint I've ever seen (Tamiya's Insignia White). I also did a lot more research into painting it to look like the movies, finding out that it looked different in every movie anyway.
Then for my last birthday, my nephews got me a metal Star Trek Enterprise model, which has gotten me down the path of metal models. I've done five more (latest was the Tardis), but now I'm out of room.
posted by dirigibleman at 12:19 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Then for my last birthday, my nephews got me a metal Star Trek Enterprise model, which has gotten me down the path of metal models. I've done five more (latest was the Tardis), but now I'm out of room.
posted by dirigibleman at 12:19 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
The hobby turned inside out, but definitely popular with more ages — book nooks.
posted by clew at 12:22 PM on December 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by clew at 12:22 PM on December 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
In the South Bay of Los Angeles County, there was once a store (it's now inhabited by a fast food restaurant) called Paul Freiler's Historical Models. The place was small, but as a kid and teenager, I spent hours in there. Still have an old paper bag, and I bought several of my favorite D&D modules in that store. It was the inspiration for countless people [facebook link], I'm sure.
I can't think of a better hobby/model store...
posted by Chuffy at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023
I can't think of a better hobby/model store...
posted by Chuffy at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023
@dirigbleman, I have a Klingon Bird of Prey metal model...it was one of the most frustrating things I've ever assembled, LOL. So frustrating, that I haven't put together my Enterprise Model (where is that box in the garage?)...
posted by Chuffy at 12:28 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Chuffy at 12:28 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah definitely a lot of the energy kids used to put into building models is now going into Lego sets of increasing complexity and sophistication. Models are messy and if you make a mistake it can be difficult or impossible to go back and fix it. As a parent I don't want my kids getting model glue all over the place. And when you're done with the set, if you aren't having fun with it anymore, you can repurpose the pieces to build something else. My kid also does model trains (mostly antique Lionels handed down from grandparents and great-grandparents) but only with adult supervision.
My kid actually asked Santa for a Lego model Camaro Z28 for Christmas last year. He has no connection to classic cars except that he thinks they look cool. It's a great model. After he built it we took him to a car museum to see the real thing.
posted by potrzebie at 12:29 PM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
My kid actually asked Santa for a Lego model Camaro Z28 for Christmas last year. He has no connection to classic cars except that he thinks they look cool. It's a great model. After he built it we took him to a car museum to see the real thing.
posted by potrzebie at 12:29 PM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm on the wrong device to link to youtube, but check out "plasmo"'s channel over there for very detailed builds, mostly of war planes but ocassional visits to other realms.
And Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss, that is some fantastic work.
posted by maxwelton at 12:34 PM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
And Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss, that is some fantastic work.
posted by maxwelton at 12:34 PM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
For the last six months or so I've been painting Star Wars: Legion minis. Basically Warhammer with a better rules set, and Star Wars; I have even managed to convince people to play the game once or twice!
It is nice having games that the figures can be used in - I've additionally been orienting more of my table top role playing around 'Can I use my cool minis for this? Or paint more minis?' I've done a bunch of board games minis (mansions of madness, nemesis), too, so an getting to the point where I can draw in some cool figures for a wide range of genres.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:04 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
It is nice having games that the figures can be used in - I've additionally been orienting more of my table top role playing around 'Can I use my cool minis for this? Or paint more minis?' I've done a bunch of board games minis (mansions of madness, nemesis), too, so an getting to the point where I can draw in some cool figures for a wide range of genres.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:04 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
"Fast forward almost sixty years" - this took me back to "making" models when I was a kid (my father helping), then making them for real. Fine GenX memory.
My brother went further, getting into model ships and raising their sails inside bottles, or crafting them from wood.
posted by doctornemo at 2:10 PM on December 22, 2023
My brother went further, getting into model ships and raising their sails inside bottles, or crafting them from wood.
posted by doctornemo at 2:10 PM on December 22, 2023
I started learning how to build dollhouses thirteen or fourteen years ago, and dollhouse furniture more recently--it's a sort of sporadically expensive hobby (although eBay helps a lot) and the houses do occupy space. Fortunately, part of the appeal is that it can take a really long time to build and furnish a dollhouse, as well as a lot of intense focus, so there's always something distracting to do when I need a break from writing about Patrick Bronte or whatnot. I imagine it will be another year or two before I'm done with the one I started a few months back, which has ten rooms...
