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Baghdad Hobby Club

As most of you know, I am now serving with the 10th MTN Division (Light) in Baghdad for about the next year. I have linked up with the Baghdad Hobby Club and am glad to report that it is going strong. They have an office (about 10' x 10') that now has two large shelves and a wall of boxes full of donated models, along with a few tables and chairs to work on. They have plenty of supplies too, better than some hobby shops I have been in. The troops really appreciate the support and enjoy the diversion in their limited free time. Also, we are sending models and supplies to other camps here in Iraq to the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) centers for other service members to enjoy.

The only problem when I arrived was the woefully lacking armor representation. There were boxes upon boxes of aircraft, but only about 10 armor models, with five of them being the same kit; the Italeri German 8 RAD. A couple months ago, I asked for donations of armor kits to rectify the above problem. The outpouring from members here and at a couple other sites was outstanding. We have received box after box of armor and all kinds of kits and supplies. Thank you all for the generous support.

To show where your models are going, I have put together a collection of photos of models built here in Iraq. Some are just put together and displayed as is, while some are done really well, which is no small feat with the limited supplies we have access to here.

If anyone still wants to donate models or supplies, you can send them to me and I will get them out to the troops. Any era or country is welcomed; modern items are in high demand though. You can send them to the following address.

Anything you send would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support.

PT-76 Reviewed here at Armorama,1/35 Blackwater Securities MD-530E, and M60A3 TTS 24ID 1984 by MAJ Gino P Quintiliani.

M7 Priest and M151 MUTT. No, it’s not an M151A1, he back-dated it to an original M151, with no front turn-signals nor the NATO adapter plug. He also added the back seat w/rear spring details, engine wiring and hoses, tie-down loops under the rear bumperettes, radios and a hand-mike, fire extinguisher, whoopee light and warning triangle, antennas, and details on the tools, along with custom markings. It is modeled after a friend’s actual MUTT. By CPT Luke Sparks.

MAJ Steve Clark at work on a Wespe Howitzer and some un-painted armor that he is sending home for his son.

Corsair, ME109, Spitfire, Wildcat, Martin MB-2, and Warhawk by SSG Crawford, an MP here at the 10th MTN HQ.

M10, Sherman, JagdPanther, and A10 by SFC Delong from 18 ABN Corps HQ.

The rest are by various builders and are displayed around the 10th MTN DIV HQ in their office spaces.

UPDATE -- UPDATE -- UPDATE

Thank you to all who have donated kits to the troops. Your donations have been much appreciated and enjoyed by many Soldiers here in Iraq. We appreciate the outpouring of support we have received.

[I ask that you don't send any more packages after the end of January.] (In Bold) My tour will be coming to an end soon and I haven't found anyone to take over receiving the models for me. I will be on leave in March and then redeploying in late April or early May. We will also be moving our HQs. So the next couple of months will be pretty hectic. Again, thanks to all who donated and gave us support. I will provide an update in case I do find someone to take over who will be remaining here. Thanks for your help along the way, Gino