Jeff Troy, Hobby Merchandiser’s editor in chief, built his first model at the age of three. Following a colorful, on-stage music career, he worked in public relations for the Academy of Model Aeronautics, and as a product development consultant to MRC and Coverite. In 1989, Troy received the Key to the City of Lawrenceville, Illinois for his successful efforts with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Lawrenceville Chamber of Commerce in placement of the 1989 AMA National Championships. Familiar to modelers and industry alike for his model designs, his entertaining infomercial-style trade show covering seminars and his pioneer video segments in R/C Video Magazine, Jeff has written for Hobby Merchandiser since the mid-eighties and is the author of two books on radio control aircraft. He also serves as the R/C Scale editor for Model Aviation magazine.

Douglas Kirk began flying model rockets in 1967 and has written almost 400 published magazine articles. He holds degrees in journalism and general psychology and a masters degree in experimental psychology. In addition to Hobby Merchandiser, his knowledgeable contributions can be found in Estes’ Educator News, American Space Modeling and Sport Rocketry. Kirk formed the Model Rocket Test Facility, a 53-acre private concern involved in the development and testing of model rockets and components.

Mike Greenshields has worked in the hobby industry since 1984. He grew up in a hobby household, building and flying airplanes since he was six and racing cars when the first 1/12 scale electrics became popular in the seventies. Educated at the University of California at Riverside, Mike managed several Hobby Shack retail stores and is now a buyer in their California corporate offices. Greenshields has been involved with many of the exciting events in Hobby Shack’s recent history, including their parking lot racing program, now in its fourth year.

Rick Peyman spent six years on active duty in the United States Marine Corp, five of these years in the U.S. and one in Okinawa, Japan. While stationed in Okinawa, Rick drove the military’s largest vehicles and used the full-size versions of many of the miniature models and die-cast vehicles he played with in his youth. Rick is currently a member of Hobbytyme Distributors’ sales department, a position that keeps him up to date with the hottest items and the latest trends in die-cast.

Chuck Davenport is a retired USAF flying officer with 20 years of service and over 3,000 flying hours in air refueling and reconnaissance aircraft. Co-owner of a professional consulting company, he expresses his creativity and love of the model hobby through writing and his extraordinary modeling skills. Chuck is first vice president of the International Plastic Modelers Society, USA Branch, in which his primary duty is that of industry liaison, a position that he uses to promote the hobby and forge closer relationships between modelers and the industry. Chuck is also active in his local parish as an associate teacher at the parish school — he even sings in the choir.

Patrick Sarver, associate publisher, comes from a strong background in journalism. Before contributing to the editorial, sales and promotional dimensions of Hobby Merchandiser and Art Trends magazines, Pat was associate publisher of Rutgers University Magazine, executive editor of New Jersey Monthly and editor of the Exxon Travel Club magazine. He also held editorial positions with Times Mirror Magazines and McGraw-Hill Publications.

Jan Throne, mother of two and co-owner of Walt’s Hobby, has beendeeply involved in the retail hobby industry since 1975. Her academic accomplishments and practical experience bring a great deal of insight to each of her Hobby Merchandiser contributions. First published in 1968, Jan is an accomplished RC modeler, driver and pilot, and has presented informative retailing seminars at the NRHSA and RCHTA trade show venues.

Tom West has been involved in the hobby industry for more than 25 years. Tom’s early interest in car modeling paved the way for his automotive engineering degree from General Motors Institute and a sideline in automotive see-through drawings and drag racing photography. His many published automotive articles led to his head of research and development position with Aurora Models. West later served as the marketing manager for the MPC model line before joining Revell in California as their director of marketing. When Revell teamed with Monogram and moved to Illinois, Tom remained in California, where he is currently the head of Fun Discovery Inc., an audio/video educational company on the West Coast.