Join date February 11, 2021. It was still the 10th here in Milwaukee. I'm 60 years old, retired and build mainly 1/48 aircraft, mostly WWII era. I also dabble in 1/72 aircraft and 1/35 armor. So far I have about 80 finished models I've built since childhood. I build O-Scale (1/48) trains too but that's another hobby, mostly freight cars restored from old built kits and my own scratchbuilt ones.
Like many of us it's been on and off with long periods of modeling inactivity interrupted by spurts of productivity. The older I get the less cute these long breaks from modeling become. I need to get organized, focused and proficient as the modeling machine I've forever dreamt of being. Couldn't wait to retire so I could build more but now that I can whenever I please, I don't. Maybe it's more fun when one has to steal the time to do it, I dunno, or maybe I know that once I start back up again there's no more excuses to take long pauses anymore.
I'm basically a brushpainter, with some aerosol spray can help here and there. I've tried airbrushing on occasion and though I like the results it's just not fun. I really need to take some time and master it but I have a feeling it still wouldn't be fun. My airbrush attempts to date are with a Testors Aztec. I've since bought a Badger, still in its box decades later. When I show pics I'll point out the few models I've airbrushed but the vast majority are brushpainted. Even my airbrushed models have a lot of brushpaint help, going back to clean up errant edges with a fine brush. I'm not anti-airbrush or anything like that, I admire good airbrush work, it's definitely an art in itself I have much respect for and I know what a pain it is to set up and clean later. My hat's off to you who've mastered it to the point where you're as comfortable airbrushing as I am brushing.
I build mostly older kits. Monogram, Hawk, stuff like that. I still buy them here and there but for the most part my stash just got old on me. I have some modern, up-to-date kits too, especially all these new P-51's in the last few years. These new P-51's are worth it for their spare parts and decals alone!
Once I get to know my way around here I'll post my work, hoping to squeeze them all into three posts, one for each scale. I think I can do that by adding more photos into comments, even if they fade from the front pages as I'm doing so. That way I'll be easy to look up in the future, just click my name and see it all.
