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I started modeling again after a 35+ year hiatus. Got my stash of kits out of the attic and went to work. Mostly 1/48 and 1/72 WWII fighters plus some modern jets.
I flew fighters in the Air Force (F-111 and A-10) for twenty years and then flew for American Airlines for twenty-two years (Boeing 727/757/767 and Fokker F-100). Now I'm retired and living in the DFW area.

Me 163B V41…

The Red Baron meets the Twilight Zone...Not really the Twilight Zone, but sort of… I had noticed for a while that my very close-in depth perception had been bothering me. Even with my Opti-Visor, I had been having trouble working on fine [...]

Italeri 1/72 OA-10A NAIL FAC

During my USAF career, I had the honor and pleasure to fly the A-10 Wart Hog for twelve years. It was a joy to fly…and to say that shooting the GUN was a thrill is an understatement. I built this kit for an old fighter pilot friend of [...]

My Dad…a Bridge…and a Bomber…

My Dad… Clifford J. “Tex” Rodgers, Jr, was a Captain in the U.S. Army during WWII. He was an Engineering officer who helped build the Alcan Highway across Alaska and Canada in 1942. From there, he went to Jolly Olde England where he [...]

Eye of the Tiger

I know…here we go again, here comes another stinking P-40, and a “Flying Tiger” one at that. But…Please bear with me. When I was a kid in the 1950’s, the “Flying Tigers”…the pilots of Claire Chennaults’s American [...]

1/35 Trumpeter M1131 Stryker FSV

This is my first attempt at building an armor vehicle, so please be merciful with me…and any suggestions for improvement will be greatly appreciated. This build replicates my son’s M1131 Stryker FSV while he was assigned as a Fire [...]

“Gelbe 14…Der Stern von Afrika”

Eduard 1/48 Bf 109F-4Z/Trop, W.Nr 8673 Hpt. Hans-Joachim Marseille, Quotaifiya AB, Sep 15, 1942, following his 151st kill. This was his last Bf 109F before he was ordered to fly the Gustav by Generalfeldmarshall Albert Kesselring. He was [...]

Eduard 1/72 Fw 190 A-8/R8

I thought I was done with Fw 190’s for a bit after I had finished my recent build of “Priller’s Würger” for this year’s EagleQuest. At that event I was discussing with a friend, Jerry Hendrickson, the “fun” I had closing up [...]

A Tail of two Aardvarks

1/72 Hasegawa F-111D, s/n 68-0150, Cannon AFB, NM, 1979 At Squadron-MMD’s EagleQuest modeling show last year, I showed a friend, Jerry Hendrickson, a photo of an F-111D I was flying when I lost most of my rudder on a supersonic run many [...]

Priller’s Würger…D-Day, 6 Jun 1944

Eduard 1/48 Fw 190 A-8 (old mold). I first saw “The Longest Day” as a 14-year-old airplane nut when the movie first came out in 1962. The scene showing Pips Priller’s D-Day strafing run on SWORD Beach has stayed with me since. In [...]

F-100D…Triple Zilch

Trumpeter 1/48 F-100D, S/N 63-000, Triple Zilch. This is one of the most iconic color schemes for the Super Sabre, and I know I won’t be the last to attempt it. This jet was the personal mount of USAF Col. Raymond F. Toliver, Commander [...]