Why do you build what you bulid?

Like many, I started out doing cars as a wee tike playing racketball off the curb. After several years, cars just didn't interest me anymore. I guess there just wasn't enough of a challenge in it.

When I joined the Navy a few years back, I had already begun to get interested in aircraft. When I finally went to sea in an aircraft carrier, it clenched it for me. The first time I walked out into the hanger bay and ran my hand down the nosecone of an F-14, I nearly cried, it was so beautiful. Now that I'm out of the service, my love of fast birds continues. Don't get me wrong, I still love armor, or anything else that catches my eye. Chalk it up to dealing with other branches of the military so much, and through the military, the study of tactics. WWII is always a favorite subject.

Sorry, shermanfreak. The only Sherman I have is a cheap 1/35 Wasan, but it does fire BB's! I can blow up other tanks! MWAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I build what I build for two reasons only:
1. Because I like the subject (cool cars and planes are always my favorites...)
2. Because there is something unique about the 'build' that I like to do (ie. perhaps a special paintjob or building material). I've recently seen some 'paper' kits that have really tweaked my interest!!

Murray

Another amateur historian checking in - with WWII to the present as my focus.
Aircraft and warships do it for me, with a dose of SF and real space on the side to balance it off. I can count the number of cars I've ever built on one hand, and as far as armor - well, I did build an M1A1 Abrams a few years ago (came out pretty good for my first armor attempt) along with a Humvee and a Willys Jeep.
Nothing gets me excited faster than a plane or warship, though.

Although I do think Shermanfreak is starting to get to me - that Tamiya Sherman kit I saw in the hobby shop this afternoon does look rather inviting. . .

I started out building Monogram 1/48 airplanes as a kid, because they were cool and cheap. As my knowledge of WW2 grew, so did my appetite for the weapons. I really became interested in the Eastern Front and all the tanks that clashed there. So naturally my modeling of armor took off. I would love to build some airplanes, but am scared off by the intricate masking and cammo jobs on some of my favorite planes. Maybe someday i will take the plunge again.

I have always had an interest in modern military weapons . When I started modeling at about 14/15 yrs old I was into all types of Aircraft ... jets , bombers , and choppers. But After spending 6 yrs active Duty in the Army , I found out that trying to detail modern armor was easier because it was what I knew about . Also being Airborne and Air Assault I have seen the inside of many Aircraft . So I guess now I model what I do because of what I know.

I build aircraft, mainly 1/48th. I've built a few cars, but it seemed that all of the kits that I built were the same (generic kit design) - even between different manufacturers. You get a chassis/frame, interior tub, engine, and then a one-piece body goes over all of that. Even the NASCAR stuff seems the same way to me. Aircraft are different (at least to me, anyway). Sometimes, the wings are molded with the body (Monogram F-16). The fuselage could be upper and lower halves, or left and right. I've seen 4-piece fuselages (Italeri 1/48th C-130). The interiors are almost ALWAYS different. You can put different weapons on them - bombs, rockets, fuel tanks, external guns, etc. Camoflage (I hope I spelled that correctly) is fun to paint. I just believe that it takes more skill to build and paint an aircraft than a car (I know that comment will ruffle a few feathers!!), and this makes building aircraft a lot more fun. Also, the world history aspect of aircraft has a lot to do with it. With an aircraft (just about ANY aircraft), you can study its role in world affairs, such as its contribution in a war, etc. It's hard to do this with an automobile. Automobiles in general, yes. But it's rare to do this with a single automobile. With aircraft, you can build multiple versions of a type, representing a type's progression through its design life (F-4B, F-4C, F-4E, F-4J, etc.). Don't get me wrong - I think that building car models is a great thing to do. I've seen some car models that looked better than the real thing!! It's just not for me. Hell, I'm even ASE-certified, but I'd rather work on them than replicate them in plastic. Anyway, that's why I build aircraft models instead of other models.

Just really getting back into model building took a little hiatus ( approx. 15 yrs. ). I really don't have a favorite type to build, I am leaning more to restoration and detailing of what I currently have and have gathered during that hiatus. Getting involved in doing a lot more research this time around than before. Will, get on a roll once I get the room completed for this hobby.

I'am exclusievely building Airplane,s, Airliners and propliners, X Planes due to the historic value. I'am preaching peace so I can't afford having fighters and bombers at my home.

I'd like to echo on what xcmbike was saying up here. As a kid, I mostly build fighter planes I wish one day I'd fly - never happened of course! -. Nowadays, I build a bit of everything, but a lot is about things that make me dream of travel (airliners), dream car (Ferrari), or things I like a lot or means a lot (cartoon caracters). AFVs are another thing, though. I mostly build those for customers, and obviously, the main reason is financial in this case, but I can always say 'no'. What makes me accept a job is the challenge a particular vehicle brings... and I get a lot of satisfaction in overcoming those challenges.

I'm glad I'm getting such a good response to this question! I think its great hearing from my fellow modelers. We all have the same love for the challenge and the detail. I just love seeing a brand new Yamaha YZF R-1 with a custom paint job sitting in front of me. Or a Ford Bennegton F1 on my desk. I know that I will never get to own or even drive any of the things I build. So its as close as i can get. (i think we all have that one thing in common). Everyone knows that if my house catches on fire, Im goin strait for my favorite models. No one could ever appreciate what it took to finish the models that i have done. Does anyone ever look at one of their models and just go into a daze thinking about what it would be like to be in it?

Mine is fairly simple, I am in the Canadian army and have been around armourd stuff so much that that I get sick of looking at it some times. Don't get me wrong I still like building them, I am currently working on a M113 engineer section vehicle, but my true passion is aircraft.

This seems like a hard question to answer other than to say I just like airplanes. I consider building airplane models nothing more than an extension of my overall lifelong fascination (maybe 'obsession' is a better word?) with airplanes. I took up photography for the same reason. I bought better cameras and learned more about how to use them to get better photographs of airplanes. Why I did not get interested in cars, trains, etc I don't know because it's been airplanes since I was old enough to comprehend what an airplane was.

Regards,

Pat

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Originally posted by bernndye

P.S. I just looked. In three months to the date, I haven't had a cigarette in
11 years. WHOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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