There has been a long thread on the merits of our hobby moving forward in future years. I brought up the point that unless we "evanglize" new hobbyist, there could be slowing down in the industry in a few years. Right now, we are in the height of a boom period... more vendors, more kits, more detail and more options.... I want to see that continue over the course of my next 30 or so years remaining on this planet.

I recommend to everyone that you go out, purchase a $6-8 kit, like a 1/72 plane or tank, and then sit down with a kid and teach them to build and paint it.

Girls seem to like the sci-fi figures (Frankenstein, Dracula, Spock, etc.).

You'll be surprised at how enjoyable it is to teach a child the techniques, and share the history of the subject with them.

That is a great idea. I also tend to give away older kits.

Hi there, I am a "newbie" Id guess you say and can't emphasize enough how good it is for someone that is experienced in modelling to help out us beginners. A friend of mine who works at the local hobby store always finds the time to teach me the basics and help me out, It is the best thing to happen to me. Id just want to say how important it is to physically show people how fun and interesting it is.

My three youngest kids build models. My 14 yr old stepson is not too into it, my 10 yr old daughter loves to build and has brought her kits to my IPMS and AMPS meetings. My 7 yr old son likes to build as well. The younger two still have some of their kits uploaded in my gallery.

My three yr. old boy (Logan, in case that escaped you somehow ) Loves to "help" me build "his" models. So far he's participated in a 1:250 Space shuttle(his 'best' toy, in his words), And several 1:144 A/C including a 737-500, B-1, F4, F15, F16, MiG25,And F14. He loves to sit with me in the bookstore Cafe and page through the latest Modelmags, interjecting his comments. I'm hoping this Interest will last, and do everything I can to encourage w/o smothering. He even knows what he's allowed to touch and not touch on my model bench! (wish I could train the cat & SWMBO that well... )
DISCLAIMER: If the kit is intended for him, we leave off the dangerous "Fiddly Bits". I want him around a long time to enjoy this hobby!

Hey Logansdad: Sounds like my house, where my 3 year old loves looking at my tank models and pictures. He has finally learned to sit and watch when I am able to do any work while he is still awake. Hopefully his interest will stay as he gets older. Also, our local club encourages the members to bring their kids and allow them to participate in the monthly show and tell (if they are willing to do it). That has been one of the best things I have found as I have re-entered modeling is a supportive group of experienced modelers who treat all members with respect and offer tips to those just learning on how to do things and improve.

Keith

I agree, as a newbie I'm looking to get every piece of guidance I can. I'm familiar with painting game mini's to some extent so it'll be a tad easier but I still have a TON to learn and there's so much good advice here.

Hey logansdad, not sure if you have a Hobby Lobby near you but with this half off sale they have a bunch of smaller 1/72, 1/144 ships, planes etc. Might be a good time to grab a bunch if you already haven't. They had a bunch of smaller destroyers, battleships on clearance at mine the other day for $4 a pop. Let me know if you're interested and I can pick anything up for you.

Guys that is great ..bringing it to your kids. But, (isn't this aways the case) it ain't a drop in the bucket. Need to get out there and work other kids as well. I use my positon as a scout volunteer leader to bring out modeling. We have district activities for the Cubbies and I always bring a bunch of my stuff out. Then talk with the kids about what to get and where. I have half the kids in my scout troop building models as a hobby...mainly cars, but you gotta start someplace. When I go to Hobby Lobby, I usually spend over an hour , there is always a kid with mom and/or dad there looking. I talk up the hobby, recommend kits, and usually get the satisfaction of seeing them walk out of there with a new kit in that kids hands. It's just like Keith says....the law of supply and demand. as long is there is demand...there will be supply.

I've always tried to get my history teacher to show off some models of ANYTHING. The way I see it, it shows teens my age, who have the attention span of a flea, that the history that they're being forced to learn actually happened. The model gives them something tangible, something 3D. And, at the very least, they can learn about the vehicles that they drive and/or blow up in those games which I can't afford but they can, grumble, grumble......(Not that I'm bitter :-) ), which in turn could give them the incentive to actually build, which they then show off to their friends, who then wish to build also. See, just one little snot-nosed kid (Not me, of course.... ) can cause an industry boom. So, go out and give some models to teachers, have the students buy some models, cause the price to go down, thus giving us cheaper models, which in turn causes more small children to start building models, and the idea is mine, so I claim all royalties, which then makes it so I can get more models, control the modeling world, and make you all my slaves! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Oops! Wait, you didn't hear that last part.......Thanks for your time.

One tip I have for anyone who's trying to get their kid into the hobby is this: whatever the first kit is, have it be a simple one that can be finished quickly.

At a young age, a child doesn't have the largest attention span, and you cannot expect them to sit down for 2 hours to work on something that won't show any immediate results. I'm talking from my own experience (which wasn't too long ago), growing up my parents got me some snap-on kits, and let me go at it. Even though there was very little challenge to the kit, the fact that I finished it, was what really got me interested in moving on to something a little harder.

And it's been that same attitude that's kept me in the hobby. No one dives in to the hard stuff right away, or even the intermediate stuff. So don't expect the young-ins to be able to, or to want to either.

