Do you hear this from time to time? Think about it .Really, what good are they ? Hmmm,well they are or can be nice decorations ( especially Sailing Ships ). Armor , Well,I think it’s a matter of taste .I have never seen an M-48-A-1 on a Mantel-piece !
Cars ? Well I have seen some in little niches filling spaces otherwise too small for flower vases or photos . It’s a spot of color in a plain area .
Planes ? well most folks like them .Now they can be mounted on stands or not .Then of course where you want to put them . On stands they take up room an they are awkward .Now off stands they can be hung from walls or ceilings . Same thing, as room permits .
Figures , whole nuther ball game here .If they are displayed seperately like Hummel Figurines they can just about be anywhere . Now with figures it’s easier to display them in theme groups .
Again I ask , Models , What good are they ? What do you get out of building them? Do you get frustrated ? Many do .Do you find it relaxing ? Okay next question .When you are done with whatever it is you’ve built painted , weathered etc , how long do you keep it? So ,for whatever, reason, What Good are they ?
Now ain’t that a woman with a good taste for a change! Congratulations!
Sadly, scale models aren’t the most effective way to attract women… But they are a great learning tool. If you put your heart into building one, making a model can potentially teach you many things, starting with history, technic, physics, chemistry (paints, glues!). Models can also teach you how to plan a construction and how to finish something you have started. Models can also help you work on yourself, make yourself a better person - with more patience and stronger character. Once I have also met a man who told me making models helped him to live through his father dying from cancer and then helped him to get over the loss.
That’s what I think scale models are good for. And after spending so much time with one or another it kinda becomes a friend and I treat it as such.
If you want the ultimate answer to this question, ask Toshi one of the regulars on here who uses his modeling to overcome a traumatic brain injury and also to bond with his young Grandson
I keep my models for years. Most are on shelves or my bookcases. I have an AFV Club M18 Hellcat tank destroyer on a mantel over our fireplace right now. I do occasionally move things around. We also have a lot of model Star Trek ships around along with art work. My wife and I very different in some ways. When we put a Xmas tree up, it’s has a lot of Star Trek or Star Wars on it. Nothing says merry Christmas like a Borg Cube, or a Death Star! My wife collects Horse figures along with Dragons, Uniorns, Peguses, and fantasy stuff.
Honestly for me it has always been a world that I could escape to. Even now when things seem to be spiraling out of control they seem to help me escape the issues. In times of great sadness they are something that help to keep my mind and hands busy.
As a child building the mighty Corsair from the TV show “Baa Baa Black Sheep” it was exciting time in my youth.
Now my builds benefit dexterity and fine motor skills to overcome my TBI. One amazing benefit is FSM Forum Members whom are my family and building kits with my grandson Ezra.
When I was a kid, it was a great way to get some bonding time with my dad. We’d both be at our own benches in the basement building away, and he’d always be right there to help or offer advice.
Nowadays, building serves many purposes for me. As others have said, it’s an escape from the everyday hassles we all deal with. Something I can do to relax for a little bit and get a break from everything else. It also scratches my itch to learn, whether it’s the history behind whatever it is I’m building or new techniques to try out. Lastly, building is kind of therapeutic for me. It’s been something to help keep my mind sharp while undergoing chemotherapy treatments to keep my autoimmune disorder in remission, and is a nice calming activity to help me work through some of my PTSD issues.
As for how long do I keep them? I haven’t thrown any models away. I have lost some since I was a kid, but most of them are still here even if they are in several pieces. You never know when a part might come in handy for a different project…
Ever since I was 7 years old I’ve loved building models. Well, the whole experience: researching the history, subject etc. Finding the kit you like the best, the markings etc. Going through the kit and instructions 3 or 4 times planning the build and ordering any supplies needed. Then the fun of putting it all together to my satisfaction. I had to part with about 10 years of models a few years back. Life in the garage was tough on them anyhow. I kept my favorites and display them with my current builds. Fun and always more to learn.
Models have meant different things to me through different stages in my life. When I was a wee lad, they were a way to spend time with my dad and listen to his stories about sailing ships and his time in the military. When I was a little older they were something for me to play with or put a firecracker in. In my teenage years they were something fun to do when I was at home and not going to school or chasing girls. Later in the military they were something to do while on an isolated duty station or in on base housing, build and give to my fellow Coasties. When I got out, I used them to relax in the evening, watch (or listen) to the tv with my dog next to me, or learn new techniques and compete with others to test if I were getting better. When I became too sick to work, they were something to keep me busy and pass the time. Now they are an outlet for my artist’s skills, which they taught me.
They have been a good friend throughout my life. Sadly, I have not given them the honor they deserved and have not kept as many as I should have .
When I was a young soldier, my model tank and AFV collection was a great diversion during barracks inspections by field grade officers. They would catch one glimpse of them upon entering our room, ask a few questions that I easily answered, give a very rapid cursory glance to the rest of our inspection layout (three man rooms), and move to the next room in our barracks.
