I have a number of blogs, because I have many interests and hobbies. My oldest hobby is model building, namely model aircraft and quite often in 1/72, give or take.
Now, prior to my building model airplanes, I did have a disastrous start in model building at the age of six with the Revell "Atomic Space Explorer Solaris" around 1969; sad, so sad.
After we moved back to Florida, and within a mile of an airport, my interest moved to airplanes, and I wanted to build one. My first model airplane was Lindberg's "Strategic Strafer", a P-47D in around 1/80 scale. It didn't go that well, but it was a start. Over the next few years, I would build a model or two (my family was not financial well off), again mostly 1/72, and I can even name them still. My serious period, though, began in 1975, when my best friend Craig and I began a small scale arms race.
Most of those early "serious" attempts are comical in retrospect; gloss paint that appeared to have been applied with a trowel, decals not quite aligned, totally wrong colors. Beginning in spring of 1977, my interests turned to prototypical appearance, real scale modeling. I discovered the Pactra and Humbrol lines of paint, as well as Polly S acrylics. I learned how to fill seams, and researched the aircraft's appearance for the markings and camouflage being applied.
After the death of Craig's mother in early December, 1977, and his subsequent (and I might add immediate) moving away, I found it necessary to sooth my broken heart the best way I knew how, with my model building. By the end of 1978, I had built so many model aircraft that I ran out of shelf space; we resorted to mounting them on pegboards in my bedroom.
My bedroom looked like an aircraft recognition training room.
By that point, I had built models in several scales, but the vast majority were still 1/72 and most of those RAF/Fleet Air Arm.
I slowly moved away from model building as other interests (read: girls) began to take precedent. The next few years saw the vast bulk of my collection slowly lost until none survived.
Over the next couple of decades, I would occasionally build airplanes, though the bulk of my hobbies were other models.
And I missed my model airplanes.
Slowly, over the past few years, I've begun building airplanes again. It is like embracing an old friend. Now, don't get me wrong, I have been building other models and even have a very large space model collection. But model spacecraft tend to be exacting in appearance; they have to look pristine, clean. Model ship building is demanding in other ways. Model airplanes, on the other hand, can be either exacting or just fun. Don't rig the antenna wire on a 1/72 F4U-1 and nobody will notice. Forget to rig a model of the HMS Bounty, and it's kind of hard to miss.
So, I build for fun these days. Sure, there will be spacecraft and ships listed here, as well as some armor. But the model airplanes are for fun.
And I plan on sharing in my experience right here.
Now, prior to my building model airplanes, I did have a disastrous start in model building at the age of six with the Revell "Atomic Space Explorer Solaris" around 1969; sad, so sad.
After we moved back to Florida, and within a mile of an airport, my interest moved to airplanes, and I wanted to build one. My first model airplane was Lindberg's "Strategic Strafer", a P-47D in around 1/80 scale. It didn't go that well, but it was a start. Over the next few years, I would build a model or two (my family was not financial well off), again mostly 1/72, and I can even name them still. My serious period, though, began in 1975, when my best friend Craig and I began a small scale arms race.
Most of those early "serious" attempts are comical in retrospect; gloss paint that appeared to have been applied with a trowel, decals not quite aligned, totally wrong colors. Beginning in spring of 1977, my interests turned to prototypical appearance, real scale modeling. I discovered the Pactra and Humbrol lines of paint, as well as Polly S acrylics. I learned how to fill seams, and researched the aircraft's appearance for the markings and camouflage being applied.
After the death of Craig's mother in early December, 1977, and his subsequent (and I might add immediate) moving away, I found it necessary to sooth my broken heart the best way I knew how, with my model building. By the end of 1978, I had built so many model aircraft that I ran out of shelf space; we resorted to mounting them on pegboards in my bedroom.
My bedroom looked like an aircraft recognition training room.
By that point, I had built models in several scales, but the vast majority were still 1/72 and most of those RAF/Fleet Air Arm.
I slowly moved away from model building as other interests (read: girls) began to take precedent. The next few years saw the vast bulk of my collection slowly lost until none survived.
Over the next couple of decades, I would occasionally build airplanes, though the bulk of my hobbies were other models.
And I missed my model airplanes.
Slowly, over the past few years, I've begun building airplanes again. It is like embracing an old friend. Now, don't get me wrong, I have been building other models and even have a very large space model collection. But model spacecraft tend to be exacting in appearance; they have to look pristine, clean. Model ship building is demanding in other ways. Model airplanes, on the other hand, can be either exacting or just fun. Don't rig the antenna wire on a 1/72 F4U-1 and nobody will notice. Forget to rig a model of the HMS Bounty, and it's kind of hard to miss.
So, I build for fun these days. Sure, there will be spacecraft and ships listed here, as well as some armor. But the model airplanes are for fun.
And I plan on sharing in my experience right here.
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