a question !! why the hobby and epitomise what it means to you ??

[Jakko]

So not Christopher F. Foss, then, who I took him to be.

My knowledge of illustrators is mostly confined to people who worked on AD&D, Shadowrun, Deadlands, and a couple of other games in the 1980s–90s

 

[Peter Gillson]

Jakko

The Chris Foss I was referring to is the Sci Fi painter, here is a link to his Website Co-incidentally he was born and lives in Guernsey. Although mainly a SciFi artist he once told me that financially his best work was drawing all of the art work for the book The Joy of Sex!

Tim White is also a Sci Fi artist, mainly book jackets;

Philip Castle is an artist who painted a lot of aircraft and women, as well as book and album sleeves, but is best known for the posters for the films Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. See Here

All 3 are inspirational and really nice guys.

Peter

 

[RM6239]

Well like most here I made kits when I was a kid but all the distractions of farm boy took over. Years later when I came back to work on the farm , I brought a truck kit and made it on wet days, it went on a shelf and then I forgot about models again. Many years later I was made redundant at work and to pay the bills, I got a dead end, soul destroying job, then I happened to see the Midsommer Murders episode with the model village and remembered how much I liked making the models previously, so I took myself off to a newsagent and grabbed a few modelling magazines and I haven't looked back since.

cheers
Ross

 

[Jakko]

a dead end, soul destroying job, then I happened to see the Midsommer Murders episode

Wasn’t the job bad enough already by itself?

 

[JR]

Wasn’t the job bad enough already by itself?

You mean you don't like England's most dangerous county can hardly be anyone there who hasn't suffered a murder in the family. !

 

[Ranwulf]

Excellent question, excellent read!
Started young, inspired by my uncle. Uncle Vic would never paint kits but his assembly was perfect(to a seven year old anyway)
I don't remember my first kit, or the next 10 or so but my parents didn't think I would be able to handle it as I was/am rambunctious.
Model making taught me patience and discipline.

I started going to work with my dad when I was around 11 (yes... there are child labor laws in Canada) to keep me out of trouble.
Every cent I earned went to models.
Started apprenticeship in tool and die 1979.
Married and the modeling stopped around 83-84

I'll be retiring in 1 year, 9 months 14 days and maybe 16 or so hours, 40 years is enough. Toolmaker takes a toll, mind and body, good run but I'm done.
Joint problems and eyesight will limit me but I'm going for it, and seeing the kits coming together here in this group has given me refreshed inspiration.

 

[Ian M]

I started way back when. When you could by an airfix kit in Woolworths, or the tobacconists and THE model shop was called Beaties and THE model was made by Tamiya!
That was a loooong time ago lol. Being an Angler and the closed season, I needed something to keep me out of mischief so modelling it was. Until I discovered girls, beer and motorbikes.
And that was the end of that. Two wives and a move to Denmark later, I got the daft idea to repair a mates bait boat, which he used for carp fishing. Went to a modelshop note to far from me (at the time) to buy the new RC gear and bits that I would need.....
Came out with a heap of paint, glue, tools and a half dozen models.... Whoops.
These days I find myself in a precarious position of not having much more room for display. A stash that sits by the bench and sneers at me every-time I sit down.
So for now my builds are of the smaller things that I can find a bit of room for. Once in a while I fold and on of the older models gets broken up and binned. To be replaced by some other confection.
The Good lady (who by the way is number three) has even said that I can have some models 'in the living room' Hmm might have to take her up on that one day. lol

 

[boatman]

I started way back when. When you could by an airfix kit in Woolworths, or the tobacconists and THE model shop was called Beaties and THE model was made by Tamiya!
That was a loooong time ago lol. Being an Angler and the closed season, I needed something to keep me out of mischief so modelling it was. Until I discovered girls, beer and motorbikes.
And that was the end of that. Two wives and a move to Denmark later, I got the daft idea to repair a mates bait boat, which he used for carp fishing. Went to a modelshop note to far from me (at the time) to buy the new RC gear and bits that I would need.....
Came out with a heap of paint, glue, tools and a half dozen models.... Whoops.
These days I find myself in a precarious position of not having much more room for display. A stash that sits by the bench and sneers at me every-time I sit down.
So for now my builds are of the smaller things that I can find a bit of room for. Once in a while I fold and on of the older models gets broken up and binned. To be replaced by some other confection.
The Good lady (who by the way is number three) has even said that I can have some models 'in the living room' Hmm might have to take her up on that one day. lol

