For me it is:
Seeing “Twelve o’ Clock High” in 1949 and “Victory at Sea” in 1952 (my age shows)
A love of history
Doing research on the ships/aircraft design and operations that I model, to get a feel of what it was like to be there
Learning the craft of model building, a “hands-on” hobby if there ever was one
Chris
I model 1/72nd scale modern jets basically due to economics. but more specifically, I have always been facinated by modern aircraft and advances in new technologies in air combat. I like to believe that I’m helping to prserve an important era of aviation history.
I model what I model for a few reasons. I build helicopters since i used to be an avionics mechanic in the Army. I build tanks since I work on the same base that has one of the best tank collections in the US (Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Ordnance Museum). Then most of all I build aircraft since I am a licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic and aircraft has always been my passion, especially WW2 german aircraft.
Good question. I really like modeling WWII airplanes, for many of the same reasons everyone else has mentioned. But above all, the men who flew them, on both sides, we still very much in control of things. Not to take away anything from the pilots out there putting thier lives on the line today…but back then you couldn’t kill a plane from miles away. You actually had to get in there and duke it out.
And, anytime I spend a good deal of money on a kit or tool, I remember what a friend told me: some people can spend more than that at a bar in one night! At least we are at home with our families, and don’t wake up with a headache. Well, most of the time. Modeling can still give headaches, that’s for sure.