At what age would you feel comfortable getting a youngster a beginner ship model?

[bigcreekdad]

Trying to get my grandson interested in this hobby. He is 8, and I'd love him to get interested in something besides a computer. If you think that is not too young, specific kits recommendations would be great. Thanks

[hollowneck]

I have a couple 8 yo grandchildren, boy(s) and girl(s). They like to look at my models but aren't ready to "craft." Two of them like art and draw; either of these two MIGHT be a candidate to entice...later. I'm giving only my direct experience, your mileage may differ!

I would suggest 10-12 yo is a better time to introduce model making. My bias is to start with a plastic kit. Close supervision and involvement is obviously mandatory, even at 10.

 

Thus far, I have many "fans and appreciators" but no "takers." The bright ones easily see the complexity and deep commitment of what Grandpa does and understandably show hesitation. I'm O.K. with that: a child's youthful impressions will last and may turn to interest and engagement in future decades...

[palmerit]

I’d probably start with a plastic kit. Or even a LEGO kit. Or build a wooden kit together with him. Or all three. 
 

The Lego Endurance is a great model. Don’t know if he is interested or good at legos. It is a ship. And a cool looking one. I built it. Maybe you and he could work on it together. When my sons were his age, my job was to find the pieces. 
 

Neither of my boys took to plastic kits like I did as a kid. But between the two of them, we probably spent well over $20K in Legos over the past 25 years. They still ask for them sometimes and they’re in their 20s. 
 

I once got a wooden plane model as a kid and I started it and never finished.

Edited 15 hours ago by palmerit

[ubjs]

https://artesanialatina.net/en/210-easy

[GrandpaPhil]

Dumas also makes very basic model ship kits geared towards introducing kids to the hobby.

[knightyo]

I received a battleship kit around age 7 or so (Revel Missouri) which I destroyed; I think I also probably sniffed too much of the interesting model glue.  The thing that really spurred my life-long interest in building was the positive reinforcement I received from people regarding the "models" I made from cardboard; mostly fairly crude representations of Star Wars vehicles.  The cardboard was free, there were no toxic glue fumes, and I honed my skills for a good while before eventually getting another plastic kit in which I was able to build a respectable model.   

 

Alan

Edited 14 hours ago by knightyo

[paul ron]

thats a good question... my 2 grand daughters, 9 and 11, have watched my scratch clipper model grow. when i run into any problems, i ask them to help me solve it. we'll brainstorm some ideas as we try to justify our fix. you would be surprised how crafty kids are. this has peaked their interest, so when they come to my house, they cant wait to see the ship in progress.

 

recently, my 11 year old asked me if she can build a ship too. of course i said sure and that lit her face right up. i may start with something simple just to show her the process and how to work with plans. btw julia the 11 yo has helped me do home repairs and alwaysenjoys reading the instructions with me ever since she learned to read. 

 

the younger girl, chloe, is more interested in sewing, drawing n painting... thats another of my hobbies in progress. shes more artsy fartsy. i gave her a tam to work in so she looks the part, my little Rembrandt painting a cartoon character called stitch using her own painting set up in her own work space on my bench. we built table easels together. they loved using the jig saw n drill press... chloe said she feels so grown up now that she is allowed to use the shop machines n tools (with my supervision of course).

 

i think the best way to get kids involved, let them help at an early age. ease them in as their curiosity grows. since they've seen how its done, they feel more relaxed and will want to go on their own. that helps them focus on their projects because its all theirs. one important thing to remember... you cant mess it up!... you can always fix it or make another... and together, we can figure it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by paul ron

[Dziadeczek]

12 to 14 minimum.

[hornet]

I’m a retired Primary/Elementary school teacher. I have taught model making with students in the 11-12years age group. I used plastic models - a simple Spitfire model. Most were able to follow the instructions and complete the build with some support. I wouldn’t attempt a wooden ship model with this age group. My guess would be around 14 yrs old for this challenge. 

[Nirvana]

I started out when I was seven years old, but I think the age varies depending on the situation and interest.
I would suggest a simple plastic model and then transferring the experience to more complex models.

We are very different in this matter; I had a huge interest of model building from a very early stage including RR and miniracing.
I have seen kids at the age of 5 building models and getting hooked, in perspective it is more important to being able to finish a model than getting a show-winner.

Just my two cents.

[RolandR]

Lego ist the best product as introduction to model building. If they are not interested, you can use the pieces to keep parts positioned while glueing.

Seriously now. I learnt over the years, that my interest are not really shared by others, although they were fascinated at the end product. 
i was introduced to the hobby of plastic models by a gang of neighbor kits. Cheap daycare with rotating venues. While the hobby stayed with me for the next 40+ years, my brother had later other interests. 
Long story short, ask.

[Dr PR]

I was about 6 when I started building balsa airplane kits. These used very thin sheet wood that had to be rolled and curved to make the fuselage and wings, and it was pretty tricky. Really out of my class at the time. They weren't a thing of beauty when I finished them, but I enjoyed building them.

 

At about 7-8 I saw my first plastic model (panther jet - probably Monogram) and I was hooked. I had a fleet of 18 plastic ships (mostly Revell) and a bunch of airplanes while in grade school. I built three or four plastic sailing ships with minimal kit rigging.

 

When I was about 10 I wanted a model of a schooner but there were no kits in my hometown hobby shops (mid 1950s and no model magazines or Internet). Our city library had no books on ship modelling. So I built my first scratch build out of balsa based on sketches of schooners from television ("Adventures in Paradise"). That was followed a year later with a scratch built 40 foot Chris Craft cabin cruiser like one of Mom's friends had. When they visited our lakefront place I got to drive it! Again, no plans, just sketches. I used a motor drive and propeller from a Lindberg destroyer kit.

 

So you shouldn't rush or delay kids if they are interested in ship models. 10-12 would have been way too late for me! Just encourage them if they show some interest and offer help if they need it. They will either try to build something or just forget it.

 

If you are going to start with a wooden kit, make it very simple, like a canoe kit, or one of the Vanguard wooden boat kits (the 18 foot cutter was pretty easy). There is a lot more to learn with wooden builds than something simple like gluing pre-shaped plastic pieces together.

 

****

 

Let me stress that there is no "one size fits all" age for kids to start modelling. Watch them, and if they like using their hands to make things they will be ready for some level of modelling. If they would rather read or play video games you will be wasting your time trying to introduce them to modelling.

Edited 20 minutes ago by Dr PR