Wandy 1527 Posted July 17, 2009 I've been meaning to post this for a while now. My first Tamiya, a Hotshot, was at the age of 13 in 1985. After being in the hobby for 3 years I discovered girls, music and beer and departed from it. Fast forward 16 years and at the age of 32 sitting at the P.C bored and Googling I entered "Tamiya" into the search engine. The rest is history. Over the last 5 years I have been bitten by the Tamiya bug twice as hard as I was as thirteen year old. I've amassed a growing collection of classic NIB kits, obtained kits on a whim bought, sold then bought again, hoarded vast piles of 20 odd year old R/C junk and basically visited this site on a daily basis. What makes me love this hobby is that I discovered that I'm not alone, ie there are a large number of people in this club who are of the same age group and background as me...1980's teenagers discovering an old hobby and cranking it back up in their 30's. The point of this post though is that I'm now not far off 38 years old...and showing no signs of changing. I'm not married but have a long term girlfriend (who I dont live with), I don't have kids and at this moment in time don't see me ever having them either. Well not for at least another 10 years anyway. My lifestyle has not changed since I was 18. Sure, I've had ups and downs, different jobs in different areas of the country but I'm still essentially the same. I have quite a few friends, lots of (too many!) hobbies and although I like people's company I also like being left alone in my own space a lot....something which does not go down that well with the girlfriend. I also still love the same music (electronic/dance) and enjoy going to late bars & clubs. So as I head toward the big 4-0 I really cannot see myself changing and I'm just wondering if I will be able to get away with it! The 30s for me have just been an extension of the 20s but will the 40s be the same? I approached my 30th birthday with no trepidation whatsoever but I have to admit that the prospect of the 40s make me feel slightly nervous. In the old days you were past it at 40 but the world has changed dramatically since then...I mean my parents were 40 when I was 17 and here I am two years off and I still have not owned my own house yet. This post is not a whine, far from it, more a celebration of the fact that it's possible to be in your late 30's and still be very youthfull. Infact I'm sick of getting called "Peter Pan" by people. The good news is that many of my friends of the same age are in the exact same position, but how long will we be able to get away with it? I guess I'm part of a generation who really does not want to "grow up"...whatever on earth that means. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted July 17, 2009 Neverland ... hmm, MJ's gone ... kinda like the Elvis moment for our generation huh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dazaa 0 Posted July 17, 2009 Glad I have plenty of time to waste....26 years to be precise! I already own 4 motorbikes and am on my way to getting a car, I think a house can wait till I am 20, I am worried that buying houses will become like collecting tamiya dazaa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twisty 8 Posted July 17, 2009 45 here and i still have a skateboard and no way am i the oldest kid on here fact. It`s all your state of mind more than anything,i can see my self still playing and having fun untill beyond 60 no worries. If people don`t "get it",thats thier problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dirt-540 68 Posted July 17, 2009 Really enjoyed reading your post Wandy. Twistys got it right though, its all in your mind! I'm losing my hair, I now wear glasses, I gots aches and pains I never had a couple of years back and the old arthritis is establishing itself very well. Another 3 years and I'll be 40, I just dont care though, I excersize by going swimming which is helping keep my body youngish and I regularly use Tamiya to keep my mind young. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted July 17, 2009 That's the thing though...personally speaking I'm hardly any different physically than when I was 18. I play football weekly and go to the gym almost daily. I have a full head of hair, perfect eyesight and hearing and no wrinkles that I've noticed yet ....which probably goes some way to preserve this feeling of adolesence that resides within me. I keep asking people who have gone past their 40s when it was they noticed the difference and most of them say mid 40s. With regard to Michael Jackson, it's funny but when I heard the news it did feel like a tiny little part of my youth disappeared, and I suspect this is one of the main reasons many people around the world reacted so strongly to his death. Although I have a history of getting bored with hobbies and interests with time I really can't see it happening with my interest in Tamiya collecting. I might sell some of my cars off as time goes by but I think I'm into this hobby and will be a collector now for a long, long time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya1/10 382 Posted July 18, 2009 I am heading for fifty, the big 5 0, so you are just a kid in my eyes with lots more to collect I too went crazy several years back when I discovered TC and ebay. But due to lack of space, I had of unload some as most were NIB and figured let someone else appreciate it by building it or even running it. Tamiya does make nice RC and once they are built and display, are works of art and even good for home decoration. Most of my RC are for display, but I do run it once in while but with kid gloves. Recently I got the 240Z by HPI and was intended to run on the road by where I live, but after builting her even fitted all the electronics I changed my mind, just didn't want to have any stratches on her. Maybe I will run her, but with due care. The good thing about Tamiya RC is they never argue with you, create a mess, have to feed it, always ready, very low maintainance (well depends what you do to it), and contrary to most is not a money pit on a per model bases, only the hobby. I think I have peaked towards this hobby, but my interest in it is still very high as and I continue to visit this site on a daily bases. