Has anyone else ever had trouble explaining our hobby to non-modelling folks or run into difficulty helping them understand? For example, I had a friend from school over to the house recently. He couldn't understand why I had three of the "same" tank and couldn't understand that one was early , mid, and late production and were really different so that's why I built 3 of them. Or when someone asks what my hobby is and I say "scale modelling of historical vehicles" they look at me like I'm crazy. Has anyone else ran into this?

My feeling is that those who get it, get it, and those who don't, won't no matter what you say. Our hobby is no stranger than coin collecting, and there is a television commercial advertising that hobby.

One thing I find hard to accept is that some people assume a model comes pre-painted and built. I have my Tamiya Duce N a Half on display on my desk at work. Somebody the other day assumed it was one of those die cast models that come that way. I guess I should be flattered, but I wasn't

I only have to "explain" my latest buy to SWMBO (not quite sure why).

Everybody else can... Go away

I've got the same response to my stuff Rodger! and then the "well, if it isn't one why don't you just go buy the thing somewhere and save time?"

It's all in how you phrase it.

Don't say: "I build model tanks."

Instead, say: "I build and paint scale historical miniatures."

When I go on a trip by car, I look at houses and buildings and wonder "What sort of people live there? What sort of drama is in place in that house? What sort of joy or sorrow is in there? Is there fear? Hope? That business that is now closed- why? Illness? Lack of customers?"

When I thumb through a history book I look at those soldiers. I wonder the same sorts of things. That guy on the right is wooried about his mother the guy in the middle has blisters, the one behind them is bored, the one on the right is excited because his wife is having a child.

Building a model is a way of bringing something from the past back to life. If you are building a diorama you tell a story of what may or may not have gone on. I have several diorams brewing in my head, and each of them tell stories that reflect a number of different attitudes and conditions.

So when i am asked "Why do you obsess over these tanks and stuff?" I answer:
"Some people like to watch sports and at the end of a game what do they have? I build these things and author a story and when I am done I've got something on my shelf to remind me that humanity has highs and lows, but we still keep on going."

Jon
You pretty much summed up what I feel about the hobby -and why I do it (aside from the joy of building something up from a bunch of plastic parts).
Building a tank or other vehicle somehow makes me feel closer to the people who manned -and died in- them. You can touch history, and also helps to understand how the technology worked (many details became evident only after I built a particular vehicle, and the research helped to understand how things work). Some of my co-workers thought I was a childish weirdo who likes to play with toys, a nerd, or a militarist idiot, or all in one. Despite my fascination with AFVs and airplanes, helicopters, I am very much a pacifist. Go figure.
But since I realized people tend to look funny at me when I mentioned my hobby, I stopped mentioning it. (By the way, the movie 40 years old virgin quite reinforced the nerd status of figure painting and model building. I guess we are.) That's why I'm uneasy giving my full name on forums like this: a simple google brings up all my messages in these "militaristic", "Nazi-loving" forums (when an "outsider" sees a tank with a Nazi flag displayed on top, he assumes we like them), plus that two or three publications I have... I'd rather not have people know my hobby. Especially if they are about to hire me.

If someone asks me "What my hobby is ?", I nearly always reply "sticking bits of plastic together". It is normally followed by the question "Why?", my reply "because I enjoy it". Some people will take further interest, some don't, either way I couldn't care less .
I'm happy with it, my family are happy with it (espeicially the Beloved, who knows where I am 90% of the time ) and that's all that really matters to me.
Andy

Two things I've given up doing:
1. trying to figure out women.
2. trying to explain this hobby.

I think both were put here to just relax with and enjoy.

I just don't care what they think any longer. As long as I enjoy what I do and can still do it to an acceptable level to hell with anyone else.

C.

I don´t questions others choice of hobbies, and I don´t expect them to question my choiche - I do show interest - it might just be my next hobby