…model, of course! Not what you guys were thinking.[:D] I remember building a Dodge Ram around 1975 or 76. Like any skilled 6 year old, I built it over the course of a couple of evenings, and finished it with huge globs of brushed-on gloss black. Man, was I proud of it though! lol
My first military kit was an ancient Tamiya Tiger I, circa 1980-81’ish. I didn’t even paint it. So long as the turret rotated and the tracks moved, it was good enough. [:I]A teacher showed the class a documentary of the battle of Stalingrad from the BBC series called ‘The War Years’, produced in the 70’s. I’ve been hooked ever since. I know a certain hobby shop owner who’s grateful to a certain teacher. lol
My first tank was the Tamiya Panzer II that I built a couple of years ago. I still have it to remind me of my roots. My first Dragon kit was a King Tiger. It was a hand full for my armor novice skills. I’ve gone from this
My first kit was the Airfix Bristol beaufighter in 1/72. I got it for x-mas when I was about 8, which was at a time when Germany still had an Emperor. My first armor kit I can’t remember but I am sure it was something Airfix or maybe Matchbox since they just came out. By the way, I was firtunate enough to find a kit of the beau at contest vendor a couple years ago.
Not too sure of my first model, but my first armor effort was Monogram’s Pz IV. I built it all in one day. I didn’t clean any parts. I cut the pieces with a pocket knife. LOL I didn’t paint it either and was still impressed with it. Later on I did paint it: Panzergrey no less!
Ahh, yes… It was a warm summer night down by the lake. She was…
Oh, first model. I started with cars (oh no!). Both my older brothers built cars when I was young. So I did what they did. Not sure what the first was, but I do remember the old Monogram(?) '60ish Corvette dragster called Glass Pack. It had “Glass Pack” decals for the sides. I remember thinking I was so witty to cut the GL off the decals. After that, I quickly realized my true calling with armor models and I think the first armor was an Italeri Pz38t. I painted it horribly and it had big globs of tube glue in it, but it was great.
This was my first finished model built a little over 4 years ago, the Italeri tiger (p) and i used methods i found here and it was my first posted model here also.
My first kit was a Brontosaurus, either by Life Like or Pyro, I can’t remember which company… built with my dad’s help of course, and then painted with good old Testors gloss enamels… followed shortly thereafter by a Revell Prinz Eugen. First armor kit I can remember was a 1/32 Monogram Mk IV. Hoping they will reissue that one someday soon since Revell seems to really be digging up a LOT of those older kits and marketing them again.
My first models were an F104 Starfighter (don’t remember the brand, but it was chromed) and Revell’s 1/535 Missouri. I was 6 or 7 and built both with my dad. I think he did most of the building, but after that I was pretty much on my own. I built most everything, although not too much armor. My first tank was Revell’s Sherman, “Black Magic” but aside from that and a few 1/72 jobs, I don’t think I built any other tanks. Most of the armor in my local hobby shops was Tamiya stuff which I looked at longingly but couldn’t buy or get my parents to buy because they were comparatively expensive. The hobby sure as changed in the intervening four decades. Ironically, my favorite kits to build these days are the old Tamiya ones I couldn’t get whenI was a kid.
My first kits were called “Pirates of the Caribbean” or something like that–they were these skeleton pirate vignettes, and they all had some sort of gimmicky rubber band-operated “slashing sword arm” or the like. I built several of them in the cellar of the local LHS on Tuesday Night Modeler Night. Basically, it was like someone’s cellar; the LHS was so small at the time.
I then moved on to watching Dad build some cars. Then about 5 years later, I got back into it with some helicopters after reading “Chickenhawk”, about the air cav in Vietnam.
When I finished that book and had built about 6-7 choppers, I got a book about “The Tunnels of Cu Chi”, and got an old Monogram “Patton” tank–hair of the dog that bit me! Been modeling Armor ever since!
I built a TON of those 1/76 Matchbox kits with their little dios at first, then I started in with a lot of Nichimo releases, and Italeri…and on and on…
My first kits were car models, hotrods…can’t remember exactly what was first, WAY TOO LONG AGO. I do remember building this crazy half car/half animated creature model by Monogram back in the 60’s…that’s dating me now huh !!
My first armor model was an old 1/32 Monogram Stud IV with the rubber tracks. It was brush painted in OD green and it looked terrible, but I thought it was pretty cool at the time…still have it after all these years.
Then my older brother and I built a small train layout…God, I was hooked from then on…welcome to the dark side…
My mother got me a DC-3 when I was 10 years old in '65, probably in 1/72 scale. As I recall, I was in such a rush to complete the model that I forgot to add the interior. Can’t remember what company made the model but it was molded in silver/grey plastic and the decals were a deep red in color. I wonder if they were TWA markings?
My first ever model was Matchbox 1/76 Churchill AVRE which I built when I was about 12. I built nearly all of the Matchbox armour kits and most of the aircraft ones also. I couldn’t resist buying the Revell re-issue of the Churchill, might even get a few more. When I got back into modelling, I built Tamiya 1/48 Panzer IV as a Christmas present for my brother.
My first model was a Monogram Spitfire V that I built with a lot of help from my grandfather when I was about 5. I still have it, even though the prop blades are all gone, there’s no paint, and the decals are peeling a bit. Reminds me of my roots. My first armor model was a Matchbox 1/76 scale Panther.
Mine was a Cutty Sark from Revell. My mom had to help me cut out the plastic sails and we tried to glue it together with Elmers white glue, and some kind of thick paste glue she had in the top of the closet. Never did get thet thing built, but I was hooked ever since, that was about 1978.
My first ever kit that I built myself was a Monogram Snap-Tite B-25 Mitchell that I picked up at the PX. My dad had been hospitalized for back surgery and he built model aircraft as a diversion while he was in recovery…I saw that and got hooked. Built AC from the time I was 7 until I graduated from HS and went off to college…even managed to build a few while I was in college but hung it up due to “starving college student” syndrome. I came back to the hobby in 2001 and my first ever armor model was Tamiya’s Matilda Mk. II that I built and painted for a buddy from an online game that was in the hospital (see a trend here? [(-D] modeling and sickness go together!). Been hooked on armor ever since.
My first was a Mk 22 Spitfire from HAWK in 1/72 scale. I was 6 or 7, and mom brough it home for me to try, since I’d been nutso about my (older) cousin’s models and wanted to try it… Strangely enough, after all these years, I ran across it quite by accident in Ebay and bought it, lol… It arrived a couple weeks ago, and I’ve just kinda stared at it, wishin’ I still had the first one to do a comparison-build, lol…
My first armor kit was Monogram’s Halftrack in 1/32 scale… I don’t remeber exactly when it was, but it was prior to Shep Paine’s diorama sheets being included in the kits… The first Paine dio sheet I saw came in the M-48 kit… I got that around 1974 and never looked back at building kits the same way again, and without a diorama…
Back in 1960 or 61, when I was 7 or 8 years old. I don’t recall the manufacturer, but it was probably Monogram or Revell. A Curtiss P-40, it was small, probably 1/72 scale. It was molded in dark green and I remember the box had great art work and a red panel with the manufacturer’s name. I think dad wanted to beat me senseless cause I wanted to “fly” before the wings were dry. I still think a P-40 is a cool looking fighter.
