My two son live in the UK and are both avid modlers and love the hobby and it is wonderful to see it develop and how they research items that they are interested in.
They both intend to join Armorama as they are in bording school i have to speak to the head master to alow them to use the internet.
I thinfk that its important that we encourage the younger modlers it was only after i put a post up today that i thought how youngsters putitng posts up could be disheartened i posted some pics of some german equipment(a number of pics) and the only post made was to point out that the german decal was on the wrong side,it makes no difference to me if i get no responses but to a youngster it would be crushing to go to that effort and to only have a fault found with the post and not to see it for what it is.
I just think its a piont to have in mind when we reply ,we might have seen it before but the site in its essence is about the exchange of information and interest.
Chris tango 20

I wholeheartedly agree tango20,a little compassion will go a long way towards the moral and encouragement of young modellers,remember,we were there once.

Being a "youngster" myself, i can tell you that the majority of kids these days barely even know what modelling is, and if i refer to it as modelling when talking to someone, they expect i am talking about the babes in the swim suit catelogues
( not that i have ever donned a bikini before :-) )
and even when they know what you are talking about, they really have no interest, i think the only young kids that are going to become modellers in the near future, are those few who find out about it themselves and happen to like it, or the children of the modellers today.
thats my 2 cents anyway.
cheers

yeah..everyone would have to start young, me started liking these military stuff when i was 2 dude..and my 1st model was 5. although i stopped for a bout 10 years and about breeding new blood for the future, i doubt there will be much success

I started at age 7, really just for something to spend my allowance on, and got hooked. I was about 14-15 though before I stopped just building kits and started modelling for real.
Sites like Armorama encourage the younger modeller to research the subject, and to improve their skills. That's why I often look at the modellers profile before posting critiques on a model - do I encourage or criticise?

I don't know how we are going to encourage more young modellers when they have so many other things - electronic games, computers etc that weren't there when I was a kid. The lack of local model shops with engouraging window displays won't help - if the youngsters don't see the models on display how will they even know the hobby exists?

Where I live there is no longer even a local club that would hold displays etc for the public to attend; my only contact with other modellers is on the 'net, so again a way of bringing new blood into the hobby is gone.

I dont think the hobby will ever simply die, its to big for that, there is alot of money being made, and people will become interested after us, but it may get smaller as the years go on...

I agree with Tango on this one we should do everything possible to encourage kids into the hobby.The internet is a great way to learn and research I remember building my first airfix Lanchaster in the fifties only reference I had was my dad who flew in them.What worries me is the schools do not Teach history like most of us were taught thats why I think modelling should be encouraged its a form of education if you like.Since becoming a more serious modeller Ive researched from the Roman era through to OIF.

At the end of the day I think it's the prices of models and tools that dictate weather or not a kid get's involved in this hobby. Here in SA, you can pick up an Italeri WWII aircraft for roughly R50.00, which isn't bad when you think about it, but the glue, paints, brushes, scalpel and etc are what kills it. For a R50.00 kit, you end up needing close on R100.00 worth of tools and paints just to get the kit finished. Granted, if you've been building for a few years, you would gradually build up your "toolbox" with all the tools that you need, but for a beginner, it can be an expensive hobby to get started in.

Cougar

I was working on a model last month and my two neices aged 8 and 10 both looked in on me and were very interested in a German Leopard I had build for the t2k build. The older was very interested in possibly building something. A xmas present might be the beginning of something great. I sure hope so and I am continueing to encourage both of them.

HastyP
:-)

I agree that encouraging the kids is an important aspect of the hobby. And there is a difference between constructive and destructive criticism. I believe most members try to do their best with constructive criticisms, But I also need to remember that not all members speak English as a first language, so it may come across more harsh than they intended for it to sound. (I speak only English... well, OK... Joisey, and when I use my translater, it doesn't always come out sounding or saying exactly what I wanted to say)

I also agree that the rising costs in everything related to the hobby, probably will continue to rise, and I often wonder how the youngin's and those on fixed incomes, and parents of the youngin's manage.

