Hello everyone,
I’ve been registered here for a while now and must admit to having been lurking on a regular basis. Whilst my interest in WW1 aviation has been there for many years, my modelling subjects haven’t reflected it so I felt it best to stay in the background. With that now changing however I thought it was time to ‘declare an interest’!
My name is Ramon Wilson and I hail from Suffolk in the UK. Most call me ‘Tug’ which is a nickname synonymous in the UK with my surname. Despite the user name I’m seventy years young but like to think I’m still a lad at heart. I made my first plastic model – that ubiquitous Airfix ‘blue Spitfire’ – at the age of eleven but was totally smitten in the same year when I saw that first ‘stick and tissue’ rubber powered model aircraft. Traditional ‘aeromodelling’ took hold over the following few years but plastic models still figured occasionally and particularly so in the late sixties/early seventies when I modelled almost exclusively 1/72 WW1 aviation. A long gap occurred when a passion for model engineering and control line flying took precedence but a return to regular plastic modelling began in 2003 after making a Lancaster for my cousins eightieth birthday. Since then, despite other modelling interests a steady and growing participation in the hobby has remained so though I’m not entirely new to plastic modelling, nor to WW1 aviation (though it has to be said purely from a visual, non technical, perspective that is) I am completely new to the current and rapidly expanding interest in the latter and particularly so in 1/32 scale.
Coming to the close of my latest build (a Trumpeter 1/32 F-104 – Hmm! I hope that isn’t committing heresy on here) I have succumbed to the ever increasing allure of ‘Wingnuts’ and now have ‘one or two’ waiting patiently on the shelf for a potential project that I’ve been considering for some time. Before opening those packs of truly beautiful sprues however I have been tackling the Hobby Craft Sopwith Camel as a precursor in order to put into practice the various techniques recently read about in so many places and not least in the terrific and informative posts found on here.
Having read so many of those posts a major fact that is readily apparent is the expertise and knowledge of so many long standing members. Bearing that firmly in mind then, whilst I’m happy to contribute, I realise I have little to offer save my own individual approach. On that note, like any new member of a club I look forwards to participating in what I hope will prove to be a long and pleasurable new adventure and will find something to post about these early attempts with the Camel shortly.
Hope that’s not too long an intro!
My regards – Ramon (henceforth ‘Tug’)
