Hate to rain on anyone's optimistic view on reviving wood ship modelling. Todays youth are not building models. They do not fly R/C airplanes, (those that do are flying mostly prebuilt out of the box) and they most certainly are not driving R/C submarines. The "Tri State" R/C shows are dwindling, as well as the clubs! Even the heyday of R/C cars has come and gone!
I ask...how old is the youngest wood ship builder on this forum? I was modelling plastic kits since 4 years old, attempted my first Guillows balsa plane kit at 6!
Back in 1983 bought my first boat wood kit (dory) from a Model Expo add in Smithsonian via mail order. Yes, it hooked me! a few more builds along the years, and today I have 6 wood kits in the box, yet to be started, with a Mamoli Alabama on the workbench, hull planking & deck completed. At 67 now, will I ever get to the remaining boxed kits yet to be built? I think not!
Back in 1984 or so I visited Model Expo to buy my second kit after the dory build. Mr. Frank Mastini was behind a counter across the opposite side of the service counter. He was building a Bluenose as a demo. At the service counter, (I believe it was Marc), I was directed to Mr. Mastini for coaching on my second kit! Even back then, I was not waiting on line in the subsequent Saturdays I spent driving to NJ for Mr. Mastini's build coaching. I pretty much had his lessons all to myself!
Now, to be fair Model Expo was in a corporate park, and they were doing largely mail order, but the premise was easy to access with little effort and very well set up as a point of sale retail shop within the warehouse. Still, all that being said, I was surprised at how few people were taking advantage of Mr. Mastini's coaching!
All here will agree...this hobby consumes much time, yielding great rewards for the effort. How does one find the time in youth between work, social life & family? I largely put this hobby on the backburner until I was in my late 40's re-start...and that was slow going!
