11 articles · 986 karma · 19 friends · active 7 months, 3 weeks ago

I started building models when I was about 8 years old. Back then it was simply, kit, glue paint. Through high school and part of college, I kept at it. A good build made it to the ceiling or shelf. A bad one got the Ronson and firecracker treatment. Life took so many turns; marriage, kids and work. The hiatus was too long. I got back into it as the kids got older. Now retired, the little birds have flown, and in between "honey do's", my escape is the bench.

I build mainly WWII to modern era aircraft. My favorite scales are 1/48 and 1/32. My favorite aircraft is the F-104 Starfighter.

1965 Revell 1/24 Gemini

Since I was a kid, I have been a space program junkie! Mercury, Gemini, Apollo! We all wanted to be astronauts! I "drank the Tang"! The Gemini step to the moon is a bit unsung. So many technologies and learnings came out of [...]

Revell 1/48 F-117A Nighthawk

My latest build, and like many I do, this kit came cheap to me from a garage sale. This kit was a real sh*t sandwich. Not that much flash, but the molding was terrible. A real putty monster, clamping and at times I wish I had five [...]

1/24 Huey Gunship

Hi all. It's been a while since I've posted. I've been grinding away at this 1/24 Huey. Man it was a beast, but a ton of FUN! I built this kit in the mid 1970's when it was Monogram. This particular kit was the Revell version so [...]

In Search of Decals

Hi gang! As many of you know me, I acquire a lot of my kits second hand. I picked up this old 1/24 scale Huey. It was literally in a bag at a garage sale. As luck would have it, all parts accounted for! I've downloaded the [...]

Revell 1/48, B-17F, "Memphis Belle".

I purchased this model at an estate sale a couple of years ago. It had no directions or decals. The son of the previous owner explained to me that whenever his dad purchased a model, he would open the kit and pull and file them. Hmm. [...]

Revell's 1/72 SR-71 Blackbird

I don't really like working in 1/72, but a friend of mine requested I build one for his veteran father who worked as an armorer on B-52's on Guam during the Vietnam War. He mentioned that there was always at least two Blackbirds on [...]

1/32 Matchbox Messerschmitt BF/109E-3

Another garage sale "gem". The box was crushed, decals shot, but it appeared all the sprues were in it. this kit was molded in the early 80's in England. This took me awhile to build and landed on the shelf of doom more than [...]

1/48 Revell P-51D Mustang

Both Monogram and Revell have popped out a zillion of this kit it seems. You see this kit everywhere; eBay, Amazon, FB Marketplace. I picked mine up at a garage sale. The molds have been around since 1977. It's still a fun kit to build [...]

1/48 Monogram Pro-Modeler P-47N

I am a huge fan of the old Revell-Monogram "Pro-Modeler" kits. Obviously no longer produced, but if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find these gems at garage and estate sales, even The Goodwill or Cost Plus. Great kits with [...]

My friend Vincent.

You never know where this hobby will lead you. Three years ago, a friend of mine, knowing I am a bit of a history nut and modeler introduced me to Vincent who resides at a local nursing home here. Vincent was a bombardier on B-24's [...]