The face of the future
Given that many of the models built are of historical subjects, it may seem odd that this issue of FSM focuses on what lies ahead. Predicting the future is fraught because some of it is assumption and guesswork based on the past.
To be clear, I am optimistic and think the hobby’s future is rosy. We have new kits, accessories, finishing supplies, books, and tools constantly being produced. The quality and variety of the work being displayed at shows and online is truly inspiring.
But just as scale modeling today doesn’t exactly resemble what it looked like 40 years ago — before photoetched metal and resin were commonplace — it is unlikely the future will look like it does now. How different it will be is a matter of perspective and attitude. To gauge those impressions, I put a general question out on Facebook and many of the comments in the article on Page 14 were in response to my post. The fact that the question generated nearly
100 comments testifies to the fact that many modelers have thought about the future.
Without spoiling the story for you, I want to expand on one concern many modelers have expressed not only in the Facebook comments but in emails and personal conversations over the years: How to get young people into the hobby? The idea that youthful modelers don’t exist is demonstrably untrue. The builder of the stunning Gundam diorama in this issue is 19-year-old Nico Suratos. She won gold in her age division in the Philippines section of the Gunpla Builders World Cup in October and will compete against gold medalists from around the world this
December for the championship.
Rather than throwing in the towel or falling back on the hackneyed idea that “kids today are more interested in their phones,” be part of the solution. Take the time to introduce one of those kids to the hobby. Make it fun and engaging, let them pick the kit, and don’t force them into doing things the way you do them.
As my fellow FSM editor Tim Kidwell, a father of two, has pointed out, most of the time, kids are happy to spend time with you. If you include them in your hobby, show them the ropes, and let them build what they want to build sitting at the bench with you, they will discover modeling is fun and be proud of what they have done. They may not stick with it forever — honestly, how many modelers have let cars, jobs, college, military service, and relationships stop their building, often for years — but they will likely come back. Let’s all get out there and start creating scale modeling’s next generation.