Modeling themes

I have model kits of all kinds; planes, armor, ships, figures (even some Japanese robots and monsters). But, my favorite thing to build is 1/48th scale aircraft. 1/72 is too small, and I haven't tried anything bigger yet. I have mainly built WW2 aircraft, any nationality, but plan to branch out into Korea and Vietnam at some future point. I'm also thinking about trying to concentrate on aircraft and put the rest of my kits on the backburner. Well, not like they are really on the front burner now....

My theme is Vietnam era and modern US Navy aircraft and accessories. Why? I dunno. Cool subjects, I think.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Carey there are subjects that I like for their individual characters regardless of national origin (many of which were experimental or otherwise unusual and are hard to come by - or have been). Examples of that are Martin-Baker MB5, Spiteful, DH Hornet, Kyushu Shinden, He 219 Uhu, Frank, Dinah (the conventional-canopy version), OV10 Bronco, TSR2, HP Victor, Avro Vulcan, Avro Arrow etc. I've always wanted to build in a constant scale two collections of aircraft: the planes my father flew in his career (Tiger Moth, Harvard, Oxford, Wellington, Stirling, Bristol 170 Mk31, DC3 and HS 748) and all the aircraft in which I've flown (Bristol 170 Mk31, DC3, F27, Viscount, DC8, B707, VC10, B737, DC10, BAC111, Heron, DC9, Shorts 360, B747, B767, B757,BAe146, Twin Otter, MD-82, Airbus321, and Airbus 319). Wish me luck ( and perhaps the fortuitous release of a few appropriate subjects - 1/72 B757, BAe146, VC10, Viscount... and while I'm wishing 1/48 HS748, Stirling .....)

Cool subject matter. Best of luck completeing your goals and let me also welcome you to the forum.

My Dad and I re-built a1929 Travalair D4000 in the 1960s.Now I am 63 and doing the same in minature using the knowledge I gained from that experience.I love dioramas and working in wood.Cheers! John.

I only asemble combat airplanes in 1/48 and warships in 1/350. the 1/48 scale has the advantage that it is very easy to work in the general details and particularly in the canopy also with the age you lost the visual sharpness little by little and it is difficult to work in 1/72 .the only inconvenience is that it is necessary to dedicate a wide space to be able to exhibit them and if you do not had the support of the widows of the Modelers they probably finish like in my case in exhibition cabinets on the office.

I began with a 1/72 Airfix DC3 in 1962 when I was 9 and stuck mostly with 1/72 aircraft for the next 15 years (although the only completed model I ever actually sold - to another collector - was a 1/32 F4U1 Corsair in hand-painted Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm markings). I've always been primarily interested in WWII military aircraft (beginning with the ones my Dad flew) and now mostly concentrate on 1/48 subjects. British aircraft are fairly standard with me, even if only some of them are available in 1/48 (Spit 14 & 22/24, Mossie B MkIII, Tempest, Lysander, Wellington, Stirling and 40s-50s types like Sea Fury, Hunter, Lightning, Buccaneer etc) but there are subjects that I like for their individual characters regardless of national origin (many of which were experimental or otherwise unusual and are hard to come by - or have been). Examples of that are Martin-Baker MB5, Spiteful, DH Hornet, Kyushu Shinden, He 219 Uhu, Frank, Dinah (the conventional-canopy version), OV10 Bronco, TSR2, HP Victor, Avro Vulcan, Avro Arrow etc.
I've always wanted to build in a constant scale two collections of aircraft: the planes my father flew in his career (Tiger Moth, Harvard, Oxford, Wellington, Stirling, Bristol 170 Mk31, DC3 and HS 748) and all the aircraft in which I've flown (Bristol 170 Mk31, DC3, F27, Viscount, DC8, B707, VC10, B737, DC10, BAC111, Heron, DC9, Shorts 360, B747, B767, B757,BAe146, Twin Otter, MD-82, Airbus321, and Airbus 319). I would love to do the first group in 1/48, but I can only realistically see that with a lot of scratch-building. The latter group would be most satisfying in 1/72 even though it might mean a lot of scratch-building too for some subjects, especially since several of those types would require as many as 4 models to display the different marks and airline liveries. I've begun, but I don't see the end in sight for a number of years. Wish me luck ( and perhaps the fortuitous release of a few appropriate subjects - 1/72 B757, BAe146, VC10, Viscount... and while I'm wishing 1/48 HS748, Stirling .....)

