Possibly, but activity in this field increases with age, as does the disposable income once the kids have left home, and while I am about to hit 60 next month, I don't see any problem with lack of involvement or interest, probably the opposite.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:
Aged 62, 7-day weekender of diminishing private means ..... ie no pensions!
I was talking with a major seller of steam models a few years back. I was always interested in projects to complete. He used to tell me that his clientele now only wanted complete models in good order with boiler certs, & that he rarely bought in projects now for resale. Price wasn't a major issue to his clients, but "ready-to-go" was...
Reinforces the argument of changing trends, 'tho someone has to build the working models in the first place! That's the hard core who drive demand for MEW, & cause resale prices of that magazine to be so high....... BUT that core is inelastic, & seems to be shrinking (not a mixed metaphor -- inelastic is used in an economic context!)
Colin
Bloody hope not. Only 42
Charles
Charles
As a mere 55 year old who does not yet feel ready to "expire" either in the subscription or any other bracket, I'm very much with you on this one. While I have expounded the need to encourage the youngsters at an early age it is without doubt a long term investment. If you can ignite the spark when very young it will survive the tribulations of wives, children, houses etc and many will return in their 40s and 50s when these other aspects of life have been sorted. Yes I accept that this is a very simplistic view and so what if there are more distractions these days, if we really enjoy our hobby and get a great deal of satisfaction from it in our middle/later years surely we should try and share that benefit with our children if we can? Part of the problem is that much of the ME fraternity is too focused on itself and is not looking outwards to where there are many potential "subscribers" who just need a little encouragement to come in and try the water.
We used to have exhibitions that attracted the whole family with many traders selling plastic kits, ready to fly/operate planes/cars and boats and even model flying and rc car racing. What happened to all that? Obviously it wasn't "ME core" and also possibly lost money as it needed bigger facilities but tell you what, it possibly got all of us involved.
Access to a reasonable lathe (yes Chinese) is easier than ever these days but read the answers to the typical newbie plea for help on any one of the many forum like this one and see in general how encouraging we are. Have we forgotten that it is not "what" you have but "how" you use it that is important. Nice for the ego to have "impressive tooling" but, many, many folk are extremely successful for a whole lifetime by using the "minimal tooling" they have with skill and experience and yes some of it is old and withered as well. I think we should stop talking about what you have got and focus on how to use it
- I think we would all be happier in the long run.
Regards
Keith
The original publishers of ME / MEW got an offer that they couldnt refuse, and so sold the titles to Highbury House. HH bought many titles, often paying a very high price, and much on borrowed money.
Over a year ago there was one group who considered buying those titles, but the price HH quoted was thought excessive.
Right now, Allied Irish Bank are supporting HH, whilst assets are sold off in an orderly manner. There are at least two groups who are interested in ME/MEW but naturally Ernst & Young would prefer to sell the whole lot as a package if it is possible. I gather that one of these groups includes at least one person who was involved with Argus.
The end result looks as if it will be that "our" magazines will remain, either as part of another group,or perhaps as stand-alone publications. As has been said, any buyer is almost bound to honour subscriptions to avoid alienating there membership base.
The people who will certainly lose are the investors in HH, who are unlikely to see anything back.
Alan Stepney
If you want to do the count Alan.... I'm 52 .... next!
IanB
Just to add to the count ..... 60 next Friday!
Iain, in Pudsey,UK
Only 46 so a few years to go yet!
However, I visited the Ally Pally today (my 1st ME show) and I reckon that at least 80% of the visitors there were in the pension-age bracket. Also a credit to those in wheelchairs and shop-mobility type electric buggies (of which there were quite a few!) that a disability didn't dissuade them from visiting their hobby show.
Peter
Most of us younger ones had to go to work !
-adrian
Couldn't get their today but I remember last year being amused that I went from work, where I'm an old git in an office where being over 30 is rare, to the Ally Pally where I felt that I was a mere youth!
Charles
47 here and I'm the old fart in the office. If I have to go to shows in a wheelchair, I want it to be steam driven :-)
Mark Rand RTFM
Being the old fart presumably the boiler could be methane fired too ;-)
Regards, Tony
Old fart of 65 here, 7,000 miles from most of you, on the west coast of Vancouver Island!
Steve R.
Add another to the count --- 67, also next Friday.
Maybe engineering causes premature ageing. I went to the show last year and, without asking for it, was automatically given a discount pensioners ticket yet I was only 54!
Cliff Coggin Kent UK
....Oh ... oh ... oh .... ... I want one .... :-)
what a brilliant idea ....
phaarrrrrrppp ... zzzoooooommmmmmmmmmmm
;-}
And another - 64 next month :-)
Been reading it since about age 12 - from whenever they brought out the 'New' Model Engineer in the mid fifties and my mother saw it in the newsagents and decided to get it for me - and if you knew my mother, and her complete lack of interest in anything technical, you would realise what a world shattering event that was :-)
Jim.
Absolutely...Vindaloo power is clearly the way to go to combat global warming...
Regards, Tony
Unfortunately, after retirement (forced early retirement in my case) disposable income doesn't increase. However model engineering is cheaper than many hobbies. A few pounds spent on steel and brass can keep me happy for hours turning it into swarf.
I agree with the comments that it is necessary to have simple projects to encourage younsters. I used to read ME every fortnight at the local library and was inspired by articles on a simple oscillating engine and vertical boiler. I think Tich was being seriallised at that time and though it was well beyond me I still read the articles avidly.
However it was not until much later that I actually made anything. Having aquired a lathe to assist in the restoration of vintage cars I had to find something to do with it after I sold the cars to help fund the retirement.
Russell (aged 60 and living in the south of France)
And somewhat older at 67.1/2 in north central British Columbia - a lonely modeller in both plastic (heresy?) and metal. Mike G.
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