As a teen I was into building military models.  Age 12 or so I was into WW2 aircraft.  I'd build and paint them, and my father would hang them from my bedroom ceiling.  By age 15 or so I was into 1/35 scale tanks - primarily WW2 German and Soviet.  I built dioramas, trying to be creative in how I did the ground and foliage.  This was in the 1970's, and so there weren't really a lot of materials out there for military diorama building, apart from items sold for custom railroad builders.

 

I usually gave these models away, and being the young kid that I was, others I destroyed with firecrackers and a BB gun.

 

High school happened and the Army happened, and so model building went by the wayside.  These two model tanks I built around 1977 or 1978 - about 43 years ago!    My Mom kept them all these years, and a few years ago, before she passed away, she gave them back to me.  She'd had them displayed on a book shelf in her house.

 

At the time weathering was done by hand.  I put together, painted and weathered these two tanks by hand when I was around 15 years old or so.  A few pieces have since broken off (machine gun barrels).  The diorama base for the German tank I did on my own with (I believe) plaster.

 

Forty-three years ago:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those looks really good, especially considering the painting was all done by hand!

Nice. Building stuff long ago was not like today.   Rich A. in Pa.

Well done! I especially like the weathering of the KV I.