68 articles · 3.1K karma · 13 friends · active 7 months, 3 weeks 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

Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4E Phantom II IAF

See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom

1/48 USN F-4 Phantom II

1/48 USN F-4 Phantom II See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Tamiya 121 Paint: This is another great kit from Tamiya. It isn’t perfect though and after [...]

Meng 1/48 F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel

1/48 USAF F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Meng LS-015 Paint: Tamiya AS-27 and AS-28 This is an excellent kit except for one [...]

Zoueki Mura F4E Phantom II (#10)

1/48 USAF F-4E Phantom II See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Zoueki Mura F-4E Phantom II (#10) Accessories: Quita Studios 3D cockpit decals [...]

1/48 USAF F-16C - Tamiya

See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Tamiya No. 101 Paint: Topside - Tamiya AS-27 Gunship Grey (decanted and airbrushed) Bottom - Tamiya AS-28 Medium Grey [...]

1/48 Tamiya Mosquito RAF

1/48 RAF DeHavilland Mosquito NF Mk.XIII See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D7500; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Tamiya No. 75 Accessories: Ultracast resin seats (48033) Ultracast resin tail [...]

1/72 RCAF Short Sunderland “U-Boat Killer”

See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D300; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Special Hobby 1/72 Short Sunderland III (SH72304) Accessories: MH Models Masks (X72032) Paint: Tamiya Racing White [...]

1/72 Canadian SAR Lancaster, 1962

1/72 Canadian SAR Lancaster, 1962 See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D300; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Hasegawa 1/72 Lancaster Decals: Leading Edge 1962 Canadian SAR Lancaster (set [...]

1/48 Canadian SAR CH-113 Labrador, 1982, Gander NL

1/48 Canadian SAR CH-113 Labrador, 1982, Gander NL See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D300; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom Kit: Academy KV-107-II-5 (12205) Decals: Belcher Bits Labrador/Voyager [...]

HK Models 1/48 Avro Lancaster B Mk.1

This is my first build of an HK models kit and it did not dissappoint. The kit does have a few weak points but overall I really enjoyed the build. See all my models at: (link) Photograpy: Nikon D300; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; [...]