SPA Modeler

I just watched an interesting video on youtube on how a guy I know from another forum got into modelling when he was a kid, and why he took it up again as an adult.

It’s always really interesting (from a being nosey point of view) to hear peoples history – so what got you guys into modelling? And what made you take it up again as an adult? (assuming you stopped)

I didn’t really do modelling as a kid – yeah I built Airfix and Matchbox kits, but I don’t seem to remember doing a proper job of it. I certainly never painted any as far as I can remember – well not properly anyway. I did however, play with them a lot, and I do seem to remember having a lot of built models that I either swapped for stuff, or was given – and writing war gaming rules to play with them.
The only thing I do remember was always loving aviation and military stuff, and seeing things in miniature – that interest has never left me.

When I was in my late teens I got into Games workshop stuff mainly due to my brother getting into it but being crap at anything practical, so muggins here got the job of making his army for him (in a bid to get him away from Computers which he lived in front of). I did a reasonably good job of building two armies, and the base, hills, building etc. – we actually had a 4x6 table that bettered some I’ve seen in Games workshop shops and I do remember all his mates coming over to play on it. But alas he gave it up – having found a PC version of Warhammer 40K – Arrgghh!
During that time I tried a little conversion work, and build a few Aircraft – the last one I remember was a 1/72 Strike Flanker SU-37 is it? I started building this kit but I never finished it as I got bored with it – that was when I was about 20.

And I never touched a model again (although I still loved looking at them (both kinds)) until I was in my mid 30’s. Having recently seen James Mays toy story about building a 1/1 scale Spitfire I was reminded of how fun it used to be – and walking into a hardware shop during my lunch break to pick something up I discovered the model section and on a whim – I bought an Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire mk.XIVe kit and some paint. I built that kit (and a few others) in the back of my car over the next few weeks – it came as a bit of surprise to my wife when I presented a rather badly built spitfire but the bug had got me and I’ve been building ever since – but I’ve never really gone the whole hog before and actually built these things properly – with the correct paints etc. so I guess you could say I’ve only really been modelling properly for about 5 years or so.

So what about you guys? You must have more interesting stories than me?

Cheers

Stuart

Nice topic, Stuart!
I had an on/off relationship with modelling between ages 6 and 12 where I built maybe a dozen kits. Can only remember a few of them:

• Revell Messerschmitt 262 - 1/32

• Tamiya T-34/76 - 1/35

• Revell Submarine Type VII - 1/125

Then for about a decade nothing happened. It was shortly before the beginning of my studies when I had a conversation with my best friend about the Bismarck and their fate. He was impressed by my knowledge about the subject and - more meant as a joke- surprised me with a plastic model kit on my next birthday (Revell box scale 1/570). We had a blast by looking at the crappy plastic parts and the kit went to a shelf for about 2 or 3 years.
I worked as an industrial mechanic before I went to university and during my studies I missed working with my hands. As I looked around my room by thinking what to do I cought sight of that small box. Went to the hobby shop the very next day to get me some brushes and paint (same shop where I bought my kits as a child). Had a long chat with the owner and while my brushes laid on the table, ready to be paid, he offered me a used airbrush, hanging around under his desk for long. He made me a really fair offer and so I grabbed his old Revell Starter Compressor along with it. And there I was: A kit, some enamel paints with a bottle of thinner and my Gabbert Triplex (which I still use). I was infected even before my first model was finished.

Took me some further years to find the time to take the hobby more seriously, but getting the AB was one of the better decisions in my life. My sincere thanks to Johnny from Rettkowsky Model Store! And it still exists!!

Hey that's a good story Mostrich - that's really great that the model shop is still there and that you still use that airbrush!

I got into it as a kid because I was an aviation junkie (still am). Built a lot of Revell and Monogram kits while I was in high school. I'm pretty sure they sucked. Using Testors red tube glue and I can remember what paints but they were brush painted. Don't know where they all went though.

Quit building after high school because of life and career. It wasn't till 6-7 years ago that I got back into the hobby. We had a Hobby Lobby across the street from where we lived (don't live there anymore, bummer). SWMBO and I went over there and I was looking at the models. SWMBO said that I should get one. So I got the Italeri 1/48 MV-22 Osprey. This was back when Hobby Lobby had some great kits. We moved into out current house and got my own "model room" now.

