Make It Take It Clinic
Rancocas
Friends Academy
July
2001
Earlier
this year during the Spring I conducted a Make it Take it clinic with my
youngest son Michael's second grade class at Rancocas Friends Academy. I had
originally discussed the possibility of holding this session with the teacher of
the class at the beginning of the school year. However, due to a number of
factors, I was not able to hold it until the school year's
end.
Things
ended up turning out great this way, though, since most of the children's
schoolwork had been completed by the end of May. Also, they were beginning to
get wound up, becoming antsy about the last day of school rapidly
approaching.
So,
on Thursday afternoon on May 29th, I showed up with model kits and
modeling supplies. I had dropped by earlier at the beginning of the day and gave
Teacher Dee - (the teacher of the class) - instruction sheets that contained
something called The A-B-C-D's of Model Building. I wanted her to review them
with the children ahead of time.
|
(Background
& getting started)
The
A-B-C-D's of Model Building is a term that was originally coined by a guy I know
named Tim Lingle. Tim has been conducting these "Introduction to model kit
building" sessions for many years now.
From
several of his classes that I assisted him with along with conversations that we
had on the topic I was able to learn much of what he tries to incorporate into
his programs. The A-B-C-D's of modeling is one of these
items.
In
case you're wondering, the A-B-C-D's of model building
are:
A
- ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INSTRUCTIONS.
B
- BE SURE TO TEST FIT YOUR PARTS BEFORE YOU GLUE
THEM
TOGETHER.
C
- CUT OFF ONLY THE PARTS THAT YOU NEED.
D
- DON'T BE IN A HURRY!
What
Tim does in his classes is instead of just giving the children an activity to
participate in, he tries to instruct the kids on the "correct" way to put a
model together. Tim tries to help them avoid some of the problems and pitfalls
that one can run into when building a model, while helping the children
establish a strong foundation of building skills that will hopefully enable them
to experience years of model building fun.
I've
borrowed many of Tim's ideas, incorporating them into the modeling clinics that
I've conducted
In
addition to the A-B-C-D's of model building, I also introduce the children to
sprue cutters, teaching them the correct way to use these tools, along with
informing them about their usefulness.
I
ended up purchasing bottles of Testor's Liquid Cement (found in those strange
looking, black applicator boxes) for the session. I wanted to use them because
this type of glue can be applied more precisely to the model parts than with
Testors' traditional tube glue. Since the liquid cement is also thinner than the
tube glue, the application tends to be less sloppy.
I
try to get the kids to be conscious of the amount of glue they use, since they
usually use much more than is required.
Another
thing I teach is the use of Elmer's White glue for attaching clear parts. I have
the kids use toothpicks to apply the glue. Since regular glue crazes clear
plastic parts, I figure that teaching them this trick - (that took me years to
learn) would put them ahead of the game.
(The
kits)
The
model kits I brought were Testor's 1:72 scale Messerschmitt BF109F World War II
fighters.
|
There
are a total of four airplanes in this World War II series: an FM2 Wildcat, a
Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero, a Supermarine Spitfire MK22 and the aforementioned BF109.
(I was told that these kits are from old Hawk molds that Testors
acquired).
The
reason these are good beginner kits is because of the small number of parts that
each contains - (around 11 or 12). These models are pretty sparse, though. They
don't even contain cockpit detail. However, the kids don’t seem to
mind.
The
simple, straightforward construction steps are another reason these kits are
ideal choices to start kids out with.
Testors
has been donating these models for MITI programs over the past 5 to 10 years. I
just happened to have a number of them left over from a previous model building
session that I assisted Testors with.
(The
building session)
I
arrived at the classroom and introduced myself, along with asking the kids to
tell me their names.
Then,
I quizzed the children on the A-B-C-D's of modeling. I awarded a Testors
catalogue to those who got the correct answers. I was surprised that just about
all the kids put their hands up when questioned.
Next,
I passed out the instructions and had the children look over the picture diagram
for a minute or two. I talked about what they were seeing, along with discussing
the order of the assembly steps.
Following
this the sprue cutters were distributed. I talked about them and demonstrated
how to use them.
Next,
the glue were removed from their packaging and distributed, followed by passing
out the model kits. I reminded the kids about the A-B-C-D's of modeling and
asked them to remove everything except the clear canopy from the plastic
bags.
Before
I let the kids begin building, I briefly talked about the glue that they were
using. I explained how their glue actually melted the two pieces being connected
together and that in order to give the glue a chance to work, they had to hold
their two pieces together and count up to 60. (Even though technically the parts
should be given a lot longer to set, this was a pretty effective way get the
planes assembled quickly).
At
that point, I let the kids go at it.
|
Even with Teacher Dee and an assistant
teacher's help, I still had a hand full with the 20 children that were
building.
|
There
were numerous problems to overcome and additional steps to explain, along with
quite a few backward assembled parts to correct.
|
However,
the allocated two hours flew by quickly, with Messerschmitts rapidly taking
shape under the guidance of their young creators.
|
They
finished off their building with the application of the white glue to the
canopies, followed by positioning them in place.
In
addition to the models and modeling supplies, I also brought with me acrylic
paint and paintbrushes. However, I wasn’t sure if the kids would be able to
paint their models during our session.
As
it turned out, Teacher Dee had decided to hold onto the paint and let the
children paint their planes the following day.
I
had also brought two completed Me-BF109's to show to the kids. One was painted a deep blue color, with
the other being copper in color. The kids really got a kick out of seeing
them.
(Conclusion)
This
was a very enjoyable experience for me. I always get a blast out of sharing
model building with others. It is especially rewarding sharing modeling with
young, new modelers.
One
reason I get such a kick out of conducting these sessions is because they help
me get back to some modeling basics myself. It's nice to just build a kit
sometimes and not have to worry about filling in those unseemly seams, or
getting the correct color or markings down.
Seeing the enjoyment the children get from their building is another reason
for the reeaaaaal good feeling that I get. The excitement in their faces and the
very infectious nature of their enthusiasm are added
rewards.
In
closing here, I urge you all to share this hobby of ours with some young folks.
They don’t have to be a class full of kids. There may be only a few nieces,
nephews, cousins or children of friends who might be
interested.
With
the way the hobby industry has been going over the past couple of years, getting
some new blood into the hobby can only help the
situation.
Build
a kit with a kid or two and help spread the fun.
You'll
be glad you did.
(Back to the "Shows & Other Sites" Page)
Visitors.
Copyright © 2008 by Anthony I. Wootson. No material may be reproduced without permission. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.