Editorial by DreamKnight
In life, we all have the urge to search for truth and knowledge. As human, we have an insatiable urge for the truth. That, and war but that's a topic for another day. Many of my hobbies include some kind of process where one must research for knowledge to be better at it. After all, knowledge is power. Then there are those hobbies that is all about the search for truth. The paranormal is one for me. I used to work with the International Society for Paranormal Research out "ghost hunting" before it was cool. There was always a cool feeling when you find out something new about a location that you have or are about to investigate (usually more so after an investigation). Then there that certain rush you get during discovery. When something happens and it SHOULD NOT have happened.
Though not as much as a rush, there's always that really cool feeling you get when discover something new for yourself in scale modeling. It's all about discovery, even about horrible past events. Some people who never found themselves to be a "history buff" suddenly find themselve engrossed in the background of the subject they are currently building. It's bound to happen and it usually does happen. It doesn't have to be a subject of the past but even Sci-Fi or Fantasy of a whole new world from another's mind.
So the search for truth and knowledge for me in scale modeling have opened my eyes to a few facts that I found amusing and cool. When I start a model, I normally don't research about it out right. This process is different for many people. Normally, I find myself first looking at what other modelers have done on the same subject and it spring boards from there. It first starts out as research to see how others built or painted the same model and it usually ends up with me reading, buying books or watching shows and movies about it.
The F4F-4 Wildcat I did for the Promodeller's Pacific War Build was just a model plane I picked up at the LHS because it was a nice price and it looked pretty cool. When I sat down with it it was a piece of plastic. Then it became a plane the US used in the Pacific Theatre. Then I found out it was a hardy plane but difficult to out maneuver the Japanese Zero. To counter that, they used something called the Thach Weave (aka Beam Defense Position), a tactic where one Wildcat (the bait) plays mouse to a Zero while his wing-man (the hook) position behind the cat. They get into a weaving pattern to where the first Wildcat weaves one way followed by the Zero and when the hook Wildcat is far enough behind during a pass he takes out the Zero. With this maneuver, US Wildcat pilot were able to hold up against some pretty impressive odds.
This tactic was developed by naval aviator John S. Thach (who achieved to be an Admiral) using matchsticks one night when he was trying to come up with a way to gain an edge over a Zero. He also developed the Big blue blanket system to defend against Kamikaze suicide attacks in Midway.
In our own "The Battle of Britain" build, I entered a Hawker Hurricane. I learned much about the Hawker Hurricane (though I still have PLENTY to learn still) that I won't bored you with. What really peaked my interest that I ran across when working on the plane was the story of the 303 Squadron. This was a squadron of Polish Hawker Hurricane fighter pilots. They fled Poland to join the service in Britain. Their story was comical in a way; breaking the language barrier, their casual air about them. But when they given thier chance to fly finally, the surprised the hell out of the British. They flew the Hurricane like no British have ever seen and soon the 303 Squadron held some of the highest scoring aces in the Battle of Britain.
Of course history is only as accurate as the story teller can tell it but sometimes we all need stories of heroics and inspiration. But heroic and inspirational stories just don't come from the past. We move to a different kind of discovery of truth and knowledge in science fiction and fantasy.
Although you don't find historical truths, we find quite facinating stuff inside and outside our favorite sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Did you know JRR Tolkien's inspiration for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins' home of Bag End came from Tolkien's aunt's farm of the same name? Did you know in the UK census of the year 2001, Jedi was listed as a religion? (LOL) And hey, Kirk had never utter the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" in any episodes or movies.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that had gathered and learned from this hobby so let's hear from you. Anything you'd like to share about some cool things you've learned while modeling or wargaming or just making terrains? You're on the air with "This week on SMA..."!
Other "This Week on SMA..." topics:
What do you like about learning most in Scale Modeling?The knowledge gained from building planesWhat did you learn from building armoured vehicles?Any cool facts you'd like to share that you discovered building cars?Any knowledge you'd learn while building boats?Any cool facts or things you learned when building terrain?I bet you didn't know that in Star Wars...I bet you didn't know that in Star Trek...I bet you didn't know that in Lord of the Rings...What's the most fasinating technique you've learned from building models?