Well I am one of those folks who started but never really stopped. My first model was before my 5th birthday. I am 50 now so that gives you an idea of how long that I have been building. I was very much into dinosaurs and in the toy aisle I saw a brontosaurus model that I somehow convinced my mother to buy for me. I do not recall snap tite kits in those days, so we also bought some glue and my dad and I build it. I am pretty sure it was him doing 90%+ of the work although I do vaguely recall doing a bit. We also bought a bottle of Testors green paint (and probably some of their brushes) because I also have memories of slathering on some green enamel paint in a typical haphazard young boy fashion. My next kit was the Revell 1/720 Prinz Eugen, but don't ask me why. I just vaguely remember a similar build time with dad and that gloss green Testors paint. Looking back now, I think that my parents were some pretty bold souls about this hobby, but most all the boys in the neighborhood built models (there were lots of us) and that was pretty much standard for the time. Well it took off from there and I remember building models of anything and everything. I vaguely recall lots of jet airliners, mostly in TWA livery because my dad worked for TWA, and my trips to LAX and the hangars there were great outings with him. As I got older and more focused, WWII kits became my standard. Vietnam was going on then and not overly popular for kits and in the real world, and Korea was indeed quite forgotten. My dad worked the night shift and would be asleep at home when I came home from school so on rainy days I often remember having 1/32 scale Monogram kits to keep me occupied and quiet while he slept until my mom would get home from work in the evening. My adolescent and teen years I earned money from mowing lawns, a paper route and eventually a job. Somewhere in that time I joined IPMS/USA and started receiving their publications. There were lots of hobby shops in the area, plus department and toy stores carrying all the models from here, as well as England, France and Japan. This hobby competed for my time with growing up, cars, work, and girls, but was never fully set aside by me. I enlisted in the Army at age 18 and was off to Ft Benning. And I thought that this was where I would break from it as I had heard many others do at this point in life. After Basic and AIT I ended up in my first line unit at Ft Polk. right across the street from my barracks was the PX where they carried- models... lots of models... and cheaper than any stores... and tax free!!!! But I started down a new path- modern armor. I was a TOW gunner and figured out I could have fun and improve my tank ID skills (better than the training standard of friend/foe) by building up the complete line of Tamiya 1/35 modern AFV kits that the PX stocked. So when I was not in the woods, desert, deployed, out partying, etc. I built models still. I finished my enlistment, came home, got a job, met a girl, got married, started a new career in law enforcement, still played army in the National Guard and still, built models. In 2003, my Guard unit was alerted for deployment in 2004 in support of OEF. I figured ok, this will be a long enforced break from this hobby. So all my stuff was put away "for the duration". And for months at Camp Roberts, the Fort Lewis, and finally Hohenfels Germany, I was indeed, out of the hobby. Upon deployment to Bosnia, for the first moth or so and the hustle of getting set up, relieving the unit in place, etc. there was no down time, but then things settled down into a routine with downtime. And now I had internet access. I soon bought supplies and some kits online and was back in the groove again. I did that all thru deployment during my down time and when our deployment was over I shipped home the kits I had not built, passed off the supplies to the guys who relieved us and came home. My builds stayed there as well, in the café near the flightline of our base. Once home I restarted my home hobby work and have continued to this day. I may have had a few months long enforced breaks here and there, but never dropped it completely and returned many years later like so many others have. Once in, never out.

My modeling history started back when I was probably 5 or 6. I vaguely remember my dad built a kit of the USAF Thunderbirds F-100. It was a formation display and had 4 or 5 aircraft in the kit. I dont remember exactly the scale, but most likely 1/144 or 1/72, I dont even remember if he ever finished it. Around the same time, maybe a year or two later I remember helping him build a Monogram B-52D and it hung on my ceiling for a few years until I decided it would be cool to play with it...we all know how that turned out. I had several uncles and cousins who built models as well and I would often get them from them, again, they never lasted long.

