Mick Marshall

I started modelling when I was 13. I used to collect lead and sell it to the scrap man to pay for my models. Now the price of lead has gone up and the price of models has also increased I may have to start collecting lead again.

I remember that when I went to buy a Fergi tractor I didn't have enough money so the man in the shop took the tyres out of the box and kept them until I went back with the rest of the money.

The first time I painted anything on a model I bought a little capsule of red paint and painted the ends of the engines of a B52. Then I saw a pilot at RAF Benson with a red helmet and then spent the next I don't know how many years, painting pilots helmets red.

My main interest has always been Post War RAF aircraft. Over the years I've made most other types of models including boats, tanks, trains, etc, but I still tend to prefer British air craft. A lot of the pleasure I get out of modelling is doing the research into what the real thing looks like.