Ryland Craze
My interest in modeling began at an early age when I would visit a local hobby shop and admire the built models on the shelves and hanging from the ceiling. My first ship model was an Aurora plastic kit of the Bluenose that I built at the age of nine. At that time, I was building plastic airplanes and later model cars, many of which I still have. My first experience with wood models was building balsa airplanes. Building these was a lot of fun. Maybe it was because of the smells of the Duco Cement and Aero Gloss Dope used in their construction. In my early teens, my interest shifted to full size cars, my first being a 1929 Chevrolet pickup.
My next foray into modeling came in 1970 after a visit to the Smithsonian Museum where they had a large display of wooden ship models. I was impressed by these models, so it was off to the local hobby shop where I purchased a Sterling Models USS Constitution. It was a solid hull model about 15” long. I built this on the kitchen table, but never rigged it due to the small scale. My modeling days came to a halt soon after as family and career commitments left little time for modeling.
In November, 1999, I discovered the Model Expo website and I was fascinated by the many ship model kits they carried. I ordered a USS Enterprise of 1799 model kit as well as some tools and paint. Then in June of 2000, my wife and I attended OpSail 2000 in Hampton Roads to view the parade of tall ships. While there, we visited the Mariners’ Museum to see the Ship Model Competition. This is where I learned about the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society. I attended my first meeting in October, 2000, along with my partially completed USS Enterprise, and have been attending meetings on a regular basis ever since.
I have enjoyed my membership in the HRSMS and served as its Skipper from 2010-2012. I currently hold the position of Purser. I was also a director of the Nautical Research Guild in 2013 to early 2014. I have attended the annual NRG Conference and the Northeast Joint Clubs Conference since 2010 and have attended several Admiralty Models workshops. I am also a member of the Ship Model Society of New Jersey. I have met many of the master crafts-man of this hobby, some of which are members of the HRSMS, and have learned from all of them. I also like to help out my fellow modelers by passing on many of the skills and techniques that I have learned over the years.
I would not be as involved with this hobby if it were not for the support of my wife Pam. She has attended the conferences with me, assisted me with club activities and has toured many Maritime Museums. I am very fortunate to have her support.