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Juggular

Toys keep us alive?

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My apologies. I started it with a trigger word.  I just thought it might keep us alive.  

We got the news that our neighbor Barb's ex-husband (early 70s) was found dead today.  We've had a few dinners together over the years.  Nice guy, no health issues that we know of.  We heard him outside just last week when his grandchildren visited.  Even though Barb divorced him some 20 years ago, he'd come over whenever his kids visit Barb (not her real name).  My condolences to Barb, and RIP to her ex husband, R.  

I don't know if Barb's ex-husband had any hobby or not.  But I suddenly feel very fortunate to have proper hobbies.  On last Christmas, my mom asked, "Do you still play with your toys?"  I say, "Of course, mom. Do you want me to start drinking instead?" (We often joke around.)  When I was younger, it was a bit of a contentious issue (scale or RC kits, not alcohol).  In my teenage years, I'd prefer playing with RC cars than homework (who'd prefer homework anyway?)  But I got no more homework. No need to save allowances for kits. We have no kids.  I absolutely should play with any toy I deem fit.  

Getting old isn't for sissies, as they say.  But, getting old is a whole lot better with hobbies.  Considering all the bad things like drugs, gambling, binge drinking, etc, RC is a wholesome and honest hobby.  As I've hit 50, I think it might just keep me alive longer than other people who's got no hobby.  Some may call it "toys" but I'd say "meditation." (or medication, take a pick.)  

We've all felt the "zone."  We start building a kit at noon and suddenly we find that it's dark outside.  Or it feels like we've been bashing forever, but the battery couldn't have lasted forever (or the other way around).  I suppose it's a form of meditation. We forget what's outside of our sphere of consciousness.  And we've got this community to come together and share our silly ideas of RC cars turning into meditations.  So if somebody says "is that your toy?" Say "no, it's my meditation." (who cares if it doesn't make any sense to other people?) 

My recent meditation is a Walmart no-name body  (1/12 Scale 4WD RC Truck Buggy Metal Body Cover For FY03 JRC Q39 Parts).  I've seen a Japanese youtuber (Hakotan) fitting it. I can't decide if it's a good look or not.  I think I'll make the mounting easily reversible.  

RC on for longevity!  

6IfTL4H.jpg

0ibGWPu.jpg

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RC has got me through some very tough times many years ago, naturally I was drawn closer to the hobby - now I live and breathe it :lol: 

To this date, it has always felt like a hobby I could fall back on and get that peace of mind, so yes you are 100% correct and I could not agree more! 

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6 hours ago, Juggular said:

On last Christmas, my mom asked, "Do you still play with your toys?"  I say, "Of course, mom. Do you want me to start drinking instead?

Same here. My main hobby is cycling but now I really enjoy RC. Each time I bought something new, I heard: "Another xxx?".

Answer always is simple: I do not drink, smoke, take drugs. I have to spend money on something.

Hobby is good thing. If something goes wrong in life, you can focus on anything you like and stop to bother.

It is good to have two hobbies: one which will move your body, second to just sit with cup of tea and do something. RC is great, because while it is "static" activity, you at least spend some time outside ( and walk for a while to put model on wheels after rollover... 🤤)

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Hobbies are a great thing, whatever your ‘thing’ might be. 
 

Obviously for me it’s RC and in particular Tamiya. 
 

I find it a great way to totally unwind from the pressures of work and general life and go to a place that takes total concentration on nothing but the task in hand which in turn makes everything else disappear. 
 

unless that is, you are trying to fit e-clips to damper shafts 😂😂

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4 hours ago, Juggular said:

 

6IfTL4H.jpg

0ibGWPu.jpg

Firstly that looks great - although I thinking running a grasshopper front tyre on the rear as the spare will really make it perfect.

I think the power of play is really important, and a huge part of learning at all ages developing ourselves and keeping positive. I know a few arts therapists, and they say getting adults to simply play is hugely important in helping with all sorts of trauma and improving their state of mind. Why do we think we must stop playing at a certain age? 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Addicted said:

unless that is, you are trying to fit e-clips to damper shafts

E-clip tool, then getting them off is what will get you swearing.

