Chris Collins did more than hang plastic airplanes from his ceiling as a kid; he hung memories, stories, and pieces of history.

“Building scale models is something that’s been passed down from father to son,” Collins said. “My dad and I built models together when I was a kid. Years later, I did it with my son, too.”

Now, as a teacher and coach, Collins brings that tradition into his classroom. His ceiling is covered with over 40 WWII aircraft, all hand-painted and historically researched—his own airborne museum suspended over a room full of teenagers.

“My dad was a great American,” Collins said. “My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and WWII. I grew up around that ‘greatest generation’ mindset, very pro-American and proud of our history.”

He traces his love of history and aviation back to his childhood in Duncanville, Texas, where military aircraft frequently flew overhead.

“History has always been a passion of mine,” he said. “I’m a history minor, and I grew up in Duncanville, Texas. That’s in South Dallas, where we had a powerhouse football school and were close to several airbases. I used to see planes flying over all the time. I just loved it.”

Collins began building with his father around age eight, a tradition he later shared with his own son—until posters took the place of model planes.

“When he got older, maybe 14 or 15, he told me, ‘Dad, I’m a big kid now,’ and wanted to hang sports posters instead,” Collins said. “So I took the models out of his room and hung them above my classroom desk.”

Collins had gotten so used to his kids and work being his main priority, to the point he had forgotten to plan life after kids.

“By spring of 2021, my kids were either in or about to be out of college, and I realized I needed a hobby—or my wife was gonna kill me,” Collins said. “So I started building more models and hitting a lot of golf balls. That’s how this really took off again.”

Collins has a busy life and struggles with ADHD, so he doesn’t get much time to slow down, but when he gets the chance, he likes to work on his models.

“Being a coach, a teacher, someone who works in a high-stress job—this helps me relax,” Collins said. “ I coach football in the fall and baseball in the spring, so this is my way to unwind.”

Although he could build models on a smaller 1/72 scale or a bigger 1/35 scale, he prefers the 1/48 scale because he says it is the perfect size.

“If I’m really focused, it takes me about a month to finish one,” Collins said. “Some of the older guys I know will take six months to a year on a single plane—I’m not that patient yet.”

Although the prices have gone up over the years, the materials and simplicity haven’t changed.

“The instructions are super detailed,” Collins said. “ You glue the parts, fill in the gaps with putty, sand them down, prime them, and then paint them. It’s a full creative process.”

“For my graduation gift, I got an old model Dodge truck. He helped me with it—helped me build it, showed me how to fix it,” Jaden said. “We worked on it together and tweaked it until it was just right.”

Building the models boosts creativity, patience, and the ability to focus.

“I enjoyed learning about it—how to focus and keep my mind on certain things,” Jaden said. “It really taught me patience.”

    The Facebook group called Aggieland Modeling Club inspires Collins to build his own club inside of Bryan High.

     “I’ve always wanted to start a model-building club,” Collins said. “ We’ve got so many clubs here, and as I get older, I’d love to finally do it. It wouldn’t just have to be planes—you can build anything. I think it’d really open up kids’ creativity.”

Although Collins builds his models for his classroom and personal enjoyment, he likes the idea of entering a contest.

“Eventually, I’d love to enter a contest,” he said. “It’s like any other niche hobby—there’s joy in doing something with others who share your passion.”

Because he is an ex-history teacher, Collins loved reading and watching movies surrounding history, which has taught him many new things that even his teaching didn’t teach him!

“Building these models has made me read voraciously,” Collins said. “Every time I buy a plane, I research it—the pilot, the unit, the era of the war. I’ve always known a lot of this stuff, but I’ve gotten much more knowledgeable since I started again.”

While he was a kid, living around pro-Americans, he spent a lot of time surrounded by WW2 veterans, which sparked his love for WW2.

“World War II is the war I’ve always loved to study,” he said. “It was the last great war where we were the good guys. Plus, those planes had character—beautiful designs, nose art, style.”

One aircraft in particular stands out to Collins—the P-47 Thunderbolt, a powerful fighter known for its bold lines and presence.

“When I left Consol last spring, I had 57 planes hanging from my classroom ceiling,” he said. “I brought about 40 of them with me. Even though I’m teaching health now, I figured one day I’ll get back into teaching history.”

Having the models hanging from the ceiling shows his students that he is a creative and unique teacher, and it also gives an idea of the type of person Collins is.

“I build all the planes in flight and hang them from the ceiling,” he said. “At first, my students thought it was creepy because I didn’t put pilots in the seats. They said, ‘Coach, it’s like a ghost is flying the plane.’ So now I make sure there’s a painted pilot in every cockpit.”

Once someone retires or begins to slow down, they tend to fall short on things that keep them active, more specifically, their mind.

“Now I’ve got planes for every part of the war,” he said. “Whether I’m teaching history or health, I’m going to keep building. As you get older, you need something to do. You’ve got your money, so spend it on something you enjoy.