I believe that here at Armorama, the majority of the members are aware of this, therefore they show a lot more of the simple scratcbuilding, and satisfaction that comes from scratchbuilding, which truely makes the model uniquely theirs.
I believe that as adults, we need to remember to be good examples, (even grumpyoldmen with quick wit and insane senses of humor) and always willing to be a mentor to a willing young person. I can honestly say that the young people here at Armorama are some of the finest youngsters I have had the pleasure to speak to.

OK.... I'm off my soap box......

Edit....... BACK on soap box======
Don't forget about the AGE2 Campaign..........
for newbee's, youngin's, and returnee's,
Prizes and fun for all.......
so don't be a shybee.....
be a do bee..... not a don't bee...
(from Rumper Room..... yeah I know, I'm probably the only one who remembers
Rumper Room, and Miss Barbra...... )

My turn...You could take every reason here , throw them in a bag, pull one out and it fits. Point being...there are are lot of reasons "Not" to get into the hobby. What we as " Builders of all things Plastic" need to do is come up with reasons why you should give it a go. Armorama is a great start. This site is what got me back in and also keeps me there. I've been here going on 2 years and am blown away at the talent out there.
I simply try to introduce people to this site,have them look around and enjoy the scenery. It took Ken 1 year to convince me to try again and I thank him for his hounding me. So, do the same to a friend or whomever, but do it subtly.
As far as cost...I dont believe that its any higher than anything else kids do! 1 kit, glue , a couple of brushes and starter paint..$40.00. 1 XBox game..$50.00. Its not a matter of cost, its a matter of introduction and little nudges.
Encouragement, compliments and constructive criticism go a long way.
Age2 campaign is meant to do just that!!!!!

John

How you like that for a long and shameless plug!!!!

Exposure is the key!

The youth of today are bombarded with too many choices.

Between computer/video games, DVD's, internet, 1500 television channels and sports (though "sports", I'm sure this falls at the bottom of most kids lists).

Heck if they are playing that video game and you notice they take an interst in a cool looking tank, you could say something like "y'know you can build something like that".


You need to make them interested in modelling, it doesn't have to be military (I know I know what did I just say???) but it can be cars, monsters, robots etc anything that they do have an interest in...

Getting into schools would be a good start, maybe some sort of "how to" etc...

I just think there would be alot more young kids interested if they knew maore about the hobby...

Cheers, Michael

Or if they watch shows like "Zoids"(A really wierd anime robot show) You could have a Military Robot, or maybe a military monster, like in "Wolfenstien 3D"(a game from 1992 set in a ww2 castle)

Rob

hello i'm Robster.

i start modeling when i was 10 years old it where really bad models. after that i started to play games on my nintendo gamecube now i'm 15 and i'm starting again with militairy modeling. i didn't do much just when i starded again about 1 tanks and a half airplane.

but what i think is that the kids don't have the patience for modeling when the are 10 years old.
so they prefere playing video games on the computer.
i think if we are daddys we must prohibit playing games and learn them how to make good models.
it will be good for their education.

Greetz Robster!

i gave my brother a kick in the rear end so he'd stop being lazy and finish his model.... worked great, he's been doin em for 2 weeks non sstop! first time he's been modeling for so long in a row!

and i managed to get my gf crazy about painting! lol....

Frank

Well heck i'm only 14 and i've become very interested in the hobby in less than a year, infact i already have purchased an Aztek A470 Airbrush and am becoming quite proficient with it. I encourage any "youngsters" to try it, buy a cheap revell kit from your local hobby shop and try it out, then you can move onto more advanced kits. My advice. Cheers

I think sites like this are a great thing. I went from being proud off a halfpainted tamiya M4-a3 (the old one) to kitbashing and converting an M-4 wading tank. However ther should be a fine line between "constructive critiscism" and bashing the kid.....