Hello from Alaska

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hittingonallnine
starter kit
Posts: 6
Joined: October 23rd, 2016, 6:28 am

Hello from Alaska

Post by hittingonallnine »

I'm here to vie for the title of "Oldest Modeller." I started building balsa and paper models as a kid, and stopped when I figured out that perfume smelled better than Type A Testors. Spent four years in the US Air Force as a radar tech in a fighter squadron. I've lived in Alaska for the past 52 years, and am now 78. Four years ago, while surfing the Internet, I saw an twin-engine prop job that grabbed my interest. Upon investigating it, I learned that it was a Douglas A-26, a medium bomber that saw the last year or so of World War II. I also learned that it was used in Vietnam. A California company had made a version of it, the B-26K, designed to interdict south-bound traffic on "The Trail," the B-26K. It had eight 50-caliber machine guns in the nose, a bomb bay that would (and did) hold all kinds of wicked looking bombs, and eight pylons for holding everything a kid who liked blow up stuff could possibly want. My wife gave me the Italeri kit for Christmas, and I've been hooked ever since. I've limited myself to 1/72 scale, and to the Vietnam War period — 1955-1975, by my reckoning. At this writing, more than 30 aircraft of that era, from a Bird Dog to a BUFF, soar in the airspace of my man cave. I'm now building the Airfix 1/72 DHC-2 Beaver (RU-6A), used by the US Army to locate enemy radio transmitters and gather electronic intelligence. I enjoy learning the history of the war(s), the people and the aircraft at least as much a I enjoy the actual building of the models. I'll spend four hours in research for every hour of building.

I look forward to consorting with people from the Motherland. Some of my people came to America from there, or, more likely, fled from there. Whatever, I trust that my living in one of the colonies won't detract from my worthiness as a forum member.
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iggie
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Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by iggie »

Welcome to the forum!
Looking forward to seeing some of your builds, and hearing your views on ours too!
Best wishes

Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
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jssel
Still crazy after all these years
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Joined: April 5th, 2011, 3:42 pm

Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by jssel »

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your stay.
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale
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Dazzled
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Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by Dazzled »

Welcome to the UAMF. Looking forward to seeing your builds. :)
COLD WAR S.I.G. LEADER

Wherever there's danger, wherever there's trouble, wherever there's important work to be done....I'll be somewhere else building a model!
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JohnRatzenberger
Why is he so confused ?
Posts: 15708
Joined: April 5th, 2011, 3:42 pm
Location: Living on a sandbar - Nags Head, NC.

Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

Welcome aboard !!!
You might be oldest current member, not sure about oldest ever, Pete comes to mind.
You stand a good chance of being our only Alaskan, possibly our first.

I've made several trips up their, TDY not pleasure, none in quite a while.
John Ratzenberger :???:
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
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beany
Fat git, glasses, goatie - Avoid!
Posts: 4306
Joined: April 6th, 2011, 11:05 am
Location: Chellaston, Derby

Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by beany »

hittingonallnine wrote:Whatever, I trust that my living in one of the colonies won't detract from my worthiness as a forum member.
Detract?? You gotta be kidding, that makes you our star member I 'd say. Short of having someone join who lives at one of the Poles I can't see anyone beating that! A warm welcome to the forum sir. I hope you enjoy your time here with us. Please do let us see some of your work. All grades are accepted and encouraged; they even let me display some of mine occasionally!
Cheers
Al.
2024 Acquired: 9 Built: 1
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Gregers
Forum founder
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Joined: April 10th, 2011, 6:13 pm

Re: Hello from Alaska

Post by Gregers »

Welcome to the forum from here in Yorkshire. All are worthy members here and all are equal too. I know what you mean about reading about the subject before building it. If I stopped doing that I may just manage to finish something before the next ice age.

All the best.

Greg
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
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