Howard, do you realize how privelaged you are to be so close to such talented people. I remember how hard you and your flying pals worked so hard flying those foamies in combat. DOC Holliday
Hey...DOC!
Guess all of us are kinda'va "mutual admiration society addicted bunch of a dope-sniffin model makers. Especially when this strange formula of stew'd folks that just love modeling who get together, whether at play or at work...(two or more souls gathered in the name of minature airplanes models).... truly amazingly things can happen.
As long as we are throwin' roses...HOWARD RUSH, PAUL WALKER, BOB PARKER, GARY LETSINGER, LEO MEHL, JOE DILL, BOB WELCH, BRUCE KIMBALL, JAMES (murdock)BARBARUS.... are just a few of the amazingly talented, gifted and inspiring Boeing co-workers that I have had that same privilege to also call my friends over the years.
DOC! What you say about HOWARD RUSH is soooo true. Now that I think back...Howard was one of the first modelers that I know of who started not only working with foam, but also one of the first that started that amazing process of molding model parts from exotic formulas.
Howard's beautiful super thin but almost bullet proof graphite cowlings, wheel pants.....fuselage re-enforcements, etc. Never ceased to boggle my mind. Howard's gift and talent for knowing just how to utilize these products was amazing. Gary Letsinger and I could never understand how these works of art that Howard created...COULD BE PUT AT SUCH HORRIFIC RISK..during those WILD ABANDONED COMBAT MATCHES...that RAINED SO MANY BEAUTIFUL MODELS INTO FALLING CONFETTI' that would would make any NYC ticker tape parade look like a kiddie pillow fight.
At least to this ol' model toot', Howard, over the years, has been the ultimate Research and Developement kind of model builder.
How fortune also, that he has found so many new ideas about improving the way we build models...better yet, his willingness to share these rare finds, secrets, with us.
Hang on....more roses are comin:
HOWARD has always taught us model addicted to seek out and take full advantage of our BELOVED BOEING SURPLUS STORES AT KENT...where he and the rest of us could GLEAN so many left over exotic items that were not available at first to the general public.
We were so lucky to know and have a "hot-inside-line" Boeing surplus model nutbag friend who by chance, also worked the recycle binds and would call or E mail us, when these items would being put out on the Surplus tables for sale.
Unfortunatly, Tom retired about 5 years ago but still...if you live near or are passing by the Boeing Surplus Center just north of Kent Wa. DO NOT PASS GO! STOP IN AND SHOP!!!
It is not the place it used to be...but still sooo much fun. (I just bought a like brand new artist chair that retailed a few years ago at Seattle art, for over $275.00 for----------$8.00!!! after I showed them my retirement card.) Naaa-naa-naaaa-na!
Talk about an insider trading advantage...for any model nut who was lucky or unlucky enough (depending on the product) who happen to be at the right place and time. Better yet, the prices were soooooooooooooo right.
Howard, Paul and my windtunnel bunch friends...were like A HOT-LINE!...We were like a pack of wolves, fighting over the dead...gleanings from the throw away tubs from the black box, airplane mold and assembly shops.
Say...If I wanted to find some fast two part resins..or some extreme light weight space age cloth to make wheel pants etc.---------All we would have to do is ASK! HEY HOWARD!!! What do you think about using this (blankity-blank resin for-------HOWARD WOULD CUT ME OFF for my own good and say somethin' like)----"
DON!
NO WAY!!! STAY AWAY FROM THAT STUFF!! THAT RESIN IS WAAAAY TO TOXIC!"
It can render your brain into a scrambled mass of gooooo---and after mixing, just the smell of it will stay locked forever in your DNA for generations to come..(that is, if you can even survive long enough to "pay it forward?" See what happens. Sad I didn't always follow Howard advice.
CAUTION! As you can plainly see...I AM TRULY THE POSTER BOY of what can happen if you choose to not take health precautions when working with those suspect space age exotic building materials, etc.
Here is a photo of a few of my ol flutter-rat model makers and engineers...raggin on my SuperPoxy paint job that was still "STICKY to the touch!" (from using waaay to much thinner and retarder, in order to make the weight requirements.) No big deal...kinda nice to think that all our finger prints still show...(kinda like leaving your hand or finger prints on the model builders own Hollywood walk of fame..or infamomeeee')
Topic: FLUTTERMODEL-MAN often referred as FLUTTER-RATS! (Read 2544 times)