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I think hobbies, in some ways, can be a true expression of self. Some people manage this through career but for many of us our "career" is really just a job to make ends meet. Aside from surviving, that job also can provide funding for our true passions and hobbies. The way I always looked at it, hobbies are personal interest that tap into who you are vs having a boss over you telling you what to do. As such, I place great importance on hobbies of all kinds to help complete us as individuals and lead to some kind of personal fulfillment while we're here.

I think we stop (or don't stop, depending on how you look at it) for various reasons. Societal pressures of what grown-ups "should" be doing are a big one. Neurotypicals nearly always want to fit in somehow. Even those that supposedly reject convention still fit into a subset, even if its smaller, i.e.: a punk or goth may look radically different among "average" folk but there is a "scene" they fit into. 

Now, those pressures may force us to "grow-up" and drop toys altogether or often just redirect into more "adult appropriate" past times. i.e.: RC cars are "toys" so I'll start customizing my 1:1 truck. Its really just a "big-boy or girl" toy in the end, whatever that means... 

I feel as though when a lot of the wonderment of childhood gets stripped away and replaced by the cold hard truths of adulthood that we lose a piece of our young self, an important piece at that. We get jaded and indeed do forget how to play. Sometimes its just that we outgrow things or don't get the dopamine hit from doing those old things and move on. That's fine, but I would hope that a person could move on to other pursuits rather than just stop "playing" altogether.

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For me it replaced videogaming, prior to getting into RC more I had become fed up with modern games and communities.

I've criticized some RC companies for "upselling" a bit much, but what they do is nothing compared to the "grind" or digital goods tossed into every game now. It is repulsive how many companies try to get kids to gamble and get teens obsessed with their titles.

It also somewhat replaced my full size car hobby. I don't tinker with my daily drivers anymore when I don't have to. Its a little easier to fit an RC on my desk.

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I’m definitely an advocate for having a hobby for your sanity which intern is always good for your health I think on the same level as having a dog lowers your stress and it genuinely does;)  not including it makes you get out and exercise:D My rc hobby has seen me through some pretty sticky times over the years and even more so at the present with my work which at the moment is sending my stress levels and anxiety through the roof:angry: which isn’t good at my time of life and it’s totally beyond my control (Jesus role on retirement) we all need that time in our lives that we can just shut out the negativity of the society we live in at the moment and my rc hobby certainly does that!

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I might have mentioned that my father was a professional pilot, had an ATP, jet, aerobatics instructor, every license known to western man. He also had no interest in airplanes, flying or aviation, any more than a bus driver gets excited about a new model of city bus.

This mystified me. Still does. I would have committed terrible crimes to have his skills, and I would have spent every free day and all my children's inheritance doing inverted flat spins in a Pitts Special. 

What was so gripping about watching weekend TV, flipping channels to another show he wasn't really watching when a commercial came on?!?

But that is what he spent a lot of time doing. 

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I too would not find worth living if my hobbies (RC, musical instruments, 1:1 cars) were taken away.   I already provide for a nice safe home for my wife and kids, have college funds saved up for the kids instead of spending it on gorgeous sports cars a car guy of my age should be driving.. I feel I already did everything a dad is supposed to do, so lately I've been concentrating more on me and enjoying my time being a husband to my wife of over 3 decades.

I painted one of the rooms in my house with RC.. pretendRCshop.  Since I've gotten a bit older with back pain (and other pains), I started spending less resources on my 1:1 car hobby.  

Thanks to @moffman sharing his awesome buggy collection, he inspired me to get a couple of cool buggies for myself to enjoy.  I found the older models (Avante, Egress, Kyosho Legendary Series) really fulfill my appetite for cars (and motorcycles I never got a chance to learn how to ride).  The CF, aluminum bits and all, just speaks high quality and screams character how they look, how they work, how they allow the cars to drive.  They are absolutely awesome to add to my little collection.  I intend to enjoy my RC car hobby until the day I die.  

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20 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

I too would not find worth living if my hobbies (RC, musical instruments, 1:1 cars) were taken away.   I already provide for a nice safe home for my wife and kids, have college funds saved up for the kids instead of spending it on gorgeous sports cars a car guy of my age should be driving.. I feel I already did everything a dad is supposed to do, so lately I've been concentrating more on me and enjoying my time being a husband to my wife of over 3 decades.