Theme: Yes. Nothing specific, although most things lately fly.

I'm looking for: a small scale Blackhawk to modify to a Firehawk,
This LAV thing I saw that had a twisting body.(modern),
Starship Excelsior (not at Monstersinmotion.com),
Bab5 Starfury(at Monsters'),

The only consistant thing is that I am inconsistant.

Well, I like to build 1/72 fighter aircraft. Specifically experimental, prototype, night, or heavy (twin prop jobs) fighters. I like to keep to planes that really flew or were about to. I most recently got bitten by the Star Trek kit bashing craze, so you might want to stay away from the Sci-Fi forum I think it's catchy!

I go for WW2 mainly Australian and New Zealand, though I also like some of the Fleet Air Arm stuff. I have a 1/48 Tempest waiting to be built, and also a 1/48 Typhoon which is gonna be built as the sole night fighter prototype. And yes, I know those two dont fit into my stated areas, but I like them!!! Meantime, I plan on doing a 1/48 New Zealand F4U 1A, and I'm DESPERATE to get my hands on a couple of LTD1/48 Commonwealth Boomerangs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The New Guy Again. Here is a twist on the thread. Since 99% of all the hundreds of scale models I currently have were built by myself and my dad over 30 years ago, I feel entirely unqualified to weigh in. But forget how long ago that was. I did mostly German and Japanese 1/72 stuff with researched accurate (hopefully) markings with a fair amount of US and Italians thrown in while my Dad did most of the US planes.
It is the WWII stuff as well as the history that I find most interesting. But , I have gotten reinterested in it based upon this history and particularly of early AAF history. That is why I was looking for a B-10 kit.

Got a number of 1/32 stuff but I find that space restrictions dictate 1/72. Just had to build a bunch of shelves to accommodate everything I brought back from Mass!

Dave

I grew up an AirForce Brat (have since joined the Army to******the Ole Man off) but I still have a passion for Modern USAF Aircraft. I am currently trying to build in 1/48 scale aircraft from every Base my father was stationed at (some had to be done in 1/72 just because of size A 1/48 KC-135 and AC-130 would be massive!! Thank Heaven he was never stationed at RAF MildenHall or Dover AFB, a C-5 would be a pain in the rear :). Sadly my father passed away before he saw this collection finished but he did get to see the F-15, F-5, T-38 MH-53, and the begining of the TR-1 and RF-4 Ive still got a fair way to go and Im now adding Aircraft from the Army Air Fields where Ive been stationed. havent had much time around Army Armour in my military career but some may creep into my list of things to do.

Oorah Gary! As soon as I can figure out how to scan some pics and bring them in here, I will do so. Like attending model contests, it's always fun to see what the other person has built and maybe see a kit that strikes one fancy and want to run out and get one too.

Semper Fi

Scott

Scott53,

Glad to see another Marine nut here. You have me beat, though: I only have about 5 1/32 aircraft, two of those having been under construction for longer than I like to admit. I'd love to see some photos of your completed stuff. Maybe you could post some here?
Semper Fi!!

Like Gary Mason above, I major in 1/48 Marine aircraft, mostly jets but have bought the AM SBD-1 and TBM-3 for the collection. Currently, as a break I'm working in 1/72 scale, I'm near completion on Hasegawa's F-18C, F-18D and the OA-4, and just started on the EA-6B and may be ready for painting later today. Also getting a fair size collection of 1/32 scale planes, have completed Tamiya's F-4J in VMFA-334 markings and a Hasegawa ME-109G6 (Luftwaffe aircraft is another love of mine). Have about 10 more 1/32 kits including the F-105G on the shelf waiting their turn. Figure I will have them all built by the time I reach 130.

I’ve always been a fast jet fan since I was a kid, & that’s what I mostly build now. My eyesight is not the greatest, so 1/48th normally the smallest I will go. The exception is airliners. I flew a lot while I was growing up, having flown on American Airlines 707s, PAN AM & Eastern 727s, 747-200s, L-1011s, & most recently having flown over to Kuwait on an 777. I have a few 1/144 & 1/200 airliners in my stash to build some of these a/c I flew on.