Great thread Keith!! My two cents on top of the great advice - let the youngster guide you through the process. Be age appropriate. The younger the child the more general the process should be. It may drive you nuts to watch them put 10 pounds of glue on one part. All you can do is offer assitance and guidance and let them "DO" the work. They will fill with pride and accomplishment.

Warhammer type figures are also fun for the YuGIOh type croun too. A bit pricey but cool subjects.

i got my brother in the hobby he aint as nuts about it as i am but enjoys it a lot..( he spends too much time playing Gi Joes)
and soon enought il get my sister in the hoggy, she said shed liek to try :)

one good thing about younger brothers and sisters.... ther naive! so once there finished building it, i can try out new techniques! and it makes all of us happy...

lol, my brother spent 50 bucks on a catalina 1/48 from monogram and i ended up doing a good part of the building, helped him a lot and now i have to paint it!

2 years ago i went to a hobby shop for the first time in my life with my grand-pa and they had those big planes you build and you fly after so after i bougth my first tank ( shermie m4a3 from tam) he started checking out the big planes and he's probly gonna buy one this winter!

Frank

p.s: to all of you with kids! get them in the hobby of model building so it can become as popular as hocky, football and skateboarding!

I think that what drives us into this hobby is the interest in the real-life subject, like the interest in WWII. That's what drove me into modeling, I don't really enjoy sanding and filling(I do enjoy painting though lol) but what i do enjoy is getting my imagination running wild,and my deep research into war subjects.

Maybe if we make this interest grow into kids they will probable soon find out modeling. It's like a natural process,if you like military vehicles you will soon discover that you can make them!

Personally when i was a kid i was a total star wars freak!!! I built a couple of kits without painting as they were already grey. What got me to that stage though was my dad taking me to the Natural History museum in London to look at dinosaurs etc. Then he bought me a Tamiya (i think) kit of the T-Rex.....that got me hooked. It's kinda sad that there doesn't seem to be many kits for kids these days. I remember making and painting the muppet characters with plaster o paris and moulds. Maybe there are some companies out there doing the same with Shrek and all the characters kids love today. One would hope so.

if he does, tell him to get a membership to AMA. It is inscurane, and most clubs wonlt let you fly unless you have one. Tell him also to join a club and get an instructor. I Fly these too, and they are a load of fun once you get a hang of them

There are some soft plastic Yugi-O's thatI found, along with some Star Wars figures that has o has got my 7 year old really into the painting.... he's getting pretty darn good!

The news on TV showed modeling one time and it was on MSNBC or one of them channels and that might have done something. When I was little about 10 or 12 or so and a show on PBS or a education channel had a learn about plastic models series thats what got me hooked even more.It made all kinds of things from a wide range of topics.

I think some one should introduce these hobbies to some sort of youth groups as a way to keep kids out of trouble. I know it helped me get through some tough times and maybe out of trouble.

The plastic hobbies helps them build self confidence in them selfs. To also learn about there history and how we got were we are today.

Thats just a small idea I donn't know if it would work but I am only spaeking from my personal opion.

Happy Modeling

IPMS Stockholm members pay around $5 a year memebrship. But they have quite high out-goings with the homepage and we hire a school room every month for our meetings and build evenings.

Every October, there is a big hobby exhbition in Stockholm and a lot of the memeber volunteer for 1 to 3 days to work at it. Importers for all the modelling supplies sponsor loads of cheap kits from airfix, matchbox, etc. plus the hobby shops donate old kits to get rid of them. They also throw in paints and cement. IPMS provide the basic tools. We have an area set aside where kids can build whatever is on the shelves. Basically what happens is, their parents pay between $1 and $3 for the kit (depending on kit value) and the kids can build and paint their model all day, with help and instruction from the IPMS members. This leaves their parents free to wander around at their leisure.
You should see the faces of these kids as they build and paint. They can take home whatever they build and hopefully it is turning a lot of them onto modelling. Any kid who builds a model can take advantage of the cheap prices and buy an extra kit to build at home.
Other memebrs build, airbrush, sculpt, etc to show and give help/answers for more advanced questions. We also display a selection of models. Last year we included a computer with the whole site loaded onto it so people could come and browse the site.
Without a doubt it is easily the best attended section of the whole exhibition.

IN return the hobby exhibition pays IPMS a generous amount, which in turn pays most of the clubs expenses. The moral is everybody wins. The importers are helping to turn kids onto the hobby for their own good. We hope that this will safe-guard the future of the hobby and keep the local shops alive. Also helps interest alive at club level and pays the bills.
Anybody who is involved in a club should give this a go.

Of course, any of my nephews or friends children around this age always know what to expect as a present from me ... kit, cement, and paint! My daughter is only 3 but is already showinga lot of interest in painting and in models. Cant wait until she is able to cut pieces herself and build with me!

LOL :-) The most devastating force in my flat (apartment for the yanks ) is SWMBO.

I have recently taken to showing a relative's 15 yr old how to apply various painting techniques to his Warhammer figures. Seems to be paying off, as his figures are slowly evolving from "monotone" paint jobs to paint jobs with depth. He is also becoming quite the scratchbuilder. Hopefully I'll be able to ween him onto "real" models... LOL :-)