My Dad has been the biggest reason for my journey into modeling. When I was 4 years old he bought the Revell/Monogram 1:48 B-17F "Memphis Belle", as I was obsessed with the movie and the bomber. According to my parents, I left the dinner table not to be seen again for a while. I was quiet... too quiet, and they discovered me on the floor with the B-17 box "carefully" twisting off the fuselage parts and fixing them together with scotch tape.
About this same time we were getting ready to move so the B-17 was boxed up until we were settled in. I would have been 5 and this was the summer months, my Dad and I began working on the B-17 again. And it's a memory I still remember. He was the builder, and my job was to find the parts from the instructions. We built our Memphis Belle, it hung over my bed while we lived in that house. I remember being so excited that I finally had a Memphis Belle B-17. Over the years of living there, Dad and I added more 1:48 Monogram kits to the ceiling, and it was the same routine, he'd build and I'd find the parts for him.
My Dad will openly admit that I've surpassed him in modeling abilities. There are times that I "take it too far" as he will jest. And I'll admit there are many times he's correct. But in 2020, I was rushing to build the marvelous Tamiya 1:48 Ki-61 Hien for online Group Build in a vain attempt to win a prize I had my mind set on.
Well, I didn't win, sadly I didn't even finish the model. No instead I actually ruined the model trying to recover it. I was quite depressed about this, as it was the height of COVID I couldn't just go out and order another one. I felt very defeated and upset with myself for messing up so foolishly.
My Dad saw my frustration, and I pointed out that his U-boat was broken. He then told me "Why don't you fix it"?
I was floored by this! You see my older brother orchestrated the buying of this kit, Revell 1:72 U-boat VIIc, for my Dad's birthday nearly a decade ago. And I was always under the impression that this kit was very special to him.
He said that he had already built it, taken it to a model show, and won a prize for it (Gold) and that he wanted to see what I could do with the model.
My Dad's U-boat model in the Nanton Model Show 2015
I've always wanted to build and distress one of these U-boats, and so I took him up on his offer. My older brother I don't think was very impressed that I "ruined" our father's model. But I had the blessing of my Father to do whatever I wanted to with this project.
It was a good summer project, and I finished it in about a month and a half's time. I made a video showing off the restoration of this project, and in the beginning, I dedicated the video and project to my Dad.
I got many comments about this project relating to my Dad. "Your father will be proud of this" "Your Dad must have been very pleased with the end result" "I'm sure your Dad is pretty proud right now"To be honest, I think that he liked it, but there wasn't much of a "joy attack" I think most viewers were expecting. And I do remember that when I showed him the model with just the dark blue and grey on the upper sides he didn't think that it looked good at all. But once he saw the lower side painted he changed his mind.
My next project was the Tamiya 1:48 F-14A. I wanted this kit for over a year and I finally got my hands on one. I bought this kit as a therapy project, and after a few weeks of working on it in October, I put the kit away. Something had happened in my life that prevented this build from being the therapy I needed.
Finally, in late June 2021, I decided that I was going to finally finish this F-14! I wanted to see it sitting on my display case. I just wanted to get this kit done as best I could and in the way I wanted.
I bought some Sundowners decals "Miss Molly" as I'm a big fan of their markings. And I asked my younger brother to paint up the Pilot and RIO figures with Sundowners helmets. Mind you these are hand-painted and in 1:48th scale.
He's a very talented painter and his skills on these pilots were jaw-dropping to everyone that saw them. Several people to who I showed these online were in disbelief that these weren't decals.
The joke around the house was that people weren't going to pay any attention to my model and just look at my brother's exceptional figure painting. And they weren't wrong.
Well after weeks of work, and many late nights that bled into the early mornings. August 16th, 2021, I finally had my F-14A completed.
I've said it many times I'm a Tamiya fanboy and I'll proudly die that way. This kit was something else, something, unlike anything I've ever built, even in the Tamiya product range. It's practically a dummy-proof model kit that anyone at any skill level could build if they can just follow the instructions.
It's an amazing model and I quickly realized why people would buy 8 or more of these kits, they are just stunning. I can't speak higher praises. The other thing that I like about Tamiya kits is that they have a strange ability to push me further with my modeling abilities. I learned a lot from this kit, as far as new methods of painting, assembly, and even rediscovered decaling methods I'd long forgotten.
It was a very challenging project and one that I'm really ecstatic I completed. I think I sat at my table for a good half hour in pure unbelief that I finally had it done.
The next day I was very excited to show off my F-14. My brother came in and saw it, and looked at the figures with a nod, not really saying much.
Later my Mum and sister took a look at it, and both (as I had predicted) commented mostly on the amazing figures my brother had painted for this.
I had become depressed at this point. I had expected this reaction and I didn't handle it too well. I was rather hoping that my Dad would forget about this and not see it. I thought that if I heard about the figures once more I was going to snap.
But later that evening my Dad did come by and wanted to see this F-14. I begrudgingly opened the display case, and my Dad put on his proper glasses. He just stared at it for a while, and slowly commented his way down the model. And he did mention the figures... but to my surprise just briefly.
"I can't believe you did this"
I asked him what he meant by that? And he said that with all the work I was doing (I paint in his studio so he's fairly up to date on what my projects are) all of that work, all of that time. I think that this is your best model. You've never built anything like this before.
He then asked me about the carrier deck I was planning on building, and he became even more delighted. In all my years of modeling, I think I've seen him like this twice. Not that my Dad isn't impressed with my modeling, but to get a reaction out of him like this is something rare.
"Is this going to be a video? I think people should see this"
Well, I nearly flipped over at that one! I know he watches most of my builds and he likes to see the comments on them. But he's NEVER, never once cared about my builds being a video. I told him that I recorded the entire build and that at some point in the year it would be a video.
I mentioned earlier that this project was designed to be a coping tool. I was dealing with the loss of a good friend and companion. I built this in dedication to her. She was beautiful and I just wanted to create a beautiful model. My Dad's reaction to it all was just praise I wasn't ready to hear.
I'm ordering the parts for the display base. I think I'll begin working on that soon. And my Dad is thrilled because I mentioned I need his help with that. And Mum, if you are reading this, don't worry, you've helped out too and when I get to that model I'll write up about you too.
Thanks Dad, none of this would have happened if not for you getting me started all those years ago.