I painted one of the rooms in my house with RC.. pretendRCshop.  Since I've gotten a bit older with back pain (and other pains), I started spending less resources on my 1:1 car hobby.  

Thanks to @moffman sharing his awesome buggy collection, he inspired me to get a couple of cool buggies for myself to enjoy.  I found the older models (Avante, Egress, Kyosho Legendary Series) really fulfill my appetite for cars (and motorcycles I never got a chance to learn how to ride).  The CF, aluminum bits and all, just speaks high quality and screams character how they look, how they work, how they allow the cars to drive.  They are absolutely awesome to add to my little collection.  I intend to enjoy my RC car hobby until the day I die.  

I’m completely stoked and overwhelmed that little old me can inspire someone to enjoy their hobby:D thank you it the lift I definitely need at the moment and it’s very much appreciated! 

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I'm a firm believer in keeping in touch with the kid inside and luckily my wife is exactly the same. For example a couple of years back when visiting a castle museum I told my wife how, when I was little, my brother, sister and I would roll down the embankment of the (now grassed over) moat. We looked at each other for a moment and then I ran over to the slope and rolled all the way down. I dont remember getting that dizzy as a kid.

Often with hobbies people are nervous about talking about them for fear others might look down on us for some reason. For example we play roleplay games like Dungeons and Dragons and it doesnt get discussed at "grown up" events like dinner parties but if you do you will often find someone else says "well actually I quite like that hobby too" Mentioned it at a family gathering of my wifes family and one of her cousins who works in finance immediately got very excited and said he used to play as a teenager and would love to get back into it. We spent the rest of the night chatting about the hobby, great fun.

@Juggular is absolutely right, hobbies like RC or static models really are meditation. A lot of computer games these days scare or stress or anger people but if I sit down to tinker with a kit I feel complete calm.

6 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

E-clip tool, then getting them off is what will get you swearing

Before you try to remove the E-clip you look at the model with a big basic pair of pliers and say in a loud voice "I am now going to attach this e-clip to my model". The second you touch it it will fly off and sail across the room to join the rest of the e-clips in never-never-land.

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6 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I feel as though when a lot of the wonderment of childhood gets stripped away and replaced by the cold hard truths of adulthood that we lose a piece of our young self, an important piece at that. We get jaded and indeed do forget how to play. Sometimes its just that we outgrow things or don't get the dopamine hit from doing those old things and move on. That's fine, but I would hope that a person could move on to other pursuits rather than just stop "playing" altogether.

Really well said. I feel that as children we are inspired to wonder and play. Then teenage years hit and fitting in and not doing 'kid' stuff matters so much more than having fun. Then we slowly turn to adults and responsibilities start, so we no longer feel we can or should.

I wonder if it is changing? I feel my parents generation were brought up by those who survived a war and perhaps that loss of innocence and wonder filtered down. It feels my generation are more likely to be happy to be kids for a bit. 

I am 37 I still have lego, Playstation and I am not unique in my age group. My eldest brother plays Fifa 23 with his 8 year old, and both enjoy it as a game, not just a father son bonding thing. For his birthday party they had a pizza and Fifa night, and I though that is exactly the night my brother would want anyhow. 

 

 

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5 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

For me it replaced videogaming, prior to getting into RC more I had become fed up with modern games and communities.

I've criticized some RC companies for "upselling" a bit much, but what they do is nothing compared to the "grind" or digital goods tossed into every game now. It is repulsive how many companies try to get kids to gamble and get teens obsessed with their titles.

It also somewhat replaced my full size car hobby. I don't tinker with my daily drivers anymore when I don't have to. Its a little easier to fit an RC on my desk.

