A bit lengthy, but worth the read....
Very few times are we, as modelers, ever offered the opportunity to visit kit manufacturers, or after-market suppliers and 'tour' their facilities or meet/chat with the people behind-the-scenes that help bring our hobby to the level it is today. However, i was afforded the opportunity today to visit one such company and get a behind-the-scenes look at what all is involved in the making of some of these AM kits, and to chat with its owner. The company i am referring to is
Cobra Company.
Firstly i cannot express how delighted i was that Chris at Cobra Company even extended an offer to me to come over and see the shop, and to basically shoot the s**t about my beloved CH-47, and modeling in general. His shop setup is most impressive and would make most modelers cry at its very sight -- his collection of aircraft models are equally impressive as well. All arranged in a nice glass display case (yes, i'm jealous).
Chris is truly an all-around nice guy, and as with almost any modeler, is willing to put his best foot forward in offering assistance, tips, or advice in the completion of a particular project - in this case, my Aurora HC-1B Chinook to "D" Model conversion. Chris was quick to agree that my "D" Model conversion was going to be quite a challenge. But with support from the helicopter community and from people like Chris - i am more than up for the challange.
We chatted for close to 4 hours with Chris showing off some of his 'toys', projects, and even offering up some of his experiences in the military along the way. Since i am just getting back into the hobby, and i am re-learning everything once again, i spent most of my time just listening to Chris; all the while forming the opinion that the man truly knows his stuff. Plane Plain and simple. And yes, i actually did learn something. Truly enjoyable for me indeed.
Before i had to leave, Chris was nice enough to offer up some nice 'parting gifts' to me for my project and i
truly want to thank him once again. He's currently working on some new detail sets for the helicopter community, but unfortunately, i cannot divulge exactly what they are. You know - that whole "if i tell you, i'd have to kill you" sorta deal.
![Big Smile [:D]](/FSM/CS/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
What i can tell you is that you rotorheads should be delighted with what he has planned. So stay tuned!!
Chris, if you're reading this, it's people like you that really make this hobby (outside of building) that much more enjoyable - and i want to thank you once again for having me over and for the 'goodies'. I look forward to using them on my project and reporting back to you with my progress.
THANK YOU!!
Oh yea - did i forget to mention the man has the nose section (completely restored) of an OV-1 at his shop? How cool is that?
Please take a moment to visit his site if you haven't already:
http://www.cobracompany.com