posted by thomas j wise at 3:39 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by thomas j wise at 3:39 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
(though, model trains and their intricate track/landscape layouts seem to have a fair number of younger kids involved)
The coolest little thing about model trains today is that there are graffiti decals you can apply to the cars.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:19 PM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
The coolest little thing about model trains today is that there are graffiti decals you can apply to the cars.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:19 PM on December 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
I share Jennifer Coolidge’s thoughts about model trains from “A Mighty Wind”.
posted by hanov3r at 5:54 PM on December 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 5:54 PM on December 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
TIME TO GET MY OLD-MAN ON IN THIS THREAD
I'm one of those people who got back into building models during the pandemic. Back when I was a kid I mostly built WWII-era planes, but I'm not really into the whole military thing anymore (though I still like the planes, I like less what they represent) so I switched to another thing I enjoyed but built way less of: cars. My journey largely mirrors the authors, right down to the snapshots of projects showing improvements over time, and the WIP bodies that have haunted me for years now because I'm sort of stuck on a few things and that's completely stopped all my model building activities. (As an aside, if anyone has any ideas on how to copy a transparent window canopy for a model that for some reason has turned translucent blue over the years, hit me up! My 1985 Hyundai Excel model thanks you in advance.)
Though I don't really build models very much at the moment, it is a fun rabbit hole to fall down, and it's one I continue to explore even if I'm not actively building. I'd booked a trip to Japan this year and by sheer stroke of luck, I managed to schedule my arrival the day before the biggest hobby show in Japan began in Shizuoka. Let me tell you, if you're worried about the decline of the dustier, more old-person parts of the hobby, go to Japan; all that stuff is still alive and well over there. Cars, planes, trains, you name it, there's still a dedicated hobbyist base and companies catering to it. Walking through the hall of local organizations and clubs exhibiting their models was not something I was specifically looking forward to but in hindsight was the obvious highlight of the show.
It's true that some parts of the hobby feel less alive than others. No one worries about gunpla disappearing anytime soon, and if you go on YouTube (or probably Tiktok) you'll find no shortage of creators making videos about their gunpla builds or showing off techniques. People even stream their building process on places like Twitch. Meanwhile, in the WW2 military or automotive categories, you're lucky if you find someone who's set up a webcam from 2008 and no external microphone in their spray booth to show you how to get a good gloss coat. Miniature painting for boardgames is also still pretty popular from what I can tell, and the only other people I know personally who do model stuff at all are miniatures guys.
The dustier parts of the hobby like cars and planes do have easy-build models and whatnot, but it's clear to me that a lot of what drives gunpla and miniatures interest is that they're so much easier to get into than other types of models. I first started learning about gunpla because I'd gotten some gunpla-adjacent models related to a video game I enjoyed, and was amazed at how much lower the barrier of entry was. Like, you can do a lot of really amazing stuff with gunpla if you want to, but the usual standard was that you didn't have to paint anything and you didn't have to glue anything. That's like 95% of the stuff you have to do for a car model, just completely gone! At best people talk about topcoat and panel lining techniques, which can be labour intensive too but not nearly as much as having to paint every single part yourself. They come in bright colours and you can build something that looks pretty good in a few hours. And the appeal of Gundam is eternal. No wonder they're popular.
posted by chrominance at 2:43 PM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm one of those people who got back into building models during the pandemic. Back when I was a kid I mostly built WWII-era planes, but I'm not really into the whole military thing anymore (though I still like the planes, I like less what they represent) so I switched to another thing I enjoyed but built way less of: cars. My journey largely mirrors the authors, right down to the snapshots of projects showing improvements over time, and the WIP bodies that have haunted me for years now because I'm sort of stuck on a few things and that's completely stopped all my model building activities. (As an aside, if anyone has any ideas on how to copy a transparent window canopy for a model that for some reason has turned translucent blue over the years, hit me up! My 1985 Hyundai Excel model thanks you in advance.)
Though I don't really build models very much at the moment, it is a fun rabbit hole to fall down, and it's one I continue to explore even if I'm not actively building. I'd booked a trip to Japan this year and by sheer stroke of luck, I managed to schedule my arrival the day before the biggest hobby show in Japan began in Shizuoka. Let me tell you, if you're worried about the decline of the dustier, more old-person parts of the hobby, go to Japan; all that stuff is still alive and well over there. Cars, planes, trains, you name it, there's still a dedicated hobbyist base and companies catering to it. Walking through the hall of local organizations and clubs exhibiting their models was not something I was specifically looking forward to but in hindsight was the obvious highlight of the show.