HI Ian you want to grab with both hands the offer from your good lady while the goins good of putin models in the livin room as I did because these SWMBO can be very fickle an change their minds just like that LOL
chris

 

[minitnkr]

Peter, my wife & I have our original copy still (which may have had an influence on our 52yrs of marriage), so can appreciate Chris Foss' work. PaulE

 

[Andy Belsey]

This is very interesting finding out how you all got drawn into our shared pleasure. In my younger years I loved model soldiers especially the Airfix range in 1:72. I was given an Airfix kit of the Harrier prototype when I was about 10 and got hooked. I spent hours looking through the old Airfix catalogues at what I couldn’t afford. I loved their 1:32 Collectors figures and then Adrian Bay introduced me to Historex. I started making my own models from balsa and as I was about to leave school found out about a model making course in Rochester, Kent. I spent 4 years there loving it and then moved to outer London to work for model makers in central London. I would have loved a career in historical museum models but architecture was where I could make a living. I’ve been making architectural models since 1981 and always dabbled with my own things. This side of the millennium I have done it a bit more seriously and then discovered the Mil Mod forum. I plucked up the courage to post my WW1 models on it and then started writing for the magazine. That all went splat last year and the core of us posters invaded this forum, as we were looking for a similar, friendly place which didn’t bitch and criticise. I have not had much time to be very active here since joining. Last year was consumed with sorting out my house, which was flooded from the loft. A year on, that is nearly back to how it was, except that it’s all redecorated and new. Now I’ve got a contract to write a book about WW1 models. I have at least 40,000 words to write and 250 photos to sort. That’s where my spare time is being spent presently.
Andy

 

[Jakko]

You mean you don't like England's most dangerous county can hardly be anyone there who hasn't suffered a murder in the family. !

It always surprises me that there’s anyone left there at all. The ones that haven’t been killed must all be so numb to murders by now that they’ve stopped caring enough to even move away for their own safety

(No, I don’t much care for the show. I’ve seen some episodes, and they’re always the same: somebody gets murdered, there’s an investigation, and at the end the killer suddenly turns out to be someone who was never really under suspicion for most of the episode. When it comes to crime shows, I much prefer ones like Cardinal or Happy Valley.)

 

[windymiller]

This is very interesting finding out how you all got drawn into our shared pleasure. In my younger years I loved model soldiers especially the Airfix range in 1:72. I was given an Airfix kit of the Harrier prototype when I was about 10 and got hooked. I spent hours looking through the old Airfix catalogues at what I couldn’t afford. I loved their 1:32 Collectors figures and then Adrian Bay introduced me to Historex. I started making my own models from balsa and as I was about to leave school found out about a model making course in Rochester, Kent. I spent 4 years there loving it and then moved to outer London to work for model makers in central London. I would have loved a career in historical museum models but architecture was where I could make a living. I’ve been making architectural models since 1981 and always dabbled with my own things. This side of the millennium I have done it a bit more seriously and then discovered the Mil Mod forum. I plucked up the courage to post my WW1 models on it and then started writing for the magazine. That all went splat last year and the core of us posters invaded this forum, as we were looking for a similar, friendly place which didn’t bitch and criticise. I have not had much time to be very active here since joining. Last year was consumed with sorting out my house, which was flooded from the loft. A year on, that is nearly back to how it was, except that it’s all redecorated and new. Now I’ve got a contract to write a book about WW1 models. I have at least 40,000 words to write and 250 photos to sort. That’s where my spare time is being spent presently.
Andy

Andy, its been nice to hear everyones stories and what they get from the hobby and its nice others have enjoyed reading and replying, i will be pleased to hear your comments on my next thread topic i have planed !!!!! but thats when this one has come to an end !!!

