Warbird Information Exchange

I've run a model-building club at my middle school now for 8 years. This year I have 27 kids in it, including 5 or 6 girls. Normally I have 16-20 kids. We are building lots of 1:48 WWII kits, plus several 1:35 or 1:24 cars. Even a couple of 1:72 tanks. We meet once a week for 2 hours and every week I have more kids asking to join but I don't have the room. I have to wait til someone finishes their model and drops out (if they finish and bring in another model, they can keep coming). About 10 of the kids are boys who have crummy home situations and they have behavior issues or absent fathers or both. I don't know if any of 'em will grow up to be 787 mechanics but I do know that some kids will build models if they get exposed to it.

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David-
GOOD FOR YOU!!!! and good for your kids!!!! I guess there really could be hope that in the future you may be responsible for turning out some mechanically competent people who don't want to pound a keyboard and be a 'zecutive'
I bought my son his first models @ age 3 for Christmas, just cheap snap togethers, but he did become a modeller, went on the do his own engine swaps as a guy in his early 20's, worked as a structures mechanic @ an MRO, moved on to the 262 project and then currently in PP&S (powerplants and struts) @ Everett Boeing. About 4 years ago, he calls me and says, 'can you come over to the hanger? I'm gonna chop the top on my 72 CHEVY C-10'. The 3 inch chop came off perfectly, he taught himself to MIG weld on the project, and as soon as he gets the time, he'll get the new glass cut and installed and get it back on the street, all because of a couple of cheap plastic models and some guidance and encouragement from his old dad-

Keep the effort up my friend!!

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Amen to all that Inspector...kids today need to get that hands on experience as well as the ability to teach spaitial relationships and step-wise process understanding not found these days in many kids. I was fortunate to pick up those skills from building models. The times I do build models today (and it will be more often with us now dealing with Ohio winters!) I have my daugther own the instructions and direct me on how to build the kits.

Im really surprised about kits prices today as well...especially when you start adding in the paint, etc needed to create a good model. Perhaps as they are being produced in lesser numbers the kits manufacturers are trying to recoup more margin per unit.

When we were doing a P-51 Red Nose/LT-6 display this summer in Columbus I got to walk around the old North American plant. I saw acres of empty parking spaces on the north side of the building where all of the engineers and others used to park. It made me sad to think of all those skilled people that today we see much less of in the work force.

There is a lot of press these days on how the US needs to graduate more engineers. Most of those North American engineers that lived in our neighborhood when I was growing up all built models as children....maybe model building needs to become part of the US economic recovery plan....

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Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"

And a double bravo to Dave...he is no doubt starting some kids down the road to be the next set of engineers to take us beyond the moon one day...

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Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"

I picked up some plywood dinosaur models at Harbor Freight for about a dollar each when my son was born (he's 4-1/2 now). We've built two together already and have a few more to do, He brings them to school for show and tell (they can't bring "toys" but I guess these are scientific) and he brags how he built it with the help of his dad. He spends about ten minutes and then I do the rest, but 4 year old boys don't have much of an attention span. I have to glue them back together and reinforce them when he breaks them, but Elmer's glue is cheap enough.

I've also bought a few of those snap/screw together airplane kits at a local air museum and he helps put those together and then plays with them. He has a Fokker Triplane and a Mustang. He loves going to the airport, primarily for the gift shop experience.

Don't tell anyone, but I let him sit on my lap and drive my truck too (not on the open road obviously- vacant parking lots)... Hopefully we won't get a visit from child protective services anytime soon.

I have a go-kart to fix up for him in the next couple of years (I always wanted one as a kid), but it's hard to find a place to drive it in the city without getting into trouble.

My wife is constantly amazed at this problem solving skills and use of logic. Maybe it is just because it is her son, but I do think he has a bit of the Dilbert in him! No doubt he'll be a gear head like his dad, and he'll end up with a wife that complains about all his hobbies too.

So what model did you go with?

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S.

All of them! Monogram,Revell,MPC and Minicraft/Hasegawa. Dad had a 1/24 Revell 54 Highboy kit in a shelf in the garage,when I was little. Found out he built models back in the 50's and 60's. He had a real one, a 1954 Bel-Air 4dr Sedan. It gave me the modelling bug. Every Christmas would get at least one model kit under the tree. Still have most of them. Now I'm in my 40's,still building them. If I don't get one for Christmas, I go to nearest Hobbyshop or order one from Squadron Catalog. Most kids today don't want to sit down long enough to build one. It is great when you can build one when weather is nasty,especially when you get snowed in or its raining. Finding a Model club in your area is even better!