Wardrobe Hudson
04-23-2012, 11:39
Hello to everyone from a new pilot in Northumbria.
Just thought I'd say hello and introduce myself. I've been fascinated by WWI fighter pilots since I was eleven when I "borrowed" a book my Dad had taken out of our library on MvR, though with my Grandad and Uncle in the RAF my interest in "planes" goes back as long as I can remember. Perhaps like many of you I grew up on plastic model kits first learning how to construct them on evenings and weekends with my Dad.
I left the aircraft kits behind in my early teens and staggered in to wargames and the first home computers - I'm sure I spent hours trying to land some sort of aircraft on a ZX-Spectrum flight sim using only the rubber keys. Whilst the technology has improved, WWI and WWII flight games are the only ones that grab my attention (jets? too many buttons man!).
Five years ago, I took a real flight in to the unknown and became a Dad myself and a year or so ago I had a yearning to build a kit again for my son. I still had enamels from the 1980's that were/are fine, all housed in a wooden box that my Dad made from scrap wood and that is covered with twenty five year old graffiti and paint stains from the days when my brother and myself were regularly building kits. Like a chip off the old block my son has taken to them in a big way... perhaps too interested - there can't be too many five year olds who can recognise a Fokker Dr.I, an Albatros, a Sopwith Camel as well as a Hurricane, Heinkel 111 and Spitfire and knows who Barnes Wallis is. Living near Hadrian's wall, he's also Roman mad and will give you a mini lecture on lorica-segmentata. His mother blames me... and she's right!
Anyway, until last December I had never come across WoW, having been away from boardgames and wargaming for a while. Despite being in my forties now, I was thrilled to find it and bought the Deluxe Set (with German rules) to give to my son from Santa. When I finally got a copy of the rules I decided even the basic game was probably beyond the capacity of a five year old. So I decided to keep it for myself (and I know what you're all going to say - I bought it for myself - honestly, I didn't, I think, yr honour). Luckily, my partner is a board game fanatic and soon became hooked (and I still haven't beaten her... she's a better pilot than me).
The inevitable happened. My son spotted the game, and was intrigued. So we sat him down and had a game. It took him no more than half an hour to get it and his face when a lucky shot from his Fokker Dr.I exploded my Camel was a picture!
So today I ended up here whilst looking for an answer to the difference between red and green "guns jammed" cards - and what a wonderful place the Aerodrome is...
... the only real problem is, you've now got me very tempted to start building in 1/144 scale... and I already have a large back log of other aircraft to build - as well as a 1/72 reconstruction of Vindolanda Roma Fort (but that's another story).
Sorry if that's a bit long for a hello.
Best wishes
Dale (aka Wardrobe Hudson)
Just thought I'd say hello and introduce myself. I've been fascinated by WWI fighter pilots since I was eleven when I "borrowed" a book my Dad had taken out of our library on MvR, though with my Grandad and Uncle in the RAF my interest in "planes" goes back as long as I can remember. Perhaps like many of you I grew up on plastic model kits first learning how to construct them on evenings and weekends with my Dad.
I left the aircraft kits behind in my early teens and staggered in to wargames and the first home computers - I'm sure I spent hours trying to land some sort of aircraft on a ZX-Spectrum flight sim using only the rubber keys. Whilst the technology has improved, WWI and WWII flight games are the only ones that grab my attention (jets? too many buttons man!).
Five years ago, I took a real flight in to the unknown and became a Dad myself and a year or so ago I had a yearning to build a kit again for my son. I still had enamels from the 1980's that were/are fine, all housed in a wooden box that my Dad made from scrap wood and that is covered with twenty five year old graffiti and paint stains from the days when my brother and myself were regularly building kits. Like a chip off the old block my son has taken to them in a big way... perhaps too interested - there can't be too many five year olds who can recognise a Fokker Dr.I, an Albatros, a Sopwith Camel as well as a Hurricane, Heinkel 111 and Spitfire and knows who Barnes Wallis is. Living near Hadrian's wall, he's also Roman mad and will give you a mini lecture on lorica-segmentata. His mother blames me... and she's right!
Anyway, until last December I had never come across WoW, having been away from boardgames and wargaming for a while. Despite being in my forties now, I was thrilled to find it and bought the Deluxe Set (with German rules) to give to my son from Santa. When I finally got a copy of the rules I decided even the basic game was probably beyond the capacity of a five year old. So I decided to keep it for myself (and I know what you're all going to say - I bought it for myself - honestly, I didn't, I think, yr honour). Luckily, my partner is a board game fanatic and soon became hooked (and I still haven't beaten her... she's a better pilot than me).
The inevitable happened. My son spotted the game, and was intrigued. So we sat him down and had a game. It took him no more than half an hour to get it and his face when a lucky shot from his Fokker Dr.I exploded my Camel was a picture!
So today I ended up here whilst looking for an answer to the difference between red and green "guns jammed" cards - and what a wonderful place the Aerodrome is...
... the only real problem is, you've now got me very tempted to start building in 1/144 scale... and I already have a large back log of other aircraft to build - as well as a 1/72 reconstruction of Vindolanda Roma Fort (but that's another story).
Sorry if that's a bit long for a hello.
Best wishes
Dale (aka Wardrobe Hudson)