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya1/10 382 Posted July 18, 2009 That's the thing though...personally speaking I'm hardly any different physically than when I was 18. I play football weekly and go to the gym almost daily. I have a full head of hair, perfect eyesight and hearing and no wrinkles that I've noticed yet ....which probably goes some way to preserve this feeling of adolesence that resides within me. I keep asking people who have gone past their 40s when it was they noticed the difference and most of them say mid 40s. With regard to Michael Jackson, it's funny but when I heard the news it did feel like a tiny little part of my youth disappeared, and I suspect this is one of the main reasons many people around the world reacted so strongly to his death. Although I have a history of getting bored with hobbies and interests with time I really can't see it happening with my interest in Tamiya collecting. I might sell some of my cars off as time goes by but I think I'm into this hobby and will be a collector now for a long, long time. Just look at your parents and chances are you will age just like them. I confirm with everything you mentioned, but once hit mid to late forties the eyes don't see to well, the hearing is not as good, your skin is not a nice and the body don't recover as fast even if you can still whip some 18 year old. I guess good genes, proper diet, enough sleep, exercise and a balance life style will slow the aging down. What really hit me is went I have to wear those reading glasses and wow my parents and grandparents image popped into my head, man I am getting old! As with MJ, I remeber back then thinking I am close to this guys age and he was making millions and I was only making $16,000/year before tax. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gruntfuggly 562 Posted July 18, 2009 Your first paragraph could have been written by me (just not the NIBs)... I've got only 4 months until 40 though... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corpse Thrower 16 Posted July 19, 2009 Your first paragraph could have been written by me (just not the NIBs)... I've got only 4 months until 40 though... Hehe....you old fuddler.... 7 months for me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richytanimal 3 Posted July 19, 2009 3 years to go for me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swarm 242 Posted July 19, 2009 Was 41 July 1st What happened to all those years The thing I notice more now days is the danger in things that my kids and other young people do ,When I was younger I never gave things a second thought but now I see what my parents meant . Its a wonder we acheived anything or reached the heights we have considering life is so short and time seems to get faster the older you get . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya1/10 382 Posted July 20, 2009 The thing I notice more now days is the danger in things that my kids and other young people do ,When I was younger I never gave things a second thought but now I see what my parents meant . American Pie - One can truely relate is when one is going through the same situation. I guess our parents aren't as out dated or don't know what is going on as we thought of them when we were teenagers. Is funny how knowledge and information can travel around the world within a second, yet to travel the last 1/4 inch into our skull takes several decades before it reaches our brain and finally click. Listen to your parents, as they only have the best intentions for you and nothing but the very best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelRat 46 Posted July 20, 2009 Great post Wandy, and echoes my thoughts and feelings a fair bit. I'm 39 tomorrow (pm me for the address to send the cake to ), I'm recently seperated after a relatively short marriage, have no children, don't want children and everyone is joyfully reminding me that next year I'm going to be 40. Bizarrely I'm actually enjoying myself a lot more than I did in my 20s - I've mellowed, I don't get so wound up and het up about things anymore. I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is a mid life crisis or not. If it is, it's massively misworded. Crisis' are never usually this much fun! I prefer to call it a "Mid Life Marvluss". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gruntfuggly 562 Posted July 20, 2009 The thing I notice more now days is the danger in things that my kids and other young people do ,When I was younger I never gave things a second thought but now I see what my parents meant . I climbed a tree to get something that got stuck a while ago - I thought I was going to die when I was about 6 feet off the ground! When I was a kid I'd have been swing from the top branches... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
