eBay, and via very limited commission
by Jon Nordquist
After a long hiatus due to reasons involving work and family, I have been able to return to building for limited amounts of time. For the time being, projects will be limited to eBay offerings. Watch for them to begin in a few weeks!
Greetings to all! My name is Jon Nordquist, and I thank you for taking the time to view my web site. This web site exists for one purpose, and that is to make it easy for the discriminating collector to review examples of the finely built and detailed scale models that I offer via online auction site eBay under ID QMOBC943. I have often been asked what the significance of my eBay screen name is. It's actually a kind of wierd acronym from my days in the U.S. Army (not so many years ago, but it feels like it). I attended OBC (Officer Basic Course) at Ft. Lee, Virginia in 1994 (Quartermaster). This was a very interesting and special time in my life and I met many good friends there, some of which I'm in contact with to this day. So, in the past, whenever I had to come up with some kind of online screen name, I created (Q)uarter(M)aster(O)fficer(B)asic(C)ourse(943); our class was the third class of 1994, designated 94-3. It was my eBay screen name long before I started selling built models there. It's kind of inane, I know, but there you have it. I specialize in 1/32 and 1/48 scale World War II aircraft, but I occasionally venture into modern military aircraft and armor. If you have always wanted to own a truly professionally built and finished model, you are in the right place to see examples of the kinds of models I offer. I will also accept commission work on an extremely limited basis. Feel free to contact me if there is a project you have in mind, and I will gladly build it for you in the rare event that time and circumstances permit; you may contact me via the email links at the bottom of this page. Also, please be sure to visit my E-Bay Store to see what's currently up for bids, and please let me know if there is a particular model you would like to see auctioned!
The built models that I offer are not toys like the Armour replicas; they are extremely delicate and much more finely detailed and finished injection-molded styrene models intended for static display only. They are the absolute ultimate in accuracy, and you will not find models more historically correct, both in construction and in marking and finishing, than you will from an experienced builder of these injection-molded kits. I have been building models for about 30 years, and my skill levels have increased dramatically over that period of time. I have made many improvements to my techniques over the years (there have been some really ugly experiments along the way), and I have developed an approach to constructing and finishing the models which, in my opinion, produces dramatic results. The passage of time has also brought with it improvements in the technology used to create the kits which are the building blocks of the hobby. Molds that were once produced by hand are now machined directly from scans of the blueprints of the original vehicles. It’s easy to tell the difference in quality of a kit from the 1970s and those produced today, and it is now possible to obtain paints that are much closer to the real aircraft and armor colors than in the past. The quality of the airbrush has increased also, and as such, there has never been available to the model builder such control over the delivery system for small amounts of paint. In short, now is a fantastic time to be involved with model building, and if you are a collector of fine built models, it is a wonderful time to be building your collection! I hold several IPMS (International Plastic Modeler's Society) awards for my work, and I continue to compete as time allows. The built models I offer on eBay will carry slightly higher reserve prices than those built by other builders. The reason is simple: in my opinion, my models are some of the best that are available to serious collectors on the web. A picture is, as they say, worth a thousand words, so I invite you to look at the images accessible via the links on the scrolling menu bar above and judge my work for yourself.
I believe the best built models are the ones that look most like the vehicles that they were intended to represent. For that reason, almost as much of my modeling time is spent reading and researching as it is constructing and finishing. I review as much information about the vehicle as I can find, and when possible I will try to make each one “come to life” for you by giving you a short synopsis of its uses and import with regard to history.
Each built model that I offer is special to me and gets the same care and attention to detail. I use Tamiya primers and Squadron or Gunze fillers on all my aircraft where appropriate. I believe that the best filler is none at all, and for this reason I work very hard to minimize its use. This can only be done with extensive test-fitting and sanding to make sure that the joints are seated as well as possible. I use four grades of Micro-Mesh sanding film for wet sanding the airframe and its joints prior to the priming step. Priming the model will show any flaws, and I usually end up using less than a button-size dab of putty on the whole model. The wet-sanding process is then repeated. I use Iwata airbrushes exclusively (HP-CM+, HP-BC, HP-BH and HP-CH); in my opinion they are among the best airbrushes available in the world today. All airbrushing is done with compressed carbon dioxide gas on a manifold system, *not* an air compressor, so it's a completely dry (and much to my delight, quiet) paint delivery method. I use a variety of paints, but among my mainstays are Model Master enamels and metalizers, Xtracolor enamels and Gunze and Tamiya acrylics. I use Alclad II lacquers exclusively for overall natural metal finishes - there is nothing finer to reproduce natural metals in scale. I apply a coat of Future floor polish to each aircraft prior to decal application to assure the best possible adhesion. I do not consider a model complete unless every stencil is in place. Look closely and you will find even the smallest decals carefully placed, and you will never see "silvering". I then use Solvaset solution overnight to make sure that each decal conforms completely to the surface detail of the aircraft. After the final clearcoats are applied, it is virtually impossible to tell the decals from the paint! I then seal and weather each model to match its specific operating conditions. The interiors of my models get the same care as the exteriors (note the photos of the cockpits). I use Eduard seat belts on almost all my aircraft; they add a great deal of realism to even today’s fantastic stock cockpits. I will note any use of aftermarket decals or resin/photo-etch in the aircraft’s description. Please consider signing my guestbook, and once again, thank you for visiting my website!
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' -
George Santayana
'Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small,
large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.' -
Sir Winston Churchill
Speech, 1941, Harrow School
'When you sit with a pretty girl for two hours, you think it's only a minute.
But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That's relativity.' -
Albert Einstein
'Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all.' -
Emily Dickinson
| Pay me securely with any major credit card through PayPal! |
 |
     |
Send information requests to: jnord@pro-built-models.com
webmaster: Jon Nordquist
Email: jonnord@charter.net