Nostalgia - a boy's bedroom ceiling

[Dunter1969]

This is my son's room, a couple more have been added since this photo was taken.

[Alan P]

This is my son's room, a couple more have been added since this photo was taken.

That's fantastic!

Al

[TheBaron]

Some proper dogfights up here. Great to see them.. At least none of you tried the daft idea my teenage self had of using lines of sewing thread coloured in with dashes of red felt tip (always was a stickler for technical accuracy...) to simulate tracers pouring out of the guns of various aircraft. One dark and rainy night the Airfix Stirling fell off the ceiling and as all the aircraft were joined together by said tracers (even the Eagle transporter from Space 1999...,) it managed to bring down most of the ceiling display with it onto my sleeping head. Cue startled screams at waking up to find I had apparently been embalmed for breakfast by a very large spider.

Your pictures are a great evocation of that stage of life.

Cheers all,

Tony

Edited April 11, 2016 by TheBaron

[johnny jaguar and the jets]

When I was very young 1960 to around 1968 my Dad built models on a Saturday afternoon we'd bought from Sid Sharrocks model shop on Cockpit Hill in Derby and by Sunday teatime they would be painted and finished and on my ceiling. I had 28 in all and I can still remember each one by name. Back in those days GP's did home visits and as a sickly child I saw Dr Skinner from Stanley quite a lot! Every time he would visit he would ask me the names of the new models on my ceiling.

Here is me inspecting the newly released Airfix Halifax on Christmas Day 1963, Happy Days.

Over the years I gradually broke them and they sadly got thrown away when we moved house in 1971.

I started building kits myself from about 8 onwards and when we moved in 71 I shared a bedroom with my younger brother and hung my completed masterpieces from our bedroom ceiling just as Dad had done for me. Here's the ceiling circa 1977. By this time I was in my second year in the RAF and would bring my completed models I had built in the block home, to be admired by my brother and hung on the ceiling.

Here's a picture taken with a really poor quality 110 camera remeber those, How many can you identify?

When at home on leave I would build kits at the desk in the bedroom including Control Line Keil Kraft flyers as I had now graduated to flying models.

I was also into David Bowie by then!

Cheers

Ian

A beautiful story!

Thanks for sharing

[Nachtwulf]

This is my son's room, a couple more have been added since this photo was taken.

"........Negative Ghostrider the pattern is full!".....Really, really full!

[speedy]

I haven't got any photos but similar to some of the photos here. I remember my dad painting the ceiling blue leaving white fluffy clouds. I was (still am) heavily influenced by Boscombe Down which we lived directly under the circuit pattern. I remember having a Matchbox Victor refuelling a Hercules looked good but didn't last as the drawing pins let go. The crash and smash dustpan was called and I think I may have set alight to them.

[Harley John]

Happy memories indeed! And my wife suggested only the other day doing a couple of models for the grandson and hanging them from his bedroom ceiling. Given he's only 10 months, he's a bit young yet to let loose with the poly cement!

[Ingo Degenhardt]

When I was very young 1960 to around 1968 my Dad built models on a Saturday afternoon we'd bought from Sid Sharrocks model shop on Cockpit Hill in Derby and by Sunday teatime they would be painted and finished and on my ceiling. I had 28 in all and I can still remember each one by name. Back in those days GP's did home visits and as a sickly child I saw Dr Skinner from Stanley quite a lot! Every time he would visit he would ask me the names of the new models on my ceiling.

Here is me inspecting the newly released Airfix Halifax on Christmas Day 1963, Happy Days.

Over the years I gradually broke them and they sadly got thrown away when we moved house in 1971.

I started building kits myself from about 8 onwards and when we moved in 71 I shared a bedroom with my younger brother and hung my completed masterpieces from our bedroom ceiling just as Dad had done for me. Here's the ceiling circa 1977. By this time I was in my second year in the RAF and would bring my completed models I had built in the block home, to be admired by my brother and hung on the ceiling.

Here's a picture taken with a really poor quality 110 camera remeber those, How many can you identify?

When at home on leave I would build kits at the desk in the bedroom including Control Line Keil Kraft flyers as I had now graduated to flying models.

I was also into David Bowie by then!

Cheers

Ian

I had the Monogram B-52 too - hanging from the ceiling right over my bed. Luckily the thread never broke. But the model is long gone now. But I have an unbuilt one in the stash....

[R159]

I remember being given a 1/24 Aifix Stuka by one of my primary school teachers, it was top class. In the process of hanging it on my ceiling the old man dropped it... twice.... absolutely trashed. My sons ceiling is getting busy, this years gulf war anniversary theme will finish it off.

Edited April 11, 2016 by R159

[Tiger331]

Thanks for sharing these memories with us. Sadly I have no photos (though I feel sure my Late Father may have taken some at the time) but we used to hang the vast majority of my models from the bedroom ceiling when we lived in Singapore in the late 1960s. The ceiling was made up of those fiberboard roof tiles, which were sufficiently robust enough to hold us a single or twin engined 1:72 WWII aircraft…..IIRC, I think we were a bit more cautious with the Lancaster and B-17 for fear of them making an unscheduled crash landing during the night. When we later moved to Gibraltar, the ceilings were too high (and plaster) so I had to use the big 'hanger' that I made under my bed….complete with vehicles, GSE and figures. All was great until my dear Mum forgot about them one day and was a bit over zealous with the vacumn cleaner…..I clearly remember an Airfix H.P. Hampden coming a cropper and there were more, I'm sure.

