Main Building Interests: Factory Stock Muscle Cars
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Main Building Interests:Factory Stock Muscle Cars
My modeling profile is not that much different from many other car guys (or gals)
in that I had a burning interest in cars for as long as I can remember.
The evidence of this was an extensive
collection of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars growing up. Some of which
survive to this day. This interest was further kindled by my dad's 1966
Fastback Ford Mustang. I loved that car. Something about the shape
of it just captivated me. That car though in rough shape, was eventually
handed down to me and I let it get away in favor of my first car, a 1969
Pontiac Le Mans, which was in only a slightly better condition due in
large part to the fact that it still ran and did not have gaping holes in the
floor pan.
Another fortunate situation for me growing up was the fact that our next door neighbor built and
sold the occasional kit car as a sideline. I remember him building a Dune
Buggy as well as one of those Excalibur kits. Seeing those cars come
together was the coolest thing ever. The admiration ran both ways as one
time I went on an errand with him and he was simply amazed that a kid of my
age, four or five, knew the names of every car on the road.
Although my dad owned some
pretty neat cars in his time, he was never terribly mechanically
inclined. This lack of ability was also evident in scale as well. I
received a model car as a present but my dad was not much help in putting one
together. Thankfully for me, the list of neighbors that were interested
in cars did not end with him however.The neighbor on the other side of
us helped me put together my first model.The kit was an MPC Jim
Hurtibese Chevelle Stock Car.Like many other modelers, I aspire to one
day purchase another example of this kit and build it with my evolved modeling
skills.
For the next few years however, plastic kits would take a back seat to collecting Hot Wheels and
Matchbox cars. This interest was eventually rekindled and one of the
first things I purchased with the profits from my paper route was MPC's
Longshot 1977 Monza
at the age of twelve. From that point on, I was hooked and making a trip
to my neighborhood Kmart usually on a weekly basis. My high school years
saw another dormancy period as I focused on school, sports, and working to
obtain the '69 Lemans mentioned earlier. This time off would, minus a
couple of fits and starts also extend through my Undergraduate years and
Law School as well, finishing only a 1964 Impala with an engine, wheels, and
Suspension from a Corvette ZR-1 (A pro-tourer before the movement really took
off) as a Christmas present for my brother.
Upon Graduating Law School, I took a job in aHobby Distribution warehouse while pursuing employment in my chosen
field. This was an exciting time for me in the hobby. I saw every
new release before they hit the shelves because I was packing the orders that
were filling those shelves. Cars like the Lindberg Color Me Gone Dodge,
and NASCAR releases were in my hot little hands every evening. To make
things even better, we received an employee discount equal to the wholesale
price that the buyers paid! This period marks my Modern Era
in that since 1995, there has not been one month where I did not get at least a
little bit of modeling done at some point. I moved on from that job after
six months, but there are still times that I miss that discount as well as that
giant wall of scratch and dent kits in the back of warehouse.
Due to employment and family concerns, I relocated from my native Illinois
to the Philadelphia area in 1998. t was not long before I discovered Penn Valley Hobbies in
Lansdale PA and it became my corner bar so to speak. One of the staff
there put me in touch with Jamie Makin and she recruited me for the fledgling
PACM in the later part of 1999. The rest is history. One of my favorite
aspects of the club is the fellowship of the other members, getting to witness
and draw on their expertise, and just having an all-around great ;time
month in month out.
Modeling wise my interests
include Muscle Cars, Chevy and Mopar mostly, NASCAR, and the occasional foreign
exotic or Drag subject.