WIX Archives

Yes, but..... (long winded)

Posted by Brad on Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:50:20 AM

In reply top Model builders among us? posted by Jim Church on Fri Oct 24, 2003 09:44:50 PM

Not in the traditional sense.

I build only 1/48 scale airplanes, but I only keep them for a little while. I will spend untold hours and dollars building them, only to blow up or burn them later. I know I should have grown out of it years ago, but I just can't help myself! It all started when I was a kid. My little brother and I found all the models that my dad had built as a kid, and stored in the barn. After flying them all over the yard, and fighting every battle of every air war over and over, we began blowing them up with gun powder then we moved on to just burning them. Our parents weren't too happy about our new found hobby.

As the years went by, we both started building more models. We always went after quantity, not quality. Then we torched them all. Over the years, several bad accidents, one burned barn, a wounded goat and the displeasure of parents brought an end to our little hobby. We tried to do it on the sly, using gasoline and fireworks instead of large amounts of gun powder but we always got caught. Finally, my parents had enough of us burning the world down and we stopped all together.

We continued to build models and just save them. We both got pretty good at it and my brother started building armor. Mark left for the Air Force a couple of years after me, and everything wound up in the barn. About five years ago, both of us came home for summer leave at the same time and dug out the old models for the resurection of our evil hobby. It was then that we found out that our dear old dad actually enjoyed destroying models as much as his kids did.

That started a tradition that we continue to this day. We all spend the year building as many models as we can and have a huge war when my brother and I come home on leave. Now, my older sister has gotten into it, but I think it was peer pressure that brought her down to our level. Her eleven year old daughter and my four year old daughter look forward to the event every year(yes...from a safe distance). In fact, we go to the hobby shop and they pick out the models that they want to destroy the following year. This last fourth of July, we burned, blew up and basically destroyed about 65 or 70 models.

I hate to think how much cash went up in flames over the years. If I didn't have this hobby, I am sure I would own my own Corsair by now.

I know it is a terrible waste of time, money and effort, but dang it's fun!!!

Just before I read this post, I finished unpacking the last few boxes of stuff from my move. In these boxes, were about 150 model kits that the Air Force was kind enough to pack up for me before leaving Washington. I've got great plans for them!!!


DISCLAIMER
Kids; PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't ever try this. It's extreamly dangerous.

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