Hi fellow modelers. I need some help aquiring some models and supplies for a unbelievable senior center project, that I visited today.

Please read the attacthed NBC story and watch the short video that I have attached, and it will pretty much explain the man & place that I visited, and what a inspiration he is to his fellow hobbiest residents (and me)!

http://www.atriaseniorliving.com/Pre...D=17&PageID=57

Think about where you'll be in your 80's and this should touch your heart. I met Al, first hand today, and he gave me a new meaning to the word....."CAN'T" He can only see with peripheral vision, and uses an electronic, digital enlarger to build projects with.

Watching these guys build stuff, was like watching model builders in the past, acting like kids, adding years to, and enjoyment to their lives. I donated loads of balsa sheet & sticks, building supplies, and hardware. I had a few kits, but didn't really have the best selection (1/4 scale stuff isn't really gonna work out)! You know, all of that stuff you keep, but know that you'll never really need!

From what I observed, it would be great to donate any stick & tissue kits (Gillows type), small airplane kits (gas is fine...they just convert them to electric), small electrics, batteries, motors, controllers, boat kits under 30", sail boat kits would be great....they take them to the park and race them!, any HO Railroad items (their building a model RR in a corner of the "Man Cave", plastic model kits, any building supplies, etc. They also built r/c windsailers, that they "race" in the parking lot!!!

If you would like to donate anything, just email me at: [email protected]
You can ship to me, and I will hand deliver, and tell them who the donater is (or not)
If you would like to donate to the senior center direct, I'll steer you in the right direction.

Thanks for your time. My (your) time will be there someday also.

Steve Schooler
Cypress, Ca.
714-614-2890


This caption goes with the picture of Al.

Inventor Al Ladine, 83, examines one of his airplane models in the "man cave" at the Atria Woodbridge senior living community in Irvine. Ladine and his friends were building models in a small arts and crafts room at Atria Woodbridge but the women complained about the glue fumes and the sawdust so the management found a large room for him and residents to continue building radio-controlled boats, planes, land-yachts, even a solar-powered robot named Morty.