It may also be a painstaking and demanding pastime, depending on the detail of the model and whether the builder uses a kit. Some individuals have used toothpicks or matchsticks to build scale models of such structures as the Eiffel Tower or St. Peter's Basilica. A project of this sort may be the work of a lifetime. Models can be made from nearly any solid material. Traditionally they were made from wood, clay, metal, cloth, paper, or stone.
Today there are newer materials, especially plastics, cements, and acrylic paints.
Hobby shops, toy stores, and handicraft shops sell kits for making model automobiles, airplanes, ships, rockets, engines, animals, birds, plants, robots, and countless other items. A commercial kit usually includes all the parts necessary to make the model with the exception of cement and tools. Polystyrene cement is usually recommended for gluing. Often the object is molded in the proper color, and decals are provided for decoration. Little painting is then necessary.