68 articles · 3.1K karma · 13 friends · active 7 months ago

I was born in 1967 in Nova Scotia and I my first model building experiences were building balsa wood kits with my dad. I joined the model club at school and started building plastic kits, mostly planes but sometimes other subjects. I didn't build much in my teens but my girlfriend in University bought me a Monogram A-10 because every time we went to the mall, I would go into the hobby store but not buy anything. I built that A-10 in my dorm room - it came out pretty well considering. Once I finished University I started building more but I wasn't satisfied with the results - decals were my main source of dissatisfaction. Then I found a Fine Scale Modeler Magazine with an article on how to correctly apply decals. I didn't have an airbrush so I painted clear gloss with a brush to get the decals to look better. Still not satisfied, I bought books to learn more skills (this was before the internet.) I now live in Ottawa and over the years I have gotten better and better and faster and faster. 20 years ago it would take me 6 weeks to build a Tamiya Spitfire. Now I can build some kits in a few days or take on complex projects and which take longer but I am usually pretty happy with the results. I was exclusively a plane guy for a long time. I built one aircraft carrier in 2003 but that was it until 2014 when my kids bought me a tank for Fathers' day. I did mostly armour for about two years then I started with cars. I built about 24 straight cars before getting up the courage to try an F1 car. Well, now that's what I'm building most. The nice thing is, as a result of building F1 cars, I'm now a rabid F1 fan which gives me another hobby to keep my interest. Along my modelling journey, I wanted to be able to take nice pictures of my finished projects so in 2007 I bought a Nikon D50 camera and a photo booth. That started a love a photography as another hobby. So yeah, I love modelling various types of subjects and I also love that the hobby has introduced me to other hobbies and passions. My non-model related passions are playing hockey, ball hockey and golf. That girlfriend I mentioned, well, we're married (29th anniversary this Sunday, Sept 15, 2019) and we have two wonderful daughters 20 and 16. I have this weird sympathy for anyone who doesn't build models - I guess because I get so much enjoyment out of it I can't imagine why everyone doesn't do it. It's fun, satisfying and therapeutic when the pressures of life create challenges. My wife is a knitter, crocheter and cross stitcher and we love working on our hobbies together while watching movies, old sitcoms or true-crime shows on TV. I consider myself a descent model builder but I don't enter competitions. I like to do it for me and for the satisfaction it gives me. I don't want to build for anyone else. I like to take shortcuts when I feel like it and not be a slave to accuracy. That said, I love looking at others' contest models and the amazing work people do - they are inspiring and they make me want to keep developing my skills. So, that's me. I'm a proper nerd I guess but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. If you are interested in looking at my models, I have photos of every model completed since 1997 on flicker: https://www.flickr.com/photos/98961263@N00/albums/72157603606379755

1/35 Walker Bulldog

AFV Walker Bulldog 1/35 - AFV Club AF35041 See all my models at: (link) PHOTOGRAPHY: Nikon D7500; Editing using LightRoom PAINT: AK RC026 THE KIT: Nice kit from AFV. Features soft styrene band tracks which are only slightly too big [...]

AMT 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1/25

AMT 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1/25 See all my models at: (link) PHOTOGRAPHY: Nikon D7500; Editing using LightRoom PAINT: Primer: Eastman 2K Undercoat: Zero Paints Pure Brilliant White (ZP-1334) Topcoat: Gravity Colors Synergy Green [...]

Dragon 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.B Kit #6295

Dragon 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.B Kit #6295 See all my models at: (link) PHOTOGRAPHY: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom PAINT: Tamiya X-63 German Grey THE KIT: Typical Dragon: Lots of parts - about [...]

1/48 Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I

1/48 Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I See all my models at: (link) Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Exterior top: AK Interactive RC286 RAF Dark Green; RC287 RAF Dark Earth Exterior bottom: AK [...]

1/32 Tamiya A6M5 Zero

1/32 Tamiya A6M5 Zero See all my models at: (link) Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Exterior top: AK Interactive RC304 IJN D1 Deep Green Black Exterior bottom: AK Interactive RC302 IJN J3 [...]

1/48 Kinetic E-2C Hawkeye 2000 (K48016)

1/48 Kinetic E-2C Hawkeye 2000 (K48016) See all my models at: (link) Photography: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Paint: Exterior Light Gull Grey: FS16440 - AK Interactive RC220 Interior Dark [...]

'71 Plymouth HEMI Cuda

Revell 85-2943 Paint - Gravity Wynn's Purple + 2K Clear See all my models at: (link) ... 3606379755

1/48 Airfix Gloster Javelin FAW.9

See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Airfix A12007 The Kit: This is a pretty good kit by Airfix but its not without its problems. Strengths include nice [...]

A break from building planestwo day build 1966 Pontiac GTO

Revell 1/25 kit finished with Gravity Black Rose and Zero 2K clear. See all my models at: (link) ... 3606379755

1/48 Tamiya P-47DMiss Behave

See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Tamiya 086 Paint: Top: RAF Dark Green (AK RC286) Bottom: RAF Sky FS34424 (AKRC290) Cockpit: FS34108 (50% Tamiya X5 [...]