My desk these days…

A Whole New Old World

For the past few months, I’ve been on a big First World War kick. While I can credit the Gothic horror miniature game “Trench Crusade” with that initial spark, it certainly didn’t end there. After completing a handful of game miniatures, I ventured away from the (still very compelling) fictional game aesthetic. I was looking online at images of trench systems and the differences between those used early vs. later in the war, and why they changed as the conflict wore on. 

It led me down a rabbit hole that branched into a couple of different directions. I began studying the US involvement (1917-18) in World War One (also known as “The Great War,” “War to End All Wars”, and “WWI”). I read several of the resource books I have collected over the years. My main area of interest has always been the Second World War. As it turns out, I have a surprising amount of previously unexplored material on the prequel.

In addition to finding an excuse to read every piece of material I own on The Great War, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube content as well. Many feature quality, historical information, while a handful are rife with inaccurate data and even misleading, altered or entirely AI-falsified photos. It also brought to my attention how many of the Facebook stories passed around about, “This day in military history,” are absolute fiction. Learning how to sort through the nonsense has been an interesting part of the study.

ICM’s 1/35 scale US Soldiers in Gas Masks
Although the ICM kit depicts a British machine gun, a version of the Vickers was used by the US forces – they had not yet developed their own

I also started building a few figure kits representing various combatants. They are pretty straightforward, construction-wise. I also gave in to temptation and bought a more detailed kit – a WWI tank model. While I’ve built tanks before, I haven’t taken on significantly more complex ones, for example, kits that employ individual linked tracks or photo etched brass details. This kit also has a detailed interior – another stretch out of my comfort zone. I’m hoping this endeavor is a step towards a new level of skill.

My first venture into the complex…

Growing up, I heard that my paternal great uncle Frans was drafted into WWI. My grandfather was a few years younger; and as a result, his number did not come up. Frans was exposed to poisonous gas (likely mustard gas at that point in the conflict) and had breathing difficulties for the rest of his life. I found several pieces of documentation in my search: his original draft registration, some US census records, and a photo of his military headstone at the Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery. The first online photo I found was blurry, making it difficult to see some of the details. However, with a little more searching, I learned that he served as a private in the 139th Field Artillery. I also found an old, colorized postcard of the unit from that era.

The last few months have been a pretty cool experience. In fact, it’s been a 3-pronged journey. First: a study of the fascinating political climate of the turn of the century and resultant conflict that shaped the next hundred-plus years. Second: an opportunity to take my modeling skills in an unexpected direction – pushing my comfort zone and challenging myself to grow. And finally: a peek into the lives of ancestors who are becoming more than vague names and dates on yellowed paper in cardboard boxes. They were, in fact, real people who were born, lived entire lives, and died. They no longer need to stay forgotten. And all this discovery out of a single project – that’s pretty cool.

My great uncle’s WWI dog tag

-Toph

P.S. – Drop me a note about your own forays into the past. I truly enjoy the emails I get, from old friends as well as new ones.

Until next time – cheers!

Going Fishing

The season is changing. For the rest of the northern hemisphere, it may be spring; but in the deserts of the great American Southwest, our days are already consistently 90+ degrees. I’ve had the doors off of the Jeep, and my wife has been tending daily to her garden. That feels a lot like summer to me.

When it really is summer, it will be the 50th anniversary of the first summer blockbuster. The term references the idea that a film appeals to all the different demographic groups, resulting in lines stretching around the block. Although it is now applied to just about any big budget, highly anticipated movie, it traces its roots to one film in particular.

 

To say that 1975’s “Jaws” was successful would be like proclaiming that Hell can be rather unpleasant. It set all kinds of records; $7 million on opening weekend, and over $21 million by the end of the following week. It was the highest grossing picture of all time until some silly sci-fi flick came along a couple years later. Part of that success has been attributed to the way “Jaws” was marketed. It was heavily advertised on TV and released in a lot of theaters at the same time. Like the grand opening of a store, but it was a movie. And it worked.

That movie caught a lot of attention. It caught the attention of a lot of people including one particular person. But that person wasn’t old enough to drive himself to the theater. He was 8 years old. And he was FASCINATED by sharks. Why on God’s green Earth couldn’t he see this movie?!??

The answer is simple. The movie was rated PG, and his parents took the suggestion, and guided him toward more appropriate audiovisual entertainment. But man did I (I mean, “HE”) want to see that movie!

Okay, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. In case you hadn’t figured it out, this was obviously about ME. In hindsight, it was probably a reasonable decision for my parents to make. They were worried that I would be scarred for life – traumatized by the idea of a shark eating swimmers. And, to make matters worse, I was a competitive swimmer.

But where there’s a will, there is a way. I was too honest to sneak in, or to lie and go with somebody else. We didn’t have a VCR at the time. I just couldn’t see the movie. So, I got a better idea.

I went to the library and checked out THE BOOK. I read it cover to cover. And it was AMAZING! This actually would turn out to be important for 2 reasons. First (and most obviously,) I got to read the story. And, no, I wasn’t traumatized for the rest of life. It reinforced my fascination with sharks. I still think they’re cool.

But secondly (and way more importantly,) I came to the realization that full length novels were not out of my league. I was no longer restricted to the likes of the Scholastic Book Club catalogs from school. The Encyclopedia Brown stories, and “Charlotte’s Web” were no longer the ceiling. The gloves were off. I could read ACTUAL BOOKS.

Hey! What’s wrong with Encyclopedia Brown?

I remember the next year, reading “The Deep” (also by Peter Benchley.) And because I was a year older, I got to see the movie this time. But that was the first time I had the idea that the book was better than the movie. I would end up going back and reading many books of movies I had liked: “The Guns of Navarone,” “The Day of the Jackal,” “The Eagle Has Landed,” and “A Bridge Too Far” all became available to me.

I’ve since come to appreciate that the book and the movie are often very different; but one is not necessarily better that the other. They are created for different audiences (which sometimes overlap.) But the book can go into much more detail. And whichever you experience first will affect your view of the other, for better or worse.

To bring things full circle, I’m probably going to see the movie “Jaws” again this summer, for old time’s sake.

But the book was better.

-Toph