[Mark4700]

Mine looked the same until an epic fail caused several, including a Lancaster, B17 and Liberator, as well as a couple of others to drop to the floor one day. What a mess that was to sort out.

[philp]

My ceiling in the late 60s was pretty much just aircraft. Do remember the Revell 72nd B-24 had some red construction paper in flame shapes coming out of an engine. Then one day my Mom actually tried to dust the models. If anyone has built the Liberator you will remember the wings didn't really attach that well unless you really forced them in. Obviously I hadn't and the wing separated under the flak of the vacuum. My Mom was devastated and was sorry to report the loss. Think I took it in stride pretty well for an 8-9 year old.

Do also remember the Aurora Spitfire and Me-109 hanging up there. Probably lots more 72nd Revell fighters. Don't think I found Airfix or Frog kits until we moved to Minnesota or maybe Massachusetts.

[Yorki 1960]

I remember I had fishing line strung all over my bedroom ceiling one corner was battle of Britain with Hinkle spitfires, hurries and 109's the other had B17 and B24 with 190's attacking with mustangs chasing them. Saturn rocket now that was big ....... or was I little? ummmmm

Anyone remember a game think it was called carrier landing. Cardboard carrier deck and you strung a phantom on some line between two wheels and tried to land it on the deck.

[Yorki 1960]

I had the Monogram B-52 too - hanging from the ceiling right over my bed. Luckily the thread never broke. But the model is long gone now. But I have an unbuilt one in the stash....

I had a jumper very similar to that..

[Grey Beema]

My brother always claimed more aerial victories than the whole RAF just by putting his jumper on in the morning. Flailing arms and ceilings covered in suspended aircraft don't mix....

[malpaso]

Anyone remember a game think it was called carrier landing. Cardboard carrier deck and you strung a phantom on some line between two wheels and tried to land it on the deck.

Yes, Airfix Flight Deck. Always tried to find the longest spot in the house, then my mum would walk through, not see the line and bring the lot crashing down! I used to swap other Airfix planes for the included Phantom - I even used a Pup!

My mate Nigel had Super Flight Deck which catapulted a bright yellow Phantom, which then turned and you would land on the deck. Super was much posher, it had a plastic deck instead of cardboard...

We had hours of fun with these games! Seem so basic now...

Will

[Duncan B]

I remember getting Airfix Flight deck too, great fun. My bedroom ceiling was always crammed full of models too with the 'stock' constantly changing with some falling to the air gun or the firework in the disused railway line (thank you for the amazing 'adventure park' Mr Beaching!) that ran behind our housing scheme.

Duncan B

[daggerphil]

What a series of posts, thank you all. Yes, Ive done it in the past too, and these posts have inspired me to hang my Badger (Trumpeter that is) from the ceiling. It did remind me how, when I were a nipper, I kept some models in a box under my bed. One day I pulled the box out to find one of our cats asleep in the box. It seemed perfectly happy there - I was very dischuffed.

[woody37]

I remember getting Airfix Flight deck too, great fun. My bedroom ceiling was always crammed full of models too with the 'stock' constantly changing with some falling to the air gun or the firework in the disused railway line (thank you for the amazing 'adventure park' Mr Beaching!) that ran behind our housing scheme.

Duncan B

Lol me too, there was a stock rotation system where the end of life for builds was down the sight of the BSA Meteor!

[JohnT]

All very familiar

I recall the ceiling being the only safe haven from my mother who was awarded the Knights Cross with Diamonds for the destruction of more Spitfires with her duster than Hans J Marsaille. Many tears avoided after finding drawing pins and thread combined with a very high ceiling affording differing flight levels!

[speedy]

All very familiar

I recall the ceiling being the only safe haven from my mother who was awarded the Knights Cross with Diamonds for the destruction of more Spitfires with her duster than Hans J Marsaille. Many tears avoided after finding drawing pins and thread combined with a very high ceiling affording differing flight levels!

My mum was ex-Vietcong after managing to destroy a 1/72 B-52 by standing on it; in the subsequent united nation inquest she pleaded she didn't see it against a light brow carpet!.

[dreadeddrew]

I had a ceiling very similar to that,in a room I shared with my brother. Unfortunately one boring Sunday afternoon,during Psalms on Sunday if I remember right,there was an "Incident" involving my brother,an elastic band & one of my aircraft.........retaliation was swift & his Short Sunderland hit the deck. The evening rapidly descended into Triple A via air pistols & much laughter. After that,the ceiling was poly-fillered & papered over in an attempt to hide the pellet damage!

[dreadeddrew]

Yes, Airfix Flight Deck. Always tried to find the longest spot in the house, then my mum would walk through, not see the line and bring the lot crashing down! I used to swap other Airfix planes for the included Phantom - I even used a Pup!

My mate Nigel had Super Flight Deck which catapulted a bright yellow Phantom, which then turned and you would land on the deck. Super was much posher, it had a plastic deck instead of cardboard...

We had hours of fun with these games! Seem so basic now...

Will

I wasn't lucky enough to own Flight Deck,I made do with rigging up a line from my bedroom window to the bottom of the garden. I then sent my F4 down it,there was a wire for the tail hook to snag.......the trick was to do it & avoid my brother's SAM system(Diana SP50 air pistol).

[mcdonnell]

Hello,Alan - Superb times,superb nostalgia.I love it. All the best,Paul.

[Phartycr0c]

Airfix super flight deck really used to annoy my mom and dad as i played with it in the hall of our house causing a trip hazard. I was posh and had the super version

For those nostalia seekers this was it

also had one of these!