Search the Community

I am from Leesburg, Virginia now, but grew up in Cleveland Ohio, around the lake where we had many months of bad enough weather to need to find things to do inside. I am 62 now, and the eldest of six boys in ten years so having someone to play with was never a problem. We all discovered Hot Wheels, Aurora 1/64 slot cars together. Dad introduced me to models when I was in elementary school, probably 7 or 8 years old. I was modeling through the hey day and couldn't wait for my Mom and Grandma Jo to take us to S.S Kresge on Saturday mornings for breakfast and shopping for everything we needed. I'd get a new kit, and we were off to the grocery store. All of my brothers who could walk wanted to play sports, even table tennis in the basement of our big house. I played, but soon found modeling was more fun. Dad wasn't a model builder, so he helped a few times showing me how to glue parts with tube glue, but it didn't take long for me to be on my own. At first I built on our dining room table, but modeling had to be moved up to my room where I was given an old tiny folding table from Grandma. Luckily, none of my models were interesting to my little brothers, so they were always left alone until I finished one and displayed it to everyone before dinner. My folks were always positive and encouraging, and it soon became an obsession. There were three hobby shops in our area, but I had to ride my bike along dangerous boulevards to get to them, so my parents preferred to take me when the hobby shop was on the way to something else. I could only go inside long enough to pick a model, a magazine, supplies, or an AFX slot car because everyone was waiting in the family Ford Colony Park station wagon we relied on. Every holiday, birthday, weekend trip to the stores was for a model, but I missed learning how to fish, hunt, and go out on the little boat we shared with my Dad's best friend. One thing I don't regret were weekends and family camping trips. They had a rule that the 8 of us would be outside doing something, unless it started raining. Even then it was board games, puzzles, or reading. I spent most of my camping days hiking and exploring the campsites. As I near retirement this December, I intend to get back into building even more. I joined the MAMA's club a few years ago and wish I had known about clubs sooner. Every memory I have about modeling has been a good one, and this intro is only part of my story and start with the Forum. (-: