Hi

I'm a relatively new member (April 2014), but I've been perusing the forums for several years to look at the pictures for scale model inspiration. I build plastic models and this is a great place for ideas. I joined because sometimes to see all the pictures or to search on a forum you have to be a member. To keep from offending by posting without an intro, here I am. Honestly, I have posted a few times, because I thought I could help.
A little about me. I'm pre-1965 ('64), I can fix cars and have worked on a few pre-1965s in my past. I owe some of this ability to my granddaddy who ran a garage for a long time. When I was young (5 yrs +) and my parents would visit him, I got to hang out and take apart leftover parts. I distinctly remember disassembling a Rochester mono-jet carburetor and getting it back together when I was too young too know what I was doing. Later as a teen, I learned the proper way to rebuild carburetors.These garage visits lasted until my granddaddy retired in the late seventies.
My dad was an Air Force aircraft mechanic and he was the type who would try to fix it himself before letting someone else work on his cars. He retired and eventually was also a one man mechanic (like my granddaddy) at a buddies garage and he specialized in VWs. My dad taught me a lot of what I know about mechanics. I would help out his buddy (who sold and repaired tires) on the weekends and in the summer. In this time, I completed high school Votech auto mechanics.
I entered the Air Force the summer out of high school and became an aircraft mechanic too. I was married a few years later, had a son a few more years later. I have traveled extensively throughout the world, moved a few times, and finally retired in 2008. I continue using my aircraft mechanic skills by working at Bombardier Learjet's Flight Test Center (that's me chocking a Global business jet in my profile picture). I've worked on everything that Bombardier has made a prototype of in the last twenty years. It's a great place to improve fabrication skills.
Now I've never had an old car of my own to work on (too expensive and never had a place to work on it). Military housing frowned on this behavior and now that I've retired, so does the covenant community I live in. So, I doubt the hobby is going to get cheaper, and my house's garage can barely hold one car and all of my tools. I know my mobility is going to continue to deteriorate before I'll be able to retire, have time and attempt my own hot rod build. So, I guess I'll just continue to build in scale. I still have around 500 hundred kits unbuilt.
Here are some examples of what I do:




I build all kinds of cars, including hot rods, I just don't have pictures of those and currently everything is boxed up until I finish my new hobby room. Now that you have indulged me, I feel comfortable about posting. If I win the lottery in the next few years, I will build a H.A.M.B. friendly car, but until then, my cars will be small.
Thanks,
Tim

 

Welcome, Tim! You didn't mention if you had seen it in your post, but in case you haven't, there's usually a model car post on here every Sunday. I also have a couple of hundred unbuilt kits, but for now I'm to busy with the 1 to 1 scale cars to mess with them. Gonna keep them for retirement. Funny, our histories are very similar. Born in '64, grew up in gas stations / shops, Dads in Air Force, joined military in mid twenties(?), and I retired in 2009. Strange, huh?

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Welcome. Great intro, Tim. Congrats on retirement and thanks for your service in the Air Force. Even if you never get around to building a 1-to-1 you've built some very nice models. There's no shame either in buying a car already done. Keep that in mind as well...........Don.

 

greetings ...

 

Blownfuel,
I wasn't aware of a model car post on Sunday. I must have missed that somehow. Do you know the Topic heading? You live in Texas and San Diego? or are you from Texas living in San Diego. Anyways, I lived in northern California for a few years (Travis AFB) before being sent to Kansas and retirement. Still miss California, but it's too spendy there. It looks like you have a pretty nice 48 Plymouth. I joined the Air Force when I was 17 (16 if you count delayed entry). Finally, we have one more thing in common, born in the same month.
Tim

 

lothiandon1940,
You're welcome, and I was planning to build, not buy if I won. I'll also have to move again to a place more accommodating, with a bigger garage and understanding neighbors. Thanks for the compliment on the models. I have several hundred I used to display in my old house. If I can ever get my new house settled, I'll finish the "bonus" room into a hobby room. Needs walls finished and lots of shelves to hold everything.
Tim

 

Nice to meet you Tim. And I will also thank you for your service. Your models are sweet! Enjoy retirement......you deserve it my friend.

 

Hi Tim, search Sunday Models and it will come up. I'm from San Antonio, traveled the entire country with the Navy (I'm sure you know how that goes) ;-), retired in San Diego, but I have a small place in New Braunsfels I split with my parents that I try to spend a month or two at every year. Thank you for the compliment on the Plymouth, it's one of those fifty footers. I've still got a long way to go on it. The paint is a quickly Maaco special, the body work under it is so so at best, just a lot of half done stuff to fix. It's fun though. I needed a car, and had the choice of buying a used late model turns or it, you can see what I chose. I was half way to 25 when I joined the Navy. Tried the Air Force first, but they had a one year wait at the time, and I didn't want to wait that long, so Navy it was.


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Welcome Tim, pretty fair intro, I reckon. Certainly no slouch with you model building skills either mate.
Keep postin' 'em up
Rod

 

BTTT