codemonkey,
I was exactly the same. Flew models for a year or two, had five or six glow-engined models. Loved it, and never did I dream of flying the real thing. The taking off and landing feeling of satisfaction does resemble the real thing, albeit without the bumps! Aeros are much more commonplace with models though! The gas turbined models are something to see.
I think with the models it's the satisfaction of spending six months building it from a box of balsa wood before you see it take to the air. Though I haven't flown mine for about ten years, I still have them in the garage. Sentimental value!
I do, however, think as a thirteen year old that it was the perfect thing to satisfy the hunger for aviation and I can't stress enough how much you can learn from building and flying models. (Think Handling, Aircraft General etc.).
Joe.