Ready for more nostalgia? Here we go!

Well, here's my trip down amnesia lane. I just loved the old 1/48 Monogram US Navy WW II aircraft. The Hellcat with the folding wings, the SBD with the movable dive brakes and the dropping bomb, the TBF with the swiveling turret and the dropping torpedo. I had them all; a whole shelf full of 'em! And let's not forget the "action" deck crew figures they came with, too! Ahh, memories!

All of this talk about the old Monogram kits has really brought back the memories. I had forgotten about the little catalogs that Monogram packaged in their kits. I built several of Monogram's car kits, and very much remember the UDT pick-up boat kit. Perhaps it was those little catalogs that enticed me to look at their "non-airplane" models.

I built the TBF when it first came out - I was 10 or 11 at the time. I remember how proud I was that when it was finished all of the working features worked the way they were supposed to. I have to admit though, that the wings sagged when unfolded.

Jim

PS - if Monogram would only bring their T-28 up to snuff and re-issue it !

Yep, Monogram's T-28 would be great to see updated. I knew someone who really went to town on it once and made it a beauty.

All this talk about what currently is making us nostalgic makes me wonder what is currently new or recent on shelves will be seen as 20 to 30 years from here. What will the future classic kits be?

Monogram's 1/48 F-101 Voodoo is a decent kit with a bit of work and has seen a few comebacks, deservedly so.

Tamiya's 1/48 MiG-15 from a few years back is a definite future nostalgia target.

I strongly suspect Airfix's 1/48 EE Lightning and Buccaneer kits are collectors items to be.

Even kits that really aren't so old in the big picture are near classics today. Matchbox's 1/72 Handley Page Victor is a beauty and is coming back this year thanks to Revell Germany.

I wonder if anyone will take the notion to revisit Fujimi's 1/72 E-2C Hawkeye, dress it up a bit and include a decal sheet with some of its international users that didn't have it when the kit first came into being.

What do you predict tomorows classic kits might be?

Tomorrow's classic? Tamiya's 1/350 USS Enterprise for sure. That one really set a standard for ships to live up to.

Ref the johan car kits, I read recently that they are to be produced again, I think it was in Tamiya model magazine, that's produced in the UK. Anyway, the Plymouth police car will be one of the first, with about six different liveries too!
Almost all of the Matchbox aircraft kits had trenchlike panel lines, but it's the only one going, sadly. I have just finished rebuilding a 'Merit' brand Supermarine Walrus (it was thrown together years ago by A.N.Other) and I'm now doing their Swordfish, (likewise for build quality) Not sure what the scales are, around 1/40th I think. Luckily I have some decent sets of plans, so much is missing/wrong on both kits. So are we all remembering kits of old through a rose coloured magnifying glass?

Future classics ? With so many manufacturers putting out so many great kits, that is a tough row to hoe. Since my main modeling focus is on 1/48th aircraft, I wiil list just a few that come to mind:

Accurate Miniatures F3F
Accurate Miniatures P-51/P-51A/Mustang 1A/A-36
Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt
Pro Modeler Helldiver
Hasegawa Spitfire VIII/IX

I can think of 50/100 more, but I want to keep this from getting out of hand !

One more series of kits that are classics to me are Airshow Models' 1/32nd scale resin aerobatic airplane kits. Really beautiful models of a relatively little modeled subject.

Jim

Hmm... speaking of nostalgia, there's this kit that still haunt me to this date. I remembered when I was a kid, my Dad decided to reward me for something good I've done, and I asked for an Airfix 1/600 HMS Warspite. At that age, ships of this complexity was way beyond me, and I made a mess of it. In fact, several parts were broken by me! Needless to say, it was never completed. Up to this day, I still feel very guilty about it. I've been trying to get my hands on this exact same kit again. It's a little difficult as it is now out of production. I only just managed to get a contact from Aussie that promised me this kit next month. Can't wait for it to come so that I can complete what I destroyed when I was a kid and atone for my sins!

traderghost:

You've caused me to remember a very similar piece of "nostalgia". I was about 10 years old, and tried my hand at building a Revell USS Constitution. Was in way over my head and completely messed it up. It had been a birthday gift and I felt guilty about screwing it up for a long time afterward. That was 45 years ago, and it was my first and ONLY attempt at a sailing ship ! From that time on I made it known that I did not want models as a gifts.

