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                        My very First model was...

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                        123
                        philp
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: USA
                        Posted by philp on Thursday, October 13, 2005 7:12 PM
                        Ok, First model I built was a .... no, don't tell me, I know this...
                        Hmmpf, I don't know this.
                        It was a 72nd scale plane, probably a fighter by Revell. Remember several of those 3 pack kits. And I was 6 when I did it. Didn't have snap together kits back then so sure I used an abundance of glue and little to no paint.
                        Phil Peterson IPMS #8739 Join the Map http://www.frappr.com/finescalemodeler
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                        djrost_2000
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: Where the coyote howl, NH
                        Posted by djrost_2000 on Friday, October 14, 2005 12:13 AM
                        My first kit was built in the early 70s and was probably a dinosaur.

                        Dave
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                        TailspinTom
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Eugene, OR
                        Posted by TailspinTom on Friday, October 14, 2005 3:41 AM
                        My very first model was built back around 1959, it was a biplane which my Mother help me build. All I remember was the plastic was a purpleish color and my Mom had a hard time getting the wing struts glued on. It was probably either a Revell or an Aurora model with a lot of struts. Might have been a Jenny or a British plane.

                        T.Young Propeller [8-]

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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 14, 2005 4:14 PM
                        My first ever was a snaptite Monogram Dodge Daytona, first glue kit was the Revell Magnum PI Ferrari 308.
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                        razordws
                        • Member since
                          September 2004
                        • From: Vernon, BC, Canada
                        Posted by razordws on Friday, October 14, 2005 5:22 PM
                        Lots of good stories here but I'm with Phil on this one, I don't really remember my first model. Blush [:I]Disapprove [V]

                        My earliest memory is being 7 or 8 and my Mom taking me to the toy store for my birthday. She gave me $20 to spend on whatever I wanted which bought 3 battleships if I remember correctly ($20 won't even buy one today). Most of my early models fell pray to the Pellet gun or other pyrotechnic devices in later years (remember Sid from Toy Story...). The oldest models in my collection are ones that I built in my late teens and are 20-25 years old, but don't ask me which one is the oldest! (senility... I know!)

                        Dave

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                        styrene
                        • Member since
                          May 2003
                        • From: The flat lands of the Southeast
                        Posted by styrene on Friday, October 14, 2005 11:06 PM
                        The very first was in 1964, when I picked up a brand new 1/25 AMT(?) 1963 split-window Corvette at Black's Drug Store. I don't think the kit cost much more than $1, and it took every bit of about an hour to put together. I remember hand-painting it a light blue and putting decals EVERYWHERE, even under the hood!

                        Gip

                        1882: "God is dead"--F. Nietzsche

                        1900: "Nietzsche is dead"--God

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                        jtilley
                        • Member since
                          May 2003
                        • From: Greenville, NC
                        Posted by jtilley on Friday, October 14, 2005 11:36 PM
                        Mine was a Revell DC-7, in American Airlines markings, in 1956. (Those spectacular orange and blue decals were beyond the capacity of my five-year-old fingers, but I figured they didn't matter much.) Sheez - that means next year will be my fiftieth anniversary. I feel old....

                        Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 2:33 AM
                        Great stories guys..isn't it great to walk down memory lane?Smile [:)]
                        Report Abuse
                        dwblackwell
                        • Member since
                          January 2003
                        • From: Morris, Illinois
                        Posted by dwblackwell on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 8:18 PM
                        I distinctly remember my Dad building a Revell box-scale KC-135 back when he was flying Huns at Myrtle Beach. He built several others for me (it was for me, wasn't it?) including a B-58 that actually dropped the pod if you pressed the button. My first solo project was the old Hawk T-6 Texan. I recall adding some "underwing stores" that may have resembled toothpicks in order to get that aggressive look. Those were the days...most of my modeling projects only took a couple of hours, tops (and it showed). Now I know better and take months- which is an improvement, right? Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

