I’m a closet modeler. If I mention in my daily life what my hobby is I usually receive comments like, "I thought building models was something that kids did.
I’m 48 and I still remember when I was in high school and a buddy of mine was in my basement and saw some of my models. Nothing was said at the time, but when hanging out before school with some classmates my “buddy” decided to try to humiliate me by declaring that I still “played” with models.
This still bugs the sh*t out of me that I can’t openly talk about this interest in this community. I live in the midwest in a town of about 10,000 people. In this whole town I know no other adult modelers. I do travel to neighboring towns for modeling shows, etc.
I think the general thought in this community of a person that builds models is somebody that has no social life, lives in his mothers basement and is in some kind of fantasy world.
For me i’am a geek hear me roar I myself do build and work on coputers i have a degree in IT.I always thought that people that built computer or worked on them where geeks,nerds,etc, but models never herd of it shoot my ex-girlfriend even thought the models i build are cool evertime she comes over or talks to me on the phone she wants my models, i even built her a AH-64 Apache and she loves it. So i dont we are geeks or nerds I just think we are miss understood because people that dont understand, or cant build models thier selfs.
No thanks to that one model builder who lived in his mother’s basement, had no social life, and lived in a fantasy world, now all modelers have to suffer the stereotype. [;)]
If many of the stereotypes were true, probably 75% of the male population would be living in their mother’s basement.
Whoa! Hold on there. Anyone in the IT field knows it’s not that simple. [;)] In fact, the last Nerd Dinner I attended, there was a clear distinction between the nerds and the geeks. That came down to a Rubiks Cube. The geeks were the ones discussing the theory behind the Rubiks Cube and the least amount of moves to solve any puzzle.
Hey cant blame me for tryin right Dave. to bad i cant put this darn degree to the test might have to get a job mcdonalds[:O]. The IT industrie stinks out here.
If other people have an issue with what you do, %&^ them. If you enjoy what you do, like most of us, so what? You’re not out every weekend chasing a little white ball around, spoiling a good walk with golf, or wasting ALL your disposable income at gentlemen’s clubs. You get to research your projects, expand your knowledge and develope artistic skill others can only envy. And getting out to shows, you get to meet a really interesting group of people. (Thinking back to supper after last Sunday’s show with a retired USCG owner of a hobby show and former over the road driver, one of his friends and two club members.) Ruby Tuesdays in Attleboro Mass may not be the same til next year. [:)]
Just kidding - for the record, I actually own my own house and am only in my mother’s basement when I visit for the holidays - though the lack of social life might be true…[(-D]
I get job posting from the college i went to via e-mail prob is that alot of the stuff she sends me requiers a BS degree not an Assocites degree havent been able to find any entry level positions, and since i dont have any real world experiance they say iam under qualified go figure wanted a degree so i didnt have to worry about working dead end jobs, 3 years later and no job.should have never went to college mybe id still have my old job HaHa.
Benchman not to worry,I am 44 years of age and love building models.My wife thinks it is great and sometimes gets on me for not having them all done.This is because she wants to buy more of them for me.As my friends go,they always ask me what I am working on next,but there was a time that this was not so.A dark time when Darth Deb the ex ruled and crush the rebellion of modeling in my house.Those times are gone and so is the dark lord.So I do know what you are going throught,so just keep building and if worst comes to worst and you have to find another hobby.Just do like I do,my axes are getting very sharpe,very sharpe…ha,ha,ha,Digger
Don’t fret, it’s perfectly normal to build models. I’m an MP, and I always tell everyone that I build models when they ask what I do in my spare time. Of course, it’d probably help if I had a completed project to show them. Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’, and disregard those who don’t understand or try to ridicule you for your hobbies. Chances are they’re jealous they don’t have the skill or determination to do what we do.
Mate as much as it pains me to say it, I’m with you 100%. The best things I have done as far as modeling is concerned is get involved with this forum and make some great friends here as well as join my local IPMS chapter. At least between FSM and IPMS I can talk models without feeling like an outcast.
Benchman, dont worry what other people think, I too dont have anyone except this forum to talk to about models, i find most people who are’nt modellers just dont GET IT, what we do, for instance i mentioned the other day to a friend at work that i was really excited about starting on a 1:35 Humvee and it was like i might as well have said nothing as he completely ignored me and started to talk about something he was concerned about. My wife and kids support me but they do think my hobby is a little “quaint” and my 16 year old daughter thinks i am a supernerd! This is a hobby i do because i find it interesting,educational and relaxing . I also think a lot of outsiders dont realize the effort and hours of work that go into a good model and how realistic they can look, i think they have a conception that thay are just toys but look at the models in the galleries and FSM and they are awesome.
Well, not only do I glue bits of plastic and metal together to build robotic characters, their vehicles and enviromnents, but I then take the finished pieces and rebuild them in the computer as CAD models to create illustrations.
That makes me both a geek and a nerd! [8D]
On the other hand, I’m also happily married with a good home and two cats.
For me, the most important thing is that I am very good at what I do. My attention to craftsmanship and composition makes me a good art teacher, my work is respected and appreciated by my students, and this makes me happy. [:)]
I no longer give a crap. I’m just a guy with a hobby. Out here in the real world, I’m pretty disinclined to talk about myself so I’m not likely to tell anyone anyway. If it does come up and it disturbs them for some reason, oh well. I’ve got a few friends who don’t care what my hobbies are and I’m not going to fret much about people who would be my friend if I weren’t a geek or whatever.
Hey, at least we can all share our pains here. Personally, I’m the only person my age, mid-20’s that I know whom builds models. I met another guy once, and it did give me a strange sense of relief to know I wasn’t the only one.
Well, at least our hobby hasn’t degenerated into a bunch of guys shuffling around the lhs refusing to make eye contact like it was some sort of back room at the video store. Not that I’ve ever been in one of those. Come to think of it, maybe that does describe my lhs.