My story as well, started all the way back with vic20, C64. Its sad to see how the game industry took a wrong turn and developed the wrong way, I could write much more anout this but naah :).

what i wanted to write is that our grand parents where not allowed to play at all, my grandfather was sent out on a whale-boat 15 years old, there was no such thing as play after that(they had no choice). They teached this to our parents «you shall not play» so they did not. My generation was the first to not stop playing hitting 15 to our parents huge frustration, even if we had the opportunity to do so they could not understand it. But we played on, but they planted a seed in us, we are “afraid” off the Toy word “oh the Horror» word, often feel guilty playing & having fun, but for God Sake why!, we must let this **** go and just enjoy the rest our life without feeling guilty for playing with Toys.

My kids growing up today do not have this trigger any more, my oldest daughter 19 years old play with everything she want (Toys, Games etc) without ever feeling guilty about it rather the oposite. What a wonderfull feeling that must be guys?

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12 hours ago, skom25 said:

Same here. My main hobby is cycling but now I really enjoy RC. Each time I bought something new, I heard: "Another xxx?".

Answer always is simple: I do not drink, smoke, take drugs. I have to spend money on something.

Hobby is good thing. If something goes wrong in life, you can focus on anything you like and stop to bother.

It is good to have two hobbies: one which will move your body, second to just sit with cup of tea and do something. RC is great, because while it is "static" activity, you at least spend some time outside ( and walk for a while to put model on wheels after rollover... 🤤)

Perfectly agree, I also have a couple other hobbies, karate and running to keep me fit, and then I have my RC’s to build, collect and play with at the same time. Fortunately my wife and kids have the same mindset, so it is perfect for us as a family.

I will never stop playing and do what I think is fun. Doing grown up things, and acting like I really think knowing stuff about vines, soccer and spending 70 hours a week at work is not for me 😀

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15 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

I wonder if it is changing? I feel my parents generation were brought up by those who survived a war and perhaps that loss of innocence and wonder filtered down. It feels my generation are more likely to be happy to be kids for a bit. 

I am 37 I still have lego, Playstation and I am not unique in my age group. My eldest brother plays Fifa 23 with his 8 year old, and both enjoy it as a game, not just a father son bonding thing. For his birthday party they had a pizza and Fifa night, and I though that is exactly the night my brother would want anyhow. 

 

 

14 hours ago, simalarion said:

what i wanted to write is that our grand parents where not allowed to play at all, my grandfather was sent out on a whale-boat 15 years old, there was no such thing as play after that(they had no choice). They teached this to our parents «you shall not play» so they did not. My generation was the first to not stop playing hitting 15 to our parents huge frustration, even if we had the opportunity to do so they could not understand it. But we played on, but they planted a seed in us, we are “afraid” off the Toy word “oh the Horror» word, often feel guilty playing & having fun, but for God Sake why!, we must let this **** go and just enjoy the rest our life without feeling guilty for playing with Toys.

I think this is part of the answer. I'm part of generation x and I feel as though gen x might have been the first generation to keep playing, longer (not that there weren't earlier exceptions). Part of this may be down to the sheer number toys that became available. My father was late silent generation. What did he have in the way of toys to look back on fondly? Not a fraction of the toy properties available to me throughout the 80's, that's for sure. So with this toy and cartoon-connected filled youth to look back on, why did we exactly look back on it as early as we did (like a mini pre mid-life crisis)? Its possible, in the US at least, that life didn't turn out quite as good as it did for the boomers and that has been going downhill ever since. The future doesn't look so bright anymore. The middle class is getting crushed fooling themselves into thinking they can keep up with the ever shrinking but ever more wealthy rich, temporarily embarrassed millionaires and all that, etc. With an outlook like that, who wouldn't want to look back at happy times and engage with what brought us joy in our simpler childhood, devoid of the everyday pressures of modern life? It seems each successive generation is less and less concerned with conventional normalcy, continuing to play with toys past their childhood. Video games, once given up when you stopped hanging out at the arcade is now a big time adult business for example. I think its great even if my theory on why it might be the case isn't overly bright (at least in gen x and y's case.) Or I could I totally wrong. I'm not neurotypical and never saw the need to give up childhood passions just because my age rose above a certain number. Who cares if I embarrass older family members with my toys. Their loss.

