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

Trumpeter 1/32 A-10 Warthog

This is actually a fairly easy kit to build. The main problem area is the fuselage - I had to use a lot of filler. The canopy is not accurate so I bought a vacuum-form replacement. However, I couldn't make the canopy resin parts work [...]

Bronco 1/35 Hungarian CV 35M

Here's my Bronco CV 35M. This is a nice kit with a lot of detail including the interior. The tracks gave me some trouble - the links are nicely moulded but I had some trouble due to the small mating surfaces. I'm sure most tank [...]

Roden 1/48 Fokker D.VII

Here's my Fokker D.VII. The kit decals in may sample were extremely brittle and thick - the glue shows under the carrier film since it doesn't dry clear. If you want to build this kit I suggest getting some aftermarket decals or choosing [...]

I managed to finish 13 in 2019...

I'm still new here so I thought I'd share my 2019 builds - Happy New Year everyone! My Flickr model album: (link)

Trumpeter 1/350 HMCS Huron, 1944

I received this kit for Christmas and I managed to finish it on New Year's Eve. It was a really fun build and very straight forward. The parts required minimal cleanup which is nice since there are so many tiny pieces. The only thing I [...]

Fujimi 1/24 Porsche 911 Carrera 4

Great kit with perfect fit. I used Zero 2K primer, Zero Nordic Gold and Gravity 2K clear. All my models can be seen on Flickr: (link)

Tamiya 1/24 Porsche Rothmans 956 – 1982 Le Mans winner – Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell

I just finished this kit - good kit with lots of detailing possibilities. I used Indycals decals, Zero 2K primer and paints, and Gravity 2K clear. All my models: (link)

1971 Ferrari 312B - Jacky IckxTamiya 1/12

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I completed this model earlier this year after 4 months work. I was happy how it turned out. Here are some of the build details: MFH Brown clear fuel line (P975) MFH zip ties (P1089) Masterclub [...]