Models:
Another Ramble from My Youth:
Seems to me that a great deal of my childhood involved models. At various times my neighborhood buddies and I went on kicks to build model airplanes and hang them from the ceiling with fishing line, then we made model cars for a while. There was a brief fad involving models of monsters -Frankenstein -The Mummy -the Creature from the Black Lagoon come to mind. Then there was another fad for these strange hot-rods. I seem to remember a souped-up (when was the last time you heard the expression "souped-up"?), hearse, beer delivery truck and some other unlikely hot-rods. There was another fad for something (someone?) called "Rat-Fink" -an ugly pot-bellied rodent with bloodshot eyes. Rat-Fink had something to do with hot-rods. One of us built a model of Rat-Fink. It wasn't me. My Mom was fearful of things involving hot-rods and dragsters which she equated with juvenile delinquency. She had an absolute terror of slot-car parlors too. Simpler times then, what?
And then we would go back to military models and build battle ships, or tanks, or fighters or bombers. Revel kits cost about 50 cents and we each must have built dozens of them. Wish I had a few of them still around. What happened to them you ask? Well, some of then undoubtedly went the way of all things of our youth -they are simply gone. I know what happened to quite a few of them though. When we got tired of a particular model, we poured model glue on it and burned it! Sort of little kid's special effects, two cars crash and burn with very satisfying volumes of smoke and flame. Or a Japanese fighter plane crashes in the jungle (Mom's garden) and bursts into flame. "Boss wicked, man"
BTW -and trust me on this, and if you are a guy whos youth was anything like mine, and if you were to swing through a hobby store and buy a Revell model ship /plane / car / whatever -& some glue, paint, etc. and take it home, and if you were to waste an evening building a model, I promise you it would be a pleasant and memorable evening. Much more so if you did with whatever kid happens to be handy -yours or someone else's. Even if you -or your wife- throw the whole thing out in a week or a month. I know this because I did so a few years back. I couldn't tell you what I had for dinner or watched on the idiot-box last night to save my soul, but I remember that evening vividley and all sentimental-like.
STORAGE:
Setting aside the need to store models themselves, all the myriad little doodads and tiny parts need to be carefully stored and protected. But the fun of making models comes from a well organized workplace, and the shallow drawers of architectural drawer cases are ideal for modelers. You can also easily use these cases to build yourself the perfect model-making work-bench of your dreams. And for those tools you use the most -put them on the wall in a small display case.
DISPLAY CASES for MODELS:
Unlike plates or dolls for example, models don't have a particularly important side. This is to say that they want to be seen from all angles. (Stand a doll up, put her in a display case up against the wall and you are done. Models are harder.) Some models lend themselves to fairly easy display. You can fit cars and ships or boats into an appropriately sized display case. Planes are a little harder. But I have to be honest here, the best advice I can give you for a lot of your models is to find yourself a plastic fabricator in your city and have them build you an appropriately sized box out of clear acrylic.
Interesting Sites:
When I was a wee lad -much of my allowance went to Revell Models. They are still around and they have a great web site. You can also get a free catalogue.
Come we now to International List of Scale Model Related Web Sites -This is an impressive site where scale modelers can share their favorite sites with others.
MicroMark makes the COOLEST* little tools. For model makers and such. Like many of the tools in my shop, but they fit on a desk and you can use them sitting down!
* I use a word like "coolest" because it harks back to my childhood when I made a lot of models & other odd little things. It whould'a been so boss-wicked-cool to have some of these back then.
This is an elegant site -and a favorite subject of mine -and I am the guy doing this web-site, ness pas?- Tall-Ships Unlimited offers beautiful wooden model kits. Just the thing to decorate the most scholarly man's study. They also have a wonderful NAUTICAL DICTIONARY.