Scale model building good for the brain

[atomicholiday]

Thought this was interesting and I wanted to share.  This may not be the best place to post this, so mods, please move if you want to.

Modelmaking: How This Hobby Makes You Smarter

[Rick L]

Interesting article. I started model making as a hobby when I was 10 years old and began a professional model making career at 25 building engineering models and prototypes. In the beginning the profession was fun and exciting. Always something new and challenging but the hobbyist in me began to wane. Eventually quitting the hobby end for fun. After 40 years, earning a living building to high tolerances and meeting deadlines caused my blood pressure to rise. 65 couldn’t come quick enough. ?
  Now, I’m finally retired, back to the hobby and off the BP meds. The article is spot on. Thanks for sharing.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I just came from a model show, and while it might be arguable that modeling makes you smarter, it certainly doesn’t make you any better looking........yuck! ?

 

 

 

Steve

[atomicholiday]

So here’s the “tip” part. You can use this as a reason to buy more kits.  How can she say no if it’s for health reasons???

[Ace-Garageguy]

11 minutes ago, atomicholiday said:

...How can she say no if it’s for health reasons???

Lots easier to slip that by her than the hot $100/hr physical therapist at the "gym".  

[Dave Van]

I have thought for years that model and/or building a real car was good for your mind.  No matter in 1/1 scale or 1/25 I build projects over and over in my mind before I commit to real world. I find issues and sort out the order of a process.  Bottom line is it keeps your mind active and then causes you to use the data collected to build something. 

[Bills72sj]

I enjoy this hobby for many reasons. The disconnection from all other things in life when I am concentrating on a build. The mental challenge of problem solving to create a vision. The eye-hand coordination training and skill acquisition. But, most of all, the sense of accomplishment throughout the build. Recognition from others is a nice benefit but, not a motivator in any way.

[MrMiles]

i tried to get my 2 nephews to build a model when they were in their mid-teen age years. neither had the patience to put together the pieces for a single step, let alone the whole build. 

both of them have no attention span at all, even today, now that they are older

Edited May 23, 2023 by MrMiles

[Ace-Garageguy]

Pretty much anything that requires physical problem-solving, development of eye-hand coordination, and fine motor skills will have cognitive benefits.

Even regular moderate exercise has been shown to have measurably positive emotional and cognitive effects.

[Anglia105E]

Now that I am approaching 70 years of age ( in October of this year ) the whole process of building scale model cars and dioramas has become THE most important daily function that I try to maintain . . . As other MCM members have stated on this forum, forcing yourself to be very organised and methodical, planning each build in meticulous detail and seeing the project through to a satisfying conclusion is not only extremely rewarding, but also keeps your mind active in a good way. The WORKshop mentality, and getting on with the WORK, is something that we must take notice of, especially once we have retired from real WORK, as in the daily job that involves 9.00 to 5.00 or shifts . . . Myself, I spend many happy hours researching a new project, taking hundreds of photos and making notes in books of lined paper. The added bonus of communicating with fellow members on MCM, and also other model builders who live locally, is always useful to hear expert opinions on some aspect of our wonderful hobby that we may have overlooked or misunderstood.

I believe that we can probably extend our lives by as much as 10 or 20 years beyond the 70's and 80's, simply by remaining loyal to our lifelong hobby. Over the past 60 years, albeit with interruptions such as girlfriends, wives, children, jobs, illness, family crises and bereavements, I have learned so much about real cars and their scaled down replicas . . . Long may it continue  !

David

[thatz4u]

3 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Now that I am approaching 70 years of age ( in October of this year ) the whole process of building scale model cars and dioramas has become THE most important daily function that I try to maintain . . . As other MCM members have stated on this forum, forcing yourself to be very organised and methodical, planning each build in meticulous detail and seeing the project through to a satisfying conclusion is not only extremely rewarding, but also keeps your mind active in a good way. The WORKshop mentality, and getting on with the WORK, is something that we must take notice of, especially once we have retired from real WORK, as in the daily job that involves 9.00 to 5.00 or shifts . . . Myself, I spend many happy hours researching a new project, taking hundreds of photos and making notes in books of lined paper. The added bonus of communicating with fellow members on MCM, and also other model builders who live locally, is always useful to hear expert opinions on some aspect of our wonderful hobby that we may have overlooked or misunderstood.

