New Jersey, United States
Occupation: writer
Interests: woodworking, music, science fiction, history, science, political philosophy
About BOC262
I've been a life long aviation enthusiast and modeler. My introduction to modeling came as a child when my dad helped me build balsa wood and tissue kits. Then I discovered 1/32 scale plastic kits and I built most of what was available from Hasegawa and Revell (this was back in the early 1970s). One day I walked into a hobby shop and saw shelf after shelf filled with 1/72 Airfix and Frog kits--that was quite a revelation for me. I switched immediately to 1/72 and never touched a 1/32 kit again. Like so many other people, I had a long modeling hiatus due to college, career, family, etc. When I got back into the hobby in the early 1990s, I continued working in 1/72, but became increasingly frustrated by all the great new releases coming out in 1/48. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer so I took the plunge into 1/48 with the Dynavector Sea Vixen. I was amazed at the quality of that kit, and soon had most of the Dynavector kits. At first I was going to limit my 1/48 collection to just FAA acft (a particular interest of mine), but soon found myself slipping down the slippery slope of buying more and more 1/48 kits. I had about 1200 1/72 kits in the stash, and with my new interest in 1/48, it was becoming very difficult to justify keeping the 1/72 kits. After mulling over it for a year or 2, I finally decided to sell off most of my 1/72 collection, which I did quite successfully on eBay (I did keep about 50 of my favorite 1/72 kits). Now the bulk of my stash is 1/48, with some 1/72 and 1/144. Except for 2 Tamiya dinosaur kits I built for my daughter, I build only aircraft. I like acft of all types and eras, but have particular interests in WWI and Golden Age biplanes, early jets, and helicopters. In general, the more obscure, the better. I used to have a "plug-the-gap" mentality--"gotta have that B-25J to plug the gap in my WWII medium bomber collection". Now I just collect what I am really interested in, recognizing that I have neither the time, money, or space to build a comprehensive collection of anything. During the mid-1990s, I briefly operated Wingnut International, a resin kit business. I produced 2 full 1/72 scale resin kits--the Republic XP-72, and the Messerschmitt Me-309. I also produced a conversion kit to make the Ju-88G-10, several different late model Ju-88 night fighter noses, and a cockpit upgrade set for the Italeri or Airfix F-84F. Operating Wingnut International was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but after running it for several years, making very little money and having no time for my hobby, I decided it wasn't worth the effort. I also found it increasingly difficult to compete with the likes of MPM, Special Hobby, etc. It was a relief to turn my hobby back into a hobby and not a business. I've built stick and tissue, mainstream injection, limited run injection, vacuform and resin kits. I've also done several major conversions from scratch (ie--no resin conversion kits were used). I started a couple scratch building projects, but abandoned them when injection kits of those acft became available. I now have another scratch built project ongoing, a British WWI era biplane in 1/48--that's all I'm going to say for now about it lest the modeling gods see fit to release an injection kit of that one too--LOL! The above does not mean to imply that I think of myself as some sort of "master modeler"--far from it!. My modeling talents are quite modest--I am more of an "enthusiast" than any kind of "expert". I firmly believe desire can make up for lack of talent or skill. I'm not very interested in detailed interiors, super detailing of any kind, or weathering--I'm more about the colors, markings, and having a wide variety of acft represented in my collection. I build simple, clean models, and try to spend as little time on a model as possible--there are so many different kits available and so little time. Modeling is a very nostalgic activity for me, and I build strictly for my own enjoyment. I served for 8 years in the USAF, first as a C-141A/B mechanic/crew chief, and later as a C-141B Flight Engineer.
I've been a life long aviation enthusiast and modeler. My introduction to modeling came as a child when my dad helped me build balsa wood and tissue kits. Then I discovered 1/32 scale plastic kits and I built most of what was available from Hasegawa and Revell (this was back in the early 1970s). One day I walked into a hobby shop and saw shelf after shelf filled with 1/72 Airfix and Frog kits--that was quite a revelation for me. I switched immediately to 1/72 and never touched a 1/32 kit again. Like so many other people, I had a long modeling hiatus due to college, career, family, etc. When I got back into the hobby in the early 1990s, I continued working in 1/72, but became increasingly frustrated by all the great new releases coming out in 1/48. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer so I took the plunge into 1/48 with the Dynavector Sea Vixen. I was amazed at the quality of that kit, and soon had most of the Dynavector kits. At first I was going to limit my 1/48 collection to just FAA acft (a particular interest of mine), but soon found myself slipping down the slippery slope of buying more and more 1/48 kits. I had about 1200 1/72 kits in the stash, and with my new interest in 1/48, it was becoming very difficult to justify keeping the 1/72 kits. After mulling over it for a year or 2, I finally decided to sell off most of my 1/72 collection, which I did quite successfully on eBay (I did keep about 50 of my favorite 1/72 kits). Now the bulk of my stash is 1/48, with some 1/72 and 1/144. Except for 2 Tamiya dinosaur kits I built for my daughter, I build only aircraft. I like acft of all types and eras, but have particular interests in WWI and Golden Age biplanes, early jets, and helicopters. In general, the more obscure, the better. I used to have a "plug-the-gap" mentality--"gotta have that B-25J to plug the gap in my WWII medium bomber collection". Now I just collect what I am really interested in, recognizing that I have neither the time, money, or space to build a comprehensive collection of anything. During the mid-1990s, I briefly operated Wingnut International, a resin kit business. I produced 2 full 1/72 scale resin kits--the Republic XP-72, and the Messerschmitt Me-309. I also produced a conversion kit to make the Ju-88G-10, several different late model Ju-88 night fighter noses, and a cockpit upgrade set for the Italeri or Airfix F-84F. Operating Wingnut International was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but after running it for several years, making very little money and having no time for my hobby, I decided it wasn't worth the effort. I also found it increasingly difficult to compete with the likes of MPM, Special Hobby, etc. It was a relief to turn my hobby back into a hobby and not a business. I've built stick and tissue, mainstream injection, limited run injection, vacuform and resin kits. I've also done several major conversions from scratch (ie--no resin conversion kits were used). I started a couple scratch building projects, but abandoned them when injection kits of those acft became available. I now have another scratch built project ongoing, a British WWI era biplane in 1/48--that's all I'm going to say for now about it lest the modeling gods see fit to release an injection kit of that one too--LOL! The above does not mean to imply that I think of myself as some sort of "master modeler"--far from it!. My modeling talents are quite modest--I am more of an "enthusiast" than any kind of "expert". I firmly believe desire can make up for lack of talent or skill. I'm not very interested in detailed interiors, super detailing of any kind, or weathering--I'm more about the colors, markings, and having a wide variety of acft represented in my collection. I build simple, clean models, and try to spend as little time on a model as possible--there are so many different kits available and so little time. Modeling is a very nostalgic activity for me, and I build strictly for my own enjoyment. I served for 8 years in the USAF, first as a C-141A/B mechanic/crew chief, and later as a C-141B Flight Engineer.
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