                        D. Blackwell MMC(SS), USN, Retired

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                        qmiester
                        • Member since
                          May 2003
                        • From: Central USA
                        Posted by qmiester on Friday, October 21, 2005 6:25 PM
                        The summer of 1954 - the kit was a Revell "box scale" USS Missouri - Dad bought the kit, a tube of glue, a bottle of red paint and some paint brushes - I was just turning 10 at the end of that summer.
                        I actually had the assembled kit for three or four years until it was sunk in "Plastic Bottomed Bay" (aka Rock Creek) while attempting to perform a shore bombardment - it's demise brought about by several hits from a "shore battery" firing .177 projos (read at least two BB guns - don't actually remember how many for that particular "action") - as you can tell, there was several ship models sunk in that particular stretch of creek - sometimes as many as 6 at a time. What the heck, a buck and a quarter would get you a new one at Brown's Hardware.
                        Quincy
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:59 AM
                        my first model was the old p-80 shooting star. i think i was 10-12 and it got me hooked. still wish i had her. and can't find another one like her to build. i thought she was the greatest when i finished, with all of the removable parts and everything.
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                        Frunobulax
                        • Member since
                          August 2005
                        • From: Down the road a ways
                        Posted by Frunobulax on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 8:32 PM
                        I'm pretty sure my dad helped me build a 1/72 Spitfire (I recall I thought it was a "Submarine" Spitfire...hey I was only 5!). I remember most of the planes I built had the location of the decals molded into the plastic. After that, I built all sorts of things-planes, cars, ships, armor. I remember building a Ford Tri-motor and painted it silver. I wasn't happy with the paint job, so I tried to get the paint off...with paint thinner(!!) I didn't realize it would melt all the plastic too. Oh well. One of my favorite builds towards the end of phase one of my model building career was a 1/32 Japanese "Tony." I can't remember who made the kit (that rarely ever was a concern back then) but it had a detailed engine with removable access panels so you could see it. I painted the plane silver with lots of green camo splotches on it. Very pretty.
                        Edward "I guess he's about the best dang sergeant they is in the whole dang Air Force." Join the FSM map http://www.frappr.com/finescalemodeler
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                        tabascojunkie
                        • Member since
                          October 2005
                        • From: Garland, TX
                        Posted by tabascojunkie on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 8:45 PM
                        My first model is a Revell 1/32 A-10. Just started on it the other day, but have just fiddled with it so far, not a serious start. And I'm 33. That took a while.
                        Bruce
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                        Matthew Usher
                        Moderator
                        • Member since
                          April 2003
                        • From: USA
                        Posted by Matthew Usher on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 8:52 PM
                        The first one I remember building was Aurora's Seaview, from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

                        (And yes, I have a stack of the Polar Lights reissues!)

                        Matt Usher @ FineScale
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                        Frunobulax
                        • Member since
                          August 2005
                        • From: Down the road a ways
                        Posted by Frunobulax on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:00 PM
                        Hey Bruce, that's a heckuva first build. A-10s are complex in any scale. Good luck with that one, and welcome to the forum!!
                        Edward "I guess he's about the best dang sergeant they is in the whole dang Air Force." Join the FSM map http://www.frappr.com/finescalemodeler
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:03 AM
                        A 80's buick tank. Completed and painted in one day. At 8 years old!
                        Report Abuse
                        tabascojunkie
                        • Member since
                          October 2005
                        • From: Garland, TX
                        Posted by tabascojunkie on Thursday, October 27, 2005 7:31 PM
                        QUOTE: Originally posted by Frunobulax

                        Hey Bruce, that's a heckuva first build. A-10s are complex in any scale. Good luck with that one, and welcome to the forum!!


                        Yeah, and I've discovered that the parts on a 1/32 are really small.And I thought miniatures were small. When i started putting the cockpit assembly together my first thought was that this will be a real test of my patience
                        Bruce
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                        smokinguns3
                        • Member since
                          June 2005
                        • From: San Tan Valley,AZ
                        Posted by smokinguns3 on Monday, October 31, 2005 7:46 PM
                        This will tell how old i am my first model that i can remember was the charies angel van cant remember who made the kit i now it was pink though what model for young boy my sister made me biult it.
                        Rob I think i can I think i can
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 3, 2005 7:09 PM
                        I still have it. It was a Check airplane, I think in 1/72, but it does not really resemble anything. Maybe a Mosquito. I remember I painted the top black, the bottom gray, and messed up real bad. After crying and general hysteria (5 years old, sick kid after days of having high fever), my Mom sat down with me, and redid the whole thing with me. It's one piece I will never throw away...
                        Report Abuse
                        overkillphil
                        • Member since
                          October 2004
                        • From: Northern Indiana
                        Posted by overkillphil on Saturday, November 5, 2005 8:47 PM
                        It was either an armored personell carrier (something with six wheels and a machine gun turret ring) or an Apollo lunar lander. I was pretty young so I'm not sure which was first.
                        my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 5, 2005 8:53 PM
                        My first kit was a 1/72scale Monogram or Revell F-117a Kit, and my second was a 1/72 Revell F-16!!! SOOO-long ago!!! Still have it!!!
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                        chevit2001
                        • Member since
                          August 2003
                        • From: Iowa
                        Posted by chevit2001 on Tuesday, November 8, 2005 11:45 AM
                        I remember my first models. Wished I still had them. My first model was the hot rod "Paddy Wagon". Followed by the "Red Baron", "Tijhauna Taxi" and the "Hangman" Tow vehicle. I loved those showcar models. I started when I was about 12 or 13 yrs. old. I'm now 44 yrs. young. My mother either threw out my boxes of various models or gave them to one of my nephews who has no interest in models when I was in college and/or working my as a camp counselor and activity specialist.
                        Report Abuse
                        Chatterer
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        • From: Southwest
                        Posted by Chatterer on Tuesday, November 8, 2005 2:24 PM
                        First one was a 1/48 Monogram Hawker Typhoon got it for Christmas boy was it a mess with glue all over it. Think I still have the pilot some where.
                        David
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 11, 2005 8:58 AM

