About Bill Plunk & BP Models
I began building scale models at a young age and have fond memories of spending many hours with my father at the kitchen table building various aircraft to "fly" around the room with when done. Some of course met a fiery or explosive end in the back yard while others were suspended from the ceiling in my bedroom until I had a mini Smithsonian-like collection.
I returned to the hobby in 2002 and took an interest in building scale model armor after playing World War Two Online and getting to "drive" various tanks around the European countryside. I was hooked on the "dark side" of building 1/35 scale armor models and have not looked back since! I started writing step-by-step articles for publication in 2006 with articles published in FineScale Modeler Magazine, Scale Military Modeler International Magazine, and Kagero Publishing Super Model Magazine.
Much of what I have learned and continue to learn came from online sources and forums, so this site is a way for me to continue that tradition and give back a little bit to the model building community while enjoying the hobby as an individual builder.
BP Models: Site History
The site was originally created in 2006 to serve as sort of "virtual notebook" where I could store my scale model build notes and in-progress photos for easy reference when it came time to write up projects and convert them into articles for publication. Since then it has expanded to become a repository for all of the scale model build projects I've completed since 2006 and become a reference for other builders attempting the same kits or similar projects. The Reviews section features in-box reviews of scale model kits in my "stash" (or "ex-stash" members that have since been built!) and was recently added to provide some additional resources/insights especially since my pace of kit building has slowed down some in recent years.
As of March 2012 the site averages about 3500 unique visitors a month stopping by to see what's going on and some of the threads have been viewed in excess of 8000 times, something I could not have envisioned happening when I first started the site. Not bad for what was supposed to be the equivalent of a spiral notebook crammed with notes and stray photos of scale model projects!
Workbench and Photo Booth Tour
No "About" page would be complete without a little tour to go with it, see the photos below to tour where the scale model building and finishing takes place. The workbench occupies a space directly opposite my computer desk and accessed via rolling chair. The "stash" is located conveniently next to the workbench and also serves as a source of inspiration as scale model builds near completion and its time to start selecting the next victim. The photo and paint booths are located in a small adjoining room complete with dual fan fume extraction to the outside and plenty of ventilation to keep things safe and maintain domestic peace within the Plunk household.
All photos are taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i D-SLR equipped with an EFS 60mm Macro lens and a remote mechanical trigger as the standard set up. A collapsible light tent equipped with a light blue poster board for an "infinite" background teams up with four strategically placed flexible desk lamps fitted with GE Reveal 100w incandescent bulbs to provide the lighting. Airbrushed paint work is done using a Testors Aztek A777 internal mix metal-body double-action airbrush in combination with a 1/8 Hp compressor fitted with a moisture trap and pressure regulator.