Hobby for healing and therapy
After a recuperative period in hospital for a terrible fall in addition to isolation due to COVID-19, I was lucky to have my hobby. I started with an AMT 2003 GTO, which my Aussie pals called the New (at that time) Monaro. I was able to make a stylin’ replica of my own GTO but didn’t stop there, ordering resin kits from as far away as Finland, Japan, and Australia. I lived it up!
Right now, I’m at work on a 1970s Holden HQ Monaro with plans for a Sterckeman Lovely 400 caravan pulled by a custom 1990 Ford Crown Victoria sedan and converting an Aoshima Nissan S14 Silvia into a Canadian market 240SX.
I’m glad to have FineScale Modeler magazine. Between its tips and help from my fellow model builders, I’ve been spurred to do some exciting stuff, including a showcase of my work at a local art gallery.
Model cars got me out of my doldrums in a 1974 Toronto hospital after an autoracing accident. And it’s model cars that helped keep me going through more recent challenges and opened up new possibilities for me. That’s therapy that keeps on giving. – Logan “Snoopy” Chrysler Olympia, Wash.
Ed.: Modeling can be many things to many people, but I agree with you, Snoopy. It is great therapy whether you are healing from physical or emotional wounds. Thanks for sharing! - A.S.
Wildcat claws up a memory
I received my May/June 2022 FineScale
today. As usual, I browsed through the pages to see what I had to look forward to before settling in for some serious reading. Lo and behold, I got to Page 58 and saw the title “AMT 1964 Buick Wildcat.” What a smile it put on my face.
I normally concentrate my model building and collecting efforts on aircraft, usually 1/48 scale. However, I’ve been looking for this particular car kit for years at the many IPMS, kit, and toy shows I’ve attended over the years without luck.
You see, the 1964 Wildcat has some special memories for me. It was the car that I drove to take my driver’s license test. It was my dad’s car, and a beautiful car it was: an all white two-door with a three-tone blue interior and that 401-cubic-inch Nailhead V8 under the hood. That was almost 60 years ago.
I took the driving test in Cleveland,
Ohio, with a state trooper riding shotgun as the examiner. At the end of the driving portion of the test I was required to parallel park that big Wildcat in a measured spot in the parking lot of the examining station. Got it on the first try. My dad was a great and patient teacher.
I saw that the present value of the kit is listed at $115. That’s a far cry from it’s original price to be sure, likely around $2. However, I have to say that I’d be willing to shell out that kind of money to recapture a little bit of my past if I was ever able to find it at a show.
Thanks for the memories! – Paul Day Parma, Ohio
Ed.: Glad you liked Tim Boyd’s history of AMT’s one-year wonder ’64 Buick Wildcat. Good luck on your quest! – A.S.
Submitting stories to FSM
How do I go about writing for FineScale Modeler? – Kirby Sanders Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ed.: The short answer is send us photos and a manuscript. The latter doesn’t have to be elaborate; caption-driven stories work very well. Photos are the key to a good submission. Be sure to document each important step in whatever project you are planning to submit. Keep in mind that not every story has to be about a five-year build; some of the best are brief stories describing a specific technique or idea. If you have an idea or need more info, contact me at editor@FineScale.com. - A.S.