mwahahahah 
Got me there!
Didn’t see that coming!
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The old Bi-Rite drugstore where I used to live would make me think of these two kits as I bought them both there when I first started getting serious, at least I thought I was, about my model building in my teen years.
The old drug stores were a cool place to shop as they always had a little bit of everything.
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Indeed. My favorite was Bill’s Pharmacy. “Bill,” I only found out a few years ago, was an USMC pilot and flew Corsairs with the checked nose, per the Monogram kit.
IIRC through 45 years, he had a large selection of models and paints. There were two other pharmacies that I have found no info about and I recall one stocked a lot of Aurora, and the other had a small selection of just about everything. I know I bought Aurora’s P-51 and Bf 109 there, and a curious little Eldon Match Kit SE.5a (still have it in unbuilt).
I miss the days that almost every pharmacy - er, “Drug Store” back in the day - had hobby stuff.
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VMF-312, Checkerboards.
Wonder if Bill knew Paul, as he was with 312 in Korea with the -4.
http://www.ipmseaglesquadron.org/ES-gallery/thumbnails.php?album=21
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Ryan, thank you! Those are great. I wonder if they knew each other. Bill’s obituary states, “He trained as a naval cadet 1953-1957 in Pensacola, Fl and Kingsville, TX where he received his wings and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He was assigned to Cherry Point, NC where he flew fighter planes as part of the famous “Checkerboard Squadron”.” They might have missed eachother by a year or two.
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Yes! The Sav-On Drug Store down the street was my first “hobby shop” they had quite the selection of Hawk kits and Testors paints and glues.
And ammo!
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Now THAT brings back memories!
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