Jim

I think we've all got that failed kit as a gift that eats at our concience because someone was nice enought to give it to us and we'd like to make a good go of it.

When I was about 8 I was given a Revell ship model, I don't remember the scale but it was the USS Burton Island. I was totally out of my league with that one and the end result showed it. Pity, I did like the look of the actual ship.

Perhaps one day I'll get my hands on another model of it, Revell or otherwise, and get it right.

Another thought for future classics: the entirety of ICM's 1/48 Spitfire series.

JGUIGNARD and upnorth:

Yeah, I share your sentiments exactly. We all had our fair share of "guilt" when it comes to models given by our loved ones, and in my case, my Dad. That's what make those models all the more nostalgic, 'cause they reminds us not only of the models of yesteryears, but more so of our loved ones. This year, I was on a crusade to get back all the old models which was given to me or inherited from my Dad when I was a kid. I will build them all to the best of my ability and give it as a gift to my Dad!! This is what makes modeling so meaningful :)

QUOTE: Originally posted by paulnchamp Well, here's my trip down amnesia lane. I just loved the old 1/48 Monogram US Navy WW II aircraft. The Hellcat with the folding wings, the SBD with the movable dive brakes and the dropping bomb, the TBF with the swiveling turret and the dropping torpedo. I had them all; a whole shelf full of 'em! And let's not forget the "action" deck crew figures they came with, too! Ahh, memories!

Yeah, I was thinking of those myself! "Ghost Squadron Series" I think.
I wish I could find some of those, but they're all long gone.

Oh well!

trader:

You are certainly right about the connection to loved ones. I can remember my dad and my uncle helping me build my first model airplanes (Aurora), and I also very much remember a total "family affair" build - a Revell USS Franklin D. Roosevelt aircraft carrier kit. My dad and I did all of the assembly work, and my mom did the painting. I can still see her hand-painting all of the yellow dashed lines on that flight deck.

Jim

QUOTE: Originally posted by JGUIGNARD Derek: The mention of Jo-han car kits brought back many fond memories to me as well. In the mid and late 50's, every 9, 10 and 11 year-old boy in my neighborhood was building AMT and Jo-han cars kits. Those kits always came with plenty of extra parts as well as a large sheet of decals that allowed us to "customize" them. We would mix and match parts, and came up with some wild combinations. We had an absolute blast trying to out-do each other. When I was a sophomore in high school, I built a Monogram Duesenberg ( red whith white top ) for a girl to try to impress her - didn't work ! Jim

I've got an old Johan kit of a 1934 Mercedes roadster. As mentioned under another topic, I robbed it of the chrome wire wheels to use them on my old MPC's 1932 Chrysler Imperial--the stupid Chrysler kit's wire wheels were the basic gray plastic and I wanted CHROME! I bought both kits at an insulator show--yes, they have shows for those things off the telephone poles!

I've found a UK site called , www.modelsforsale.com They have a huge range of old kits, and all at very good prices, for example, the old Revell 1/72 JU88, just five pounds! ot sure about postage prices to the USA, but the more you buy, the cheaper they'll work out per model.

I would like another chance to build the 1/16 scale petty, and baker chargers, I had the petty kit and was going to paint it white with green stripes Hey I was a kid. the wiring and plumbing on that thing were wild, I also built the street charger with the blower, that one was a blast also, one day ex-wife was nagging at me for"dragging that box of stupid models around every where we moved" so I got pissed off and threw the box in the dumpster. WHAT A STUPID THING THAT WAS. some of the plastic that went that day was, cale yarbarough kar-kare chevelle, the 2 large scale chargers and many more I can't even remember. lesson learned from this, never act in anger, and think before you act. I really wish i had that box of plastic back because as i got older and "wiser" I learned that you can rebuild old kits and make them new again.
remember if you see a kit you like BUY IT! it might not be around for long and the price only goes up after that.

Well, fussionboy, that's why I've been buying a number of kits at model contests and kit shows even though I know I won't be building them for a while. I want to have them handy when I AM ready to build, especially because I like to build somewhat unusual stuff--not the same old Phantoms and '55 Chevies and P-51's and...

I'm looking for Airfix 1/72 Heinkel He-111 H-20 and Do-217 E-2 - these are models, that I've still on my shelf (built by my father when I was about 12 - unpainted). I would to build them again - now this time by myself and with full painting option ! Regards! Aleksander