                        Haha, my firts build was a 1/72 Revell F-15.

                        Old and ugly kit... Painted it with Silver car paint, has finger prints all over the place, and put every decal included in the kit on it ( there were LOTS of decals )...

                        That were days... Some 8 years ago ( I'm 16 now... )

                         

                        Cheers,

                        Jürgen

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                        jwareing
                        • Member since
                          June 2004
                        Posted by jwareing on Friday, November 11, 2005 9:18 PM
                        It was a Strombecker P-38 Lightning which required more sanding than I was willing to do at that age.  Let me know if there's anything you don't understand about that.
                        Oh, and you should have seen my mother's face when I told her I needed some money to buy dope.


                        jw
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                        Jim Barton
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        Posted by Jim Barton on Friday, November 11, 2005 11:03 PM

                         jwareing wrote:
                        It was a Strombecker P-38 Lightning which required more sanding than I was willing to do at that age.  Let me know if there's anything you don't understand about that.
                        Oh, and you should have seen my mother's face when I told her I needed some money to buy dope.


                         

                        Laugh [(-D]

                         

                        "Whaddya mean 'Who's flying the plane?!' Nobody's flying the plane!"

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                        Jim Barton
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        Posted by Jim Barton on Friday, November 11, 2005 11:10 PM
                        I know the first model I ever built was a car--I don't know what kind it was, but it was the typical ten-year-old's first effort--sloppy paint job, too much glue, GLOSS black tires! It was the summer of 1972 and my family had rented a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California; it was there I first learned how to build models. That was a great family vacation; another thing I remember was that the radio was always playing the current hits of that time. Even now, when I hear "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," "Guitar Man" or "Rock and Roll Part 2" (to you younger modelers: that's the "HEEYYY!" song they play at football or basketball games), it takes me back to that wonderful time...

                        "Whaddya mean 'Who's flying the plane?!' Nobody's flying the plane!"

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                        overkillphil
                        • Member since
                          October 2004
                        • From: Northern Indiana
                        Posted by overkillphil on Saturday, November 12, 2005 9:28 AM

                         jwareing wrote:
                        It was a Strombecker P-38 Lightning which required more sanding than I was willing to do at that age.  Let me know if there's anything you don't understand about that.
                        Oh, and you should have seen my mother's face when I told her I needed some money to buy dope.


                        Now that's funny!

                        my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
                        Report Abuse
                        aardvark1917
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        • From: Amongst Words
                        Posted by aardvark1917 on Saturday, November 12, 2005 6:59 PM
                        ... a tiny B-36 made, I believe, by Aurora -- yonder back in the mid-'60's. It was missing a nose window and I wrote the company (in brick red crayola crayon) for the part, only that the letter was returned for lack of postage.

                        Have no idea what happened to the model since.

                        "Freedom is a possession of inestimable value." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero

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                        cdclukey
                        • Member since
                          November 2004
                        • From: Freeport, IL USA
                        Posted by cdclukey on Saturday, November 12, 2005 9:32 PM
                        Mine was a 1/72 Revell or Monogram P-40 I received as a Christmas present from my Cub Scout den mother. My Dad did most of the work because it was a glue model. No paint, but still beautiful. Of course, I couldn't stop flying it around, so it had a short "service life." :Smile [:)]
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