Hello Everyone,
I'm just getting back into the hobby after a 30++ year absence. I've been into trains for so long that I was getting burned out on them and also didn't really have the space available that I wanted to build a layout in which was becoming very frustrating to say the least.
A recent trip to Washington D.C. this last June had a tremendous effect on me. While cruising through the National Air and Space Museum I came across two displays that just blew me away. In one room was a full wall mural of a group of B-17's on a bombing mission, with one called "The Thunderbird" was right smack dab in the middle and was the focus of mural. I feel that the work done on this mural was so well done that it just pulled you into the picture and as I stood and studied it, I found myself thinking what it must have been like to be on one of those missions and what it was like to be flying at that time. Needless to say there were some really cool aircraft in there too.
The second room across from the mural was a room or rooms done up so that as you entered you felt like you were aboard an aircraft carrier. Memory is taking a break right now as I don't recall what carrier it was made up to portray. I don't remember all of the different planes and can't tell you which one is what version but I do remember there was an F6F-3 I believe with an SBD hung in a dive bombing position and was also an A-4 in there as well. Of memorable note was (someone said it was built in 1/72 scale) a fantastic aircraft carrier complete with all of the aircraft and helicopters on deck. It was so popular that it was hard to get any good clear pictures much to my disappointment.
The 2 and a half days I spent in that museum, really changed my way of thinking, I came home from the trip and started putting trains away and commenced to buying WWII plane kits to which I'm finally starting on a fairly easy kit just to get my feet wet again. Through this forum, I hope to pick up on some good tips for building and painting and hopefully as time goes by I'll be able to contribute also.
Cheers,
J Cloud Hopper Motts