You Know You Are An Old Modeler When...

On 6/5/2011 4:47 PM, Musicman59 wrote:>

I can't begin to think how many '36 Fords I have and they all came in different boxes. Then there are two boxings worth on '41 Plymouths here. The difference is that I've actually started messing with most of them.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

"> You have been building long enough to have several repops of the same

Slightly modified: You have been building long enough to have several unbuilt repops of the same kit and built the original issue the weekend after it hit the local 5 & 10 or variety store (When did hobby shops first appear?).

I remember a time when modelers didn't have a stash - just built kits.

When I first started modeling - I could keep up with all the new Revell, Monogram and Linberg releases.

When I first started modeling there wasn't one Panzer IV kit on the market.

Val Kraut

I had a variety store just a few blocks away from home, run by a few white haired ladies. last one I remember buying there was a 1/72 Revell Condor. the only time I had stash was after a birthday or christmas other wise I built them fast and usually cut off the box top and pinned them to the wall. Not once did I think of them as an investment or something that could not be gotten rid of. Wonder why we think that now, besides the obvious financial investment kits cost now. But I happily blew them up in the backyard. just as much fun as building them.

Craig

There was a small place within bicycle range - 2 miles maybe - called Economy Variety. Run by a couple and a mother-in-law. They sold everytning from pots and pans to plastic models. They were the only one to get the XSL by Revell. The larger stores probably realized it was beyond the price demand curve. I had some allowance saved up and snapped it up. Now they get $500 plus on bay.

It was funny that the stores in bike range - one woolworths, 1 variety store, 2 newspaper/card shop variety stores, 1 medium size toy store and a local department store I could get to with my mother all sold models and all had different selections. You had to make the rounds. The one Hobby shop was across the street from the department store and in plastic had mainly Frog - which was unexciting to me at least.

I also saved the box tops - went in the trash when I got married.

Val Kraut

Howard Ruth's Hobbies, Buffalo New York, Founded 1928, lasted through the Depression and folded in 1978 with the death of the founder. His kids didn't want to work in "that" part of town and couldn't be bothered moving to a safer area. I've also seen advertisements for hobby stores in other areas in mid-1930s Air Trails magazines, although they might have also been toy stores.

"Ve ist too soon oldt und too late schmart......."

That was because we were young, and didn't have jobs...

enough to have several repops of the same

first one you bought...

We also built what we got in an afternoon and used as much glue as we needed to get things to stick so we could rush into painting and decalling. Now we spend days, weeks and months researching stuff before we even start and much longer to build anything.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Val Kraut wrote the following:

When I started modeling there weren't any military models since they were still fighting in Europe and Asia. The first plastic models I remember were toylike antique cars.

I enjoyed the heck out of building a kit as soon as I got home, never waiting for the glue to dry properly. Even put stars and bars decals on upside down. the build was what was fun. All my builds are headed to the garage to get dusty on a shelf, so I long ago decided not to worry about seams, crooked this and that. Some 45 or so years later, I still place my glue covered fingers on a kit, and I just rub it off. No big deal. It's just for me and my man cave. A lot more fun for me to not stress over these things. I look at my kits from a few feet away, not inches, so it all blends together and looks just fine. Its unfortunate that the hobby is heading towards the expection of recreating a museum piece, with 1000's of pieces, many of which can't be seen. Oh well...

Craig

You know you're an old modeler when you can remember when key information about the airplane your modeling was still classified and you read an article that says that the last example has been sent to the bone yard.

Mike

On Jun 7, 1:21=A0pm, Mike wrote:

My small home town in Arkansas had a Ben Franklin and Sterling's five and dime stores but we also had a small hobby shop (a glass case and one wall with shelves) in the local shoe repair store on Main Street. Bought my first Olin Stinson, Navion; Hawk GeeBee and Howard Ike at the Ben Franklin and later after the Olin merger a Lindberg F-86 . I was returning from a Sunday afternoon matinee at the "Majestic" and passing the shoe repair/hobby shop saw a Aurora (I think) F9F Panther in the window...this must have been somethime between '50 and '51. Since it was summer and very hot the store's front door was open so I walked in and asked about the Panther, Since it was Sunday and we still had "Blue Laws" I couldn't buy it but I scrapped up the 89 cents and went back early Monday morning and got it. The shop sponsored contest and one was for "Speedy builts" and I even got an award for my S.P.A.D. The shop stayed in business through the '80's and even after finishing college and going out into the world of work I'd stop in when I was back "in state" and home and visit with the owners (he passed away about 10 years ago) and of course the store is no longer there and in fact never got another hobby shop. Well, so much for this. One of the previous post in this series mentioned "old" hobby shops and wondered how long they'd been around. A few years ago I was visiting friends in Holland and we went to a "Model Shop" in downtown Rotterdam that was established in 1600 something......now that's old. Of course it started out a a shop for lead figure soldiers.but was still doing business today. May try to go back there this fall when we go to Holland again. Well, the end. Cliff

the px wherever we were seemed to reflect the tastes of the clerk's. if women ran the toy department, there were 5 different models and no paints. oddly, there would be 5 different gilbert chemistry sets.

23 years ago I was stationed in Germany and bought the Italeri M4A2 Jumbo (it was a new kit and I didn't know much about Shermans or Jumbos). I remember reading some article on it; must have been in Military Modeler, or something about it not being a Jumbo. I was rather heartbroken and pawned it off as a gift to a boy I was penpals with from Wisconsin (still keep in touch with him on occasion, going to have to fb him). I've always wanted to find another copy of that kit, just to give it a try. I think it's been re-popped by Italeri but marked properly this time.

I remember the Navy guys cleaning out all the Revell kits at the ships store, everything went when the ships came into port on the West Pac cruises. Sometimes they had the models of the ships they were assigned to.

We used to shop all the different PXs and BXs (and NEXs) to find what we wanted, it was what was on stock, none of this mail order like now. Off base in Japan was a real mecca back then, Y360 =3D $1, most 1/72 kits were Y100. not a lot of paint. If you were real adventurious you mixed paint, finally Badger came out with an airbrush. Glue was out of a tube (was it Revell that had a tube of glue? blue and yellow?).

If you're really old, you remember all the drug stores carried models, also the five and dime, nothing really expensive. 49c was the cheapest I think, some were 98c. Those were the days.....

I'm 64, and started shopping for models around 1957. I can remember Lindberg models (Bf.109, Spitfire, Mustang & Thunderbolt) for $.29 each. Same price to the Howard Pete, Knight Twister, Mooney Wee Scotsman, Swee' Pea and Midget Mustang when you could find them. I bought a brand new Midget Mustang for $.15 from a local department store in 1972, the last time I saw one being sold over the counter.

Regards, John Braungart

i would get a buck from my gram and hit the drugstore. whatever dollar plane i hadn't built i grabbed. i always forgot the tax and the pharmacist always cuffed me the 2 cents. one time i remembered and gave him $1.10 and told him the other 8 cents was for tax i owed him. he had a big smile and said that a man always paid his debts. i shook his hand, thanked him and felt like a man. i believe i was nine.

And I remember back when you could walk into a store selling individual Testors paints with a dollar plus tax and walk out with 10 bottles. Now a buck won't get you one. The cheapest kits I remember buying for myself were the Airfix Craftmaster WWI planes for 29¢ each. Brisfits and DH.4s were 49¢.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.