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Hello all,
I'm known as Smithy and I live in Queensland in Australia.
I come to this site having I guess discovered this fantastic hobby. When I was 12 years old my brother bought me a Revell Grumman F-14a Tomcat 1:32 kit for my birthday. I took one look at it at that age and decided I would get around to it and it remained in my cupboard for many years. Having now established myself a career, a marriage and a family I have decided to give it a crack and soldier on even if it's a complete an utter failure. At least now I can say to my brother, yes I made that kit you gave me as a present all those years ago!!
I have a son who is going on 3 years of age and he absolutely loves cars, planes, trucks, helicopters and anything I guess you can make in a kit so I have a great excuse to head to the hobby shop! Now to get my 6 year old daughter interested and I'll really have something going!!
Looking forward to using this excellent forum to seek your knowledge and advice and share with you my experience starting off in this hobby. From what I've seen so far I've got a long way to go before my efforts will match those of some of the members on here!
Smithy
Welcome to the Forum, Smithy!
Welcome aboard. Modellers of all levels are welcome here, so dive in and don't be afraid to post some pics. In fact, we insist on it.
I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so
On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3
Wow! What a kit to tackle for your first one! I remember buying that very same kit during the mid 1980s. Granted, that was a long time ago but I don't recall any horrible issues with it. It was a fun kit and a big one especially. I think you'll have fun with the kit.
On this forum you'll find some of the friendliest people in the hobby. I'm a member of this and a couple of other forums. This one is my favorite. The people are extremely supportive and good-natured. If you have any questions about anything, just ask!
Best wishes and welcome to the forum,
Eric
Welcome Smithy! Like Bish said, all levels are welcome. I'm 45 and still learning from the great folks here on the forum. Lots of knowledge and everyone is more than willing to pass it on. Speaking of passing it on, good to see you exposing your kids to the hobby. Let's hope they take to it and you can bring the next generation into the hobby! Again, welcome and don't forget to post pics!
Eagle90
Thanks everyone.
Yeah looking at this kit I feel it may be that bit above my skill level but I'm happy to take it slow and research each part of it before proceeding. I get anxious whenever it's time to paint as that's the one thing I don't have much confidence in (due to lack of experience) and which can turn the model to a pile of junk if I don't get it right.
Having lurked around on this forum for about a week or so I've come to the conclusion there is an immense amount of knowledge available on here and a great bunch of people so I'm looking forward to being distracted away from my workbench to spend some time on here learning!
It can get a bit distracting at times. I often find I spend more time here than I do gluing plastic. Does sound like you have taken on a major build for your first one.
I would suggest you figure out how to post pics, maybe new members find it a challenge at first. And then if you run across something your not sure of, a picture often paints a thousand words as they say.
Might I even suggest joining the US carrier aviation GB with this build.
Welcome, Smithy! I am at the other end of the spectrum, 72 years old, and I started building in the 1940's. I have learned a lot over the years, amassed a great deal of tools and materials, and very much enjoy sharing my experience with all those on board here. Always glad to help anyone with a tip or advice on any subject that I can. So, just ask, there are many here like me who will be glad to help!
Gimme a pigfoot, and a bottle of beer...
Welcome aboard,I remember that venerable old kit with the wolf pack markings,have fun,there are a lot of new stuff out there to improve our modeling.
Welcome to the Forums Smithy! Glad to have you aboard!
Jim
Main WIP:
On the Bench: Artesania Latina (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II
I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.
Welcome to the forums!
If you want to join the Carrier GB, you are welcome at any time!
Here's a link:
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/154052.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=1
Cheers, Clemens
Enjoy your time here.
On the bench: Tamyia Mosquito Mk. VI for the '44 group build. Yes, still.
On deck:
I've had a look through the Carrier GB and there's some awesome work going on in there. I'm very keen to be a part of it but I'm currently in a "workshop upgrade" and having a tough time finding space to pull the kit out to work on it. If I start getting some traction on it and with no major hiccups I'll get in on it but would hate to be the one dragging the chain and not getting it done by the end of the year.
At the very least I'll be put to shame by Dre who is working on a killer F14 kit in there! Unbelievable the detail he's producing, I'm a good 20 years experience away from stuff like that I think! lol
Yep, Dre makes some really aweesome stuff!
Don't worry about the deadline, that GB will be annual and the next parts will probably include all nations...
Sounds great Clemens, I'll have to find the camera and join the group. I'm sure there's a lot to learn from the guys in the GB so nothing but good can come of being a part of it.
Smithy, It is awesome to have you join us. I cannot echo enough how excellent the folks here are. The expertise and comradeship you will find here is boundless. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of your progress on the big F-14. I hope we get to build something together on a future GB.
Joe
"Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do about it if I did". George Carlin
Smithy I get anxious whenever it's time to paint as that's the one thing I don't have much confidence in (due to lack of experience) and which can turn the model to a pile of junk if I don't get it right.
I get anxious whenever it's time to paint as that's the one thing I don't have much confidence in (due to lack of experience) and which can turn the model to a pile of junk if I don't get it right.
Thanks Joe. I'm looking forward to getting the F14 put together!
Great advice Eric, I think you've really hit the nail on the head there. I guess no matter how much you botch things up with the paint, it can always be salvaged. And as it was once said, with every mistake you become one step closer to perfection.
Or my favorite saying, "It's not about the mistake, it's all in the recovery".
Welcome aboard Smithy! I'm sure it's already been said but you've come to the right place to gain a lot of knowledge and perhaps make a few friends! Good luck with the F-14!
Even though you get frustrated and think you've ruined a kit, you probably really didn't! Get angry. Get upset. Then put the kit back in its box and step away from it for a while. You'll know when you're really to tackle it again and you'll be glad that your cooler head prevailed. 99% of mistakes you make in model building are fixable.
i do that all the time which is why the bi-annual shelf queen GB is a hit with me. the oldest is a tamiya CHALLENGER i started and camo'ed in 1986. dug it out last year, finished it, and took a third against TIGERs et al at a local contest.
i got a new airbrush in frbruary (well unpacked it) and finally i am excited about painting instead of dreading it. as soon as Bish starts pimping his halftrack at the end of the year and i get caught up, i plan on doing a tri-color freehand pattern.
Никто не Забыт (No one is Forgotten)Ничто не Забыто (Nothing is Forgotten)
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
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