[bsmith13]

I started to like airplanes around the age of 9. Bob Stanford Tuck and Adolf Galland were signing books at a local bookstore, and my dad took me. I still have the signed copies I got that day. I couldn't get enough - books, movies, models.

For the first couple of years of my marriage, I continued building models - 1/72 WWII Fighters for the most part. Then along came the kids (and their little friends) who thought it would be cool to see daddy's planes fly. Thus, the end of model building for a while. I still have 10 unbuilt kits in my basement.

A few years ago, I found a Matchbox Spitfire on the shelves at Target. I was hooked. My collection spans multiple scales and eras, but it isn't huge. I like this stuff more than my diecast cars.

[WJP]

Originally Posted by PappyB

When I was 5 or so (38 now) my parents got me this very cool plastic aircraft carrier that came with plastic/foam corsairs that you could actually catapult off the carrier and they would fly like 5-6 feet or so across the room.... I LOVED that thing!

This lead to me picking up a couple metal airplanes (matchbox I think, 1:100 scale or so) around the same time with my allowance......

Then I discovered Black Sheep Squadron and my interest in WWII aviation was sealed for life... and the Corsair remains my favorite airplane of 'em all....

This sounds very familar. The Mattel Flying Aces Aircraft Carrier was awesome (Good pics on Ebay). I also had the Island base. I loved these toys and the Black Sheep Squadron TV show. The Corsair is also my favorite because of this.

As for my collecting, I started with the Ertl Force One modern jets. It wasn't until I saw a Yat Ming Corsair in the gift shop at Patriot Point in Charleston, South Carolina that I started collecting WWII planes. Yat Ming planes were quickly replaced by Armour 1/100 scale. I then found Corgi's first Mustangs, Spitfires, & 109s on the internet. Once I got these I was hooked. They had good detail and were the perfect size for me. Several Matchbox platinum series followed after seeing an ad in a magazine. I'm now up to somewhere between 150 and 200 planes.

[easy8]

I guess for me, the interest in armor and aircraft started as a kid. My dad is a huge WWII buff, and he had tons of books on it. I remember looking at his Time/Life collections on WWII and was fascinated with the subject. Then I built my first model airplane with my dad, a 1/72 scale P-40, and continued to build armor and aircraft kits off and on until high school, when girls and sports took over. It wasn't until after college and I was married and we had our first child that I started getting interested again. My collection acutally started out with 1/72 scale soldiers about 6 years ago, then I picked up a Matchbox Sherman at a local Toys R Us. I then decided to start collecting armor and soon after that Dragon came out with their first release Tiger 1s, I ordered them, and was hooked! After collecting armor for a couple of years, I decided to take the plunge and got a couple of the Dragon Mustangs and a Zero. Since then my collection and interest in aircraft (WW II only, except for F-4 Phantoms ) has grown and now I only buy a few armor pieces every now and again and mostly focus on aircraft.

easy8

[Alph]

I began collecting back in 1980 with a display model that use to sit in a Southwest Airlines office. As I researched it's origins it became evident that I had a rather unique Atlantic model. I found that it would be cost prohibitive to buy display models and being an engineer by trade I started making models based on line drawings. "Truly Addictive" Then I was given a1/6th scale Little bird and much of my plastic collection are 21 Century models. Not even close to being finished with any thing I collect. Mostly started as a way to be different from the other guys,and my wife actually feed my habit. The real nerds are those guys Blowing Crack through a brillo pad dragging their faces across the floor. We all share a common intrest and that's Aviation.
Please don't get me started on fishing reels!!!! Alph of Spokane WA

[Cardinal]

It's not how you got started in collecting diecast that matters, it's how you intend to finish ...

[Copland]

Three simple letters - CDC. Now I have tanks everywhere!

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by Copland

Three simple letters - CDC. Now I have tanks everywhere!

I missed out on the CDC range and the first two Dragon Armor Tiger Is (winter Wittman and France) were the beginning of the cascade that has followed, including Corgi 1/50 and Minichamps as well as HM ... no hope for me I'm afraid .

[Nimrod48]

I started collecting diecast models in 1990 when the industry for "adult" collectables was in its infancy, the big players in Britain Corgi, Matchbox & a newcomer called Exclusive First Editions concentrated on the nostalgia market .
Corgi producing endless virsions of a Bedford removals van & the ubiquitous Bedford OB coach, Matchbox products IMHO fell between two stools being neither "proper" scale model or childs toy, EFE on the other hand had struck gold when they produced a 1:76 scale London Transport RT bus which had meant to be just a lineside vehicle for model railways.
The bus enthusiasts were over the moon with this issue & pressed EFE for more which is where my passion for collecting started, to be able to purchase a model of the buses one remembered as a child was a splendid diversion from a severe breakdown I was suffering from at the time.

[Captain Eddie]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

It's not how you got started in collecting diecast that matters, it's how you intend to finish ...

FINISH!!! WHADAYA MEAN FINISH!! There IS no "finish'!!!!!

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Captain Eddie

FINISH!!! WHADAYA MEAN FINISH!! There IS no "finish'!!!!!

Right on, Capt'n. I don't see myself "finishing" my collection either unless the diecast market goes away entirely, and I'm forced to quit by default.

I'll get a bigger house if necessary...

FVD