Having entered the hobby in the late 1960s and continuing on through the mid 1970s before taking a respite, yeah, I am an old school modeler. I agree with your statement about the removal of the modeler from the craft when it comes to the more modern kits. However, the main reason I do what I do is because I'm f**king cheap or, better yet, frugal. In my youth, scale modeling was an affordable hobby. When I returned to the hobby in the early 1990s, I was kind of shocked to see kits going for 20/25 dollars. But I figured in the cost of living as well as kits being a lot better than the ones I built in my youth. Nowadays, however, I feel the pricing of kits to be way out of hand. Most of my stash are kits I bought used from modeling shows, thrift shops, or online sellers. I prefer older kits not only because they're cheap, but also because they allow my to use and sharpen the skills I picked up during the 1970s and beyond.
