and how history has influenced my interest in models, and in particular my choice of military vs any of the other subjects available.
My first model being a warplane set me on the path I would and still somewhat follow in the hobby. History based loosely around the mid 20th century would influence my choice of subjects.
Growing up I was a voracious reader, and I used the school and public libraries to read about the use of various weapons or weapon systems. Of course, one cannot read about the use of such equipment without learning the context of how and why it was used. This reflects the history of the users. For me this followed a backtracking of history from the mid 20th century and further back. I was able to gain a general knowledge of history, geography and personalities sufficient that keeps me fascinated to date. As an early teenager I read about the Vietnam War as I delivered the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper complete with the often grim photos on the front page. I’m sure I really did not understand what I was reading or seeing at the time but models of the aircraft used were readily available at the local Stedmans and Kmart stores. Revell, Monogram and Airfix to name a few made kits featuring many of the military machines that the books and newspapers spoke of.
In today’s world the model manufacturers’ have become quite good at providing us with our current favourite subject from past history which we can build as we watch today’s history being made.
