Building models in the "old days"

[CG]

When I was a kid we built models. Cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, chopper trikes, monsters (wolfman etc) what ever turned our crank at the hobby shop.

Models were what I would call cheap back then, but Im not sure what it equates to in todays dollars, they start in the 20's today. Save a couple bday dollars, do some chores around the neighborhoods, collect pop bottles, anything to have some coin, Next beg a trip to the hobby shop or Kmart or wherever they sold them.

We had a couple of old wooden military foot lockers filled with excess parts and pieces and stuff we didnt display in our rooms anymore. So fun to build stuff out of that.

At one time we had a bunch of WWII planes hanging from our ceiling. My dad built the Wright Brothers plane with all the crazy wires, he used black thread for that. We hung it up too.

One evening when our folks weren't home and the sitter was in the other room with the two youngest brothers my other brother and I were having a sword fight in our room with our pool cues from our mini pool table. It was fun and to make it even more fun I shut off the light. Scared my brother so he took a wild swing. He smashed the Wright Brothers plane my dad took so long to build.

Oh man we both got in trouble for that one.

We used to blow them up, totally burn them to nothing, and burn them just enough to make em look like they were in a wreck lol. Man it was fun being a kid back then

Any good model building or mishaps stories?

[Steeveedee]

I used to build model cars and planes. Some of the stick and paper planes actually flew. I had one each of every fighter used in WW1 and WW2 hanging from the ceiling in my bedroom- shared with three brothers. I joined the Navy, and when I came home on leave after Boot Camp, those airplanes had all had a bat taken to them.

[Boog]

I built a lot of them when I was a kid. I still have a couple of my favorites in a closet. A 3 n 1 AMT kit 1/24th scale was $1.50 in early 1960s. Monogram was a little less. There were snap together models but I wanted the whole boogie so I painted and glued all mine. I received the "BIG T" model for Christmas one year. It was a large scale red '23 T-bucket. Red body, soft t top, interior and bed cover, with working lights, trans, engine. It had a small electric motor inside the big V8 engine that turned the crank, fan and generator. The trans worked as did the rear gears. It all turned as long as it was on the supplied jack stands. It was all plastic. It was the coolest model ever for this kid and it took both dad and I to assemble it. I don't remember what scale it was but the car was about 8" tall and 16" long maybe. Even as a display model some parts later failed such as steering spindles and other bits. It found it's way to the garbage at some point.

[farmall]

I had every WWII plane hanging from the ceiling as well. The giant B52, the giant 63 split window and a glow in the dark skull. Still have one of the B52s.

[Getter-Done]

Yeah
My brother and I would build derby cars .

Created by the left over parts and Sticks from the frame that held the parts together.

And we used lots of Testers Glue.

I have a step side chevy truck model box that

I have Baseball cards, Dukes of Hazzard cards and Star Wars cards in this box.

I doubt there is a stick of Bubble Gum in there .

Stranger things than this have happen Thou.

[Ol Blue K20]

I used to love building them....but, firecrackers and my .22 made them disappear in short order.

[yuccales]

My dad and I built many a model. He loved models through out his life. My uncle is on the left, my dad is next to him. While my older brother was in Vietnam, my dad helped me build a model of my brothers Bell helicopter. He made an awesome base for it and a little brass plaque. When my brother came home, I carried it out to him so carefully. He said thank you, then set it aside. I was devastated. I could not understand why he did not like his model. I understand now. He took this picture from his helicopter.

[67C10Step]

Brings back a lot of memories for sure. I had shelves in my room with all sorts of models. Many were "custom jobs" that I had taken all sorts of leftover parts and used in the builds. When I was 12 my parents got me a Badger airbrush kit for Christmas and it was on after that! All kinds of crazy paint schemes came out of my scale hot rod shop. May say something about my personality, but I will be 55 this year and still have that Badger airbrush and its accessories.

