Evening everyone,
It's just me.
![Big Smile [:D]](/FSM/CS/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
I'm 44 years old and have been putting kits together since I was nine, when my father went out ond bought us both a kit (his was a Steerman (sp?) Bi-plane in orange plastic, if I recall. Mine was some big WWii bomber). He pretty much left me alone to figure out how to put things together, which means I ended up with something that resembled an aircraft, but would certainly never get off the ground.
I did paint it a wonderful shade of testor's Jade Green, however.
![Blush [:I]](/FSM/CS/emoticons/icon_smile_blush.gif)
Be that as it may, I had been bitten by the building bug (say that ten times fast) and spent the next ten years or so gettting kits and building kits. My skills improved only marginally, that is to say that the end results of my my efforts now began to resemble actual aircraft.
er... slightly.
I mean... in some ways.
Then, like many of us, reality set in (oh, I do envy those of you who never had that happen). Apartment. Job. Marriage. Moving. Family. Mortgage. More family. Another move. Another mortgage...
You get the picture.
My modelling time disappeared. As did my kits, tools, books, and all the finished examples of my work (I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief over that last one, however). The last time I was able to spend any time modelling was over nine years ago. Things were very different back in 1995.
So here I am, at age 44, with a little bit of time on my hands and an actual spare bedroom for my hobbies (I also do leatherwork), and I find myself re-buying my supplies, tools and kits.
One of the very best surprises I've found in returning to the hobby was the manner in which the community has used the internet. Modelling is a solitary pursuit, but it is important to get feedback and
support from fellow modellers. Back in 1995, I searched the internet in vain for what I today find right here. All I found back then was a newgroup alt.scale-model.rec or something like that. Many times it was spammed with pictures of models - the two-legged kind!
Anyway, I have rambled enough. I am happy to find so many modellers online and willing to share and hope that I can give back in some way to this hobby that I have enjoyed for many years.
See ya around!
-Jeff