Introduction

I have attempted to break this topic into several sections. I realize it is very "text heavy" and hope you'll be able to "zero in" on what you're interested in and not have to wind your way through numerous pages of text using only the scrool bar to the side of this page. Just click on the underlined (and linked indicated) text below and you'll be swept to the indicated portion of my modeling section.

 

My Modeling History (a very shortened version, really....)

One of the greatest enjoyments I have is to build small scale models of military aircraft, including occasional models of armor and ships. I began my modeling experiences in 1952, while my Dad was stationed at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. Following his return home from a deployment I convinced him to purchase one of he "state of the art" kits in those days, an Allyn kit, which cost about $5.00. That was clearly a lot of money in those days and as soon as we got home again, my Mom promptly insisted we take it back and get our money back! A few days later I was the proud owner of a new Aurora kit, which cost about 60¢. While just as happy, I learned several things including the high cost one's hobbies and never, never to again divulge what a kit cost...... I later progressed (?) to the high state of the art and built ever kit that Monogram and Revell produced. This wasn't always easy, especially when we were stationed in Aleutians, where just buying a kit (via the mail from the Bon Marche in Seattle) was a daunting task in its own right.

By the early 1960's I was solidly back into plastic scale modeling, having "danced with the devil" (wooden tissue flying models) and decided with college ahead, the only aspect of the hobby I could really afford was the type of small plastic kits being then produced by Revell called their "warbird" series. These were what I then saw as beautifully detailed, easy to put together, inexpensive at about 39¢ each, I could build, paint and decal them in an evening and store an entire air force on a small book shelve. Then I fell into the hobby head over heal and became "an addict." During one beautiful spring afternoon during my early academic "tour" at the University of Washington (while I should have been in the library studying anything....) I walked over to the "Ave" and stumbled into Campus Hobbies. I soon met and became fast friends with the owners, Fern and Ward Danley. While they were terrific people and became great friends, I became quickly "hooked" on the then burgeoning hobby "plastic scale modeling." Not only were there a wealth of publications and books being imported (mostly from England) on the aircraft of World War II, but a wealth of what we thought were really highly detailed kits in what has become known as the "Godly Scale," 1/72nd scale. This means the kits are represented in the kit where one inch equals six feet in the real world. I will never forget how grateful I was to learn about both the Profile Publications (very short, small min-magazines dedicated to one particular aircraft) and to the ultimate in "scale modeling" the Airfix kits. Wow! I had seen the light!

I went on to experience the awakening that gripped many a young person who found scale modeling. I soon even wrote to a person in another country and discovered there were other people similar to me, who had also been afflicted with the craze. I was surprised to learn that there were fine gentlemen, namely Bob Jones in England, who actually were gathering a group of other like minded folks together into a informal network of modelers. I came as a surprise to me because I had never conversed or corresponded with anyone in a distant land (I always wondered and hoped that Bob Jones must know Winston Churchill, another of my childhood heroes) and wondered how a nation which had been almost devastated by a terrible world war and serious economic ills could have spawned such a neat hobby.

In about 1965-66, I actually learned that a "Yank" from Texas (again, who would have ever wondered such a strange event from a place) was not only beginning with a similar group of folks around our country. I wrote to and began a long time friendship with a Texan by the name of Jim Sage from Dallas. This was during infancy of became the U.S. branch of the International Plastic Scale Modelers Society.

I also happened to stop by the Seattle Museum of History and Industry one Saturday and met a strange group of guys who were also interested in modeling airplanes. I say "strange" because this small group of about a dozen or so, met in the kid's play room in the Museum's basement. They actually put out their recently built models of plans on the little green wooden tables where everyone gawked, looked, evaluated and talked about the models. I had often thought about building models, but had never really thought about getting together with others and "meeting" or discussing what I was doing or our mutual areas of interest. However strange it may have seemed, from this local group, which became one of the first "chartered chapters" in the IPMS-USA organization, my last 35+ years of scale modeling interest and activities has grown into what I now know as "my addiction." Years ago before I recognized the seriousness of this hobby, its costs, my involvement or what lengths it would drive my life and activities, I actually told my wife, friends and family that "modeling was a safe, sane, inexpensive hobby" and that I was sure a lot better off that those I saw going out, sitting around in bars just drinking away their life...." In fact this would be a lot cheaper than any of the other "addictions" many other young folks were getting into.....,right? I know full well, that while the other addictions would have probably ruined my life for sure or even killed me by now, the cost of my hobby is probably far less than if I had become a hard core drug addict.....!

I went onto a reasonably active life as a member of both the Seattle Chapter of IPMS and the IPMS-USA Society. I count as my closest friends, many of those I have had the pleasure to know, work with and along side and share our mutual interests. I can't tell you how proud I am of my friendships with such great guys as George, Walt, Wayne, Ed, Jim, Bill, Norm, John, W.B., Terry, Mike, Greg, Andrew, Ted, Ralph, Jerry, Johnny, Bob, Jerry and countless others around the country and in Europe. What a great group and pleasurable hobby! I suspect I could have been financially wealthy, had I invested wisely instead of putting my time and energy into plastic modeling. But the life long friendships, family relationships and enjoyment this hobby and our friends associated with plastic scale modeling have brought us enjoyment and happiness that wouldn't have been possible with just money (in all honesty I should point out at this time that this observation is not always shared by my spouse nor many of the other "modeling widows" we share ours lives with.....)

So, then, this brings me to sharing with you some of my insights into plastic modeling and some of the side issues that I have an interest in as a result of my modeling. Again, I hope to be able to add to this as I progress as a "web author" but for now I will begin by sharing an insight into the area of ejection seats and how to more accurately model them in our scale models.

I also want to take this opportunity to share my favorite web site reference with you, just in case you have located the IPMS-USA web site yourself. It is the creation of an old friend, Ralph Forehand, who I have had the pleasure of working with as a fellow IPMSer since the mid-60's. Check this site out. It will allow you to selectively link back into several hundred informative and interesting sites - all of which are specifically related to various aspects of plastic scale modeling. Additionally I would like to mention and recommend the page for the Seattle Chapter of IPMS-USA.