1000th RCU post: DAK origins revealed
01-17-2011, 09:36 AM
#1
1000th RCU post: DAK origins revealed
I noticed my post counter was at 999 this morning and I thought it might be cool to do a post that shows y'all where DAK got its start back in April 2005. I was sorting my digital photos and I found the pictures I took with my sisters Digital camera at the first Tamiya con I attended. The members of Los Angeles area SCAT were more than happy to encourage a sucker like me to join the action.
Story goes like this, I went to Long Beach to visit my sister and conned her into dropping me off in Aliso Viejo to attend Tamiya con 2005. I am a scale modeler and I was interested in the contest and until then was ignorant of tank battling. I had seen the models on shelves and wondered who in the world would spend $800 bucks on a tank model. You drive it around the yard..... you chase the dog.... crush a soda can or two..... then what.
The model contest rooms weren't filled up yet, so I wandered to the real stuff outside and was entertained by the Marines and the real M1A1 they brought. They had already killed the bushes with the hot exhaust, they guys with the Hummer Tow let me look through the sight and I was allow to peek inside the Stuart. Now I am bored and the action seems to be picking up near the race track. I see a sign that says Tank Battle field. I wander that way and the organized battle is just beginning.
I saw the light. The fact that these tanks could fight suddenly made all the sense in the world! I immediately joined the club and chewed on the ears of Ron Bair, Steve Patton, Kevin O'connor, Will Chau, the members of BAT who attended and of course the former SCAT Pres Vince Hearn. I got to test drive a Sherman and I was hooked. Now the "fate" part of the event was the raffle. I had conned the staff into giving me a ticket in the model contest entrant rafffle and I managed to come away with the 1/12 scale Expert Built Hummer.
Coincidence shined on me after the event. In late April and May of 2005 I was assigned to cover the Phoenix Suns on the road during the playoffs (I work in TV) and the resulting overtime was enough to buy a Sherman and a Pershing. I had them ready for Tamiya 2006 and the story continues......
Story goes like this, I went to Long Beach to visit my sister and conned her into dropping me off in Aliso Viejo to attend Tamiya con 2005. I am a scale modeler and I was interested in the contest and until then was ignorant of tank battling. I had seen the models on shelves and wondered who in the world would spend $800 bucks on a tank model. You drive it around the yard..... you chase the dog.... crush a soda can or two..... then what.
The model contest rooms weren't filled up yet, so I wandered to the real stuff outside and was entertained by the Marines and the real M1A1 they brought. They had already killed the bushes with the hot exhaust, they guys with the Hummer Tow let me look through the sight and I was allow to peek inside the Stuart. Now I am bored and the action seems to be picking up near the race track. I see a sign that says Tank Battle field. I wander that way and the organized battle is just beginning.
I saw the light. The fact that these tanks could fight suddenly made all the sense in the world! I immediately joined the club and chewed on the ears of Ron Bair, Steve Patton, Kevin O'connor, Will Chau, the members of BAT who attended and of course the former SCAT Pres Vince Hearn. I got to test drive a Sherman and I was hooked. Now the "fate" part of the event was the raffle. I had conned the staff into giving me a ticket in the model contest entrant rafffle and I managed to come away with the 1/12 scale Expert Built Hummer.
Coincidence shined on me after the event. In late April and May of 2005 I was assigned to cover the Phoenix Suns on the road during the playoffs (I work in TV) and the resulting overtime was enough to buy a Sherman and a Pershing. I had them ready for Tamiya 2006 and the story continues......
01-17-2011, 10:18 AM
#2
RE: 1000th RCU post: DAK origins revealed
Unfortunately, Tamiyacon 2006 was the last event in Aliso Viejo and no future events are likely through Tamiya.
DAK did make a couple videos of the 2006 event if none of you have seen them before....
We'll start with the road trip!
http://web.mac.com/ethandunsford/DAK2/Combat_Camera/Entries/2006/4/7_Road_trip_to_Tamiyacon.html
DAK did make a couple videos of the 2006 event if none of you have seen them before....
We'll start with the road trip!
http://web.mac.com/ethandunsford/DAK2/Combat_Camera/Entries/2006/4/7_Road_trip_to_Tamiyacon.html
