Hi ya’ll. My name is Lee and I’m 33 years old. I’m just now getting back into model building after quite a few years. I have a fair amount of experience in FSMB over the years. I was on the 1/48 scale WWII aircraft kick for a while …then it was the 1/350th World War One warship kick. I’ve also done six 1/96th scale plastic sailing ships over the years and these include a CSS Alabama, an HMS Thermopylae, a USS Constitution, two Cutty Sarks and an HMS Victory.
A little bit about my background with armored fighting vehicles:
1989 to 1993: 2nd AAV Battalion, 2nd Marine Division ( operated the AAVP7A1 and C7)
1993 to 1997: 2nd and 8th Tank Battalion, 2nd and 4th Mar. Div. ( operated the M1A1)
2000 to present: employed by BAE Systems Land & Armaments Division ( formerly United Defense LP ) currently working the M2A2 ODS Bradley reset program but I have also worked the M109A6 and the M88A2 programs as well.
During my 8 years in the Marines I also had the chance to briefly operate both the British Challenger I, the German Leopard 2A4 and the Japanese Type 74 MBT in cross training exercises as well as drive a T-62A, a T-72B and a BMP-1. The latter three were captured as war trophies from the Iraqi Army during Gulf War One.
I never had the desire to build armor before …but recently I seem to be gaining an interest in doing 1/35th scale models of the equipment I am most farmiliar with so I bought an Italeri M109A6 Paladin and I’m gonna give it a whirl. If it goes well …I’ll do some other BAE products next.