I love the F-4, & one theme I have going is to build at least one of each of the major U.S. versions (Navy, Air Force, Marines, B through S), & display the most prevalent color schemes of the type (SEA camo, gull over white, modern TPS, Compass gray, etc). That accounts for 21 of my kits.

The same applies to the F-8 Crusader, & F-14. With this in mind, another theme I have is to build three of the aforementioned kits from the same unit, whether the markings pretty much stayed pretty similar (VF-111s sunburst & sharks mouth markings is a good example), or change between the aircraft (VF-84 never had their famous skull & crossbones on the tails of their F-8s). To a smaller extent, I can also do the A-7 to F-18, or F-4 to F-18 transition of a few units.

I’m a growing fan of the Century Series fighters, so I’d like to do all the major US production versions of the F-100, -101, -102, -104, -105, & -106. Those account for 10 kits in the stash.

Geographically, the Dallas/Ft. Worth area has a lot of aviation, both military & civilian. A lot of famous aircraft were built in the area, dating back to WWII. As I’m a jet guy, I just want to build the relatively modern era jets for right now (F-111, F-16, A-7, F-8), & build models of the aircraft from those units that have been based or still are in this area (F-8, F-4, F-18, F-14, F-105).

I’m a big fan of Naval aviation, so I plan on building one aircraft from each unit of CVW-1 (VF-33, VF-102, VFA-82, VFA-86, VA-85, VS-32, VAQ-137, & HS-11) right around the time frame of Desert Storm. I’m still waiting for a 1/48 injection molded E-2C.

I came away from the Dyess AFB Open house with a great interest in the B-1. All three of the B-1 squadrons had their respective “wing king’s” bird on public display. I thought that would be a decent (& big) diorama to do. All I need now is the upcoming decals from Fox One with markings for the 13th BS on it (I broke down & bought my 4th B-1 kit at Hobby Lobby’s 50% sale) & about three years of building time to make this a reality.

dont know how i missed this thread when i joined but the topic is a good one. although now my interests are working on my building skills i plan to begin building all a/c associated with pearl harbor (both sides). eventually i wish to do a 1/700 diorama of ph focused on ford island and battleship row. i figure with the speed i am going at now it should only take me several lifetimes.

joe

i started out with 1/700 scale ships.(still have a few in the closet). then i moved to ww2 a/c only, then the korean birds started catching my eye, ohh can't forget the vietnam planes now. and so what would any plane collection be without the modern a/c as well. I don't have a lot, just under 100 to still be built.lol. i mostly build in 1/48th (i love the size) and i get the big planes in 1/72 when they don't have it in 1/48. everything i do is military. i don't really care for the civilian a/c. happy modelling to everyone

I build mostly USMC-themed models, both ground and air. Sometimes I go off on a tangent and build something different, kind of clear the pallate, so to speak. Modern and WWII subjects interest me the most and I even have a couple of --"gasp"-- German armor kits in the closet.

My favorite theme is modern ( 1960's to current) 1/48th USAF and USN planes and accessories, but like most people, I'll build anything that looks interesting. Have a few 1/35th WWII and modern tanks, a few scratchbuilt items (boat, spacecraft, helo), a stock car or two, and just finished a 1/12th Kawasaki Ninja.
I don't necessarily do everything accurately or fix kit errors, but I do like to research my 1/48th subjects a little, and in general put aftermarket decals on them to make them "unique". (I jusst build for the fun of it) :)

When I started building models, the 1/72 scale aircraft had the pilot molded to the seat or a closed cockpit with just the pilots head molded to the fuselage, The 1/48 scale had them seperate so it was easy to detail the cockpit. That is why I started and continue to build in 1/48.

I build jet aircraft from Korea to present. I have aircraft from the USAF, US Navy, USSR, Iraqi AF, RAF, NVAF, NKAF, plus several Warsaw pact nations, already built. Unbuilt kits from the French air force, which I am looking for alternate decals, Libyan AF, Chinese AF, Israeli AF, RCAF and from countries already mentioned.

I also have a few prop aircraft such as the O-1, O-2, OV-10 and C-47 in 1/48, plus a few civilian jet aircraft, like the Lear Jet.

