About Me

I am a life long model builder. I got my start building plastic models with my brother when we were just little kids. My earliest recollection is building the Monogram Ford Tri-motor kit and the Airfix Boeing Trans-Atlantic Clipper (it was always called the China Clipper in our household being that we grew up on the West Coast).

Like most youngsters, my models at an early age were poorly assembled and had a short life span. It was not until I reached junior high school that I really made an attempt to build models with a degree of neatness and craftsmanship. By the time I had graduated from high school, I had read Bryan Philpott's book, Making Model Aircraft. From that book I gained the foundation for all the skills that I have used to build my models since.

I build mostly aircraft models however, I do enjoy building armor, ships, space craft and cars. In addition I enjoy model railroading. I don't normally enter model contests, however, I did win a First Place Award and a Second Place Award at TamiyaCon X (2005) for two of my models.

My Model Building Philosophy

I am an "old school" model builder at heart - I avoid many of the techniques that are common today - using photo etch parts, re-scribing and highlighting panel lines. I feel these items only serve to complicate the model and add to the cost of construction and finishing in terms of both time and money. I strive to keep my builds clean, simple and low budget.

I only use after market metal, plastic and resin parts and decals if they are absolutely necessary to achieve the appearance that I am after. I sometimes recycle my older models for parts that I am able to utilize in customizing my newer projects. I try not to let anything go to waste if possible.

I place a higher importance on making the model appealing to the eye rather than stressing over whether the model is accurate. My inspiration comes from the way models were built in the late sixties and early seventies.

You'll find many of the older kits such as those from Airfix, Aoshima, FROG, KP, Lindberg, Matchbox, and Revell that are largely ignored by the professional modelers of today on my website. I enjoy these models for their simplicity and ease of construction. The fewer the number of parts the better. In addition they are usually very inexpensive.