I'm new here and getting back into modelling after many years away from the hobby. In reading various responses in several of the forums, I've noticed lots of people saying they also had left the hobby for a number of years before resuming. I thought I was the only one who had done this.
So, what caused you to leave the hobby and then come back? I quit because of the many demands of raising two boys. Now I want to start again because they're now in college and I have much more free time (as well as the motivating qualities of Armorama).
What about you all?

Finding an issue of FSM and then the 'new' DML Ranger and SEAL figures at the shop that used to be at 76th and Lexington in NYC back in the early 90's

I drifted away from the hobby in my late teens due to work, then family, then a combination of the two. A few years ago the last little duck left the nest and I found a spare room, a closet full of kits & tools I had amassed, and this crazy little thing called spare time (not alot of this, but enough to keep me happy) so I just dove back in. And I'm lovin' every minute of it!

Hi George,
No your are by no means the only one I think that it is fair to say that most modellers started in their much younger days but came back to the hobby later in life. I, and my brothers used to get our pocket money, race off to the nearest Woolworth and pick up an Airfix kit (we didn't even know that there were any other brands of plastic model) race off back home and the model would be together painted and hanging off the bedroom ceiling before bed time As we got older other interests got our attention (girls ) and the models took a back seat, In fact we stopped production altogether and the models became targets for air rifle practice and experiments with fireworks I joined the Army at 16 and many years later became an instructor and one of the subjects that I taught was "recognition". Visiting my parents, who had recently moved. I was helping to unpack some boxes when I discovered a book about modelling which had belonged to my youngest brother, who had not been one who joined me and my older siblings at Woolworths, but had picked up the hobby after I left home. This book had me agog at things like filling seams, so I went to the nearest model shop to take a look there and found a catalogue containing some dioramas by Shep Pain. I was hooked and decided that I would build dioramas for my recognition training classes Obviously I discovered that that wasn't possible, after only a look at a few pictures, but I did build several AFV and Aircraft models, which the Regiment bought when I was posted. It was building the aircraft models which lead me down the path of my preferred subjects, the aircraft of WWII (and 1). I haven't really looked back, Joining Amorama has lead to me starting a model club IPMS Kitmaker (click on my banner) and I also produce paint masks for models.

Girls, school, job, marriage, daughter.....then one day I wanted to have a unique birthday gift for my Dad and I remembered that years earlier, we had started building Monogram's Phantom P-51, as a father son project on the weekends (when the divorce decreed he had the children) Needless to say we never finished it so one day twenty some odd years later, I found another "Phantom P-51" and built it. I toyed around with A/C for a few years and then got into dioramas and armor subjects.

Charles

My father was a long-haul truck driver, and when he was home I remember sitting in front of the TV with the old tv-tray in front of him making 24th and 25th scale trucks. Gradually I joined in and helped and graduated to my own kits. I have always had a fascination with WW2 aircraft and moved to those kits in my early teens. As with most red-blooded males girls interfered with my progress, then left home to university and a career that took me to several different places. Through this whole time my interest in aircraft has remained and I have built a good library. Ten years ago (this month in fact) I met my wife-to-be and now settled with a bunch of kids to train up. About 5 years ago I stopped in to a LHS on a whim just to check things out and walked out with 2 kits and some basic tools. The rest, as "they" so often say, is history. The stash, the tool kit and the time spent have all grown at an exponential rate. Looking back there was no real trigger for the renewed interest, I think it was always there simmering away just waiting for an opportunity to explode.

I remember watching my brothers and uncle's build models . Having them sit at the kitchen table with news paper covering the top with a keen stare from mom making sure no paint was spilled . I would sit by and watch asking questions which more then once was told to go some where else and play . One of my uncles pick up a kit for me . I built a few nothing fantastic but I really enjoyed it . Then " boy's " came into the picture . Wasn't until my late 20's when I was at the craft store and the store keep was stocking a new section for kit's . Memories came back from when I was little and I said what the hell ! I pick up Monograms P-51 D which lead to many more purchases . Work and life become very busy for me and I stop doing it until about 10 years ago when I fell in love with WW1 aircraft . haven't stop since

well pretty much the normal story as all the rest. stopped when i was mid late teens.. girls, basic, army, wife, kids, and one day a friend of mine was still dong it and stopped by his house and had seen the kit he was working on. for some reason that inspired me and dove in the deep end and now i am really into it. love to do dio's and modern anything. my current deployments have been putting a big damper on things but is still get magazines sent to me and that keeps the drive going. but that is about it...

