A Vanishing Hobby?
Captain Billy’s (Significantly Scaled Back After a Move) Model Collection.
As mentioned in my previous post, growing up in a small (very small) New England town in the 50s and 60s, one of my strongest connections to the world of aviation was the small store on Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut, called The Hobby House. I was also exposed to new, and old, aircraft on the TV shows of that era. Shows such as, Air Power, Sky King, Steve Canyon, The Whirly Birds, and of course, Victory at Sea, to name a few. It was on those programs that I sat on the floor, with dad in his chair, and saw the modern day, for the 50s and 60s, aircraft and those of World Wars I, II and Korea. There were few, if any, airshows back then around my area. So, my only connection was the TV, books from the small aviation section of the Danbury Library, or seeing them on display at the hobby store.
As I mentioned, it was tough to decide how to best spend that dollar, and which model I would add to the collection on the top of my dresser. I am presently looking at an old Aurora kit from 1963 that is marked $.50 and now is listed on eBay for $64.95. Also, since I was the one who was going to build it on my own, it needed to be simple. Most of mine were done out of the box. No painting, just the decals. They never came out like I imagined them, since I never had the skill of that master model builder from my childhood. I have come close recently.
Today, the small, privately-owned hobby stores are just a memory in most areas. Along with, I believe, the desire of today’s youth to take the time and patience it requires to build one. At one point in my adult life, I had collected some 250+ model kits. I still enjoy building models, and taking the time to finish them, like I remember from that old wooden and glass case. As you can see my “stash” is somewhat reduced from what it was.
Today, one of the remaining chain stores is Hobby Town, which I frequent. There I can wander the aisles, see models hanging from the ceiling, and sometimes find a treasure. Another of my relaxing things to do, besides build and write, is to sit down in the mornings with a cup of coffee and peruse the latest edition of the Squadron monthly catalog and sales circular. I enjoy the feel of the paper. Now, all of this is also available on line @ hobbytown.com and squadron.com as well as others such as hobbylinc.com if that is your desire. From these, and others, you can see pictures and box-art of models from not only, Revell/Monogram but HOBBYBOSS, MINICRAFT, TAMIYA, TRUMPETER, AIRFIX, MPC, ACADEMY, ITALERI, as well as custom kits from SQUADRON.
My question is this… Has this become a vanishing hobby of just the older generation? Or have today’s youth, like many I know personally, become more content with the instant electronic gratification than building something of their own creation? I wonder?
Blue Skys and Tailwinds,
Captain Billy