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My name is Paul Gaertner, and I live in Crozet, Virginia, in the USA. I work as an architect in nearby Charlottesville, which is home to the University of Virginia. (Thankfully, I'm a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, class of '81)

I have been building plastic scale model assembly kits of aircraft, missiles, AFVs and ships (mostly in 1/72 scale) for more than 56 years. If no 1/72 scale assembly kit of a subject in which I'm interested exists, then I'll attempt to scratchbuild it. The Atomic Cannon model shown on this site is my most ambitious scratchbuilding project, to date. Pat Gaertner, my first wife of 48 years, continues to patiently tolerate my relatively harmless interest in drably-painted machines that blow other machines up.

If you have questions about the models shown on this site, please contact me at:

atomiccannon(at)embarqmail(dot)com

If you want to forward this site to anyone, you can do so by clicking on the "Email this Site" button below.

That's me in 2000 (you can tell by the not-as-grey hair and relatively-trim waistline) pushing over the M-249 Front Truck at the AFV Museum at Aberdeen, Maryland. Picture courtesy of my able assistant-AFV-researcher and middle brother, Charles Gaertner.
Scratch-built 1/72 scale M-65 Atomic Cannon

Scale 1/72

Email: AtomicCannon(at)embarqmail(dot)com