hi,,4 years ago i was diagnosed with a brain tumour and after an operation to remove the said interloper i found myself convalescing at home for a lengthy period of about a year .i started to scratchbuild a small diorama featuring a zvesda kit of russian infantry .i found it so theraputic and wished i had never stopped modelling in the first place.i am now back at work and still enjoying modelling immensely and have recently joined my local model club.

Like a lot of people I built kits into my late teens then just lost interest. Being in the forces and moving about meant less time for modelling. A few years ago I was in a shopping centre in Dundee when I passed a new model shop and went in. I bought a Tamiya Panzer IV and have been back into the hobby since. My 10 year old niece kept asking me about her helping me and so 1 day I found 2 x 250/9 kits and we both started building 1 each. I would show her how to do things and she would copy them, hopefully she will carry on with the hobby.

Well, my story is much the same as most others in that I modeled as a kid but got out of it when girls, sports, etc. started to interest me. How I got back into it was a little different though. My other hobby is collecting WWII weapons. On a site that I used to frequent, one of the members posted some of his tank models. He also posted a link to Armorama, which I followed. I was amazed at the level of detail that the hobby had achieved. I tried a few kits and at that point I was hooked.

Same story....college,girls, wife, army, job, house, children and then after being away for almost 30 years,
I was shopping and picked up an Italeri M107 175mm gun. I started on the M107......well next thing I was hooked....I love it

Rounds Complete!!

Never really left the hobby,Built from high school .into the Marine Corps, thur colledge, wife two girls, the Army, to now. Have had dry spells thats lasted years, but never actully quit.

I, too never had the desire to quit, however, life does intervene from time to time. But, I always kept the stash stocked.

What has really changed is getting involved in internet modeling over the past year. Now, I can carry on and share my work with thousands around the world (though, I must master miniature photography...) without having to move my little darlings out of the house!

--Karl

very similar for me...here is my version...

Started modelling from 7years old and stop at 15... followed by

1) School
2) Girl(s)
3) National services...
4) More school
5) Marriage
6) work to support family....start to wonder the meaning of life again...
7) Walked past model shop one day (again)...
8) modelling....
8) go back to point 6.

I decided to get back into modeling after my brother let me borrow the Fine Scale Modeler issue with Derek Brown's superb 1/72 scale M1A1HA Abrams.

I took it as a challenge.

I finished my studies, got a job and an appartment and needed to have something to do in the evening. Since I considered myself too old for LEGO, I tried a cheap Revell kit (those I remembered from my childhood) and got addicted again

Got hooked in 3rd grade when a friend brought in a navy destroyer and built through high school. Drifted away with the usual excuses and one day meet a fellow named Al B. He showed me his builds and a discussion followed and gave me a S.A.S. jeep from Tamiya. Build it and bring it back he said. Well , I went home and dove into it. What a crap job I did ,but Al just gave construtive help. Not only have we become real good friends, we bounce model thoughts around via long distance still. With his help, I am where I am today with modeling. Al turned me on to Armorama and I'm still going at it with a full tilt boogie. Of course I blame him for all my model aggrivations and he denies it all of course. . Still hoping to get him to build a dio together one day. Thanks Al .

The doctor made me give up sex after having two heart attacks so I fell back on the next best thing.
Tony the Mutt

I was at my mother's house one day and went and got what was left of my modeling stuff that was stored there and went through all of it. When I was done I put it all back and didn't think too much about it. A few days later I went back and got all of the stuff and got back into the hobby.

HARV

Did it as a kid, like most, then grew up! 11 years ago we were in London on a family break and I brought the kids to Hamleys and while browsing saw a 1/32 scale F14 and thought I would have loved that as a kid. Few hours later further down the street having a coffee I turned to my better half and said I'm going up the street to "treat" myself.....and re-discovered the kid in me. Haven't looked back.