Tail End Charlie - How to Choose a Gift for a Modeler
The end of the year is approaching, and during its final days, many of our customers will celebrate Christmas, a holiday often associated with gift-giving tradition. Every year, families of modelers face the same challenge: What gift should we choose for the modeler in our lives? For family members, a model kit might seem like just another colorful box filled with boring gray plastic parts. Yet, for reasons that often seem mysterious, the modeler greets its contents—and sometimes even the packaging—with an enthusiasm comparable to a fisherman who has just landed the catch of a lifetime.
The end of the year is approaching, and
during its final days, many of our customers will
celebrate Christmas, a holiday often associated
with gift-giving tradition. Every year, families
of modelers face the same challenge: What gift
should we choose for the modeler in our lives?
For family members, a model kit might
seem like just another colorful box filled with
boring gray plastic parts. Yet, for reasons that
often seem mysterious, the modeler greets its
contents—and sometimes even the packaging—
with an enthusiasm comparable to a fisherman
who has just landed the catch of a lifetime.
I understand how difficult it can be to choose
such a gift. Thirty years ago, I worked as
a salesman in a model shop. Throughout most
of the year, our customers were predominantly
men. However, in the last few weeks leading
up to Christmas, we noticed a significant
increase in female customers. Mothers, wives,
girlfriends, and daughters would visit, hoping to
find something suitable, and we, as salesmen,
did our best to advise them.
We would try to roughly determine which
kit might make a good gift by asking questions.
The women would tentatively answer, describing
the size of the models in the modeler’s collection,
whether they were airplanes, how many engines
they had, and what national insignias they bore.
Using these clues and working within the given
price range, we would suggest a kit that we
believed would delight the modeler.
It was much easier when my friend Pavel’s
mother, whose son built 1/35 scale tank models,
came to me for advice. I knew exactly what he
was interested in and what kits he already had
in his collection. I managed to surprise him
with a brand-new kit—a Tamiya Tiger tank—as
I didn’t tell him that such a kit had been released.
He practically flipped under the Christmas tree!
Back then, the internet was still in its infancy,
and social networks didn’t exist.
Today, pulling off such a Christmas
surprise would be far more difficult. We live
in a completely different information age.
On platforms like Scalemates, for instance,
modelers can maintain detailed databases of
their collections and whishes. While incredibly
useful, this makes it harder to keep it a surprise.
At the same time, the number of physical hobby
shops where one can get expert advice is
dwindling.
This has made me wonder how I would go
about choosing a gift for a modeler if I knew
nothing about the hobby. It’s certainly no easy
task. Our readers and customers know how
specialized their wishes can be. It’s not always
about the latest releases; sometimes it’s the
rare, discontinued kits that a modeler truly
desires. Take me, for example. I’ve always
dreamed of owning the 1/350 scale Akitsushima
seaplane tender kit from Hasegawa. But I will
probably never become one of the lucky owners
of this unique kit—only 500 were ever made!
With only a few dozen kits in my collection—
compared to a much larger number of books—
I decided to try a simple experiment with
ChatGPT. This chatbot uses "artificial
intelligence", implementing a large language
model (LLM) and artificial neural network
technology. I provided it with a list of my kits,
including the scale, manufacturer’s name, and
catalog number, and tasked it with suggesting
a new kit as a gift for the modeler who owns
this collection.
I was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The chatbot deduced that the owner of the
collection prefers 1/48 scale kits, with
a particular fondness for the Zero from various
manufacturers. It also noted that, in addition
to the dominant Eduard kits, the owner’s
favorite companies include Tamiya, Hasegawa,
and Nichimo. Since I hadn’t given specific
preferences for the gift selection, the chatbot
set its own criteria. It defined the ideal gift as
a 1/48 scale kit, preferably a limited edition
featuring iconic WWII aircraft, while avoiding
kits already present in the collection.
Based on these criteria, ChatGPT
recommended the Eduard Royal Class F6F
Hellcat kit in 1/48 scale. It explained that the
Hellcat is a key WWII-era aircraft missing from
the modeler’s collection. The Royal Class edition
aligned perfectly with the modeler’s interest
in premium editions, and the chatbot added
a logical argument: an American aircraft would
nicely complement the Japanese and European
types that dominate the collection.
The recommendation, however, had one
flaw—the Royal Class edition of the Hellcat
kit has long been out of stock, and the chatbot
also provided an incorrect catalog number.
After I pointed out both issues and requested
an updated recommendation, my virtual mentor
suggested two alternative kits: the F6F-5 in the
ProfiPACK edition and another in the Weekend
edition. It also mentioned that a night fighter
version could be acquired as a specialty item.
The chatbot even listed the sources it used for its
recommendations, citing the Eduard e-shop as
well as the Hyperscale and Scalemates websites.
I had no issues with this choice and its
priorities and would have easily purchased
one of the Hellcats. When analyzing data, the
system clearly works with parameters that are
statistically prevalent in the dataset. However,
it was intriguing that the chatbot specifically
identified a U.S. Navy aircraft. Interestingly,
I don’t actually have any U.S. carrier-based
aircraft in my modest collection, making
the Hellcat a logical counterbalance to the
avalanche of Zeros in my stash.
This small step of AI assistance led me to
a more devilish question—I asked the chatbot
how much the kits in my collection cost.
Amazingly, ChatGPT produced a detailed
list, item by item, along with the usual prices.
While this system sometimes invents or omits
information, in this case, it only left out kits
from two companies. After adding the missing
entries, I had a complete list. In the next step,
following my instruction, the chatbot summed
up the total cost of the kits.
I vividly remember my time working in
a model shop and how some modelers grappled
with the challenge of hiding a new kit purchase
from their partners. Occasionally, they would
even tear off part of the price tag to make the
cost appear smaller, especially if they knew
they wouldn’t be able to sneak the new addition
home unnoticed.
I shudder to imagine the potential situations
that might arise in some households if
a modeler shared their complete kit list with
both their partner and a chatbot. For the sake of
a peaceful Christmas and maintaining healthy
relationships, I’d probably recommend sticking
with the tried-and-true method for selecting
gifts. As always, the modeler should pick out the
kit themselves, NOT LOOK INSIDE OF THE BOX IN
DETAIL, and simply look forward to unwrapping
the present under the tree. That’s exactly what
I do with books.
Merry Christmas!
HOW TO CHOOSE A GIFT FOR A MODELER
Jan Bobek
INFO Eduard100
December 2024