Brick-and-mortar retail is going bust across all sectors, not just hobby stores.

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Brick-and-mortar retail is going bust across all sectors, not just hobby stores.

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Ditto, here. The hobby culture has changed along with how it is marketed.

Bob

A vendor at a show I attended recently said something to the effect that the hobby is dying and he pointed to the average age of those attending the show as proof--almost all guys in their fifties, sixties or seventies, with one younger guy and one kid in the room (not to mention some patient wives). He had a point. It isn't about whether we buy models locally or online, it's about who is going to build models when the short-attention-span generation has replaced us. I drifted out of modelling in my middle years as I had other things to do (and spend my money on). Now things like skiing and paintball are not so kind to my old knees so a return to model building became interesting. But the key was I built models as a kid so the seed was planted. I just don't know how many kids are building models these days, it seems like they live in their smart phones and gluing together a model car or airplane just isn't something many want to do. I'd love to be proven wrong however....

A vendor at a show I attended recently said something to the effect that the hobby is dying and he pointed to the average age of those attending the show as proof--almost all guys in their fifties, sixties or seventies, with one younger guy and one kid in the room (not to mention some patient wives). He had a point. It isn't about whether we buy models locally or online, it's about who is going to build models when the short-attention-span generation has replaced us. I drifted out of modelling in my middle years as I had other things to do (and spend my money on). Now things like skiing and paintball are not so kind to my old knees so a return to model building became interesting. But the key was I built models as a kid so the seed was planted. I just don't know how many kids are building models these days, it seems like they live in their smart phones and gluing together a model car or airplane just isn't something many want to do. I'd love to be proven wrong however....

A vendor at a show I attended recently said something to the effect that the hobby is dying and he pointed to the average age of those attending the show as proof--almost all guys in their fifties, sixties or seventies, with one younger guy and one kid in the room (not to mention some patient wives). He had a point. It isn't about whether we buy models locally or online, it's about who is going to build models when the short-attention-span generation has replaced us. I drifted out of modelling in my middle years as I had other things to do (and spend my money on). Now things like skiing and paintball are not so kind to my old knees so a return to model building became interesting. But the key was I built models as a kid so the seed was planted. I just don't know how many kids are building models these days, it seems like they live in their smart phones and gluing together a model car or airplane just isn't something many want to do. I'd love to be proven wrong however....

What diffrence does it make,most of us,myself included will be dead long before the hobby dies,and if not most of us have stashes that neither us or our kids who might model will never finish any way.

A vendor at a show I attended recently said something to the effect that the hobby is dying and he pointed to the average age of those attending the show as proof--almost all guys in their fifties, sixties or seventies, with one younger guy and one kid in the room (not to mention some patient wives). He had a point. It isn't about whether we buy models locally or online, it's about who is going to build models when the short-attention-span generation has replaced us. I drifted out of modelling in my middle years as I had other things to do (and spend my money on). Now things like skiing and paintball are not so kind to my old knees so a return to model building became interesting. But the key was I built models as a kid so the seed was planted. I just don't know how many kids are building models these days, it seems like they live in their smart phones and gluing together a model car or airplane just isn't something many want to do. I'd love to be proven wrong however....

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A vendor at a show I attended recently said something to the effect that the hobby is dying and he pointed to the average age of those attending the show as proof--almost all guys in their fifties, sixties or seventies, with one younger guy and one kid in the room (not to mention some patient wives). He had a point. It isn't about whether we buy models locally or online, it's about who is going to build models when the short-attention-span generation has replaced us. I drifted out of modelling in my middle years as I had other things to do (and spend my money on). Now things like skiing and paintball are not so kind to my old knees so a return to model building became interesting. But the key was I built models as a kid so the seed was planted. I just don't know how many kids are building models these days, it seems like they live in their smart phones and gluing together a model car or airplane just isn't something many want to do. I'd love to be proven wrong however....

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Anecdotal evidence and only really true (if at all) for the US. There is a strong new generation of model builders in Asia. Just look at Girls und Panzer. Sales of armor kits exploded because of it. Look at the volume of kits Asian companies lump out. The occidental world is not their primary market. Then compare that to Revell and Lindberg. Airfix is the only part of Hornby going strong. Again look at Monogram.
There's a new generation of new model builders out there but they're not American.

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What diffrence does it make,most of us,myself included will be dead long before the hobby dies,and if not most of us have stashes that neither us or our kids who might model will never finish any way.

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Yep! and still buying more just in case I live to be 200 ...
/ Robin

While it is true, not a lot of younger modellers are seem at shows or join clubs, there is still a market of them out there. My youngest has built models, has a stash and intent to build them, but just at the moment he has found another hobby - girls. Having a car, his licence and the freedom it gives, he doesn't want to be home bound. But he still shows a keen interest in what I build.

Recently I was at my LHS (which no longer stocks of much due to holding costs and the imposts applied by some importers on what they must buy to get anything) and whilst talking to an acquaintance I saw teenage modellers buying kits to build. Not as a group but as a few individuals that came in.

I asked about whether they were in clubs or went to shows, and the simple answer was they felt intimidated as they were just starting out and were not 'good enough'. So if that is a common feeling across the globe, maybe there are more younger modellers out there than we believe... and we need to encourage them to make themselves known