It's true that some parts of the hobby feel less alive than others. No one worries about gunpla disappearing anytime soon, and if you go on YouTube (or probably Tiktok) you'll find no shortage of creators making videos about their gunpla builds or showing off techniques. People even stream their building process on places like Twitch. Meanwhile, in the WW2 military or automotive categories, you're lucky if you find someone who's set up a webcam from 2008 and no external microphone in their spray booth to show you how to get a good gloss coat. Miniature painting for boardgames is also still pretty popular from what I can tell, and the only other people I know personally who do model stuff at all are miniatures guys.
The dustier parts of the hobby like cars and planes do have easy-build models and whatnot, but it's clear to me that a lot of what drives gunpla and miniatures interest is that they're so much easier to get into than other types of models. I first started learning about gunpla because I'd gotten some gunpla-adjacent models related to a video game I enjoyed, and was amazed at how much lower the barrier of entry was. Like, you can do a lot of really amazing stuff with gunpla if you want to, but the usual standard was that you didn't have to paint anything and you didn't have to glue anything. That's like 95% of the stuff you have to do for a car model, just completely gone! At best people talk about topcoat and panel lining techniques, which can be labour intensive too but not nearly as much as having to paint every single part yourself. They come in bright colours and you can build something that looks pretty good in a few hours. And the appeal of Gundam is eternal. No wonder they're popular.
posted by chrominance at 2:43 PM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I had to step away for a minute, and here chrominance went and said a bunch of what I was about to. (About that Hyundai Excel; maybe look up some you tube videos on vacuum forming...)
I built (and eventually destroyed) a lot of models when I was school age (airplanes, cars, tanks) then dropped the hobby while I was in the army until I had enough space in my barracks room to dedicate a drawer to supplies (airplanes, robots, military figures in 1/35 scale, and motorcycles).
I dropped the hobby again when I was spending all my time studying in college. Years (decades!) pass, and I eventually picked it back up again (cars, planes, a dinosaur, motorcycles), but I have probably too many hobbies that I pick up and drop at various times for various reasons. I introduced both of my daughters to the hobby, but their interest waned pretty quickly. I've entered plastic model competitions a couple of times, and seen the level of detail that some modelers are able to achieve. I admire the extreme attention to detail, but I do not aspire to it. I just keep trying to improve my building techniques, and building things that are pleasing to me.
I have a couple of partially built kits that are waiting for the plastic model building bug to bite me again, and a pretty wide selection of kits that I haven't started. I don't think it has to be a particularly expensive hobby, but it can get expensive finding out what parts of it are most enjoyable to you. (and paints. Paints can be expensive if you take years between being active in the hobby and you find half the damn things have dried out.)
posted by coppertop at 5:42 PM on December 23, 2023
I built (and eventually destroyed) a lot of models when I was school age (airplanes, cars, tanks) then dropped the hobby while I was in the army until I had enough space in my barracks room to dedicate a drawer to supplies (airplanes, robots, military figures in 1/35 scale, and motorcycles).
I dropped the hobby again when I was spending all my time studying in college. Years (decades!) pass, and I eventually picked it back up again (cars, planes, a dinosaur, motorcycles), but I have probably too many hobbies that I pick up and drop at various times for various reasons. I introduced both of my daughters to the hobby, but their interest waned pretty quickly. I've entered plastic model competitions a couple of times, and seen the level of detail that some modelers are able to achieve. I admire the extreme attention to detail, but I do not aspire to it. I just keep trying to improve my building techniques, and building things that are pleasing to me.
I have a couple of partially built kits that are waiting for the plastic model building bug to bite me again, and a pretty wide selection of kits that I haven't started. I don't think it has to be a particularly expensive hobby, but it can get expensive finding out what parts of it are most enjoyable to you. (and paints. Paints can be expensive if you take years between being active in the hobby and you find half the damn things have dried out.)
posted by coppertop at 5:42 PM on December 23, 2023
This is the "Plasmo" channel I mentioned a few comments back. If you like seeing super-detailed builds of plastic kits, recommended.
I have considered taking up building kits again, but I have enough hobbies which already include lots of half-completed projects, so...
posted by maxwelton at 9:31 PM on December 23, 2023
I have considered taking up building kits again, but I have enough hobbies which already include lots of half-completed projects, so...
posted by maxwelton at 9:31 PM on December 23, 2023
CBC has a feature on model railroads. The article also mentions a unique program to introduce the hobby to young people.
posted by Artful Codger at 10:00 AM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Artful Codger at 10:00 AM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by BWA at 5:42 AM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]