What got you started?

This, from 25 years ago.

I finally decided to make space for this model to be photographed. The "Quantum Phoenix" is a 1:608 scale vessel inspired by Battlestar Galactica (original). The model is 49" long (approx. 2500 feet). I used all kinds of kits, parts, tictac boxes, L'eggs eggs, plastic wall tiles, parts of an old Estes launch pad, chart tape dispensers, etc.etc.etc.. It was about five months of evenings to build and paint. The pics, are a port side shot, a shot with the TOS Enterprise NCC1701, and a shot with a coffee mug and a $20.00 bill for size comparison. The TOS Enterprise is an AMT/Ertl kit, detailed from pictures in "Famous Spaceships of Fact and Fiction". Oh, and the two auxiliary reactors at the Phoenix's bow?..... pingpong balls!

Nice!  I like your Quantum Phoenix.  Excellent kitbash!  Reminds me more of "Silent Running" than BSG, tho. 

 Regardless, I like it a lot!  Thanks for sharing.

 

What got me into it?

I was sick one day, when I was about 11 and my mother brought home a model and some glue. I had a terrible case of the flu and layed there and very patiently worked out how to build the thing. There were directions yes, but I wanted to do more. I probably did more thought work and planning than anything else, then I started on it. After that, I was hooked. I won several model awards when I was just a young lad and even won an award in the Navy, against someone who did it for a living. "Toy Doctors" I think we called them, their designation was TD. I'm not really sure what it meant.

Anyway, I've been modeling for years and have been making models for shows and entering contests and even doing work for Hobby Shops for some time. Nowadays though, I don't have much time for anything, because I actually got work for a studio. It's not as much fun when it's a job. Now when I come home I have nothing to do to relax, other than snuggle up with the lil woman. LOL :) 

I forgot to answer part of the question.......

 

How do "I" think it has changed...? HMMNNN???

I really hate to say this, but there seems to be a lot more internet bullies nowadays. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. You have people that for the most part, have no talent,or aren't particularly capable, that seem to beat down anyone with real talent, or if they don't like them. This doesn't happen all of the time, but you do see instances where guys come out and start showing their work and they are beaten into the ground. I don't understand that. I don't understand how someone else making a ship, or doing a model could possibly effect a person to where they might go on a personal vendetta against that person, in order to cause them damage....?!?!? It just makes no sense, especially in these days when you have States and Countrys clamping down on that kind of thing and impossing severe penalties.None of this stuff seems to be based on any kind of fact, it's just these simple, stupid, lil rivalries that spoil the fun for everyone and turn people off. 

As Cosmicj has noted, this years WF was very different from last years. I can't help but think that some of it was due to the way some within the modeling community have acted over the last year, or so. I've seen some truely extrordinary work done and then seem those people talked about all over the net. I for one would like to see things calm down. There should be some kind of standard. If you can't model as well as the person you're attacking, you should not have the right to comment. At the very least, you should have the common sense to be able to back up your comments with your OWN work, not your associations with others, or what you've heard, or what you think you know.

I'm thinking it's a put up, or shut up kind of thing. If your work is limited, you shouldn't have the right to comment on anothers work, unless you are just commenting to make yourself feel better.

Yeah, that's what has changed.... The whole bullying thing, that and the fact that most of the bullies have no talent, they just have an over-inflated idea of who they are in the world, or worse than that, they have no real life and the only thing they have to look forward to is tearing down someone else. Yeah, that's what has changed. I remember when the net was fun and you didn't have all of these senseless haters, that have no real talent of their own.

That's what I think has changed. Funny thing is that when you meet these people at Conventions, or Modeling Shows, they are usually quite reserved as opposed to how they trash others online.

Yep, that's what has changed over the years, the inclusion of people with no real talent that somehow become "Respected Members of the Modeling Community!" I have to wonder how that happens? How does someone become a respected member of the modeling community, when they cnnot even finish a model, nor have ever won a contest. How does that happen.

I guess another thing that bothers me is that some of these people actually become moderators. How can you be a moderator of a forum if you have no personal bonefides?

That's probaly what disturbs me the most. "How can you be a Moderator of a forum, dedicated to modeling, if you cannot model...?" 

   

   

 

Beowolf, you pose some interesting questions there, Questions that I don't have clear answers for.

there seems to be a lot more internet bullies nowadays. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

  Current socioeconomic problems are creating an increasingly ugly mood in this land. We can't lash out against our government,(to our satisfaction) so we take out "the mood" where we can. The internet (and forums like these) are basicly places where we can remain annonymous. We can lash out "safely".

Funny thing is that when you meet these people at Conventions, or Modeling Shows, they are usually quite reserved as opposed to how they trash others online.

They realize that, face to face, if they were to trash someone, they might end up needing facial reconstruction, after having their faces "reconstructed". They can't hide at conventions, like they can here.

How can you be a moderator of a forum if you have no personal bonefides? That's probaly what disturbs me the most. "How can you be a Moderator of a forum, dedicated to modeling, if you cannot model...?"

A moderator should be someone who can provide the benefit of experience in, and knowledge of, the subject. Someone who can help guide newcomers around some of the "pitfalls", and most importantly, be able to effectively quiet the occasional outbursts. That last bit, is probably the most important skill. One can have superb modeling skills, but have absolutely no people skills......not very effective where bullying is happening. Then again, superb modeling skills sometimes come attached to very large egoes, and the "you didn't do it right (where right means "my way" )syndrom"! Moderating is not as easy as it seems, and usually, in forums like these, is non-rewarding, and, the right to free speech, doesn't include, but implies, a degree of personal responsibility. Something that seems to be ever more lacking in our society. Tact, and diplomacy, were never one of my "greater assets", and I have had to grow in these areas. I know, I moderate six forums on another board.

