What do scale modellers like?

Welllllllllllll... It's also a play on a quote from the film "The Man in the Iron Mask", which was "I wear the mask. It does not wear me." Whether you can call a Leonardo di Caprio film a "great literary piece" is another matter entirely! ;-)

Look on the bright side. You'll never suffer from an attack of ennui. ;-p

Many of the other kinds of enthusiasts I've talked to complained that their SO's were not involved enough. They really wanted them to come and sit in the woodshop or the garage and talk, or want to help out with the various tasks or to go to the shows.

You folks, on the other hand, seem to want to be left the heck alone.

I'm getting the feeling I shouldn't recommend loved ones trying to get involved by offering to do things like clean brushes. You also seem to really dislike one of our more common attempts to be good sponsors, which is to proudly display the results of your work.

Seriously, is just staying entirely out of your way the best way to be a good sponsor to a scale modeler?

Many of the other kinds of enthusiasts I've talked to complained that their SO's were not involved enough. They really wanted them to come and sit in the woodshop or the garage and talk, or want to help out with the various tasks or to go to the shows.

You folks, on the other hand, seem to want to be left the heck alone.

I'm getting the feeling I shouldn't recommend loved ones trying to get involved by offering to do things like clean brushes. You also seem to really dislike one of our more common attempts to be good sponsors, which is to proudly display the results of your work.

Seriously, is just staying entirely out of your way the best way to be a good sponsor to a scale modeler?

My current building desk sits adjacent to our living room, allowing me to see the wife and kid and carry on conversations. I've looked forward to having my own, segregated hobby room, which I will have in another month or so when the new house is finished. My excitement of having my own room is now being tempered by the fact that I won't be next to the family living room anymore...

Sean

Building your own room gives you a great opportunity. Save a corner where you don't put any shelves or anything that will be hurt if brushed against. Put a comfortable chair or couch there and let your family know that they are welcome to visit you. If you keep it clear, you may find them choosing that chair now and again to read or play on the floor in front of or do homework (depending on the age of the kid). They may also like hearing about what you're modeling. Personally, I've been fascinated by the first person quality of the stories you folks keep tossing off. Your kid may end up the best educated kid in history class. :-)

It would be nice if she came to the occassional show, especially the times I get a vendor table to help out but she's semi-handicapped now and just isn't up to long days on her feet.

Depends what I'm doing, stay the hell away if I'm airbrushing, working with PE or rigging.....I'm off in another world then and distractions of any kind can be a disaster....just ask the cat that got a few blue spots one night.

Pretty much don't touch my tools, many of them will cause you to leak sticky red stuff if you touch the wrong part. And don't even think of trying to clean anything near my model bench....if I lose or break it that's my fault, if you do I get really pissed because I knew right where it was and what it was for. As for display, only where kids, cats and people that insist on seeing with their fingers can't get at it, preferably behind glass.

Buy us gift certificates from places we like to get stuff, say oooh and ahhhh a lot and keep der grossen fingers offen das models! No they do NOT need dusting by other than the builder. Show them off to visitors if you like but do not pick them up, leave them where they are.

OK, those of you who do the military models, how did I do? What did I miss?

BTW, it's military model oriented because that what I got the best information for. I'm hoping to gather enough to do a page for vehicle modeler sponsors also. Similar, but different resources. Model trains will also get a separate page.

Not me! I'd be thrilled if my wife were to get more involved with my hobby.

Um, I'm very picky about tool maintenance... ;-p

Not so. My wife bought my display case for me and _wanted_ me to put it in the living room. :)

Not at all.

Hi Erika; it's a brilliant website and I just imagine that if you weren't married now, you'd have to field a few proposals from this group!

One thing I would add, if I were you...regarding airbrushes, the best source for airbrushes and accessories is Dixie Art Supply. The best selection and prices, bar none. Here's their URL:

--- Stephen

That would be nice but not likely to happen.

I don't think doing menial tasks really helps. The ideal would be getting involved in the hobby and building a few models but, again, thats not likely to happen as she has her own interests.

No but faking an interest may not help that much either.

Cheers Ultan

A very good summary of what's is all about. Hope that it helps someone.

Cheers Ultan

It looks good! You might want to add a link to

My daughter did. She decided to come down and build with Dad. She even won an award for her Corvette at Mallcon when they were held in Trexlertown, Pa. Then boys became more important and modelling less so. :( On the whole, I wish I'd done that with the boy. Maybe he'd have avoided some of the problems with women that he's had (like the one he's still married to. ;Þ). Contrary to how this all sounds, I do like women. I just picked the wrong one for the wrong reasons. And to be fair, she picked the wrong man for the wrong reasons.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

At least you're seething over some great stuff. Well, maybe not the F-16s, but the rest I share with you.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Pretty cool. I especially like the stuff about not cleaning up for us. My mother dusted a few of my models to pieces when I was a kid. OTOH, it encouraged me to clean up after myself, just to save the agony!

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

I'm so glad you like your page! Thank you very much for the additional links. I'll try to look into them tonight. Let me know if there's anything else you think I need.

Thanks for the additional links! I've added in those that made "sponsor sense". :-)

On a slighly different subject, Al or maybe one you other ex-military types: I would like to do a set of "Support Your Troop" pages for military personnel in various branches and states of deployment. I find lots of info for super-immediate family, I find lots of info for sending something to a random anonymous service person. I find very little for Grandma and Aunt Janet to know the right thing to do for their particular serviceperson.

I do find quite a bit of conflicting information about what one can or should send to troops. Some info says care packages. Other info says not to send photos because there's no way to carry them. I'm a pretty good researcher. If I'm confused, Aunt Janet probably is too.

I *really* don't want to get these particular pages wrong or give misplaced recommendations. Can any of your help me with this, or put me in touch with someone who really knows what they're talking about? There are so many different kinds of servicemen/women and places/situations they could be in. And they are people who would benefit in an unusually big way by getting the right thing from home.

Please feel free to email me directly or use the Contact form on the Spousal Sponsorship site.

- Erika