highflyer 73 Posted July 20, 2009 3 years to go for me Same here but who is counting Great post Wandy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted July 21, 2009 Phew! Thanks for the responses guys...I was a little worried when I posted this that I'd find myself out on a limb. It feels good to know there are plenty like me. Great post Wandy, and echoes my thoughts and feelings a fair bit. I'm 39 tomorrow (pm me for the address to send the cake to ), I'm recently seperated after a relatively short marriage, have no children, don't want children and everyone is joyfully reminding me that next year I'm going to be 40. Bizarrely I'm actually enjoying myself a lot more than I did in my 20s - I've mellowed, I don't get so wound up and het up about things anymore. I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is a mid life crisis or not. If it is, it's massively misworded. Crisis' are never usually this much fun! I prefer to call it a "Mid Life Marvluss". Happy Birthday mate! I agree with the bit about enjoying yourself more as you get older. Or to be more exact I get happier within myself as I get older. Looking back to my twenties now I realise that I wasn't actually that good at it, I guess the only thing that I wish is that I could have had the wisdom 15 years ago that I do now. That's life though I guess, I'll probably look back to this point when in my early 50s and think the same! For me the "mid life crisis" is something that only happens to people who reach a certain age and feel like they have lost control of their life and want to get it back. Happily for me I've never been in that position and hopefully never will. I also most certainly do not see reaching the age of 40 meaning the beginning of middle age. I wont even consider that period commencing till 50 at the earliest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TA-Mark 195 Posted July 21, 2009 Growing old is compulsory... growing up is optional I'm 41 as of last May, hasn't slowed me in the least. I still run and have fun with the kids. My wife even says she looks after 5 kids, and not 4 Enjoy it while you can is what I say, you're only as old as you feel, and ignore that guy staring back at you in the mirror. Play more, work less, smile and laugh and enjoy life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Novastar 241 Posted July 21, 2009 I've always thought that life went downhill after 35, I turn 35 in October and I may have to adjust that thought because I really dont feel that old or out of date and I cant see that changing in another 5 years either. I look in the mirror and see the same person that was there 5 or more years ago. My favourite sports are RC Cars, Snowboarding, performance cars and Archery all of which I have discovered in the last couple of years although the RC Cars thing is more like re-discovered. One of the best things about being "young" at this age is that I have the bank balance to really get into my hobbies instead of just dreaming about them. I could have bought a nice practical 4 door sedan or SUV but I decided on a R33 Skyline with crazy insurance costs and hard to source parts because well I just wanted one and I could'nt be happier. I think turning 35 or 40 is just a number in the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted January 30, 2012 Well the big day has arrived today and, as expected, it's no big deal. I haven't grown two heads and I'm still doing & enjoying the same things and can only see many more years of the same. Apart from the fact that my indulgence in this hobby is getting ever more intense, of course.... So to celebrate 40 years on the planet the postman brought me this little package below, right on cue, this morning. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it eh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wez-li 1790 Posted January 30, 2012 happy birthday!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bromvw 744 Posted January 30, 2012 lmao i'am 46 on the 3rd of feb so well over the BIG 40 . But as i get older i seem to be coming up with more mad cap designs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Percymon 2184 Posted January 30, 2012 Happy birthday - nice pressie too, hardly a dirty job Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks for the good wishes. And yes, not exactly a hardship having an Avante BS to drool over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markbt73 5316 Posted January 31, 2012 I guess some of us are very close to the same age then, as I just turned 39 on the 7th. I'm not sure I know anymore what people mean by "growing up." I'm married, own a house, have worked in the same career for 13 years, own 3 vehicles outright, pay my bills on time... in what way am I not grown up? Because I play with little toy cars? Or have a sports car? Or still like to play guitar really loudly once in a while? We don't have kids, and don't want them, and yeah, we go out to the bar about once a week. But I feel more responsible and more in control of my life than a lot of people even older than me. I feel, for lack of a better term, wiser. I still spend a lot of money on my hobbies, and that's not likely to change. But I'm much more selective about what I spend money on. And I know I spend less on RC, guitars, and Miata parts combined than a lot of my friends spend on a monthly payment for a new car. Or on gigantic plasma TVs and "home theaters." I cherish my time out in my workshop, and I think spending time with tools in my hands keeps me sharper, both physically and mentally, than staring at a huge TV screen would. Forget 40. We'll see who's still able to get around and think clearly and take care of their own stuff at 70. I'm betting it will be us guys who "still play with toys", not the "grown-up" couch potatoes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
