Rekindling a Love for Model Building: From Childhood Memories to Carnival Rides

As a kid, my sister Becki was always fascinated by cars and vehicles—a passion that far surpassed my own interest. I vividly remember our time in the little yellow house at the end of Easter Lane in Mobile. I was just about to start kindergarten when Becki began building model cars from kits she or our parents bought from TG&Y or K-Mart.

Becki was meticulous and fast when it came to building her models. I loved watching her progress; from box to completion, it never took her more than a few days before she moved on to the next project. These weren’t the snap-together models that started appearing in stores towards the end of the 1980s and early 1990s; these were the kind that required real effort and skill. I remember the sound of the plastic pieces being removed from the sprue, the bright light she aimed at her workspace, and the distinctive smell of Testors enamel paint and modeling glue. Once you smell Testors enamel paint or modeling glue, you'll never forget it.

Personally, I never had a strong interest in car models, but I appreciated the hobby for others. I loved that model kits were so accessible. There was usually a whole aisle dedicated to models, with kits and the tools to build, paint, and display the finished product available in stores like K-Mart, TG&Y, and Woolco. For many years, Walmart also carried a good selection of models, paint, and glue, but it seems they have since discontinued their model section. Thankfully, stores like Hobby Lobby, Hobbytown, and Michaels still carry a decent supply of paints, glues as well as model, ship, airplane and car kits.

Bobe's Hobby House, sadly permanently closed

Some of my best memories involved walking through Bobe’s Hobby House in Pensacola, Florida, which was owned by my friend Katie’s grandfather. There, I saw a box with a model of my absolute favorite carnival ride, the Skywheel. I begged my mama to buy it for me, but she flat out said no and bought me a small balsa wood airplane instead, which I destroyed within a couple of minutes of playing with in our backyard. A few years later, I saw the same model in the “Things You Never Knew Existed” catalog printed by the Johnson Smith Company and added it to my Christmas list. Unfortunately, model kits would never be part of my childhood. I'm not sure if my parents thought I didn’t have the attention span or feared the models would just sit and collect dust if they even made it to completion.

It wasn’t until the late 1990s, when Terry and I were living in Smyrna, Georgia, that I walked into a hobby shop on South Cobb Drive and saw that exact same model kit sitting on the shelves among thousands of others. The brand was called IHC, and the packaging looked quite basic with a drawing of a Skywheel and a brief description of what’s inside the box. It also mentioned the model could be motorized—how cool is that? My sister’s model cars were static and just cool to look at but never moved. While browsing the section, I realized that IHC not only created the Skywheel model kit but a whole line of carnival ride models like the Spider, a Flying Bobs-type ride called Thunderbolt, as well as a regular Ferris Wheel and other rides, games and concessions like one would see set up at a fair. I ended up buying the Skywheel, Thunderbolt, and Spider, along with some modeling glue, paint brushes, and other tools to work on my new models.

Out of the box, the models didn’t look like the pictures. They were basic colors that didn’t even match the actual rides, and the artwork that came with them was not self-stick decals but crudely drawn and colored renderings of generic art. However, the directions were good.

I assembled my Thunderbolt within an hour of getting home, but something about it bothered me—the colors, the artwork, the way the ride cars hung from the center point. Not sure what it was, perhaps a bit of everything, so I decided to disassemble what wasn’t permanently glued on and see about making it more realistic. Then my attention swayed over to the next model before I could really get it together again. Perhaps my parents knew I would do this, but I still enjoyed working on each one of them on and off. That year, Terry gave me several models that I hadn’t yet purchased as well as several motors for them. He’s always been good at picking up on what I want for Christmas and did a great job that year.

Though the IHC models weren’t exactly realistic, they were good for learning what modeling is about, and I soon discovered another brand called Faller. Faller not only made carnival models but detailed ones that looked just like the real thing, some even coming with lighting. Faller offered more than just carnival rides; they had roller coasters too. I purchased two roller coasters, completely assembled them, but unfortunately, they were destroyed during an incident in our old apartment.

IHC and Faller weren’t the only players in the carnival ride model game. Some individuals began creating their own kits, such as RAH Models owned by Ronald Hamm and Renauld's Midway Miniatures built by Warren Renauld, as well as the incredibly detailed working models made by Don Cummins. While the RAH models involved a bit more knowledge in what’s known as “kit bashing” to make assembly and theming more realistic, Ronald offered an array of rides that could fill an entire state fair if they were full-sized rides.

Over the years, I’ve not touched my models, many of which are unfinished or even taken apart for retheming but just not completed. I have, however, followed many groups dedicated to the hobby and am friends with many very talented men who create their own carnival models from various items as well as IHC, RAH and Faller kits. My friend Kenny Littlechild, for instance, has created a layout of rides that are elaborately detailed yet made from long matchsticks, cardboard, and other basic items.

Being that I enjoy working with my hands, writing, and a million other things, I have decided to start working on the old ride models I already have, get them complete, and move on to more—perhaps even recreating a classic layout of my favorite years from the fairs I have attended.

I will be sharing photos of my completed models as I finish them. Though I wouldn't hold my breath too long, as it will probably take me a while for some of them since many have suffered damage from being shuffled around and stored in closets and under beds. Stay tuned for updates and progress pictures!