 

[minitnkr]

Jakko, my wife & I discovered Happy Valley & enjoyed every episode after Vera & Broadchurch were done. This experience led to Fallen, Downton Abby, to name just a couple of many British series we've enjoyed on ...flix. Some really good TV. PaulE

 

[Tim Marlow]

My story has some similarities to others, but also has some differences....I’ve probably covered all of the geek bases over the years....
As a youngster I was obsessed by Airfix plastic soldiers, which led inexorably towards wargaming.....I started making scenery and tanks to go with it, then graduated to scratchbuilt 1/1200 ships using plans I used to trace from the copy of Janes fighting ships in the reference section of our local library. As my teens advanced I got more into railways, first through trainspotting, then modelling....after that it was guitars, bikes, booze, and girls if I was lucky......
When I worked through that and got married and settled down I was a shift worker with more spare time than I knew what to do with.....
I saw an advert for the local wargames society and joined up, which got me back into painting model soldiers....yet again it morphed into railway modelling, but this time the hair shirt finescale Scalefour stuff, dead scale track....refined appearance, the works....
I worked hard at this for quite a few years, then something out of left field....my daughter started playing guitar at school, and I bought one to keep her company....she played for about a month, and I played for about ten years, joining a band and really having fun. The modelling stopped during that time because I simply didn’t have enough time to go around....
Eventually in her teens she developed a major mental illness, which took all of our mental energy to beat as a family....I had no time for playing so gave it up....
Eventually things evened out and I was again at a loose end, so during a trip to Japan bought a couple of smaller Tamiya kits....and went around again....
Now I do all three, gaming, modelling and playing.......I need to retire to find enough time to do them properly...
what do I get from it? Hard to say, I enjoy having done it, but usually think I could have done better, and sometimes hate the middle bit when the build drags....best bit is the beginning when it’s all bare plastic and imagination...

 

[JR]

What a thread your have started Alan, its been great to read all the input.
Whats next on your list. ?
John.

 

[windymiller]

to write or build lol ??? i watched the 1st part of the james may airfix "big trouble" last night and again the guy that built the hellcat gave the same reason as many in that he becomes immersed in the build and simply forgets all the day to day issues around him, today im back with mum who is so very ill, id better order my first builds
next thread is in my head john !!!

 

[BarryW]

I built models as a child, as did just about every child of my generation. Then it was mainly Airfix, some Revell (their historical ships I thought were better than Airfix - the 1/72 Golden Hind was a classic). Then I remember a Frog model, i dont remember what of, it had roundels engraved on the model, I liked that as I could paint them, how times have changed.... Monogram and Tamiya came along later when I was a teenager. Then, as now, my preference was aircraft but I also indulged in warships and armour (I had a big armour phase as a teenager).

There was a holiday in the early 70's when I built a different Revell 1/32 aircraft model every day for a fortnight!!!

Career, family etc interfered and I stopped modelling for quite a lot of years.

I returned to it in the Autumn of 2011. It was after a difficult period having lost my first wife to cancer 3 months before our 20th wedding anniversary, then making the mistake or marrying too soon afterwards to the wrong person, so divorce followed...

I just needed something to take my mind away from the real world for a bit and really recaptured my love for modelling. I found that access to the internet has revolusionised the hobby......

I also now have some cash to spare and can set myself up with the man-cave and all the tools and materials I could never afford as a teenager. I was shocked at the prices of kits at first and, at first, I could not imagine spending over £100 on a kit but then I bought a Tamiya 1/32 P51 and immediately changed my mind about that so I now think nothing of spending a lot more than that!!!

For me it is an hour a day away from work and other pressures, it makes me think of something totally different and it helps me sleep....

 

[boatman]

to write or build lol ??? i watched the 1st part of the james may airfix "big trouble" last night and again the guy that built the hellcat gave the same reason as many in that he becomes immersed in the build and simply forgets all the day to day issues around him, today im back with mum who is so very ill, id better order my first builds
next thread is in my head john !!!

HI GUYS is the 1st part on again sometime as I keep missin it ?
chris

 

[windymiller]

It's still on iPlayer at mo

 

[boatman]

It's still on iPlayer at mo

It's still on iPlayer at mo

thanks alan but I don't know what a iplayer is