A little more than a year ago, I decided I wanted to try to get back into this hobby. I had made a few aircraft in highschool (a blackbird, and the testors Top Gun birds), but really had no patience or skill. So anyway last summer I picked up Paul Boyer’s book Building and Displaying Model Aircraft, stumbled upon armorama (and later this site), bought a corsair, and jumped in last September. Well it has been a great year; one that I have really enjoyed. I have learned so much from the books I have picked up, internet sites, like this, etc. In fact I figure it would have taken many, many, many years to learn what I did in 1 year if I was doing this without helpful advice from people like those on this site, so I wanted to show a year’s worth of building to celebrate my “anniversary.”
Now of course, I am still growing and hopefully will always be able to say that, and I have chosen to spend this year constructing kits that supposedly fall together or put themselves together when the box is shook. (however, I have to admit that no matter how hard I throw the pieces up in the air, I have yet to have them all fall together - maybe someone could expand on that technique for me [:D])
The stats: I believe I have built 8 kits this year, the 7 below plus an MPC x-wing for a friend which I never took pictures of. I have probably spent $500-1000 on supplies, kits, airbrush, compressor, etc. (might keep that realization away from my wife’s attention). and have added about 8 new kits to the “to be built but I haven’t touched them yet” pile.
I would love to know how I compared in the number of kits built, estimated $$ spent, and amount added to the stash with other modelers, so if you don’t mind, post some stats (or even better pictures) of your own to show your accomplishments over the past year.
Thanks,
Leon
My pics of a year well spent with a new hobby/obsession: (note: the pics are in chronological order - hopefully you can see some growth)
Definate growth. You have advance more in one year than some people do in an entire “career.” I think your subject are great too. I love the Hellcat in British camo. Shading is great… weathering… it’s all good. Keep up the good work and keep on sharing it.
Good to see you’re enjoying you modelling mate. The pics look good. So far this year I have completed about 7 or 8 kits and am just starting another one. I wouldn’t have a clue on what sort of amount I’ve donated to the LHS, but it’d probably be about the same sort of figure as yours.
Great looking collection you have there! I like the British Hellcat as well. Keep up the good work. Now as far as myself, I’ve probably completed about 10 in the past year plus taken two of my display shelf and re-did them. The money I’ve spent? I don’t keep track of that but it’s probably about $700 or so.
Wow! Great collection, what ever the figure your money has been well spent as long as you have enjoyed yourself thanx for the pics keep up the fine work[bow]
i agree you have grown tremendously in this hobby in a year. for myself i finished 5, have 4 in progress. i have spent around $1500 on supplies and such. alas i dont have a compressor nor a good ab. but i make do. i have 19 unbuilt kits in the stash. been a good year for me also.
A year & money well spent. Start up costs in any hobby are always the highest, but with the AB & compressor out of the way you’ve covered some of the major costs. Your builds are very good & will get even better as you progress in the Hobby. Hope to see many more during the years to come.
your story sounds alot like mine Leon!! and i too have 7 builds under my belt the first year in the hobby!! and yes, as always, i did build a few glue balls as a kid, and one i even airbrushed when i was about 15, but nothing since til last year, and i’m glad to be back.
anyway, you have a very impressive array of builds for the first year!! especially the stang!! gotta love that one eh?!! i’m workin on 3 D’s now. please keep up the great work, i love viewing it. BTW, my 2nd favorite one in your builds is the F4F…the US Navy one.
i really couldn’t tell ya how much i’ve spent over the last year…probably somewhere in the nieborhood of 1800 bucks, but i bought 4 airbrushes too!! finally found one i like. later.
They look very nice and there is definate improvement in your work. I really like the Brit Hellcat! I have hundreds of kits in the stash, roughly 70 built and somewhere around 450 reference books all dealing with WW2. I have no idea what it is all worth but its more than worth it to me for the hours of enjoyment it gives me!
Nice looking collection there, and a definite improvement in quality throuout the year.
Not that your early kits are shabby by any margin!!!
I’ve just totted up my kits for the last 12 months, which is also pretty much my first full year back in the hobby, and arrived at a total of 8, 6 completed. 2 on the bench. 6 in 1/72, and 2 in 1/48.
Looks like a year well spent.Your kits look very good too.
As for how much I 've spent ,I daren’t say.
However I have built about 12kits over the last 12 months,
and bought dozens.
Good looking collection there. Don’t know how much I spent (if you don’t know it doesn’t hurt!) Added about forty to the stash and I’ve got four on the bench, one of which is nearly finished (my P-47D).
Thanks for the comments and input guys. It is good to hear that my $500-1000 isn’t quite as crazy as it first sounded to me. Now that I think of it $50-100 a month to experience all of the fun I have had over the past year is well worth it!
Lovely birds mate, they’re really looking goooood!
I just love the Corsair, on the other hand who doesn’t?
keep up the good work.
[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]
Well, some great work there Leon. I mayself have finished the great total of 0 this year, maybe because I spent ( months of it in Afghanistan, came home to a new baby and lots of work building my dream workshop in the basement, which by the way is perfect. All this did not stop me buying kits and supplies, also dreaming of additions to the stash.
Tonight I am going to sit down in my new leather office chair, turn on the TV and work on my 1/48 Spitfire Mk1 and Hurricane Mk 1, and god willing I will at least finish these 2 before Xmas.
Continue the good work and thankyou for adding to the inspiration we all sometimes need after a hard day at work.
I am with Andy (although he has better excuses [:D] ). I do have one almost finished and several I am working on. Got a contest end of the month and trying to get something done for it. I did refinish one of my others and took it to the Nats with a couple of others. No joy but lots of people said they remembered them and liked them so alls good.
Money wise I have only spent $4-500 this year and that included a new compressor that I still haven’t fired up yet. Don’t even know how clean the old AB is.
Your stuff looks great but they are all wingy thingys. Would have liked to see that X-Wing.
