Down memory lane for fun

[Tom Geiger]

As a kid I was rather imaginative but also cautious. I would imagine someone going down the stairs of a tricycle, but I’d enlist a clueless test pilot to do so. I’d watch from the sidelines and when Jimmy went head over heels.. I’d note the conclusion of that experiment!

With blowing stuff up, I was more a spectator than participant. I was more the guy who once everyone left, I’d gather up the pieces for my parts box!

[CapSat 6]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

As a kid I was rather imaginative but also cautious. I would imagine someone going down the stairs of a tricycle, but I’d enlist a clueless test pilot to do so. I’d watch from the sidelines and when Jimmy went head over heels.. I’d note the conclusion of that experiment!

With blowing stuff up, I was more a spectator than participant. I was more the guy who once everyone left, I’d gather up the pieces for my parts box!

I have to say- fireworks lose their charm after dealing with a fast fuse. When I was about 12, I lit a small firecracker to throw once, and the fuse burnt really, really fast. You usually had about 4-5 seconds after lighting, but this one went off immediately. It was barely out of my hand when it went off. My hand was numb and I was deaf in one ear for about an hour. That was one of the small crackers, mind you- not an M-80 or anything. Even back then, you heard about fireworks accidents, and I can definitely see how they occur. I'm sure most fireworks are not at all made to the highest standards.  

In PA, they have recently changed the laws as far as buying and using fireworks. In the summer, one can hear them going off all the time now. It's terrible for the dogs, because they are always scared to go outside. I'm pretty sure most of these are being set off by adults. They have no appeal to me. I just don't get it now...   

[TonyK]

I never destroyed any of my models as a kid but remember being at my friends house when he did it. Lit them on fire and sprayed some lighter fluid on the burning models from a pint can and the flame started climbing up the stream to the can. He stopped it before bad things were about to happen.

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

On 4/20/2021 at 9:27 AM, Snake45 said:

I have never blown up, set fire to, shot, flung against the wall, stomped on, or otherwise deliberately destroyed any model in over six decades of building. 

I wish I had your temperament, especially when I was younger! -RRR

[peteski]

15 hours ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

I wish I had your temperament, especially when I was younger! -RRR

Like Snake, I was also very protective of my toys.  I never purposfully destroyed any of my toys/models.  My mom (by my request) used to hide my most delicate toys when my cousins  were visiting, to prevent carnage.  Blowing toys up just for the fun of it up never appeal to me.  That's not to say that I didn't do my share of pyrotechnics - just not with my models.  Yes, I'm weird.

[Bills72sj]

On 4/20/2021 at 2:22 PM, Modelbuilder Mark said:

I was not a firecracker user, but my neighborhood model builders build real Smash-up Derby cars. While there were restrictions, you essentially glued everything in place using only model glue and sprue as solid as you could, but you could not put bars over the wheels for example. Then once completed, we would take turns going to different kids houses and on a smooth surface, sit about 10 feet apart and 5-6 kids at a time would on the count of three slide the cars into the center of the floor to collide. This would be repeated until cars were "knocked out" which happened when either both front wheels, back wheels, or both wheels on one side fell off (If you had a right front wheel and a left drive wheel, our childhood logic said it would still "go"), or the engine fell out, or the steering wheel came out. This was great fun.  

The demise of many of my early models is similar. My brother and I both built models. A couple died by firecrackers but most were destroyed by demolition derbys. We had a long hallway upstairs with oak flooring. We would be at each end and slide them towards each other to make them crash. Our rule was once the engine came out the winner got to keep the loser's model. I had an unpainted 56 Ford that was pretty tough. I think I won 5 or 6 in a row with that car. My brother finally won it by strategically wrapping rubber bands around his engine compartment. Technically it was cheating but our rules were limited as we were grade school kids.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

1 hour ago, Bills72sj said:

The demise of many of my early models is similar. My brother and I both built models. A couple died by firecrackers but most were destroyed by demolition derbys. We had a long hallway upstairs with oak flooring. We would be at each end and slide them towards each other to make them crash. Our rule was once the engine came out the winner got to keep the loser's model. I had an unpainted 56 Ford that was pretty tough. I think I won 5 or 6 in a row with that car. My brother finally won it by strategically wrapping rubber bands around his engine compartment. Technically it was cheating but our rules were limited as we were grade school kids.

Indeed, sounds like fun.  Maybe 20 years ago, I tried to get some adult model builders to consider building some for fun....They apparently had no inclination to get down on their hands and knees to crash model cars. LOL

[Oldcarfan27]

On 4/22/2021 at 10:34 PM, Modelbuilder Mark said:

Indeed, sounds like fun.  Maybe 20 years ago, I tried to get some adult model builders to consider building some for fun....They apparently had no inclination to get down on their hands and knees to crash model cars. LOL

I remember an article in one of the old model car magazines 30 years ago, where a club built the WORST models, judged them and then climbed up a ladder and dropped a sledgehammer on them. The car who's parts flew the farthest - Won!

[peteski]

16 minutes ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

I remember an article in one of the old model car magazines 30 years ago, where a club built the WORST models, judged them and then climbed up a ladder and dropped a sledgehammer on them. The car who's parts flew the farthest - Won!