I later used many of those builds for vehicle ID classes that I taught down the road in my service career.
What good are they? The completed kits are just display pieces collecting dust, perhaps some memory of a previous actual vehicle. In my display case, I have an AMT VW Rabbit I built to look like my very first car, a 1984 Wolfsburg edition Rabbit. Not quite the same model year, but close enough.
I also have one of my first Tamiya tank kits, the motorized M4A3E8 Sherman. Decals are flaking off and I think the commander’s machine gun has gone missing in the last 30+ years. Built when the other Shermans were the Monogram M4 and M4A1 Calliope and the odd Revell M4A1 composite, I was impressed with the quality of the kit. Compared to the newest Tamiya M4A3E8, it is but a toy.
What good are my unbuilt kits? They represent time off spent doing one of my favorite hobbies that I’ve loved since I was 5 or 6 years old.
For me it’s simply relaxation and learning tools. I enjoy entering them in competitions to see how well I did and it’s fantastic when sometimes you are recognized by your peers for doing a good job.
I keep my builds for many years and eventually sell them off for someone else to enjoy. Besides the $ supplements the hobby. The last old build I had for over 30 years was sold on eBay.
Sadly I don’t build as much as I could, certian " addictions" seemed to have taken center stage at this point in my life. My job is my passion, I love working on airplanes, being in that enviroment makes me feel like I have accomplished something with my life. My schedule on the other hand is not conducive to much of a social life. I work 12hr night shifts 4 days a week crossing over the weekend when my model club meets, or when contests are taking place. I’m hoping that by October my shift will change and I can join some friends for an annual show in Moscow Idaho.
All that being said, models and modelling is still for me an escape from the mundane pressures of life. I like to make jet noises and make my armor roll across my table. My wife is amazed at my skill and would rather have me disappear into my mind for a couple hours than be out getting in trouble. I have to agree with her.
Each one of my built and unbuilt kits have a story attached. This one from a friend, that one bought on a trip, memories. One day I will again slow my roll with my addiction, be back on a “normal” work shift, and re connect with my friends.
Modelcrazy I would be honored to meet you. It is a small show, but the comeradery is what makes it great. We go to the same restaurant every year and have fun with the service staff.
Moscow is the home of the Idaho Vandels so it’s a college town. Let me know if your gonna make it.
As it gets closer I can PM the particulars, or you can find them on the IPMS USA web page. I WILL be there…my boss just doen’t know it yet. Lol
Models what good are they, that is a good question. I suppose for each person it may be different. The models that I have collected and want to get are memorabilia. I suppose they have very little value other than to the person that has built them. My first car was a 56 Ford Victoria, and I have the kit, next was a 64 Chevelle SS, then a 69 z28.
Aircraft, P2V Neptune, hated that airplane at the time and was stuck in it for a very short period of time. Next was the S2, and then the P3 Orion, each of those planes bring back many different memories, some of people I flew with, Russian Subs that we pi…. Off.
So why am I now working on a A1 Skyraider, well I actually got to fly one once, tremendous old bird that would carry it’s own weight in ordnance, however my flight was with no ordnance and was a blast.
Actually my wife’s sister husband really gave me the bug, he is an excellent model builder, problem is we do not get along.
I am also determined to eventually build some WWII aircraft in remembrance of what those fighter and bomber pilots did for us.
To me it is therapeutic and is keeping me busy, I have procrastinated and starting these models for a very long time and now determined to work on them.
I believe that all of your replies are great! While thier values change just a little to me as I age, they still remind me of youth. The are always a prime source of mental and physical therapy when building them. I also find that they help me grow in a safe hobby (new kits, new techniques, forever learning). I would also add that it gives me another means of communication and comradrie (forums, local hobby shops, local IMPS chapter, model shows, etc.). As far as building subjects, some are from previous experience (past ownership of the real thing, past military experience, admiration of the real item, and so on…). If it is something I like but will never be able to own the real thing. In memory of friends who flew them, drove them, sailed them, etc.
How long do I keep them? For me it depends on the model. If I am please with the results and it holds some personal value to me, I keep them a very long time. It is also fun to look back on kits I built every 10 years or so to see if I notice any modeling (skills) improvement. If I have regrets about the build or the kit did not live up to my expectation in quality (or if a new release of the same subject is much better), I will either give it away, sell it, donate it, or use it for parts (after the newer one is built of course).
There are times when I see an event such as racing (NHRA, NASCAR, Rally, Endurance, F1, Indy, etc.) and it instills such a strong memory that I want to build a kit to remember it. Another instance was when I was assigned in the Operations section of a Cavalry squadron. I got to take our assigned USAF Forward Air Controller (FAC) out and watch him call in different birds like an A-10, F-16, and such. That was a thrill I will never forget. Thanks to modeling I have scale replicas of those and other craft to remind me.
All of your reasons are good, I’m just adding my 10 cents worth…