I wanted to have "Does the thought of what you are modeling ever hit you", but it didn't fit...

Just recently found out that a childhood friend was killed in Irak. My knowledge of what happened is limited, but I find myself thinking about the things I am modeling.

I've just recently put up a new building area and am really wanting to build again, so I've started looking through my stash. Most of my models are some type of armor or weapon - and the thought keeps haunting me - some poor Bast**d has either died inside or due to the thing I'm modeling. And I can't shake it. I keep thinking about the Robert Redford movie "The Last Castle", where the Colonel is so excited to show off his Civil War bullet collection and Robert Redford's character refutes the collection by saying "Poor bast**d that got killed by this..."

I guess I feel a little bit ashamed for almost frothing at the mouth to make the best representation of a killing machine...

I see what you mean, but try to think of it in terms like "I know people have died in Saabs that have crashed or due to drunk drivers, but I would still make a model of it because it is not the car that caused the death of the driver but a persons actions" The machine itself had nothing to do with it.

i sometimes think like that brian, but i mostly model ww2 armor. the reason i mostly model ww2 is because both my grandfathers fought in ww2 one landed on sword beach normandy and the other was in the desert rats. but sadly both died before i was born so i could never ask them about their experiences in the war, so for me modeling ww2 subjects i try to think what it would have been like for them... did they drive any of these vehicles, or at least seen them in action etc... in the end of the day modeling is a hobby, we do it because we love it and it challenges us that's the way i rationalize it. Ant.

Brian: First off let me say that I'm sorry for your lose. Secondly I'd like to say that what you are feelling at this point is normal. My final thought is no scale model ever killed. We recreate history in scale. Anyway good luck.

Thanks all for the thoughts!! I knew it would help.I guess it could be a phase of my mourning, we hadn't talked since we were teenagers. All he ever dreamed of was becoming a Marine, he was living his dream...

Although a scale model hasn't killed anyone, I'm sure the stuff we used to fill them with, to blow them up, could have seriously done some damage....

Sorry about the loss of a friend Brian.
I lost quite a few friends over the years from not only wars, but drunk drivers, disease, and even old age. And life has gone on, My personal dislike of wars, hasn't stopped them, nor has it affected my hobby subject matter. (Although I choose to build and show non-combative vignettes--- the boring "sit around and wait" types.)
My personal dislike of drunk driving hasn't lead to any bars or liquor companies going belly up, nor do I advocate another "Prohibition".
As for old age, and disease----- not a damn thing I can do about that. It's all down hill after 50, as it is certainly unlikely you'll going to get another 50 years in.

But the one thing I do find myself doing more often when looking at reference photos, is wondering if the person or persons in the photos survived the war.

Hello Brian. Sorry to hear about your friend. Ive lost a few good friends over the years as well, and its never easy.
I have never associated modelling to killing and death .... It is what it is .. modelling, crafts, art, etc. Man kills man, not the machines. Is it the carpenter or his tools that gets the praise for the fine new cabinet? Same thing in my mind.

Its good to see that your interest in modelling has returned. Glad to see you back. Has your eye problem improved since we spoke last?

Thanks Frank! Yeah, I've had corrective surgery so the eyes are better than before the incident. Now it is just old age that is making modeling harder sight-wise, I'm going to have to go to bi-focals soon...

Thanks all again! As I've been working today I've had your "words" bouncing around in my thoughts. I must admit things have fallen into place, more or less.

I've got the urge to Build Fire trucks....... I'm in the process of aquiring kits other than Ambulances' I already have more than the City I live in......LOL

A thought just hit me, Jeff was doing what he wanted... He chose to be a Marine...

Thanks again all, I feel much better about the whole deal now!!!