G'day from Sydney Australia

[motherhen]

I've finally joined this site after viewing from afar for many years.  I have had an interest in model building since I was a teenager, with large breaks, time-wise, due to other distractions.  None of the models that I built as a teenager have survived the years, the oldest now dating back to the 1980's when I started building again to while away the hours in a fire station between jobs.  I am now retired and get to tinker away a bit more often, albeit in spits and spurts.  I have collecting kits since the '80's and now have more than I'll ever finish in my lifetime, but they do give me choice when I decide to build.  I have built 1/25th scale cars, motorbikes, but mostly aircraft over the years.  I did have a crack at Airfix's Vasa in 2018 guided by an article on your forum by Bengalensis from around 2013.  Mine is different to a degree, but it's the only ship in my collection (built or otherwise) at this stage.

 

I'm not sure what I'm doing as an interactive member on this site.  I guess I'll figure it out as I go.  In all the years I've been modelling, there have only been a handful of people that I've met that had any interest in modelling, so I build models just for my own pleasure.  My skills aren't great and I enjoy the tips I see from your contributors.  I'm not a rivet counter, but I like to make them as good as I can at the time. 

 

When I figure out how to post some pics, I'll put a few up if you're interested.

 

Regards, Russ

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Russ, welcome aboard, from the other side of Oz. Other than your choice of models your story is similar to mine, although I have a couple of teenage vintage models survive. I'm mainly into 1/600 scale ships myself, and am not a rivet counter either, although like you I try to get them as authentic as I can. And until I joined two modeling forums I've never met ANYONE interested in modeling.

1 hour ago, motherhen said:

so I build models just for my own pleasure.

Rule no. 1                 And to post photos you'll have to go through a photo hosting site. I use Flikr myself.       Regards, Jeff.

 

P.S.    Many years (decades) ago I was in charge of a bunch of recruits in the naval reserve here. Their unofficial nickname for me - Mother duck. But keep that to yourself, I don't want it getting around. Oops.  😁

[motherhen]

Thanks for the welcome Jeff.  I thought I must have been some lone eccentric nerd to still enjoy building models.  It's good to see a great (harmless) hobby still surviving after all these years.  The "Motherhen" tag originated as sarcasm by a friend of my brother's many years ago when we used to take our kids mountain bike riding in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.  I was "motherhen" because I was always holding back and gathering the kids so we didn't lose any.  Anyhow, it's stuck and I wear the badge with pride, I never lost any kids!

 

I have other hobbies as well, which has come in handy in the last 2 years of Covid.  I'm sure the hobbies have helped me to constructively pass the time stuck in lockdown without going stir crazy.

 

I'll check out Flikr.  I read in another post about "how to post pics" about the photo hosts.  I'd not given it much thought up to now, I've only shared my photos to a couple of friends through emails up to now.  The thumbnail in my profile is the stern of my Vasa, so far the only pic I've managed to get online!

 

Russ

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Russ, yes I think you can wear that title with pride. It seems that you were the most responsible, looking after the kids. My user name is a combination of two other nicknames from the naval reserve.

     My son set me up on here, and another model forum, The Airfix Tribute Forum (ATF), plus he recommended Flikr. No doubt there are other photo hosting sites equally as good. With Flikr I get the first 1000 photos free, I've used about 600 now. I'm a technological neanderthal, on a good day, so while I can use Flikr it took my son to set it up for me. Surprisingly I have to use it in a slightly different manner for the two forums I'm on, here and the ATF but that's no problem. Doing things the e-mail way doesn't work here. And before I joined the forums I was a total loner regarding modeling too.

     I'm not far off retirement myself (hopefully). Modeling is my main hobby, besides being a volunteer bushfire fighter. I guess hobbies have kept some people sane during the Covid pandemic. Over here we haven't had the lockdowns anywhere near like you've been through. I guess our isolation has worked to our advantage in that respect. I won't go into the politics of it all, here's not the place.

     And yeah, I thought it might have been the Wasa as your icon.

Regards, Jeff.

[dnl42]

Welcome aboard!  

[roginoz]

G'day, Russ, from Victoria, the Lockdown State !

 

Seems so many of us sing from the same song sheet regarding our modelling journey, juvenile glue fingermarks and slapped on decals, then the trials of teen years, marriage, mortgage 'n' kids, and finally, in later years, a bit of time on our hands to rediscover this old hobby of ours, only to find the whole show has changed out of sight !

 

My main interest is aircraft, the more obscure the better, plus motorbikes from the days of yore. Thusfar only been able to track down Esci/Iterleri wartime and the odd race bike; I know my limitations when it comes to getting the right finish on modern bikes.

Rog

 

[Faraway]

Welcome. You’ll like it here, no pressure from any one. And if you want to know something, then someone here will know.

Jon

[Ray_W]

Welcome aboard Russ, looking forward to your active participation. Very friendly site. Enjoy.

 

The Airfix Wasa! What a blast from the past. I ain't going to admit when I built it.

 

My BM avatar will show you where I call home. I just realised the BM acronym works well for both Britmodeller and the Blue Mountains.

 

I am one of those expats finding the ability to travel back to Australia and importantly leave again as needed, very difficult and costly. Thankfully, looks like things are about to open up. Currently in Bulgaria, expecting to be home soon.

 

Ray

[stevehnz]

Hi Russ, welcome from across the pond, as these guys have said, a beaut forum with a heap of welcoming, helpful members, not to mention some top shelf knowledgeable ones. I'll look forward to seeing you about.

Steve.

[motherhen]

G'day Ray, I recognise that view.  In my mad younger days, many years ago, I have climbed to the top of the Third Sister, both from the valley floor via the West Wall and also across from Honeymoon Point on the First Sister using old hemp ropes (nylon rope not available to me at that time!).  It's a wonder I'm alive to complete any models!  I was also born in Katoomba.  The Wasa was a kit I've had for a long time, but was afraid to tackle until I saw a WIP from Bengalensis on this forum back in 2018.  Mine was very brittle and difficult to work with, but it was finished and now sits in a glass cabinet all by itself so there is no need to dust it!  I had a model of the Flying Cloud clipper as a teenager, but it was out in the open on a shelf and gradually disintergrated through too much touching.

 

Good luck getting back into Australia, and more luck leaving when you do!

 

It looks like I have joined a bunch of friendly like minded souls, where I can waffle on about my models without (hopefully) boring anyone!

 

Russ

[motherhen]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

 

Russ

[dogsbody]

Greetings from another ex-colony, far off to your northeast. I, too, am retired and piddle away some of my free time playing with plastic.

Welcome to the best scale model forum around.

 

 

 

Chris

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

G’day Russ … from the windy city of Chicago in another former colony. Im mostly aircraft myself but do dabble in the occasional piece of armor or sci-fi. 
 

Dennis