Your modelling history?

I thought I'd start a thread on our modelling start & history. Here goes

Mine was an F-86 Sabre (or Sabre Jet to a 5 year old in New Guinea) Probably 1/72 scale and I recall it was silver. As for the brand, I have no idea.
A birthday or Xmas gift present in 1965, I think.

I broke it up not long after, and didn't get back to modelling until I was 8 or 9. Concentrated on WW II aircraft, many of which met a fiery or explosive end. Explosive because you could sell fireworks & matches to a small boy back then.

Got into cars in 1971, I bought Revell's VW Beetle in Hong Kong & built in in a London hotel. Came back to Australia and built all the planes I bough in the UK, and my first car here was Revell's '57 Chevrolet. Built the "Ice Tee" and some of the Airfix Brass Era cars too.

1975 saw me discover Tamiya armour, and I got into that in a big way. Got back into aircraft in the early mid 1980s, this time in 1/48.
I got out of armour as the kits were too expensive by then. By 1986, I had about 30 cars & thought, this is about all there is to build.
I started to concentate on American GM cars by then. There's a couple of unmolested survivors from that era, I keep them as a lesson from history!
They are the oldest builds I have in my collection.

I've been on 1/48 planes & GM cars ever since. The odd warship in the stash and I've scratch build a few boats as air rifle/ slingshot targets too.
The aircraft side has been a bit quiet of late, there's a stalled F-86E in the pile, but I'm well into Hobbycrafts F8U-3M Cutlass.
I do the odd bit of kit bashing- there's a V8 Trabant, V8 Volvo & some V6 powered MGs & Triumphs as well.

So what's your modelling story?

Cheers,

Chris

My older brother and sister built models when I was a toddler. When I was three years old, I got into their display case and kind of broke them all up, playing with them. So my mother went and bought me MY first model, a snap kit, and I built snap kit cars until I was about six, and then came the glue bombs. This is where my earliest memories kick in. We lived in an old farmhouse built in 1890 and there were 17 steps on the stairway to the upstairs, my glue bombs would bounce down all 17 without losing a part! By the time I was ten-twelve I had built a few Bi-planes, Golden age of flight planes and motorcycles. Old cars were and still are my favorite builds. In 1979, at the age of 12, I bought my first Tamiya kit. An F1, both of which were completely foreign to me at the time. I started the engine, but was way over my head. I still have that kit, and intend to finish it as soon as I can replace the rear tires that somehow disappeared over the years. I still have just about everything I ever built from the age of 15 on. All automotive. Shortly after getting married in 1992, my wife showed an interest in my hobby and has built a few cars, which to be completely honest, blew me away. Her first build was a Fujimi Enthusiast Porsche 911 Turbo. After our first son was born, in 1995, I got away from the hobby for about 10 years. Then when I came back to it, I also found the internet. Through the forums, I branched out a bit and started building more airplanes, Tamiya motorcycles, big rigs, and even the occasional Ferrari. People like Paul (2whl), Al, Hemi, Custom Mike, Shaggy, Stevinski, Ole, Peter, Brent, Alex, and others opened my eyes to whole new genres of building, as well as techniques. After two moves, and three kids, still going. I will now be building yet again, something new to me, a large scale kit. I have vague memories of an old Corvette when I was about 10, but thats it.

My first model, Messerschmitt 109-e, at about 5.  Branched out to anything plastic but my heart always belonged to cars.  Back then they amounted to under 30 piece kits.  Custom options were limited to  louvers, radio antennas and decals and maybe a "continental spare tire".  We've come a very long way from those days!

as a kid i can remember my older brother building kits..............distinctly remember all the horror figures....frankenstein, dracula, phantom of the opera, etc etc.....i got into it when i must have been about 9 or 10 (i was 10 in 1971).....no idea as to the early kits but it had to have been airfix, probably a spit or hurricane or such like as that was all there was where i lived (have a very very clear and distinct memory of doing the belvedere helo and the rotor blades wouldnt stay attached)...i was exclusivly 1/72 planes and armour......by the time i was 15 i was doing tamiya armour kits in 1/35.....by 17 i had given up the hobby........in favour of school/work, motorbikes, girls, beer, etc etc...usual story

got back into it in 2007ish......divorce, moving into my own place, unpacking and found a tamiya lotus 7 kit someone had bought me as a present years before....thought it would keep me occupied for a few nights, the bug bit and the rest is history lol

how times have changed......instant shopping via t'internet.....instant researching via t'internet..........instant help via t'internet.......instant comrades via forums on t'internet.............what a wonderful tool it is

ye gods!

ive just gone onto ebay to look up those horror figures...........the original Aurora ones are stupid prices.........the Polar Lights repops (if you can get them cos they seem even rarer than the originals) are still stupid prices!!

oh well.....bang goes that idea lol