Greetings Eddy!
So Bob, when are you going to make him a master then, hell you may as well do it now and get it over with I guess
Hey Chef Dont knock Eddy I am sure Bob will take at least a week to make another armor guy master
Hey, both Daves,
I do my best to be fair in choosing the members of the masters forum. I honestly do. When I joined this website, it's name was Tanks N Things. I didn't happen on to the site, I was persuaded to join. Most of the members at that time were armor builders. Today, there are several aircraft builders, including Moon Puppy, who is the webmaster and definitely partial to aircraft. I myself, have probably built more aircraft in my lifetime of modeling than armor, or ships, or figures, or sci-fi. Over the last 20 years, I have leaned towards armor and figures because they lend themselves more to my kind of dioramas than do aircraft. Having said that, I have built several aircraft dioramas.
Back in the early 80s, I got these out of storage and was in the process of repairing them. I have built hundreds of aircraft in my 68 years of modeling.
Here are a couple of the latest aircraft dioramas I have built. First, an Emil.
Another one. A German Beutepark in Paris Nanterre, with captured American aircraft, just liberated from the Germans.
A 1/24th scale Spit I built in the 70s.
My point is, you guys are right! Because there were many more armor, figure, ship and diorama modelers on here than aircraft modelers, I have moved more of them into the Master's forum, but, many of them build aircraft and other model subjects as well. It isn't that I don't appreciate aircraft, I hoped to demonstrate that by including the above photos. I have never been an enthusiast of armor or any form of modeling. I like miniatures, whatever form they are in, and, have built dioramas of just about every possible subject in modeling.
However, until recently, the talent on this site has been heavily weighted in the armor section, more than likely because of the original name of the site. There has never been a criteria for who joins, for what modeling subjects they prefer, but when a website begins life with an armor title, it will likely draw more armor than aircraft builders. I don't believe that would surprise anybody. Since the name has changed, that too, has been changing over the last couple of years and we all welcome it. I am currently preparing to ask an aircraft modeler member of this site I have been watching for some time, to become a member of the master's forum. I won't disclose his name until I get his approval, but I give you my word, he is a great choice, an exceptional modeler and I will ask him shortly. By the way, there are several really good aircraft modelers on the master's forum, Four in all. You may not be aware that Chuckw, Ian Hill, (BrokenEagle), Terry Barrow, (Mr. T) and Andy Fettes all build aircraft and all have posted them on their master's forum on this website, as i have.
There is no conspiracy to stack the forum with only armor or figure builders, however, until recently, we haven't had a wide choice of above average aircraft modelers to choose from. Many of the master's forum members build models and dioramas of many subjects, not strictly armor or figures. You should check them out!
Let's keep this discussion on the high road. Eddie lives in Belgium, I haven't seen him in 25 years. His work is second to none of any member of this site. I have been trying to get him to join for some time now. Not because I know him, but strictly because of his immense talent and the fact that he will be an asset to the website. My job has always been to seek out talent and recruit it for the master's forum, whether from within or outside Modeler's Alliance. I have selected a tiny few that I know personally, because I have known so very many of the major players in the model community, and most of the master's members I have never met.
Now, any time you guys want, or anybody else on MA wants, simply email me with a suggestion for a candidate. I take all suggestions very seriously,
I have never had a single suggestion for a builder who strictly specializes in aircraft in the past, but have had many for armor, cars and figures. If you don't like something I am doing, or want me to do something I'm not, drop me an email. That would be preferable to posting on the public forum.
One last thing.I never volunteered for this job. I was asked to do it, I accepted reluctantly, and if anybody has a better idea, or someone better qualified, please submit it to the moderators and I will step aside, have more time to do what I like most, building dioramas. No hard feelings whatsoever!
Bob Letterman