Many years ago, I assisted a modeling friend at, of all things, a Rotary Club meeting, where he was the featured speaker. His topic was his recently built Carl Goldberg Models Ultimate Biplane. My job was to carry in the model as he was introduced.
The moderator presented my friend to the lunch meeting attendees and announced that he would be talking about his modeling experiences. I clearly remember the last sentence that the moderator spoke before turning the floor over to my friend. He said that he felt that "modelers could do anything!" Wow! Anything!
It occurred to me just how many areas of modeling, specifically model airplanes, there are that define the modeler landscape—and there are many!
I started to think back to when I first became interested in building model airplanes. I was probably close to 7 or 8 years old. My uncle was a master at stick-built models; he constructed several Comet and Guillow’s kits right there on his kitchen table. The fascination with these simple balsa stick models held an interest that was unique to me, and they were likely a fascination with many other kids too.
In those days, the Comet kits had a photo on the left side of the box depicting a young boy sitting at a small workbench, where he was in the process of building a model airplane, complete with a glass bottle of Coca- Cola in the foreground. What could better capture the complete sense of being a young modeler?
The drawing opposite the photo on the box was of the model subject in the kit. The box contained all of the lumber, plans, accessories, and instructions to build the rubber band-powered "flying" model.
There was something in those images that pulled me into not just the result of a finished product but also the whole experience. Spending hours studying the plans and assembly illustrations, and organizing the wood and miscellaneous parts just to work it all out to build the model on the box, connected my imagination to something I could hold in my hands, wind up, and toss into the air. I could experience the immediate results of my labor. Oh, and it was fun! I was hooked!
These days, there are not as many static visual images of modelers as there were years ago. Now, we have YouTube videos on social media of fellow modelers showing their work and flying their models. You can find just about any type of modeling endeavors being pursued by modelers around the world. Free Flight, Control Line, RC Aerobatics (Pattern), Pylon Racing, Scale subjects, jets … you name it, it’s all right there and just a click away.
The visual technology that’s right in the palm of your hand has replaced the static photo and illustrated images that once stimulated our imaginations. No matter the medium, though, whether it’s from existing kits or by our own hand, the path that takes us to the finished model still ignites the same spark. Why is that? Well, because we are modelers!
What exactly is a modeler? I can only speak for myself, of course, but I’m confident that many of you feel the same. The many hours that we pour over our workbench reap abundant rewards. There are so many facets involved in planning, building, maintaining, and flying our creations. We tap into many skills that are required to put it all together. These skills are nurtured through the many projects (and visions of projects) that we’ve made and continue to make, as well as projects and ideas that we share with others.
Most modelers seek to be around other model builders and, similar to any deep-seated shared interest group, they form lasting bonds with people who speak the same language and enjoy the hobby with the same enthusiasm. This energy keeps the fire burning, so to speak, and fills a happy space that remains throughout many modeling years. I have experienced long periods when I have not practiced this hobby, but never once in those times did I not feel as though I was still a card-carrying member of it!
In some ways, being a modeler defines a part of who we are and promotes thinking outside of the kit box. As some modelers expand their horizons, bigger and more sophisticated projects end up on their workbenches, expanding knowledge and expertise. Being a modeler promotes innovation and experimentation all within the scope of a hobby. I’m sure that can be said of many hobbies, but modeling becomes personal and as enjoyable as an old friend.
If that is what a modeler is, what exactly does it mean to bea modeler? I’m sure everyone can come up with a definition, but my bet is that many of us have never thought of our hobby in terms of what it means to us personally. Let’s explore the possibilities!
For me, the meaning of being a modeler extends beyond being a part of a hobby community—there’s an intrinsic value that transcends designing and building model airplanes. The thinking used in model building can be applied to many areas outside of the hobby. Like the man said earlier, "Modelers can do anything!" Well, I don’t know about "anything," but many things, that’s for sure.
I can attest that my experiences in my many years of modeling helped me to tackle building my own house. From the ground up, I viewed the whole house-building experience like building a giant model kit. The processes I learned with building models were exactly the same, only instead of a completed model sailplane, the end result was a house in which I lived.
In that house, there was a wonderful workshop where I continued to produce—what else?—more model airplanes! To be a modeler means to have confidence and "stick-to-it-ness;" the perseverance that is necessary to complete such significant projects was learned and appreciated though building models.
What it means to be a modeler can be a little different for everyone, but how many of us have thought about it in real terms, where we actually sat down and pondered it? I admit that it was a first for me, and I’ve been building models for many decades … I wasthat kid on the Comet kit box cover, but I never once thought past that image to reflect with a deeper sense about how my modeling hobby played such a huge part in who I am today.
Oh, sure, in the whole scheme of our lives, it probably doesn’t matter if we take the time to peel back the layers to try to discover a deeper sense of how our modeling hobby has shaped who we have become. It might even be a bit of overkill, but, for me, it completes the circle.
As I look back, I’m reminded of fellow modelers, some who are no longer alive, but it brings a warm smile to think about how we all share such a wholesome, deep interest. I might not be any closer to discovering whatthe meaning of being a modeler is, but just spending time thinking about it has helped me see that beinga modeler has great meaning.
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