Just signed onto the site, thought I'd say "Howdy"! I got my first taste of scale modeling on my 7th birthday when my Dad brought me a 1/24-scale kit of the new 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL convertible...with working head/tail lamps, no less! Of course, Dad put most of it together, without paint ("ain't messin' with that"...) but the seed was planted. He had no idea of the "monster" he had just created. Over forty years later I still enjoy the hobby, even though I have very little time these days to indulge.
Over the years I've built a great number of autos and aircraft, and a few small-scale navy ships, but my present project is a 1/196-scale kit of the USS Constitution. It's the first (and probably the last) sailing ship kit I've dealt with. I prefer the autos and aircraft and will return to those types of kits when the Constitution is finally being displayed on the shelf.