Hobby Thread - July 26, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it wobbled and lurched and shook and made terrible scraping sounds. Apparently, it either needs a tune-up or a vacation. Either way, the wheel was of no help which means this edition of the Hobby Thread is a random grab-bag of miscellaneous content.

I have faith that you can either find something in the content that resonates or contribute your own hobbying interests.

You might be tempted to say "I have no hobbies or interests." Bah. Dig around in the content and soak in the comments. Be curious. Glad you're here.

What are you hobbying?

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Pants are optional. Puns are welcome and encouraged.

Horde Hobbying:

Interesting submission from our buddy Patches: Vought XF5U-1 Flying Pancake, 1:72 scale.

Patches notes that this bird never flew, but the proof of concept V-173 did.

Here's a photo of V-173 from the Smithsonian Air and Space collection.

It is no F-111, but what a thing!! Anna Puma - are you out there??

Thanks much to Patches for the submission and rabbit hole of aviation.

Speaking of scale models, the scale model world lost a legendary figure recently. Tamiya Chairman, Shunsaku Tamiya, passed away on July 18, 2025 at the age of 90.

The Tamiya name is as big as it gets in the world of scale models. The story is fascinating. Full story here: Shunsaku Tamiya Changed the World, One Scale Model at a Time

Notable nuggets:
Yoshio Tamiya, Shunsaku's father, had a company that produced trucks and vans until Allied air raids in 1945. After his factory was destroyed, he went into the lumber business. He also began making high quality wooden toys. His son, Shunsaku, was there as well.

The lumber mill burned down and Tamiya pivoted to focus on making wood model kits.

Shunsaken worked alongside his father as plastic injection mold technology arrived in the 1960s. The company expanded and grew, particularly with a 1967 Honda F1 car and a Porsche 934 radio controlled car. The company remains privately owned.

Shizuoka City, home to Tamiya and other model makers, is reportedly responsible for 80% of the plastic model market. When you visit, look for public sculptures that echo the plastic model world.

Wow. $204k+ for an Acura Integra Type R on Bring a Trailer?!

Here's some insight for why:

More Horde Hobbying:

This is titled D&D given the Dungeons and Dragons imagery. It is a 24x18 in oil by polynikes (naturally). I was going to save this painting for a travel theme that referenced castles, but decided that it it fit well with the theme of a grab-bag of hobbying.

Hobby Thread News: As you might guess, Hobby Lobby is fully decked out with fall decorations and crafting. They're already 30% off.

The real news is that I can confirm that Christmas crafting supplies are currently being stocked. I repeat. Christmas supplies are available.

Can someone to explain the pink mini-Christmas tree thing?

Is anyone working on fall or Christmas crafting projects? What about Halloween?

This old-school hobby is helping Hasbro defy economic headwinds

Is anyone wise in the ways of Magic: The Gathering? Seems like a lot of people are.

But the biggest driver of Hasbro's recent earnings has been Magic: The Gathering. That's thanks to a recently released expansion set, Final Fantasy Universes Beyond. The set dropped in June and almost instantly shattered records, earning $200 million in one day and becoming the fastest-selling expansion in MTG history.

I know what you're thinking: "TRex, I'm interested in doing some Bonsai hobbying, but I'm not great with living things. Any suggestions?"

How about Lego Bonsai?

Forgot to include this when we did puzzles as a theme:

I was saving this for a bicycling theme (and may re-use it if we do that theme at some point) but it seemed grab-bag eligible:

Here's the last panel zoomed in if your eyes need a little help to read the words.

Meteor shower season:

Peak night for the Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower is July 29-30.

The next big meteor event is the Perseids Meteor Shower which peaks on August 12-13.

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We talked birds. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

You might also be interested in this birding story: Birding Is a Booming Hobby - and a Big Business

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

Would TRex include a mystery click behind the top photo in a Hobby Thread? Maybe... If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different theme next time. What are you hobbying? We love showing off Horde hobbying. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

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