I got started waaaaaay back in the 60's with the AMT Enterprise.  I built it, but couldn't figure out why it didn't look like the box.

After all, I'd used plenty of paint and glue.  More is better, right?

Then, it was the K7 since it was from Star Trek, and the Leif Erickson, 'cause it looked cool.

The Enterprise was the subject of a low budget 8mm movie involving burying my hand in loose dirt, setting the saucer on the dirt, dousing it with lighter fluid and setting it on fire.

ON TOP OF MY HAND.  (kids, go figure)

Anyway, I built cars, boats, and other stuff.  Had all the Aurora monster scenes (my fave was the Pit and the Pendulum...never could get it to work).

Flash forward to 1981, and I'd been out of high school since 78.

I started working at a hobby shop and have pretty much stuck with it.

I met Jon Warneke, a fellow modeler, and we hit it off pretty cool.  Several years (and two hobby shops later), Jon walks in with a scratchbuilt ship he'd done (I hadn't seen him in years) and we discussed scratchbuilding.

He said it was 'easy' but I had to learn.  So, together we scratched a 1/400 scale Space Cruiser Yamato, which won an 'Honorable Mention' at a local show (the judges didn't know what they were looking at, but since it was scratchbuilt, they gave it an HM).

Two shows later, it got a Second and finally a First.  At a toy show in Knoxville, I had the ship on display and a very rabid fan offered me 500 bucks on the spot.  Man, I miss that model.

Armed with the knowledge I'd learned, Jon then had me scratchbuild my first pattern for a company he'd joined (Commanders Models).

The 1/350 HMS Hood.  I gave it a shot and honed my skills (and made a little dough in the process).

In 2002, I was in an auto accident and suffered a nervous breakdown, and had to take a 3+month leave.

As therapy, Jon helped get me some ship patterns for (then) turn of the century pre-war ships and I built the USS Monterey (a monitor), USS Chicago, USS Illinois (WIP) and USS Texas (WIP).

About that time I discovered there were online forums (non rec.models.scale) and decided to try my hand at building a blockade runner for the AMT Star Destroyer.  It looked good and folks all wanted one.  Realizing the hangar was too shallow, I did some research and made a better hangar.  Again, everyone wanted one.

A guy in Germany (Marco) sent me some images of the correct angle for the bridge and spine for the Star Destroyer and I built those, too.  Again, everyone seemed to want one.  

I spoke with Jon and he took the pieces, cast them up and packaged them for me and let me use his table at the 2005 IPMS Nats in Atlanta.

The stuff was well-received and that's when I got into this hot and heavy.

I built some RTF ships for the Monogram Galactica and things took off from there.

I've met lots of great folks on these forums and they've been an invaluable asset to honing my skills even further.

Okay, enuf about me.

Next?

Rob

Rob Gronovius wrote:

The first model I remember building as a child was the Aurora Prehistoric Scenes Saber-toothed Tiger. I built many of those kits with the interlocking display bases.

 

Glad to find someone else Aurora infected with the modeling bug. I had most of the Prehistoric Scenes and being a dinosaur nut, these kits were the "bee's knees".

I can't specifically recall what my very first model was, but I'm willing to bet it was something from Aurora.

Great topic!

I got started years ago and like a great many, fell away from modeling. 
I returned to the hobby about 2 years ago.  I started small, just wanting to  brush up on my techniques.  Rusty isn't even close to describing my performance.

I'd never build a resin kit, not it's pretty much the bulk of what I build.

Trek is the focus of my subject builds at this point with a smattering of BSG.  After this short burst of kit building and bashing I plan to start my first scratch builds in the next few weeks.  I have high hopes that I've learned enough to not embarress myself, but we shall see.

I've recently taken up Moderating at some of the boards I frequent and the things that I've seen change over just the last year or so?  Seems the bulk of the problems I see stem from a small group of (one or two) posters that just can't help themselves.  Realistically though, those few have been banned from almost every single board on the net and resort to sock puppets. 

They are irrelivent now, so I'll move on....

 

My biggest reason for modeling?  Like someone mentioned earlier, I can't not build, kitbash or otherwise express myself.  I not only get the satisfaction of creating something physical to work with, I also get the relaxation, the peace and quiet of my space.  That's as good a reason as any!

 

My dad got me started with the forgotten prisoner of castle mare, and then it was StarTrek.

Hey mech

woody

Griff

Thunderbear

DarthDuck

 

 

I see you fixed it.  

 

:D

 

stipp wrote:

My dad got me started with the forgotten prisoner of castle mare, and then it was StarTrek. Hey mech woody Griff

You fergot me.

:P

thunderbearr wrote:

stipp wrote: My dad got me started with the forgotten prisoner of castle mare, and then it was StarTrek. Hey mech woody Griff You fergot me. :P

 

A wise Greek philosopher once said,"I am, therefore I build."

 

Uh, you 'fergot' me too!  You're dithpicable! (Darth)

My appologies men! All corrected, and if i missed anyone please let me know, it has been a very long time in my posting in the scifi section. The last time i posted on FSM was in the armor section and i posted a few pics of my build ups and got dissed, because they werent period correct or the figures werent in the correct position, screw them! I`ll stick to sci fi.