Hello everybody!
Now I joined your "club"!
Since several days I am looking for the different discussions about the USS Constitution and I was very impressed by the knowledge of several of you! I learned so much in so few days!
My name is Marcus Koch (the familyname is the german word for cook). I am nearly 41, mechanical engineer in the automotive industry and - much more important: happy husband and proud father of a now nearly 3 year old son. The next son will be "launched" in August -hopefully without problem.
Since I was a kid, I loved the big sailing ships - in fact the frigates. If you´d asked me, when I was in my son´s age, the only "technology" I would have allowed mankind to use is: the wind. I hated steel, I hated the Eiffel-Tower, I hated the noise of modern maschines!
Later I found my love to the Apollo-Moon-Project (which was louder then anything!!), via that my love to planes and flying and then to "technology" .. so I found my dream-profession (really!) in a field, which I hated when I was a kid .. ![Big Smile [:D]](/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
And with aeroplanes, I found my way to revell and airfix kits... and later back to the sailing ships. The first was the "small" Cutty Sark - which never was rigged quite good. Too small everything. When I was about 12 - 14 I was building a "spanish galeon" by revell. And this time I tried to be as accurate as possible. This ship survived - with some broken masts and spars, lost decals, lost emblem shields and lost guns. Maybe I´ll restore it and improve the painting.
My very best model-kit was an alaska truck by Matchbox in those days. But then studies and other hobbies became more important and building models was not important anymore to me.
I was in Massachusetts 9 years ago and visited the USS Constitution several times. I even lived in Salem for several weeks - but was not aware that I am so close to one of the most important sources of knowledge about the Ship of 1812.. the Peabody Essex Museum with its "Hull-Model". If I had known that!
Last year, my wife gave me Revells 1/96 Connie as a birthday gift. I had serious knee problems and could not walk for some weeks. And since she had the impression that I need something "calming" beside my stressious job, she remembered me standing in front of toy stores, looking and dreaming in front of ship modells.
I began to prepare in buying the Revell "HMS Beagle" until I learnd in a german forum whats about with that kid. So I decided to "rebuild" the Beagle as a sort of Bounty again and try to "change" the design.
Then my son came into an age where it is more and more fun to be with him (to be honest, I like babies - but to talk with someone and get response (even if its a kids response) gives me much more!). And since he is very "awake" and interested and since it is very hard to stop him, I am affraid, I have to wait for several years until I really can start building models seriously.
Nevertheless I started in building up a "library" and reading as much as I can - also in internet. So now I know that "my" Constitution will be a rebuild from 1812 - or maybe 1814 - that the rigging should be conform with the "hull-modell" and several things more. But I still wait for more books, more information and its fun to read, learn and dream!
I hope I will be able to add some helpfull remarks here or there sometimes and I will follow many of your shipping threads. I appreciate the existense of internet, such a forum and - you all - Since you and your knowledge are what this forum is build of!
Best regards
Marcus
P.S. - please forgive me my odd language. My grades in school never where good in languages and the last years my english is very much influenced from swedish and french costumers!