When I got into my early teens and through high school is when I really started getting into models. I built several kits back then, mostly Lindberg, Monogram, Ertl and AMT, because those kits were readily available in most of the department stores in the area. Occasionally I would go to a LHS and pick up something cool that you couldnt find on just any shelf. I never had an airbrush and acrylic model paints weren't as common. Most of the paints I used were the little square Testors bottles or rattle cans. I hardly ever painted anything in the colors that the kit called for. I'd just get a paint that was close and go forth. I'd say 90% of my models were painted by brush. I may just have to take a few pictures of some of the kits I still have.

I continued to build into my early adulthood, mostly aircraft and the occasional vehicle; however, my wife at the time did not support the hobby or me spending time and money on kits so I put everything away and didnt touch a kit again for over 15 years.

About 3 years ago, I finally got the itch to get back into the hobby, with reluctant support from my current wife. She had never been around plastic models and didnt really understand them, but also didnt make a big issue out of it. She has her own hobby collecting and tasting wines, so she was supportive of me doing something that I enjoyed. I started out small with a kit here and a kit there, nothing fancy; mostly Revell/Monogram kits. I picked up a cheap Testors beginner airbrush with the propellant can. It wasnt great, but it was definitely a step up from brush painting everything. Since then, my skills have grown, my stash has ballooned and I have a plethora of tools and supplies on and around my bench. I am now making the transition to using acrylic paints and other specialty products. I have even started my own son who is 9 1/2 into building kits. He is a lot different than I, in that he prefers tanks over aircraft; but, great, at least I have introduced him to something other than video games.

Since returning to this rewarding (and sometimes frustrating) hobby, I've joined a couple of forums and participated in a few Group Builds. I've met some wonderful people from around the globe and have tremendous respect for everyone in this hobby.
Thanks for starting this thread.

Well my story is a pretty long one since I never really stopped building for more than two years at any one time. So if it's TL/DR: then here it is: I build models and I have almost all of them still! LOL!



I started (unofficially) at the age of six. I was a hyper kid who was borderline autistic and I was bugging my mother badly. If I wasn't making noise or causing a ruckus anywhere; I was either kidnapped or dead. One day after she had enough; she gave me three models that she had built when she was a teenager. One was a battleship, two were carriers. I broke off the tiny aircraft she'd glued down and proceeded to spend the day making bombing runs on the battleship while it poured shells into the two carriers. I naturally broke these models further and took them back to my mom, saying "Fix 'em Mommy!" She handed me some Elmer's and said, "Fix them yourself." I took the glue and the models and went into another room. Three hours later, she realized she hadn't heard a peep outta me. So with visions of me lying unconscious, broken and bleeding somewhere; she tore through the house looking for me; only to find me sitting quietly in a back room meticulously gluing each broken piece in place and holding it until it stayed. That's when she realized how beneficial model building was to me (and herself!)

Soon after that, we moved to Florida and the next memory I have is her calling me to join her at the kitchen table where we opened up an old Aurora box for a 1/48 scale F-86 Sabre Dog kit. We built it together and and then I played with it until it was too broke to fix. She then taught me that models were not meant to be played with like that, but to be looked at.

When I was seven (shortly afterward) she bought me a 1/72 ancient MPC Profile Series Focke Wulf FW-190D9 model since she felt that a 1/48 scale aircraft (at that time) was too complicated for a slightly autistic boy to manage on his own. I went and built this "first" model by myself, and even painted it myself with an old Testor's square bottle Military paint set (complete with brush) that she'd also given me. It was the start of a 'military buildup' that increased when my friend Emanuel moved in down the street and taught me even more about building and painting. He also introduced me to ships, helicopters and cars. Finally, he also taught me the benefits and aesthetics of having a collection all in one consistent scale (aircraft and armor in 1/72 and ships in 1/600; later 1/700). This is why, to this day; I only build those classes of models in those scales. (Except ships. If I like it, I'll build it, no matter what scale it is; unless it's 1/350 or larger. I got no place for something that huge. Generally, though, all my warships are 1/600 or 1/700 scale.)

