First time on here but no stranger to FSM... I have been reading it since the 80s when I was growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pretty much I have been continuously involved in the hobby to one extent or another since the late 70s. My first kit was the Monogram 1/72 scale F8F Bearcat that I built with my Dad on a Saturday afternoon. Many a great evening or weekend was spent down in the basement building models together as he is an avid hobbyist as well.
Since then my tastes have fluctuated in regards to subject and preferred scale as well as ammount of time dedicated to the hobby (like many, time was taken off for sports, girls, college, beer, girls (I now live with three and before anyone gets any ideas, they are my wife and two daughters) etc. I have though, always returned home so to speak. I have been in the US ARMY since 1994 and am currently serving in the Republic of Korea as an Army North East Asian Foreign Area Officer. I was originally commissioned in the Field Artillery from Michigan State - Go Spartans!
As for subject matter of interest, right now I enjoy 1/48th scale WWII aircraft (mostly USN, IJN and FAA) and armor, 1/35th scale modern Soviet/Russian armor (in the markings of "smaller" militaries (i.e. a Burmese T-72) if possible, and the occasional ship. However, if something strikes my fancy outside of that (as it often does) I will build it.
I also enjoy spending time with my family (my daughters (ages 7 and 8) and myself share a similar wave-length), reading and studying history and foreign languages, working out, and baseball.
So far I like what I see on here, as I haven't noticed too much "rivet counting" or complaining (two real drags on the hobby) going on as happens very often on some other online modelling forums that really get negative at times. Comments posted are postive and that is a real plus! Anyway, I hope I didn't waste too much time. Cheers and talk to you all later!
Cheers, Matt
"If we increase the size of the penguin until it is the same height as the man and then compare the relative brain size, we now find that the penguin's brain is still smaller. But, and this is the point, it is larger than it *was*."