About

A little ABOUT me

Greetings,

My name is Rick Borrazas - I reside in South Florida USA, where we have two comfortable months of winter, and steamy hot the rest of the year. :-(

Sure there's a lot more to me, and more than just hobby model construction, but this site is about model building so we'll stick with that facet. I built my first model when I was 6 or 7 years or age, and have been doing so ever since for over 30 years. I can’t really specify what exactly it is about model building that I enjoy the most, but I can say this… Whenever I see a vessel, fact or fiction, historical or fictional, I always think of it in terms building a model of it.

As a kid I built many models, most of which I’m sad to say have been lost or destroyed – no big loss since my skills back then were pitiful. However, throughout my teenage years and up to my early twenties, I seen to have been distracted from building models (gee, I wonder what it could have been?) But then I came across a beautifully crafted model of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus and said, “I got to have one”. That was it! I got the bug again, and have been hooked ever since.

I was hooked, and built kits as often as I could. I've covered the spectrum from static plastic, static scratch-built, R/C (planes and boats) to Resin, Wood and Vinyl mediums. I've had plenty of failures along the way, but I learned from every one of them. Constant practice, reading, and talking with other builders have built my skill sets up to a very high level. I don't assume to know it all by any means, but I feel comfortable enough with my skill sets to be able to build whatever there is out there that interests me.

I believe a model builder is only limited by his or her own imagination. As such, I consider all model builders, novices and experts alike, to be artists.

I have observed that model building seems to be a dying art, which is sadly giving way to computer games and other forms of instant gratification. From my own personal experiences, I truly believe that model construction is an excellent teacher of patience, persistence, study and of fine motor skill development. It's not just gluing and painting, but you're also studying the subject which is to be your project. You research its design, engineering, lines, craftsmanship, shading, and aging process. When you take on the building of a kit, you also become very familiar with the subject matter.

In addition to learning about the projects you build, you'll learn about the people that interacted with them. Not only is this a most gratifying experience, but informative and highly educational as well.

But that’s enough about why I like modeling and why I do it. I hope that maybe I've encouraged whoever reads this, to give it a try and a little encouragement to step into a world of wonder and imagination. To expand and try new things. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, young or old, there's always some matter of interest out there that will encourage and inspire anyone, which can usually be reproduced in modeling.

Good luck and happy modeling!

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