Very similar to the "slammer" class (that was before "slammer" name was applied to 1:1 cars) MassCar Model Club used to have in their contest.  It was not judged before destruction.  You brought any model you wanted, then dropped a sledgehammer on it. And just like with the contest you mentioned, the judges measured the distance the parts flew away.  People used to be creative, building models with large wheels, so they would hopefully roll far away.

[Oldcarfan27]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

Very similar to the "slammer" class (that was before "slammer" name was applied to 1:1 cars) MassCar Model Club used to have in their contest.  It was not judged before destruction.  You brought any model you wanted, then dropped a sledgehammer on it. And just like with the contest you mentioned, the judges measured the distance the parts flew away.  People used to be creative, building models with large wheels, so they would hopefully roll far away.

I think that was it!

[peteski]

25 minutes ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

I think that was it!

Did you live in or visit the New England (Massachusetts) region back then?

[Oldcarfan27]

8 hours ago, peteski said:

Did you live in or visit the New England (Massachusetts) region back then?

Oh Heck No!

Like I said, I just read it in one of the magazines.

Pretty funny article, too!

[peteski]

4 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Oh Heck No!

Like I said, I just read it in one of the magazines.

Pretty funny article, too!

I attended many MassCar shows and was a spectator (but never a participant) in the slammer class event.  I was  never one to destroy models, but it was fun watching others do it.

[Deuces ll]

On 4/20/2021 at 5:24 AM, John1955 said:

Admit it, you blew up models a few times using firecrackers when you were a kid, didn't you? My brothers and I sure did, they used to sell these at the Grant's store here and amazingly, anyone could buy them. Usually the ones we blew up were cheap ones from not so good brands (Pyro, Palmer, etc) and we hated the way they turned out after building them. 

I recall Palmer models - 1963 Corvette, 1966 Mustang, 1965 Galaxie. And Pyro models - 1937 Cord, a VW bus and I forget what else. Unfortunately, I also recall my older brother blowing up a Jo-Han 1964 Chrysler 300 and an AMT 1962 Galaxie because he had messed up the paint job on them.

Can you remember any models you blew up when you were a kid? 
 

That looks like an M-80....?

[53_Sedandelivery]

On 4/20/2021 at 5:22 PM, Modelbuilder Mark said:

I was not a firecracker user, but my neighborhood model builders build real Smash-up Derby cars. While there were restrictions, you essentially glued everything in place using only model glue and sprue as solid as you could, but you could not put bars over the wheels for example. Then once completed, we would take turns going to different kids houses and on a smooth surface, sit about 10 feet apart and 5-6 kids at a time would on the count of three slide the cars into the center of the floor to collide. This would be repeated until cars were "knocked out" which happened when either both front wheels, back wheels, or both wheels on one side fell off (If you had a right front wheel and a left drive wheel, our childhood logic said it would still "go"), or the engine fell out, or the steering wheel came out. This was great fun.  

I remember that! Back in '77-ish, a bunch of us in Delmar, Delaware ("The Town Too Big for One State") did the exact same thing. I bowed out when I ran out of models that I was willing to wreck, plus one kid built up an El Camino using a soldering iron...couldn't kill that truck. But the same guy traded me a model for my completed stock Revell '57 Ranchero. He was furious when he found out the body was multi-piece when it blew up on the first hit! I told him not to wreck it! I had a Kenner Smash Up derby set but wouldn't let that crowd touch it. Now I have about 14 sets of them in multiple colors and varieties, guess I never lost the demolition derby bug!

[oldcarfan]

I never blew any kits because anytime I wanted a kit or a new toy, I had to sit through the obligatory dad speech, "$5.50 for a model kit? When I was a kid, they were $1.00. And do you know how hard I have to work to make that $5.50?"

Fireworks were the same. "Why do you want me to buy fireworks? You can climb on the roof and watch them for free!"

I grew up building a kit, putting it on the shelf, then a month later, tearing it apart and rebuilding it a different way.

[Beans]

I was more of a, shoot the army men with a BB gun, kid.  The only model kit that got the firecracker treatment was an F14 that I rigged up to slide on a string so I could try and film it with a really old video camera.  After realizing the one take didn't work it was too late.

[Bill Anderson]

In 1958 (I was 13-14) we moved to a house from the apartment behind our grocery store.  I decided that my collection of Revell USN ships wouldn't make the trip.   So I took them to the basement and set them up as target practice for my Daisys.  We had a range down there (scary place), and I did archery and BB rifle and Dad would occasionally do some .22 target practice with Chicago phone books as back stops.  

Anyway, as best I recall, half the shots just went thru the hulls of the ship, but many would hit the base of a superstructure and parts would fly!  

That was the end of my ship building, and model cars and HO Railroad kits quickly followed.

[pulln4dejr]

Never “firecrackered” any, my weapon of choice was to take a tube of glue and make tire tracks, then put some glue on the rear end. I’d throw a match on the tracks which would burn to the rear end then the whole car would go down in flames!

Another favorite was taking my dad’s hammer to my old Hot Wheels and Matchboxes, give them the ole car crusher look! Thinking back, there’s a small fortune of vintage Red Line parts in moms back yard!

😫

[Bills72sj]

On 4/20/2021 at 6:27 AM, Snake45 said:

I have never blown up, set fire to, shot, flung against the wall, stomped on, or otherwise deliberately destroyed any model in over six decades of building. 

I guess you were taught to respect other people's (and your) property early on in your childhood. Kudos to you parents.