Model Cars: Rediscovering a Pastime in Appalachia

Today I took a trip to the north Georgia mountains. My only goal in this trip was to get some solid road time in on some fantastic roads, and that I did. 17, 19, and even a 35MPH connecting road provided plenty of thrills on my way to Dahlonega, a town famous for being one of the first gold rush towns in the United States.

A Jaguar XJS convertible parked on the street in Dahlonega.

The town square was choked with traffic, since street parking was free and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I decided to peruse a few of the antique shops, and found a few plates for my collection and a couple of National Geographic books. This only spurred my desire to find more hidden, reasonably-priced treasures in a part of the state whose stores I hadn't really browsed before.

At around 1:30, I decided to drive up to Hiawassee, a town that nearly shares a border with North Carolina. The store I chose was a quiet affair, silence broken by a woman's loud phone conversation about an expensive car repair bill for "mama's car." Civil war books crammed the corners and old men examined worryingly-sharp woodworking tools. It was a pretty standard showing; looked like I'd driven the extra hour for nothing.

But in one corner, I spotted some familiar looking boxes. Names like Revell, Tamiya, and Fujimi rang bells, but there were a couple of others I'd never seen before--smaller model companies like Aoshima, Gunze Sangyo, and ESCI.

A few months ago I decided to try my hand at building scale models again. After a few days of work, and a month of not doing anything on the car, I knuckled down and completed a Tamiya Fiat 695 Esse Esse. And after that, I bought a 911 Turbo model kit; it sits unfinished.

These models at the antique mall in Hiawassee got the wheels in my head turning again. By design, and with the help of a 50% off sale, I ended up buying six model kits.

Scale modeling has been an on and off hobby of mine since I was a kid. My biggest kicks were near the end of elementary school, when I'd go over to my friend Harrison's apartment and work on building plastic cars into the early hours of the morning. His dad was someone who I considered to be a professional modeler. (not to be confused with "model")

One day, Harrison showed me the stash. His parent's bedroom closet was full to the ceiling with little boxes full of model kits. This was in addition to the various kits scattered on the kitchen table, in Harrison's bedroom, and in his dad's office, where the serious work was done. That office was immaculate, which I had a hard time understanding, since our model car work almost always ended with spilled glue, paint, and trash.

I was extremely envious of Harrison back then. While I had to beg my parents to buy me new model kits, he always had a smattering of different cars and paints to choose from. It also upset me that he wasn't bit on details. Where I'd try to make my cars as close to real-life as possible, he'd use sharpies in place of paint on the body and interiors of his cars.

My projects back then did tend to be a bit ambitious, though. I wanted to replicate what I saw in the Scale Modeler magazine; intricate customization projects where people built roll cages from plastic styrene and cut out doors and hoods with custom hinges. Obviously, I soon discovered my skills still had a long way to go, and those over-ambitious projects usually ended in frustration and, ultimately, the trash bin.

My little Fiat kit did a lot to give me hope for my future (potentially) in scale modeling. (not real modeling. At a healthy 200 pounds, I'm too fat and at 23 years old, I'm too old) With some very-hard-fought patience, I was able to complete a car I was truly proud of. I was able to place all of the pesky metal transfers and decals, and lay down a decent paint job--something I'd always struggled with due to my lack of patience.

So my goal this week and for the following weeks is to finish the Porsche, and also to get started on the kits I just bought in Hiawassee. Funny how a long hiatus can still make the heart grow fond.