I’ve been asked to build a spitfire Vb for my friends father in-law who served with 126Sqn in Malta during WWll. I felt quite flattered that they asked me and that they provided me the 1/48 Tamiya kit to do the job. Before now I’ve always built for myself, but this is for someone who served his country. I’m going to make sure this is the best kit I’ve ever done.
Hi Guys:
I’m brand new to this forum, but I’ve been building for the past five years. I’ve learned a lot from reading FSM, my own club members comments and builds, and a lot of Internet site visiting.
Last year, I built a Revell/AG model of the Essex carrier as the USS Franklin for my uncle, who served as an electrician’s mate on board. He enjoyed it very much. If you want to see it go to:
http://www.modelingmadness.com and look under build reviews. I’m currently building an Italeri Jeep for my father who served in Europe in WW II with the 84th Infantry Division (the Railsplitters).
Model on!
Pete[8D]
My daughter is an engineer with the Boeing Company in St Louis working on the black boxes for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. She was recently transferred to the group working on the latest version of the Hornet, ie, the EA-18 Growler that is supposed to replace the Grumman EA-6B Prowler. I used an Italeri F/A-18F kit and converted it to EA-18 with AN/ALQ-199 jamming pods from the EA-6B kit and custom made wing tip jammers and other antennas. A one-of-a-kind model that has evoked many comments from her fellow engineers.
I’m a Catholic Priest near Washington DC. I like to to the old soldiers and airman’s home. I talk to the veterans about their military experience. I ask what unit or squadron they were in and research that unit and then build a model of their plane or vehicle or a figure from their unit and give it as a gift to honor their service. I’ve been amazed at the reactions. Once I got it right and the man said I got his P-47 exactly as he remembers it. Model building can be a great ministry to men who deserve any honor we can give them.
Paul
A long time ago I built a P38 Lightning for my Dad. He was a P38 mechanic during the WW2. That model sat on a shelf in our family room for years. My Dads been gone for 10 years now. But the Lightning survives. It now sits on a shelf in my home. And I smile every time I look at it. My Dad was the greatest.
nothing will put you in better graces with your local lawenforment people than to build one of thier units and give it to them to display in thier office.
I built a Lindberg 1966 Pontiac Bonneville for my father. It was his first car when he was a kid. I contructed an exact replica from a few old photos. I even took the time and money to have the original paint color mixed for the body.
I built a M-109 Paladin for my Smoke ( platoon sergeant ) before he went to his next duty station in Italy
,he was a really cool Smoke! He never got to spend any real time on the heavy guns just the light pop guns they jump in with. I think he really liked it?
Ive built quite a few models for people, mostly on commission, but there are a few Ive built as gifts. The first, a coworker of mine was an M1 mechanic and was injured while working on a set of tracks. He was honorably discharged for that too. So, for his birthday, I built one for him and even made a figure to look like him. My current project is a B-36. My dad use to build these in Fort Worth and he worked on the very last one produced. He gave me the serial number plate off it a few months ago that he has had since the day it left the line( shhh, dont tell anyone) So, I decided, as a Christmas gift, I would build that exact plane, which is pictured in the B-36 in action, and mount it on a large frame along with the serial plate.
I am building the Trumpeter F-105D for a good friend who flew it for over 100 missions in Viet-Nam with the 80th sqdn. I had previously built him the Monogram 1/48 one plus their F-4D which he flew after the sqdn transitioned to them.
When he came back from Viet-Nam, he was shunned as a “baby killer” or Yankee air pirate".Not to be deterred by draft-dodgers,he finished his DDS at USC. He now operates a highly successful dental practice here in So. Calif.
I told him about the project of the 1/32nd Thud. He was thrilled!
If any of us have modeling skills and know a vet, you couldn’t give a better gift. Maybe check out your local Vets hospital.
Tony Ryan
I have a fond memory of my Grandpa George seeing the Waco Glider I built him. He was one of those guys that didn’t want to talk about his service in WWII. I wasn’t sure how he would take it when I was asked to build the plane by another family member(heck I didn’t even know he was a pilot and had flow P-51’s and gliders during the war). His eyes at the moment I unveiled my gift told how much the little plane meant to him. When ever we dropped by the plane was always displayed in a prominent location in a cabinet or on the coffee table. I was even asked to repair it twice. He died several years later so I’m glad I took the chance and built it for him.