Totally OT: Do Kids Still Build Models Today

brian26

When I was a kid in the 80s, I used to build models, and most of my buddies did as well. Most of the models were cars or monster trucks, but sometimes there's be a plane thrown in.

Do kids build models today, or is this a lost art form?

We had an extra coupon for Michael's this week, so I bought my son a Star Wars X-Wing fighter snap-together by Revell. I basically built it for him on my own as he's too young, but it was a blast. Didn't paint it, but I sanded down the plastic parts that needed it as I assembled it, and I might use a black liner pen on it later to add some detail. It's sort of inspired me to get back into model building.

Did Legos takeover for real model building? Obviously video games have taken over a bit.

cpamike

My son whose 8 actually has about a half dozen models planes which he has helped put together. Unfortunately, most of them are in pieces now not that he seems to care.

jmmiller777

I collect unopenened dragsters but I think the building part is a lost interest, kind of gone the way of the hula hoop.

DrBuster

The last model I built culminated into the Robotech vs Earth fireworks war in the front yard. The stank of rockets and M80s, smoke bombs, melting plastic/paint/glue, roman candles lingered in the neighborhood for at least 2 days and our yard for a week.

Think I had maybe 20 planes and an aircraft carrier, all meticulously built and hand painted/stickered and hanging from my room ceiling over 5 years. My WWII grandfather said my F4 camo paint job was ridiculous!

Anyway, that armada went against my Robotech army. A dozen maybe. I had filed off sticks and lengthened fuses and loaded up the shoulder cannons on a bunch of them with bottle rockets. The planes got the same treatment with the wing launchers and bombs and such. The boat was on it's own with a roman candle.

A few choice lights with a Bic and armageddon was on! Things caught on fire, melted, stank it up, blew up, caught the lawn on fire.....and in the end........1 lone robotech stood rictorious to rule the Earth.






Model building would do kids today some good.

Griffins

My son did when he was younger (he's 14 now) but rather than the ones we built when we were kids his were often Lego models- Star Wars, etc.
He did a few of the Revell ones but they were a bit complicated at times, and once he was really old enough there were too many other things to occupy his time that we didn't have available to us.