Introduction/hello

bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Introduction/hello

Posted by bsowles on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 12:34 AM

Hello Folks~

At the suggestion of one of the posters on this website, I thought I'd take a moment or two and introduce myself as a new member to your forum. My name is Bill. I am 62 years old and am a resident of Lake Tahoe, NV. (USA). I used to build a lot of models when I was a kid (aircraft, ships, and cars), but have not done so in 50 years - literally. The last time I can recall building a kit was when I was about 12 years old. I am now retired (disability) as of a year ago, found myself with ample free time, and an acquaintance suggested I revisit an old hobby. So, I've gone out and got myself a Revell P-51D Mustang for my first build. Since I am a bit "rusty" (to say the least), I am not concerning myself with painting this build. That being said, I have seen pics of some of the builds that others have completed, and they are just awesome. The few I've seen look like they were store-bought toys they were so well done. The kit I got, from Revell, called for 16 different paint colors! Well, I'm not there yet - but maybe some day. Big Smile I posted in another thread that I was disappointed in the quality of the Revell kit since I found pieces missing tabs, etc., and received some real nice feedback about other potential kit builders, so I will do a little research before my next purchase. I have a friend undergoing difficult times who flew A-4's and A-7's in Viet Nam, and ultimately would like to build him one of those to present to him. I am also going to try and find a place where "custom decals" can be made/purchased since I'd like to incorporate his "flight name" (the name he had on his aircraft) into the build. That being said, I'm going to try and get a couple of builds under my belt before I attempt that. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who replied to my initial post. It seems like a nice community here of which I'd like to be a prt of. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Angel Thank you.

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Bish

Member since
December 2002
From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England

Posted by Bish on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 12:37 AM

Welcome aboard.

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

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shamoo

Member since
March 2017
From: Mid Michigan

Posted by shamoo on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 6:39 AM

Welcome. My father flew F-4s and 105s. I plan on building those in his markings too. I havent found appropriate decal sets yet but will learn to produce my own. Take a look at all the forums- Plenty of knowledge to tap

*edit. I now see Italeri has a 1/48 phantom with the correct markings. Go figure. Guess my next purchase

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modelcrazy

Member since
July 2014

Posted by modelcrazy on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:43 AM

Hi Bill and welcome Welcome Sign

There are a lot of great members here so just keep asking questions and we will answer them. Good luck on your new modeling adventures, there many new things to learn, especially if you haven’t built a kit in 50 years. I'm 56 and I started 50 years ago.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

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MrStecks

Member since
May 2017
From: Denver, Colorado

Posted by MrStecks on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 9:31 AM

Welcome Bill! It's great that you want to do that special build for a friend. One of the reasons I got back into modelling was to build a model of a relative's plane who was lost over N. Korea in '52. I have felt very welcome in this community and I'm sure you will feel that way too. Smile

Cheers, Mark

On the bench: Revel 1/48 B-25J Mitchell

In the queue: Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1A Corsair

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Tojo72

Member since
March 2003
From: Western North Carolina

Posted by Tojo72 on Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:24 AM

Welcome aboard.You should enjoy yourself and learn a lot it's a great forum. I got to visit Tahoe a couple of years ago,a friend of mine lives in nearby Camino Ca,it's a awesome place.

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fox

Member since
January 2007
From: Narvon, Pa.

Posted by fox on Thursday, July 6, 2017 4:06 PM

Welcome to the Forums Bill! Glad to have you aboard!

I have been building for 70 of my 76 years and have learned a lot from the members here. They are a great bunch of guys and gals and are always ready to help out with any questions or problems that you might have. I'm still learning from them.

I built a P-47D for a friend of mine that flew them in WWII. It turned out pretty good and really surprised him. He couldn't figure out how I got all the details of his plane. When he came to our clubs meetings, the guys would slip questions to him about the details that I would need. He didn't know that they were feeding his answers to me. It felt great to see the look on his face when I presented it to him. It now sits on a bookcase in his living room with a pic of him beside it in his uniform taken sometime during WWII. He's 96 now and still sharp as a tack.

Relax and enjoy the hobby.

Jim Captain

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.

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bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Posted by bsowles on Friday, July 7, 2017 2:41 AM

Thank you, Tojo. I appreciate the welcome.

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bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Posted by bsowles on Friday, July 7, 2017 2:43 AM

Thank you, Shamoo. I've got a younger brother that lives in Michigan (Charlotte). He's a misplaced Giants fan who caught a ball game at Comerica just 2 days ago.

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bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Posted by bsowles on Friday, July 7, 2017 2:47 AM

Thanks for the welcome, Steve. I'd venture to guess I was also about 6 years old when I built my first model. Once I get "up to speed", and find some kits that are of better quality than this first one I puchased, I'd like to "graduate" to a B-17 (lots of moving parts on those, I'd imagine). Then, after I get a sense of knowing what the hell I'm doing, I'm going to try that A-4 or A-7.

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bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Posted by bsowles on Friday, July 7, 2017 2:51 AM

Thank you, Mark. The sense of community here is very impressive. I've received several nice "welcomes". The kit builder Tamiya keeps coming up, so I'm going to look into their products. Best of luck on your project build to honor and remember your family member lost over N. Korea. If you're allowed to post pics on here, I'd love to see it when you get it done. Yes

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bsowles

Member since
July 2017
From: Lake Tahoe, NV (USA)

Posted by bsowles on Friday, July 7, 2017 3:01 AM

Wow Jim, that's quite a cool story about your friend and the Mustang you built for him. It's kind of ironic, but I've been taking the same approach with my friend who flew the A-4's and A-7's in Viet Nam. I've also been quietly taking notes as I've steered the conversation in that direction with him - very subtlely. He had his piloting nickname (don't know what the correct terminolgy is for that) on his aircraft, so I'd really like to incorporate that into the build I do for him. It's going to be a while before I take on that project because I want to get at least a couple of builds under my belt as I try to shake the rust off my building skills. I'm going to have to do a little research and try to find someone out there who makes custom decals, and that will make it complete. Anyway, thanks again for the welcome.