I believe that we can probably extend our lives by as much as 10 or 20 years beyond the 70's and 80's, simply by remaining loyal to our lifelong hobby. Over the past 60 years, albeit with interruptions such as girlfriends, wives, children, jobs, illness, family crises and bereavements, I have learned so much about real cars and their scaled down replicas . . . Long may it continue  !

David

David, 70 is the new 15....?

[Anglia105E]

16 minutes ago, thatz4u said:

David, 70 is the new 15....?

Absolutely, Al . . . 

David

[Chariots of Fire]

I agree with all of the comments here.  I've been building since I was about 12.  Not so much in late teens and into my 20's but now that I am an octogenarian I can say that I have been doing model work for most of my life.  It came back in my mid 40's.  Being mostly a scratch builder now, it does take some additional thinking about how to begin a project and how it will advance toward being complete.  Plenty of research and working out little things along the way.  Always searching for new materials to build with.   

The process seems to be a bit like climbing a mountain; a strain to get started, a steady pull toward the top of the hill and then a bit of relief as the end of the build comes into view.  Also a little like the story of the Little Engine That Could.  A real childhood favorite of mine.   I think I can..I think I can, I think I can.......................I thought I could!  I thought I could!  I thought I could!?

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, thatz4u said:

David, 70 is the new 15....?

More like the new 40 from my perspective...

[Sidney Schwartz]

It may be good for the brain, but sometimes it's very bad for my blood pressure. 

[showrods]

13 hours ago, MrMiles said:

i tried to get my 2 nephews to build a model when they were in their mid-teen age years. neither had the patience to put together the pieces for a single step, let alone the whole build. 

both of them have no attention span at all, even today, now that they are older

Unfortunately, this describes to a tee, an entire generation.

[StevenGuthmiller]

13 hours ago, showrods said:

Unfortunately, this describes to a tee, an entire generation.

Part of the problem is that the latter generations grew up with cars that were only "cars" in the literal sense.

"econo-box"  appliances designed for transportation......and that's it.

It's hard to get really excited about a toaster oven.

 

 

 

Steve

[bobthehobbyguy]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:54 AM, MrMiles said:

i tried to get my 2 nephews to build a model when they were in their mid-teen age years. neither had the patience to put together the pieces for a single step, let alone the whole build. 

both of them have no attention span at all, even today, now that they are older

Cell phones and social media are the cause for such fragmented attention spans. They all contribute to a barrage of distractions. Our brains do not multitasking well and all of those distractions reduce our ability to focus.

[atomicholiday]

32 minutes ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Cell phones and social media are the cause for such fragmented attention spans. They all contribute to a barrage of distractions. Our brains do not multitasking well and all of those distractions reduce our ability to focus.

These factors also increase the need for instant gratification.  So anything that requires skill-building to achieve good results is avoided.  

[Dpate]

Definitely good on the brain. Really keeps your mind centered and focused. Lego also is good as well, and it’s amazing some of the work both model kit, and Lego that folks scratch build. I started in the hobby late as I turn 34 in two days, and only been in the hobby bout two years or so. I’m hoping my son who’s 4 years old gets into the hobby when he gets older. Right now he loves taking things apart, and putting it back together no matter what it is. He will ask for a screwdriver faster than he will a juice bottle lol. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Unfortunately, the downside is that you have to have a brain.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:44 AM, StevenGuthmiller said:

...It's hard to get really excited about a toaster oven.

Well, maybe some folks have lower thresholds of "excited".  

 

 

[peteski]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:44 AM, StevenGuthmiller said:

Part of the problem is that the latter generations grew up with cars that were only "cars" in the literal sense.

"econo-box"  appliances designed for transportation......and that's it.

It's hard to get really excited about a toaster oven.

Steve

But, but, but, I used to get excited about my toaster (and even have a model of it).   It was a great li'l car (I owned it for 13 years), and I still miss it.

[carrucha]

Interesting article.  I started building models when I was 12 years old.  Before then I was getting "C's" for math on my report card.  After I started building models, I went from getting "C's" to getting to only "B's" and "A's" in math.  Model building definitely helped me develop my problem solving skills at that time.

[DiscoRover007]

So long as you don't lose the brain power sniffing paint and glue haha