My Early Years
Oh, how I loved getting those Airfix model kits! I'd get them for birthdays and Christmases, but best of all was saving up my pocket money so that I could buy the model I really wanted.
So what was the appeal of these Airfix models and which ones did I like the best? Well, although separating all the parts and assembling them was very rewarding (but could be disastrous when the plastic cement came out of the tube too quickly and wrecked the surface of the plastic, no matter how fast I cleared it up!), it was the painting of the model and the placing of the transfers that I loved the most. And my favourite models? The aeroplanes. I could hang them from the ceiling and fit fairy lights in them so I could see them in the dark.
My main "building" years were from 1958 to 1963, whereupon my attentions were drawn to working on an old car that I acquired, a 1937 Standard Flying Ten. Much too young to drive on the roads, the knowledge gained was to prove indispensable in later life. I still built occasional Airfix models for several more years, but then my interest turned to girls!
In 1977 I became the proud father of twin boys, and in 1980 another boy. My dreams had come true - all those models I would be helping them build when they got older, being able to impart all my expertise in the construction of well built models. Alas, it was not to be, the age of the computer was upon us. I don't think to this day any of my sons have ever built a plastic model!
When I eventually retire, I may take up the hobby again, along with other erstwhile hobbies of mine, like radio controlled aircraft, old cars and Bayko! In fact, Bayko may be the subject of another blog!
So what was the appeal of these Airfix models and which ones did I like the best? Well, although separating all the parts and assembling them was very rewarding (but could be disastrous when the plastic cement came out of the tube too quickly and wrecked the surface of the plastic, no matter how fast I cleared it up!), it was the painting of the model and the placing of the transfers that I loved the most. And my favourite models? The aeroplanes. I could hang them from the ceiling and fit fairy lights in them so I could see them in the dark.
My main "building" years were from 1958 to 1963, whereupon my attentions were drawn to working on an old car that I acquired, a 1937 Standard Flying Ten. Much too young to drive on the roads, the knowledge gained was to prove indispensable in later life. I still built occasional Airfix models for several more years, but then my interest turned to girls!
In 1977 I became the proud father of twin boys, and in 1980 another boy. My dreams had come true - all those models I would be helping them build when they got older, being able to impart all my expertise in the construction of well built models. Alas, it was not to be, the age of the computer was upon us. I don't think to this day any of my sons have ever built a plastic model!
When I eventually retire, I may take up the hobby again, along with other erstwhile hobbies of mine, like radio controlled aircraft, old cars and Bayko! In fact, Bayko may be the subject of another blog!
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