During this time with Emmanuel and Jason I mowed lawns and washed cars for money; then rode my bike down to the local 7-11 were I got many of my kits, some glue and some paint;l and still had enough to buy candy as well. Then I'd ride back and either build my models at home or sitting at Emmanuel's 'workbench' , building side-by-side with him. Our smack talking during those sessions were the start of developing the wargame rules so we could truly see who's collection and military acumen was stronger.

Like you Portman, we also developed wargame rules to play with our models and had quite a 'war' together. This grew more intense when Jason arrived in the neighborhood. His collection was larger than both of ours put together so we allied against him. Part of the reason he had a larger collection was because he had an army and we didn't. He's the one who got me started with armor and military vehicles. This went on for years; from eight years old into our early teens. My Focke Wulf was a veteran of all of them and had quite the 'kill record' to say the least. I still have that model; here it is after all those campaigns:



Moving on, I still built models throughout High School and college, but my building slowed somewhat. I didn't stop until I'd moved out after my stint in a two-year college and didn't build anything for two years. After that time, my mother contacted me and asked me to claim all my models and tools and such as they needed the room in the house she was living in then. She boxed them up and sent them to me and surprisingly enough they arrived almost fully intact. I only lost a couple that were broken too badly in transit. That woke the bug inside and I started again. My stash and collection grew after I'd gotten my first credit card. My Hobby Shop loved me!

When I moved again to California, I took all my models with me and continued to build when I arrived. I got married and my wife; who was thrilled with my hobby at first, came to despise it when she realized how much I was spending on kits and supplies. I started getting better after learning about IPMS and the local chapter in Orange County while I was working at a Hobby Shop (Prestige Hobbies in Garden Grove). I remember asking, "There's clubs for guys like me?" LOL! I went to a meeting and loved it; learning more in that first couple hours than I did all throughout my youth. I went home and asked my wife if I could join and she said, "No, you'll only drop it after a couple times and all that money (dues/membership fees) would be wasted." I attended a year's worth of meetings before she let me join. LOL! I've been a member ever since, going on 20 years now. Also, as my skills improved and I started winning awards, earning commissions from building for others, and starting my own business to spend my own money; she became more tolerant of it. I think she also realized deep down how much it was keeping me away from bars and other more expensive pursuits.

I learned about Forums from my Hobby Shop working days and my IPMS club and went online to join one once I got a computer. Finescale was the first Forums I signed up at; then later I joined the LEM. After joining IPMS USA to go to my first Nationals in 2007; I joined their Forums on the internet too. At the 2007 Nationals, by the way; I set a record for the most models entered at a Nationals by one person; not that anyone seemed to care. I had brought and entered 133 models that year.

Since then, I've been active with my IPMS club, doing Make-n-Takes, exhibitions, museum displays, library displays and entering models in the Southern California contest circuit, while joining a couple other Forums, including this one. I also joined AMPS a few years back (five?six?) and have been a member of another Hobby Club called the St. Crispin's Irregulars for ten years now as well. The St. Crispin's Irregulars is a group of wargamers and model builders. We have our Hobby Days every second Saturday of every month (and the Friday before) where games are played and models are built and painted. Our Hobby Days are free to attend; the only cost being lunch and dinner if you decide to buy from us; as well as $1.00 sodas and water. We have also done exhibition historical miniatures wargames at Museums; such as the Battle of Waterloo during the Napoleonic exhibit at the Anaheim Muzeo for one; and a naval battle fought on the fantail of the USS Iowa for another. Members of St. Crispin's have done historical miniatures game exhibitions in schools and libraries as well.

A few years ago, I passed a personal 'modeling milestone' when I had completed 600 1/72 scale armor and military vehicles. My current count is 680, heading for 700 completed armor and military models in small scale. I also have somewhere in the neighborhood of 430+ completed 1/72 scale aircraft (and one in 1/48 scale--that's another story) as well as 380+ Naval and civilian ships. I've also built a number of buildings, about four bunkers (all 1/72 scale) one car (actually a 1911 Christie Fire Truck in 1/12 scale) and several Sci-Fi models. Oh, and now, one real space model too. I also completed my first Figure model recently when I completed my Legend of Sleepy Hollow Headless Horseman.


