John R. Ross

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1) How long have you been modeling?

About 40 Years.  How long have you been a TCAH member?  4 years.

2) What was the first model that you built?

Not sure it was my first, but the first one I remember is a 1/144 Boeing kit I got for my birthday.  What do you remember most about it?  At the time I remember watching a movie that dealt with plane crash reconstruction so my model did lot of carpet landings...

3) What was the last model that you built?

The Fine Molds 1/48 Snow Speeder from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.  What do you remember most about it?  Wanting to display it up on a winter diorama and incorporating a mirror as a frozen pond into it.

4) Do you have a theme (or themes) to your modeling collection?

Not really, I like to build just about anything. Every genre of model building has something to offer and many times skills you use in one area can carry over to the other more than you think...

5) What's your favorite aircraft and why?

My favorite aircraft is the P-40 as flown by the American Volunteer Group (AVG). As a kid I always loved the Tiger Shark mouth on the nose. When CB’s were popular I used the handle “Flying Tiger" and I have the flying tiger logo tattooed on my left shoulder...

6) What has been your favorite kit or model that you've built? Why?

I actually have a couple, starting with the Hasegawa 1/48 scale A-4E/F and the Fine Molds 1/72 scale Y-Wing Star fighter. I love both of the subjects and the engineering on both kits is phenomenal.

7) How many kits have you built?

Sorry, I lost count but 100s I would say... It depends if you count all the Make-N-Take kits I helped build over the years too...

B) Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

I got started building models after watching my Dad growing up. As a young child I remember sitting on the couch and watching Dad build a kit in the living room. We lived in an apartment at the time so Dad would have to set up his stuff and tear it down after each session. Everything used to go into an old tool or tackle box, tools and paint wise. To fund my addiction to styrene, my brother and I used to cut grass, rake leaves or shovel snow in the neighborhood. For some of my larger projects I resorted to selling greeting cards and stationary door to door, you might remember the ads in comic books growing up...

My first job was working at Moeller Hobby Center in Robbinsdale at the age of 15. I worked there and Gager's in Brookdale to get through high school. I am a moderator on a forum: forums.scalehobby.com. It's a fun place to talk with others about building and share your builds, ask questions, etc... We are a small board but have a loyal set of followers.

I am passionate about building and keeping the hobby alive, so I am a big believer in Make-N-Take events to help drum up interest in the addiction (I mean hobby). My son also builds models and I am hoping to pass the addiction on to my grandson as well. I am very lucky to have a wife tolerates my addiction...

9) What other hobbies do you have?

Golf, riding Motorcycles, camping and trying to play the Ukulele...

10) How many kits do you have on your shelf of doom?

While I am a builder I have also grown to be a collector, with about 30 unbuilt kits I do hope to build all of them in my lifetime. Some of the kits are extra kits acquired as a possible investment later, especially in the Sci-Fi area...