So I went to a really big plastic model show over the weekend with my kid...

This was the IPMS Oregon show:

Yes, that's over 1000 models in a National Guard hall. I've attended quite a few model car shows, but this was my first time at one that did planes, armor, figures, boats, and everything else, too.

Javelin Jr. (4) has been super stoked to go to this show since we did a car-only one back in the spring, and even built her own first airplane model and learned how to do waterslide decals. This was the result:

I was a VERY proud papa bear! She was the only kid that actually painted their model, and the show organizers and participants were so positive to her the whole time.

Icing on the cake, I did well, too! My twin-turbo Camaro got 3rd in Competition - Drag Racer, my Hemi Road Runner got 3rd in Factory Stock, and my Porsche 904 got 1st in Competition - Closed Wheel! I've never actually won 1st at any model contest, always 2nds and 3rds, so I was stoked. Not as stoked as her getting second in Juniors - Car with her car, though!

Here's her collection at home. She did the Mustang at age 2, the Jeep at age 3, and the Audi R8 at age 4, plus the plane.

We were so happy, it had been a great day. She loved looking at all of the other models and it blew her mind that you could build a dinosaur or a robot or whatever you wanted. She won a new snap tite Police SUV in the raffle, and a Lost in Space Robbie the Robot. The Gundams were the most fascinating thing for her, so I bought her one of those to build, too. I won a Mig-23 and a Roush Mustang and bought a GT40. We ere packing up while they were announcing the best-in-show awards and then this happened:

I was speechless! It's an F-102A that I built into an exact replica of SWMBO's grandfather's plane (Brig. Gen. Pat O'Grady, commander Oregon Air National Guard) that's on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum. I've never considered myself good at aircraft, and actually built this as a gift for my mother in law who let me borrow it for the show. I made her keep the trophy with the plane!

So yeah, thanks for letting me share how excited I am. My kid brought her trophy to school today for sharing time (she brought the plane on Friday).

That's fantastic! Great work both of you!

I tried to get my son into that but no dice.

I entered a show as a kid with Ed Mc Culloch's Miller High Life funny car and had some of the seasoned guys ask me how I got the slicks to look so real, made me happy!

What a great hobby. And a girl to boot!

Congrats! I am still woking on getting my almost 5 year old to sign his name on something smaller than 11 x 17 paper. 5 letters, how hard is that?

Fantastic work!

That is wonderful! Congrats!

Congrats on both awards! And the Delta Dagger looks great!

I used to build quite a few static models, then I discovered RC, and building scale models I could actually fly! Since I've gotten back into tracking cars, that's fallen a bit by the wayside, but I still have a few flying, and couple of shelves full of static models waiting to be built.

It's a great hobby for kids... teaches patience, and attention to detail, as well as the hand/eye coordination for building.

Awesome! Best thing i won with my model cars were a trophy for most crashes. That was after converting it too a slot car for slot car drag racing in tech school. There a fun hobby, my boys would rather watch youtube.

Congrats! Her plane looks better than any of the models Ive done and Im way older than 4

Congrats dude! It's been a long time since I've gone to a model show. I cleared out a bunch of my models before the move, but still have plenty left to build at this point. Makes me want to break one out and start building.

Congrats to your girl also, glad she's enjoying it and that her work on the models paid off with a win.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I know scale model building is pretty dorky, even for this crowd. My daughter won't stop talking about it and how excited she is to build more, so I have to share that enthusiasm.

Congrats! That reminds me, I'm due to do models with the kids again. I think it's great for them, teaching them patience and how to follow directions.

Great story. Thanks for posting it. You and your daughter rock.

Congrats!!! All of the models look great!

Excellent work both of you! I kinda flirted with model making as a kid, but there were Legos to build instead.

Congratulations!!

That's a outstanding showing.

Good job (to both of you)!

Maybe one day she'll be building rocket ships -full size.

...or a 2xxx Challenge car with her pops!

I see a pattern forming in her color scheme choices

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate the kind words.

Any interest in a tour of all of my models?

Very cool, Good on you to get your daughter involved so early.

I think model building should be a mandatory class in grade school.

Javelin wrote: Thank you everyone, I really appreciate the kind words. Any interest in a tour of all of my models?

I, for one, certainly would! There was a time when my modeling skills had reached near perfection. My preference has always been 1:48 combat aircraft (I was blessed with lots of actual family pics of the real deals in active service, from WWII to modern era with my own USAF service), so I never had to guess at what heavy service, combat ops, and weather actually do to an airplane's finish. I had reached a point where I could easily spend more money and time super-detailing and "dirty-ing up" than I did on the kit itself. A Wright R-1820? chromed metal pushrod tubes, check!, sparkplug wires, check!, Curtis-Wright placard on the reduction gear case, check!, the exactly correct shade of gloss grey on the crankcase and gearbox, check!, cylinder heads gloss black or grey iron, depending on the production block, check!, individual exhaust pipes for cylinder head and drilled out exhaust stacks, check! And that's just an engine! Exactly correct wiring bundles in cockpits, throttle quadrant levers with just a hint of wear on the balls, individual harness straps with buckles on them, belted ammo with each round made from stretched sprue, links made from .005" card stock detailed with a heated needle, .50 cal and 20mm muzzles drilled out...

In reply to WildScotsRacing:

Can you show us your models? I can barely get an airplane together of of the box!

In reply to WildScotsRacing:

Yes, let's see some. I'm always impressed by people that take things to the Nth degree.

Plus, early combat aircraft is my favorite genre

That's awesome! Congrats to you and your daughter both. There are boxes full of plastic car models lurking somewhere in my parents basement (though your daughter's builds at age 4 by far best mine at age 14 lol.)

Where do you buy your kits and supplies? The interwebs I presume? I've casually looked in Walmart once or twice within the past few years and they don't seem to carry anything anymore. Would be nice to have a source locally, for some rainy day. Ahh hell, now I'm off to eBay...

In reply to Furious_E:

My friendly local hobby store! Seriously, that's like the only way to get paint and glue. For kits I tend to order online. Tower Hobby has a good car selection, Squadron is the best for planes, and Sprue Brothers occasionally.