by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Who knew that a boyhood fascination with war movies and weaponry could develop into an opportunity to own a Russian MiG-21 fighter jet.
It might have happened if the needed repairs weren’t so costly, but attorney and arms collector Alan Rosner, 53, continues to keep an eye out for exotic items.
“I found a guy who was willing to sell his MiG-21 for about $25,000, but I didn’t have any place to put it,” said Rosner with a grin. “It needed about $100,000 worth of repairs to the computer system, so it was a little out of reach.”
The owner of the aircraft needed to get rid of it because of insurance reasons.
“He had it parked in a driveway in South Florida,” said Rosner. “It was causing a lot of auto accidents because people would look at it when they were driving by.”
And that’s just where his wife, Ellen, likes to keep the prizes of his hobby — out of reach.
“I have to keep them at the office because they are not allowed in the house,” said Rosner. “She didn’t know about it when we got married. It was an undisclosed hobby.”
Part of the collection takes up about a quarter of his office space on Hendricks Avenue. The exotic arms included in the collection are a 1950s era Russian flame thrower that was said to be recovered during Operation Desert Storm, a Russian uniform, anti-tank shells, mortars, rockets, anti-tank rocket launchers, grenades, rifles, G.I. Joe figures, model tanks, a helmet and diagrams of firearms.
“It gives clients and federal agents something to look at,” said Rosner, who has contact with federal agents through his criminal law practice. “Some of them are fans just like me and appreciate some of the odd pieces I have collected.”
Rosner also has run into some law enforcement personnel who weren’t too appreciative of his hobby. While returning home from a trip where he attended an arms collectors show he tried to board a plane, pre-9/11, with dummy 20 mm rounds that look like hot dog-sized bullets.
“They weren’t going to let me on the plane with them,” said Rosner. “I had to convince them that they were dummy rounds and were not useable.”
This hobby grew out of a childhood fascination with television shows and movies, and the props they used.
“My favorite show as a kid was ‘Combat!’ with Vic Morrow,” said Rosner. “He had this Thompson submachine gun that I thought was cool.”
“The Longest Day” and “Saving Private Ryan” were two other influences Rosner remembered.
“When I look at ‘The Longest Day’ now, it’s a horrible movie, but I loved it at the time,” said Rosner. “I’ve probably seen ‘Saving Private Ryan’ dozens of times by now.”
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