Built planes, battleships, and no telling how many things I do not remember. Had a large model of a 63 or 65 Corvette, the clear plastic Ford 4 cylinder engine that you could see all the internals working, and my top prize was as a teenager built a large model of the USS Constitution. The hours I spent running the rigging on that model only to come home while I was in college and my mother had let my 5 year old niece in my room. The USS Constitution was wrecked.
Later on, I even built a ship in a bottle that I still have in my shop.

[truckster]

I built a Wright Flyer... the rigging took a lot of time. My favorite model was a die-cast zinc Model A. That had a nice, solid feel to it the others didn't.

[weasel29gm]

Since retiring in 22 I started back building and having a blast. Working on # 27 plus a couple that went sideways.YouTube got me back to doing it. More channels than I can watch devoted to modeling. I wanted one hobby to stick with, set a budget and make it work and it has. I'm happy Mama's happy!! Cost is like anything else, you spend what makes you happy. Could detail what my investment so far still cheaper than a crate small block lol!!!

[toms68cst]

Anyone do the visible v8? I built one but could never really get it to crank right. It probably had too much glue on some moving parts. It was fun anyway. I learned a lot about how an engine works.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by toms68cst

Anyone do the visible v8? I built one but could never really get it to crank right. It probably had too much glue on some moving parts. It was fun anyway. I learned a lot about how an engine works.

I built one of those, mine worked though.. l did learn a lot though

[Boog]

Back when we built models they sold the paints and Testors glue on the shelf. Sometime later they moved the glue behind the counter so they could see who was buying the glue and how much at a time. Then there were the folks sniffing paint. Oh man...

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by Boog

Back when we built models they sold the paints and Testors glue on the shelf. Sometime later they moved the glue behind the counter so they could see who was buying the glue and how much at a time. Then there were the folks sniffing paint. Oh man...

Yeah, the weirdos screw up everything.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Boog

Back when we built models they sold the paints and Testors glue on the shelf. Sometime later they moved the glue behind the counter so they could see who was buying the glue and how much at a time. Then there were the folks sniffing paint. Oh man...

'77-'78 I worked in an auto parts store. The paint could be kept out front in those days, except the metallics. Those we stored behind the counter because they were the "gourmet" colors, bright copper in particular. Since they used R-12(?) for propellant, I told one of the other countermen that those guys may as well buy a charging kit for automotive AC. We had a regular customer whose favorite was the bright copper. Always asked for a bag, because they spray the paint into the bag so they just huff the gas. This knucklehead counterman sold the guy a flat top can of R-12. The guy asked him how to get the gas out, and he told him to use an ice pick. He told me after the fact. I chewed him out for that. We didn't see the guy for many months. The next time he came in, he had scars on his arm and neck and up the side of his face. He bought bright copper paint and had it put in a bag.

[GOPAPA]

Good Reading Mark,,my first model car was a 59 Caddy .. and then a Hot Rod ,,I think that was it..

[HO455]

My dad built models and I followed his foot prints in a much cruder fashion. Everything from dinosaurs to clipper ships with lots of cars and planes. I remember around 5th grade I found a bunch of already built ones in a trash can and I took them all home and spent weeks rebuilding the all.

Here's one from the "New days" nothing I was involved with. But it would be fun to have it parked in an old barn just visible from a road just to see how many folks stop in and want to chat about it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...y-model-11-2e/

[farmall]

Originally Posted by HO455

My dad built models and I followed his foot prints in a much cruder fashion. Everything from dinosaurs to clipper ships with lots of cars and planes. I remember around 5th grade I found a bunch of already built ones in a trash can and I took them all home and spent weeks rebuilding the all.

Here's one from the "New days" nothing I was involved with. But it would be fun to have it parked in an old barn just visible from a road just to see how many folks stop in and want to chat about it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...y-model-11-2e/

That is nice. Its like 75% away from driving.
I hope to go to the museum in W Tex someday.

If I won the lotery I would have to have one of these kit cars.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1161402285...3200-19255-0/1