What's the Pride of Your Model Collection?

I'm in the same boat as salty with only about 5 kits to choose from.

Until now it would have been the Dragon 262 I did for the group build, but hopefully my latest project, Revell's Fw190 and Hagelkorn glide bomb should replace that.

So far the learning curve has been a steep one, with each model an improvement on the one before, mostly!

Karl

I like my mustang that was handpainted in metalic finish. that really put a smile on my face

but right now it's my dragon 1/48 me 262 with lots of scratchbuilt fiddly bits, and a horrable canopy (I bought the italeri issue, it was cheaper)

My flagship kit so far is a 1/35 Dragon Hummel. I can't post pics here because of the rules of a contest it's slated for entering. Longest build I've done to date and very rewarding finished product.

My old Airfix Hawker Typhoon, not-so-superdetailed and finished in 1986 (when aftermarket issues were a dream of a beter future, at least in my country).
This wass also my last finished project... University takes a lot of time, and then life "finds its own way" !

Regards,
Diego.

This one doesn't look too bad.

I really don't a have a favorite among the 40+ models that I have completed so far but here are a few that maybe have the most good points:

can the project be in the collection in spirit ?..........
some 8 years ago and the only time i could bring myselves to work a project for someone else was a 1/72nd B-24D i built for a close friend's father. He flew them in '43 / '44 in the CBI and at the age of 25 after his last mission, according to what the friend's mom could glean from her husband........the aircraft was parked in some field at or near a maintenance base in Burma and he and the crew walked away and never lookked back.........
all the information provided for replicating the aircraft was the tail number......a vague recollection of the nose art and model type "D"........at first i hesitated but, succumbed to the challenge and with one paperback book of the CBI in hand i poured my heart into the build.............
i managed to compete the task.....parked the aircraft in a case (with a plexiglass top), in a barron field and placed an arm patch representing the 10th AF and offered up my rendering to the son who promptly drove the assembly from Dallas to someplace in W. Virginia to present the offering to his father for his 70th birthday.........and the first time his dad had seen the aircraft since he parked it in the field that long time ago..........
Apparently his father broke down and wept as what was presented to him WAS his aircraft, exactly the way he'd last seen it.......to everyone's surprize the sum total of the information i had to work with was all that there was......the nose art in particular, being so obscure that in my replication of it from vague memories, i'd accidentally hit the nail on the head..........( a red bird in flight spitting bullets)
His father called me to express his undying gratitude and profound thank yous..........and not long after the presentation, pictures arrived of the final resting place of his aircraft (he'd a cabinet built especially for the case & model......with his wings & squadron patch placed next to the arm patch i had placed in the case for him............
Anything i ever do in modelling will pale by comparison to the feeling of satisfaction and pride at listening to that man's voice on the phone as he tried to thank me while choking back tears of his pride and sentiment......
(i wish i could share the pics he sent me but at present i am unable to)

I guess it's the Hasegawa P-51D. It's the first model I superdetailed without resin or PE and it won for me lst prize in a local competition.

Out of all my current stuff, I'd say my favourite is either the Academy M-51 super sherman or the Tamiya Dragon Wagon cab. The Academy is really the first good weathering result I've had since starting armour. Not the last, but there's always something about the first
The Dragon Wagon simply because of it's complexity yet beautiful result. Also very dirty

my 1/48 Tamiya P-47 Razorback.
not w/o it's flaws
(some idiot glued the canopy on and left the gunsight on the bench),
but one of my better efforts.
and i 'buddy built' it w/ my best friend
(who did the same kit at the same time, 350 something miles away)

but w/ only 6 kits 'on the shelf' (soon to be 8!), each one still holds something
special for me.

A Monogram 1/48 scale F-102A. I made it into the first aircraft I became a crew chief on. A 32 FIS F-102A, 56-1027. It was one of the first that Monogram released back in the late 80's. It had the case XX wings and I modified it into a case X wing. Painted up with the red, white and blue fan on the stab. It sets in my living room behind a glass door on my entertainment system.

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337 I but right now it's my dragon 1/48 me 262 with lots of scratchbuilt fiddly bits, and a horrable canopy (I bought the italeri issue, it was cheaper)

I feel your pain.

Been there, hated that.

Karl

1/24 scale Airfix Spitfire.
It took a very long time.

cirikili,

That is awesome! After 45 years, that must have been something for him to see. With the detail, the nose art and the presentation -- in the barren field along with the patch.

If anyone ever decided to write "Chicken Soup for the Modeler's Soul", you're story would definitely need to be included. Perhaps you should submit it anyways -- Chicken Soup.

I have to go with my Tamiya Panther A. I put a lot of blood sweat and 4 letter words into that beast!
As runers up I have my M4A3 (105) Sherman and my M-41 Walker Bulldog

Don't think I have one, perhaps the Ton Class minesweeper I scratch built about 35 years ago and won a club competition with. Only problem is its now in bits after being knocked off a shelf once too often!

wow David......thanks for the kind words.....
it was never about the model.......but the modelling

& ty for the chix soup website......

the me 262 isn't too bad, i actually got all the parts to fit with only 1 can of bondo (no really just 2 little spots on the bottom) but those @(#* gunsights!! and the clear parts should have been named the "opaque" parts

To date my best subject is my latest project, the Tamiya Dragon Wagon. I am putting more time and effort into this kit and applying many techniques gleaned from these forums to try and produce something special. Here is a pic of my progress.



I am treating this as a long term project, a fill in between group builds, and intend to take my time on it.

Thats easy. The last model i built is my pride and joy. Of course. it's also the worst model I've ever built and I don't know why I continue to sink big bucks into a hobby that drives me crazy.

Maybe I should seek professional counseling.

The model thats the pride of the collection is one I did quite a few years ago, even though it has suffered from many moves and may not be the best finished model in my collection. This is one model that I really enjoyed building.

you would think it's a tough call, but ever since i saw the peerless-max m26 at the montgomery wards in boise (way back in the '70's ) i had to have one. however, it's the tamiya m26 that's my baby.

Tough choice all!

The longest I spend building a kit was the Premiere 1:48 BAe Hawk T.1A. I had to do a lot of scratch building work of which the Ariwaves PE was an indispensable part! I finished it just after the Airfix kit was released.



or


Hasegawa 1:48 Me109E-4

could be the Rotodyne in my sig too...ahhhhh!!! They all are my favourites!!

cheers

MikeJ