Well, that's my long and convoluted story. I hope I didn't put to may of you to sleep while reading it.


In closing, I'd like to say, Great Thread Portman!

I see that more of you warred with friends using your models as a kid than just me...

my modeling history started in the early seventies. it stemmed from matchbox cars, then toy cars that were assembled.
I started to take them apart and switch the parts around and my mom would get mad and say that I broke them but later I would show her what I created and she was impressed. (this would pay off for me later in life because I made a living turning wrenches for 25 years).
my first models were like the promotional car models where they snapped together then had the metal rivets to hold the chassis on the body.
I then got a car glue kit and learned how to create a true glue bomb. the cost of a car kit was like $1.98 or something like that. i never painted anything just put them together. I learned how to paint with a brush first ,then spray cans. I discovered truck kits around 1975/76 as my dad was an owner op back then. the first kit was the peterbilt California hauler for a whopping $3.98 ! had to beg and slave to get it ! I built mostly trucks and an occasional car until a friend introduced me to aircraft in the late eighties. I believe my first aircraft was a testors stuka painted by hand and the bug hit hard. I must have been squadron mail orders best customer back then. stopped serious building in 1998 on the first of several home moves. all model stuff got packed away in storage until 2014. I still fiddled around with an occasional car and a couple of trucks but only had basic supply's as my modeling tools were still packed away. in summer 2015 the aircraft bug hit again after kayla and I unearthed my built aircraft models (some of which I have posted) and here I am. my comeback kit was the revell ho229. I was surprised by all the aftermarket stuff that is available nowadays, and how the quality of some of the plastic kits are now, not to mention the references available on the web. in my absence i missed out on a few kits that I would have liked to have but I managed to get the trummpy 1/32 and Tamiya 1/48 me 262 that I had read so many good reviews about. well, that's my story and i'm stickin to it.
gino

I guess my modeling interest started as my other paths in life: I just kinda wandered into it!

It wasnt on pourpose (as in, I never said as a kid "im gonna build plastic airplanes all day!"), but It does seen like an inevitable end! From a mobile above my crib, to the planes of Offutt cruisin overhead--I grew up surrounded by airplanes! My dad was in the Air Force, as were my maternal grandparents. My Aunt was even a pilot, and sent us kids airplane themed gifts every holiday!

On another road, Ive always loved building things! Pillow forts, wooden blocks, K'nex, Legos, mud and sticks....you name it! In middle school, there was this tv show from japan called "ZOIDS" that came on after school and I really really liked those mecha-monsters! So, when wandering down the toy isle at some box store, I spied a big box with ZOIDS written across it. HECK YEAH! I begged my dad to get it for me, and he eventually relented. The rest of the afternoon was spent methodically removing plastic parts and snapping them together. That evening, I proudly paraded my creation around the entire house and made sure everyone saw what I built.

*Konig-Wulf, the first scale model I ever built*



I had amassed a number of ZOID builds under my belt when, in 8th grade, a MSgt from the high school AFJROTC program came to talk to future freshmen. One of the activities you could participate in was building model airplanes! And I thought to myself, "I love airplanes, and I like putting those ZOIDS together...maybe Ill like putting airplanes together too!"

Most of the other cadets found different interests, but I was showing up everyday after school to work on a project. My first build was a little f-16..most likely 1/72 scale, and part of a Thunderbirds set. Boy, was I hooked! I BECAME the model club, and worked with the MSgt to plan the budget, which projects to work on, and how to keep the club rolling. I was one of the only cadets (ever!) to be in the club through all four years! I actually lettered due to all the "extra-curricular" activities I participated in with JROTC.

My heart was broken when I realized that I could no longer be a part of the club after graduation, and my dad took pity on me and surprised me with a pair of models and an airbrush/compressor as a graduation present! Ive been modeling ever since

*revell 1/32 scale RF-4; Dad claimed this one as his*


*monogram 1/48 B-17; Mom claimed this one, but it was lost when a shelf collapsed on top of it*


Im happy to say that being on these forums have greatly helped to improve my skills!!!