Guys, just got back from the Region 3 "Southern Slam" in Greenville South Carolina. First Regional my son and I have ever attended. I posted a couple of 2nd's , a couple of 3rd's and Best TV/Movie Subject. But the older I get the more evident it is becoming that my 12 yr. old is closing fast. He posted 3-1st, 1-2nd, in the 12 and under class, but he then took overall "Best Teen Award". This covered the 13 to 17 class also. Bad eyes, unsteady hands , and just plain getting old. Looks like my days are numbered. Proud as hell here, for the job he did, but also opened my eyes to the fact it's about time to past the torch. Hats off to all the youths that competed there yesterday, GREAT JOB ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to here that......I think. congrats on the show awards, au least when you don't get any award you still have the fun of modeling. good luck stug

:-) Old, what do you call old? :-) You have a young son for someone who is 85 Last year I finally gave in to the fact that I need to wear glasses for close up work. Yeah they're a pain in the ass but they enable me to carry on. I guess my hands aren't as steady as when I used to search for booby traps in NI, I just time the shakes better. I'll be to old when I'm pushing up the daises
I've never entered a competition, so you are to be congratulated and so is your son. How about pictures :-) Nice to hear of youngsters in the hobby :-)
Mal

you won a couple of 2nd, and a couple of 3rds? and the best TV/ movie subject and your thinking of hanging it up??? man if only I could build a kit that I felt comfortable taking to a competition I would be extremly pleased, sorry guess I just dont see why an outing like that would make you think about quitting.

Bender

Guys, sorry to mis-lead you. I won't ever hang it up. Not until they put me 6 feet under. I love doing it too much to quit. Just seeing my son coming up so fast makes one wonder , how much longer can I hold him off before he starts whipping me? LOL I really wish that when I was his age I had the same tools and resources he has now. This hobby has come so far, that it's like teaching old dogs new tricks. I'm 45 and my boy is doing things to his projects now that I just started doing in the last 5 years. We learn together, but youth is closing fast. Quit? NEVER, Stand Down, one day.

Hey Mav, It's Mike from the Independence show.

I thought I was getting old at 40 a couple of years ago when I got bifocals and had to start looking WAY down my nose to see when I was building.

Then I realized just how many old tricks I could bring to bear, how routine it was to throw in 30 extra parts into a stock cockpit to liven it up, how matter of fact it was to fill in ejector pin marks as a matter of course, how it didn't bother me as much as it used to when I had to resurface a puttied seam.

That's when an old saying came to mind with amazing clarity: Age and treachery beat youth and inexperience any day

Seriously, it's great when your boy learns because of you (or in spite of you, they always say LOL).

Looking forward to the Salem shootout!!!

Mav, I think I understand what ya mean. My daughter was in the hobby for a few years. Then she became a teen and discovered boys. I too, wish I had someone in my family to help me along in the early years. I had to learn the hard way (yet fun way) many of the tricks that seem so basic and second nature now.

I just turned 39 on June 3rd. The other day I was pondering how many good years of model building I have left. On a really depressing note: then I started wondering how many kits I will have time to build, with an average of 3 to 6 a year. Not enough years for the amount of kits I would like to build, that's for sure. Then I decided to have a drink.

It has often been asked: which is more fun--the actual building of a kit, or the sense of accomplishment upon finishing it and then admiring your work? I vote for the sitting at the workbench, sniffing the glue and spraying the paint . And in saying so means we all have a lot of fun times ahead, no matter what our age or abilities!!

:-) Mav, didn't really think you was going to give it up :-) If your son is coming that quick it's because he has such a good teacher :-)
Mal