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"Meditation" is a great way to put it. (I've also called it "my church," but I have a harder time explaining that terminology.) Time at the workbench is highly focused, and highly structured - both excellent for giving your mind a chance to sort through all the garbage of daily life that accumulates. I have absolutely "lost" whle days working away on something, forgetting to eat, only stopping when I realize that it's 10PM and I need to go to bed. Only those days aren't lost; they're some of the most important days I spend. They're the days I feel calm, focused, and in control. As someone who otherwise lives in a near-constant state of anxiety, working on my models is, probably quite literally, vital.

I don't know if playing helps us live longer (though it might), but it certainly helps us live better. Some people call hobbies an escape, and they are absolutely that - a way to escape from the stress of the rest of the world, but also from the need to please and placate everyone else. Something that I've struggled with, and am finally coming around to, is the fact that all these RC cars and model kits surrounding me in this room are mine to do with as I please, and I am under no obligation to explain or defend any choice I make with any of them. (This has also helped me come to terms with certain things other people do that I don't agree with, keeping multiple NIB kits sitting around doing nothing, for example.) I don't "owe" it to anyone to do things a certain way. Compare that to, well, pretty much the entire rest of human existence, and you start to realize the importance of it.

I've been thinking a lot about quality of life, what's important and what's not, since my dad passed away back in December. He was only 77, and my mom was only 56 when she died, both from cancer. The long-term odds are not in my favor, it seems. I just turned 50, still in fine health (knock on wood), but more and more it feels like I don't have time to care what anyone else thinks of what I do, beyond basic obligations. And that if there's something I really want to do, or buy, or play with, I'd better get going and do it now. My wife and I are visiting Paris in the fall, because we've always wanted to see it, and there literally is no time like the present. She spent the last two years fighting cancer and has won (we hope), but all this has definitely caused both of us to re-align our concept of what really matters. You stop worrying so much about the approval of others, start wanting to have deeper and more meaningful interactions, but at the same time want to do silly and frivolous stuff just because it feels good to do it. In other words, you start wanting to play.

Not that I would wish what my family has gone through in the past couple of years on anyone, but if you have found yourself in similar circumstances, you'll know what I mean. Life is short. Go play with your toys. And if someone gives you a hard time about it, give them permission to go play too. It might be the best thing you can do for them.

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Author Steven Johnson has a pretty good non fiction book “Wonderland : How play made the modern world”

It’s an interesting read and he makes a bunch of points how much of the technology we take for granted had roots as some form of novelty of amusement. 

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I think a lot of people at a certain age forget to nourish their inner child, and then it dies. It's not easy but it can be resurrected. I have always loved (and nourished very well) my inner child and still do, it is what keeps me somewhat mentally sane.  

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Having a low day today and remembered this thread, which got me thinking about how toys keep us alive in other ways.

I’m very grateful this club exists, that I get to indulge my passion and escape from my troubles for a bit, so thanks all for that.

Luke

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9 minutes ago, lukej said:

Having a low day today and remembered this thread, which got me thinking about how toys keep us alive in other ways.

I’m very grateful this club exists, that I get to indulge my passion and escape from my troubles for a bit, so thanks all for that.

Luke

Hope everythings ok dude!!

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14 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

Hope everythings ok dude!!

I was about to default to that very British “yeah all good”, when the opposite is true. Just one of those days where everything goes against you, and there’s been a few of them lately.

Anyway, thanks for the message, trying to pick myself up and dust myself off!

Luke

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On 4/4/2023 at 5:28 PM, lukej said:

I was about to default to that very British “yeah all good”, when the opposite is true. 

We all expect everything would improve or at least stay the same. But we all experience ups and downs life throws at us.  I hope you come out the other end better than before what got you down. 

 

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On 4/4/2023 at 4:28 PM, lukej said:

I was about to default to that very British “yeah all good”, when the opposite is true. Just one of those days where everything goes against you, and there’s been a few of them lately.

Anyway, thanks for the message, trying to pick myself up and dust myself off!

Luke

I always default to Pink Floyd “hanging on in quiet desperation is the English Way” but what do I know, I’m an American and we’re all messed up . 
I sincerely hope you’re coming around though.

Anxiety and depression run deep in my family and I learned long ago that toys ( both models and 1:1 ) always helped my late father cope , I have taken that strength and wisdom from him .

 

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