JohnB wrote:
Only a rich guy like Kettering could afford to have quality models like these made by craftsmen.
Well, thanks for destroying one of my childhood illusions..all these years I assumed he'd built them all himself.
Seriously, though..your comment prompted me to do a bit of research, and I came across a Popular Mechanics article from 1947, in which Kettering is named "Hobbyist of the Month." According to the article:
Quote:
Making models the caliber of Kettering's is almost a full-time job. He's been able to build only about 60 himself since starting the collection in 1930. Most of the others have been made for him by a young man named Bill Chaffee at Northville, Michigan.
The entire article can be found here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=094DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA136&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=falseSo..he was "only" able to
scratchbuild about 60 models over a 17-year span? Good grief! I've probably only finished that many
kits since I started building 35 years ago! And I still have some 600 unbuilt kits in the basement (guess I'd better get cracking!)
SN