Model life
It has been my observation, walking through the toy sections, that boys no longer have any interest in the model planes and cars that I put together as a child.
They have become enamered with video games.
At one time, boys created something from nothing. Putting plastic parts, or wood, and glue together, adding paint, to make something of their own. To show their parents and hang from the ceiling or place on a shelf.
Today boys choose change places.
Sitting there doing nothing, while the game does it all, with nothing to show at the end of a day.
Sigh...
***
Can you believe this!!??
I googled Revell, the model company I recall from B-17 bombers and P-51 Mustangs built in my elementary years.
Revell is calling for help from it's customers. (I wasn't sure they were even still in existance).
It seems that the Big Military Contractors that build the war machines are trying to push for legislation aimed at requiring model makers to pay licensing fees to them.
First, you and I paided for those designs with our tax monies.
Second, military aircraft and designs have be in the public domain for over 50 years.
How much is too much?
****
My uncle was stationed in Berlin during the coldwar.
When he signed up, he had already finished a Masters.
This served him well.
Enlistees without degrees had any bad teeth pulled.
His masters ensured that all his teeth were fixed.
You need them all to speak Russian.
He told us that as the wall was begun, (for all you young ones, that would be the Berlin Wall), the workers were given explicit instructions to stop all work if anyone came up to them and told them to stop. They only learned of this after the wall had been completed. (I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it makes for an interesting story).
He was given an assignment for a presentation to provide photos of the brand new, top secret, Russian Mig.
Up to that point, no photos had been taken of this aircraft. (Thus the need for photos).
He solved in a creative way.
He went down to the local hobby store where he bought a model of the plane in question.
Mounted it on a dowel from its engine, covered the dowel with cotton, took it outside and photographed it against the sky.
The brass never knew the difference.
They have become enamered with video games.
At one time, boys created something from nothing. Putting plastic parts, or wood, and glue together, adding paint, to make something of their own. To show their parents and hang from the ceiling or place on a shelf.
Today boys choose change places.
Sitting there doing nothing, while the game does it all, with nothing to show at the end of a day.
Sigh...
***
Can you believe this!!??
I googled Revell, the model company I recall from B-17 bombers and P-51 Mustangs built in my elementary years.
Revell is calling for help from it's customers. (I wasn't sure they were even still in existance).
It seems that the Big Military Contractors that build the war machines are trying to push for legislation aimed at requiring model makers to pay licensing fees to them.
First, you and I paided for those designs with our tax monies.
Second, military aircraft and designs have be in the public domain for over 50 years.
How much is too much?
****
My uncle was stationed in Berlin during the coldwar.
When he signed up, he had already finished a Masters.
This served him well.
Enlistees without degrees had any bad teeth pulled.
His masters ensured that all his teeth were fixed.
You need them all to speak Russian.
He told us that as the wall was begun, (for all you young ones, that would be the Berlin Wall), the workers were given explicit instructions to stop all work if anyone came up to them and told them to stop. They only learned of this after the wall had been completed. (I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it makes for an interesting story).
He was given an assignment for a presentation to provide photos of the brand new, top secret, Russian Mig.
Up to that point, no photos had been taken of this aircraft. (Thus the need for photos).
He solved in a creative way.
He went down to the local hobby store where he bought a model of the plane in question.
Mounted it on a dowel from its engine, covered the dowel with cotton, took it outside and photographed it against the sky.
The brass never knew the difference.
posted by karlthebunny at 1:46 PM
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