Hello. I must say right away that the topic is not of a technical nature, rather it is just a discussion. Author articles with models were, so there are some modelers.
Often, people around, friends who are not dedicated to model subjects, call models toys. And in such moments, it’s somehow uncomfortable, on the one hand, yes, it’s not real car, plane or boat, and if not real, then what? Toy. On the other hand, a small resentment remains on the soul, you tried, wasted time, did everything do it yourself and you are thrown this derogatory "toy." Of course, there is no question of any real resentment, but this prompted me to think, and the truth, but what is the difference?
This, of course, is not about bench modeling. I deeply respect bench modeling, create masterpieces, but the theme is simply not that. For myself, I can give such a definition to modelism: this personally made acting (flying, floating, etc.) vehicle model (train, plane, boat, etc.) or other equipment (steam engine, rocket). This is my personal definition, the way I perceive modeling. But this definition does not answer the question of how the model differs from the toy. I began to search, but the search engine is completely full of articles from online stores selling models. In general, all these articles can be described in one sentence: a model is an expensive toy for adults. Again, this answer doesn’t suit me, both adults and children are engaged in modeling, in the normal sense of the word.
Often you can find more such divisions:
- The toy has discrete control, the model has proportional control.
- Models are created by repairable ones and spare parts are sold on them.
But this again refers more to modern modeling, the essence of which is to buy a model in a store.
The encyclopedia gives the following definitions:
Model - reproduction or diagram of a material object, usually in a reduced form.
A toy is a thing intended for children to play; subject of fun, entertainment.
On the one hand, the toy completely falls under the concept of model.On the other hand, the model completely falls under the concept of a toy.
And against the background of all this, I thought. Where do you think the line separating the model from the toy is? What is a model and what is a toy? Or, nevertheless, is it the same thing?