Dupes, yes, I'm in the Air Force. The Falcon has moved about 4 times with me, and we're getting ready for (hopefully) our last move before I retire. Got my fingers crossed!
M1964, well, this was my first large-scale scratchbuild. But I've been building models ever since I can remember, and I had done some accurizing on kits before. So I had a good working knowledge of the uses of sheet styrene and other "minor" techniques.
I hear you about some of the stuff available from the manufacturers out there. AMT had the first license for SW kits, and they were great back in the late '70s!! But like a lot of the folks on this forum (and others) grew in their skills and quest for ever more accurate models, they just weren't enough to satisfy me after a while.
For example, compare one of the old Monogram Sherman or Panzer tank kits with what's available these days from companies like Dragon. Worlds apart!
But for sci-fi, the selection is a lot more limited. And I'm sure a lot of you realize that Star Wars or Star Trek "geeks" are some of the most uber-accuracy nuts around! Of course I'm one of them.
If you've never scratched anything before, just find something you're interested in and grab a $4 sheet of plastic and try it out! It's so much fun and extremely rewarding in the end.
I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .