Build and share the fun!!

My hope is that if you are reading this magazine, it is because you enjoy building models. Chances are that you, like me, have told friends and family that modeling is fun. Chances are equally good that a high percentage of that audience seems skeptical that spending hours at the workbench gluing parts together and obsessing over small details is fun. How many times have you said to someone, “I wish I could show you how much fun modeling is,” or “You’d enjoy it if you gave it a chance.” Well, now’s your chance. As part of International Build a Model Month (coming in November), FSM is challenging readers to introduce a newbie to the fun of the hobby. Grab a child, grandchild, parent, spouse, friend, or neighbor and build something with them. Here are a few tips to make sure everyone has a good time: 1) Pick something simple for the first build. You want the newcomer to want to build a second model, not give up in frustration. 2) Lower your expectations. We were all new modelers once, and I know my first efforts were far and away from perfect — I made plenty of mistakes. Remember, a novice’s first efforts don’t need to be perfect. 3) Don’t take it too seriously. Hey, we’re here to have fun, so let’s have fun. Let the potential modeler-for-life pick the subject and decide how they want to finish it. A pink Sherman with green polka dots may not be your choice, but that’s OK. We want to hear your stories about the experience. Did the model get finished? What were the challenges? What did the newcomer think? Perhaps most importantly, did everyone have a good time and are there plans to build a second? While you are doing that, consider what model you’d like to enter in the inaugural International Build a Model Month contest. That’s right! In celebration, we are running a contest giving you a chance to win cash and see your model on the cover of FSM. Entries will be accepted from November 1–30, 2022, and submissions will be judged by a group of FSM staff and contributors. So, head to the workbench and show us what you’ve got. Before I let you get on with reading all of the great stories about detailing models and I head back to the workbench, I want to remind you about the FSM DLCs (DownLoadable Content), our digital editions that are published in February, April, October, and December. We are hard at work on the October 2022 DLC and subscribers should receive an email with a link to download it in early September. Or you can visit FineScale.com/DLC to find all the available DLCs.