I've been thinking of old Super Al and a few others lately.

It occured to me that they're in a place where their airbrushes never clog, the paint never runs, the seams are of course perfect and require no fill, the reference library immense, a plentiful supply of experts with a first hand knowledge of what is accurate and correct, and...

What else?

WmB

that actually sounds like hell. perfection and ease all the time? that would be torture. no stress, no pain? who could do that? "that which is written without pain is read without pleasure"

-that flaubert guy. i know i didn't get it word for word. i do miss al s. everytime i reach for the spares boxes or look at a reference.

god is a weenie.

snipped-for-privacy@some.domain wrote in news:q5pNl.15900$ snipped-for-privacy@en-nntp-01.dc.easynews.com:

Since he is the Creator, he would need one, going by human references.

Back to the thread; Yes, everytime I run across the neat 1/144th decal sheet in my spares box he made and sold me I send him a good thought. Last night I was watching "Patton 360" and wishing Dad was here to see it. I'd love to have heard his commentary on it. And tomorrow (today actually, now) I'm running down to the cemetery and check on my parents. Heck, I can check on 3/4 of that generation of the family in that one place. Glad the weather will be nice for once.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

tell you what, i'll send a thought to yours and you can send one to mine. they actually beliebed that stuff. me, not so much. yeah, my old man was a ground pounder. he made all the big euro shows. he said scicily was the one that REALLY scared him. the others were mere terror. he said that there was so much unknown about what lay ahed that one of the boat drivers said they had stocked body bags for 85%. dad thought that was a total load until he verified the day before.

Thought up a few more this morning:

1) The instructions are always in the language in which you speak.

2) Nothing ever falls off your workbench.

3) Blades never dull.

4) Decals never tear, never bleed light or paint and spread effortlessly over any detail.

5) You never have to explain why you like to build models.

6) Rivets are to scale and in the proper quantity and location. Well sort of.

7) The light is always good.

8) Glue always sticks better to plastic than flesh.

9) You know that kit you wish they'd release - well...

10) You can spend an eternity on the details - literally.

11) Paints are 15 cents a bottle (right there on the lid) and always in stock

12) AMS - what is AMS?

13) Do you kow which thinner and primer works best with each paint? You will.

14) The politically correct are burning in hell - so it's all good on the subject matter

15) The contest judge - well, there's none better. Fair, Tough and yet Forgiving

16) Dan's Monkey can type. Either that or we can read mon-key.

17) License attorneys, S*k*rsky attorneys, N*SC*R attorneys are keeping the politically correct company.

18) You remember all that stuff your mom thru out or your brother trashed?

19) Pets and small children are no longer curious about model kits.

20) There's a LOT of room for displaying.

21) Curiously, nobody has a stash.

22) You don't have to make engine noises, mg and bomb sounds - they come with the kit.

23) In flight displays require no wires or other visible means of support.

24) You can put a correct load out on your plane. But if you don't, no one will complain.

26) Things that you glue - stay glued.

27) All access panels open - and you now have the brains not to use all of them.

28) Nobody has a parts box - there are no spares.

29) The finished kit always looks as good or better than the box art

30) Yes - kits are actually finished

Oops - more than a few I suppose.

WmB

Photo-etch bits stay on the bench when cut and never fly off to the Twilight Zone.

on 5/10/2009 11:57 AM (ET) WmB wrote the following:

Nobody needs one. All models are always available and are free.

This is something I have noticed in the past few years, the "graying of the hobby". Most everyone who participates in this hobby is almost old enough to draw social security or at least old enough to order off the back page menu at Denny's.

I think you got it all wrong with Al (may he rest in peace).

As far as I remember Al's writing, he would love imperfect models. Why? Then he could use _his_ skills on that model and get it just right.

Why would Al need a reference library? He was the library.

Supply of experts? He would just join the experts an share his knowledge of what is accurate and correct.

What I'm really trying to say is that he would love to share his knowledge and skills with others. And he would love to use his skills to help others.

Am I wrong?

One thing I'm sure of: Al would keep on building models :-)

"Build What You Want The Way You Want"

Those words of his are forever etched in my mind.

After he left us, I built a KV II, and put red stars on the turret, and promptly got told that is was probably wrong to do so. I just quoted AL, and that was that for me.

No, not at all. I treasure the memories of him visiting my local. We had a great time, and he even talked me into selling him my vacuform F3D2. Only he could have gotten that one from me.

I'll never forget ! :)

"Uffe Bærentsen" wrote in news:4a098e20$0$15889$ snipped-for-privacy@dtext01.news.tele.dk:

Definitely not.

He might even have found a whole new subject mattter.

As time passes I'm finding the old and imperfect kits most interesting. OTOH, I'll never have helped as many people as Al did in his short time with us.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

i'll never have the seemingly infinite patience he had with some modelers, the ones who learned slowly. he could tolerate inattention and turn into learning.