Makes me think how many excellent modellers and people have left the Kitmaker space: Tedmamere, Mother, Jessy … I hope they are all doing well.
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Mother is around. He’d taken a break from models for quite a while, as there was a boatload of Personal stuff going on. I’m due for an in-person meet up with him at some point, as it’s been a while.
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Give him our best regards… and oh, plase invite him to come back.
His helicopters were just stunning.
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I certainly will!
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Pretty much everything else he did as well.
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I just found this on the way back archive and thought it should be here.
And the Winner is…
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Dave O’Meara
Callsign: Grumpyoldman
Age:
Location: New Jersey, USA
What first got you into building models and how old were you?
I was about 5 or 6 years old, my older brother built a few, so I guess it was natural for me to take up the hobby also. Back in those days we usually got our models from the corner candy store, they use to all carry kits in the back. My first kit was the Aurora SNJ in bright yellow, the price was either 39 or 49 cents, a dime tube of glue. I got a dollar allowance back in those days, a mighty sum. Paints were a dime a bottle, or 98 cents for a pack of ten, including thinner. and a brush. Needless to say, I went through withdrawals the week I bought the paints since I couldn’t get a kit. Aurora and Hawk we my mainstays, since they were affordable to me. Mostly all being under a dollar.
My brother stopped building models as he got older, but I continued, and as I got older and earned a little more, doing chores and helping neighbors, my modelling world expanded, I could ride the buses alone, (yes back in those days it was safe for a kid to ride the buses alone) Mom would allow me to go “up the hill” to Union City and good old “Davis’ Toystore”, and he had a complete model section, and kits I never seen or heard of, Monogram, Revell, Airfix., and he even had those wonderful display models to entice the young mind. Then I discovered Alby’s… another toystore selling models. Davis’s was on 32nd street, and Alby’s was on 70th street, so I would go to Davis’s check out what he had, then walk to Alby’s and check out what he had. Then usually have to walk home, since I was now flat broke. Aw… the sweet memories of an energnic youth. My older brother got bitten by the model railroad bug, and when dad had his visitation, he would take us up to “Hi-way Hobby”… a major excursion in those days, since it was way up in Ramsey and way before major hi-ways. (the major hi-way was a 4 lane road, with stop lights every 1/2 mile and traffic back ups. And the famous Paramus Malls not there except one, the rest being either normal stores or woods. Usually the 30 mile trip took about two hours. I still shop at “Hi-way Hobby” and over the years have developed a great friends ship with the owner, they just celebrated their 50th year in business. Now it’s about 40 miles away, and all super interstates hi-ways to get there. I bought my first Tamiya Lancaster there, for under 10 dollars, because it came with Japanese instructions. LOL LMAO…
During my teen years I had the usual distractions, along with a lay off during military service. But started again, after the Navy, and you guessed it… working the midnight shift in a boiler room. Over the years I have stoped the hobby many times, but always return, for the relaxation and enjoyment of it.
What are your favorite model building subjects? scale?
I can honestly say I passed through them all… LOL and I’m bascly still the same way. Building what ever strikes my fancy, although as I got older, I more or less settled into 1/35 armour/vehicles/figures, and 1/72 and 1/48 aircraft.
What was the most challenging kit you ever built and why?
Although I have seen the hobby evolve into what it is today, I still enjoy the older kits that require a little modelling skills and scratch-building, and try to use as little after market parts as I can and still arrive at a decent looking model. I guess over the past ten years I put away the computer color specto-graph, laser micro-meter, and digital rivet counter. Although many prefer the modern “shake and bake” kits, which are fine for teaching assembly skills, but they limit the development of good modelling skills, and overcoming basic modelling problems.
If you could change one thing about the hobby what would that be?
Back to the basics… teach the yougin’s and returnee’s they can build good, solid award winning models out of the box, and without a second mortgage for after market parts. The only requirements being good basic modelling skills, and practice and patience. Scratch-building cockpits, wheel wells, engine details, landing gear, tank and vehicle details were the norm for an award winning moedeller. Today it seems to be who has the fattest wallet to buy and paint and glue someone elses stuff into your model. The truth is all those after market parts are being made buy modllers who simply developed basic modelling skills, that most modellers already have, but simply need to develope.
Past Honorees
animal (Dave Willett)
ArmouredSprue (Paulo R Castro)
CaptainJack (James P. Welch)
Eagle (Danny Wennekes)
Envar (Toni Kysenius)
FAUST (Robert Blokker)
flitzer (Peter Allen)
Folgore (Nicolas Virtue)
GeneralFailure (Jan)
Grumpyoldman (Dave O’Meara)
GunTruck (Jim Lewis)
Holdfast (Mal Mayfield)
jimbrae (Jim Rae)
Kencelot (Ken Fortier)
KFMagee (Keith Magee)
Merlin (Rowan Baylis)
MrRoo (Cliff Hutchings)
Plasticbattle (Frank Glackin)
Roadkill (Ronny Noben)
Sabot (Robin Gronovius)
scoccia (Fabio d’Inzeo)
slodder (Scott Lodder)
SS-74 (Dave)
staff_Jim (Jim Starkweather)
Tin_Can (Bryan Dewberry)
TreadHead (Gordon Alexander Rain)
TUGA (José Fontes)
Vodnik (Pawel Krupowicz)
WeWillHold (Steve Keegan)
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