On Xmas 2011, my brother gifted me with two models: a 1/144 scale Saturn V from Revell and a 1/144 scale Space Shuttle also from Revell. The Saturn V is essentially the same kit I built as a kid in the 60s.
I haven’t built a styrene model kit in over 30 years. As you can imagine, things have evolved a bit since then. I first learned airbrushing from building models in the late 70s. I like to think I’ve improved a bit since then as well.
While I could just glue the model together and slap on some paint, I really want to take time to do it right. I want to make the models more accurate representations of the actual machines than is realized in the kits.
So…not only do I have to practice skills that have fallen into disuse, but I also need to research these machines and figure out methods that will get me the results I want, and, maybe, learn a few new tricks along the way.
While neither of these builds will be mind-blowingly unique — many enthusiasts customize these kits to varying degrees — they will serve a couple of purposes. First, to see how much I’ve learned since my time as a teen working in a hobby shop. Second, to build my skill set so that I can think about scratch-building a model sometime in the not-too-distant future.
This isn’t going to be a fast journey, as I’m fitting it in as time allows, but it will likely be an adventure. I’ll keep y’all posted.