I build purely 1/72 scale aircraft -WWII, Vietnam-era, present day a/c except the stealths, mainly because of the wide range of kits available in this scale and because of space consideration in displaying them.

And this are the modeling themes within the modeling theme:

Theme collection of a/c sporting sharkmouth
Theme collection of a/c with twin-booms
Theme collection of F-5s ( from N-156F to all F-5 variants and all user
air forces
Mustang collection ( all variants including F-82; 40 models to date

Greg,

Sorry I'm just now getting back to you (0027 7 Dec 2003). Ron Young handles all of the raffle stuff, so it's probably better to ask him. I'm sue that he won't mind a bit to have extra stuff for the raffle. Our raffles are quarterly now, and the last one was during the last meeting, so the next raffle should be February 2004. Believe it or not, some of the raffle items at the last raffle were popsicle sticks, and an old syringe for applying glue.

Anyway, you can bring your stuff to the next meeting and try to sell it there. Almost everyone else in the club does this (including me), and you can usually make a few bucks doing so. Jan Rhoades and quite a few others build almost exclusively in 1/72 (I'm assuming that you're trying to get rid of 1/72 stuff), so you might be able to sell quite a bit of your stash.

Unfortunately, I won't be at the next meeting, as I'll be in Columbia, SC, assisting in the installation of some medical equipment. Oh well. Hopefully, I'll make the Jan 2004 meeting. Talk atcha later!!

Aircraft any aircraft, mostly WWII 1/72 or 1/48 tending to lean towards 1/48 now. But the unbiult collection still has alot of 1/72 so I am still going to build those. Will build a car on a very rare occasion to break the monotony. I am an aircraft freak have been since I was 8 I am now 34 Just seem to love almost anything with wings or rotors. JOHN

I guess if I had to pick a Theme, it would be International! Here's why:

I build only 1/72 scale Aircraft, 1/72 and 1/76 scale Armor, and my ships range mostly from 1/450 to 1/700 scale. I group them by nation, except for my Middle Eastern aircraft. They are all grouped together.

I have aircraft from the following Air Forces:

Britain, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Israel, India,
and about 9 different Arab countries.

I have Armor, artillery and soft-skinned vehicles from:

US, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada and Australia, Japan, Russia, Israel, Egypt, and Iraq.

I have Navy ships, and some commercial vessels from:

US, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Japan, with a couple Australian ships as well.

I also have Helicopters only in 1/72 scale. I have helicopters from the US, Britain, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, Israel, Iraq, and Iran.

Aside from all that, I have the following for variety: two cars: James Bond's Astron Martin DB5, (with figures) and Tom Daniel's Red Baron, as well as some HO scale buildings (about 5)

Mine is aircraft centric, 1/48 scale primarily. I have a few 1/35 helos as well. I've built armor and ships, but aviation is the main stay. My recent phase was WWII aviation but now turning back to modern aviation, particularly USMC aviation (helos and fixed wing). Just need to make more time for building and space.

Right now I'm doing mostly 1:72 kits since they are less expensive than bigger scales. I build US Navy and Marine aircraft almost exclusively, but of course, they'll need some adversaries soon!

I'm one of those guys that sticks to 1/72 WWII aircraft, but not very many fighters. i like big multi-engined stuff, like the B-17or C-47. i'm currently putting a PBY5 Catalina together (and i have a B-17G waiting in the wings).

I like 1/72 because of the reasonable price, size and variety... and also because, on a subconcious level i am terrified at all the detail 1/48 and 1/32 kits offer!

Like qmiester, i generally avoid things that are bare aluminum, but since i found that i can get my hands on Bare metal foil here in Manila, that's about to change... I'm hoping to get started on a 1/48 F-86F Saber and dress her up in Philippine Airforce colors...
-V

I build or have built a large number of WWII USAAC a/c in predominantly 1/72 scale, with a few in 1/48th. I have a collection, a subgroup if you will, of planes flown by the 56th Fighter Group in WWII. But like others, I build just about anything else as the mood find me in: cars, armor, Sci-Fi, space, figures.

Whatever I can get I do but I have certain things I look out for. 1/144 Military aircraft, 1/72 armor, 1/72 Migs, 1/400 or larger ships,and Star Trek