What was your very first model?

My first ever kit?

A Tamiya 1/700 IJN Fubiki destroyer. At that time was very affordable and suit a kid like me with limited budget. It kick start my hobby journey.

Heh, way to chime in there with a timely answer, Harshman!

I guess that this is probably the oldest active thread in the forum. 2002!  More like a zombie though; being brought back from the dead! Mine was either a B-62 (SM-2) Snark or a B-47. It was in 1958 and my old man was in SAC. He coerced me into helping him into building them so he could have them at work. I was four and a half. I can barely remember it. After that, we built a TBF Avenger together. No paint at all on any of them, just decals. My first solo was an Aurora B-25 with the raised decal locators. Really ugly!  

So, what dead thread should we bring back to life next?

Well, here's my bandage to this zombie:  my first kit was a Campbells wood model of a grain elevator for my HO train layout when I was about 8 (1968).  Then proceeded to build several Athearn and Roundhouse pieces of rolling stock.  My first aircraft model was the Monogram 1/48 B-29 when I was 9 with a home made Fatman nuke hanging out of the bomb bay.  My Dad was a pretty good sign man and he custom lettered Bock's Car on the nose plus the nose art.  I made the bomb from a ping pong ball and added the nose and fins from styrene.

                                                                                        Pat.

My very first model was an Eagle from Space:1999 that my dad and I built together when I was about 6.  He wasn't into it as a hobby and just thought of it as a fun father/son project, so it turned out as well as can be expected for only cemented together and having decals put on.  Years later I got a spare of the Eagles that were reissued in the '90s in case I had a son someday so that we could do the same ( but maybe a little better given my experience in the hobby ).

About a year later, he bought a small, probably just "box-scale" kit of the Yamato for me at the pharmacy while picking up a prescription for my younger brother's croup.  That one, and the little 2-for-$1 kits in bags of a Spitfire and Me-109, didn't turn out so well because he thought Elmer's would work instead of the cement ( as I said, he wasn't into the hobby, so he didn't realize the difference until a friend of his explained it ).

The first one I tried solo, with the proper "glue", was an F9F Panther that was given to me for my 9th birthday.  While it was unpainted and had obvious seam lines, I think I did pretty well given I got the decals on OK and even managed to get the landing gear and extended grilles ( airbrakes?  it was 30 years ago ) on without mauling the parts or having things completely out of alignment.

Since this thread was started before I became a member here, why not?  I actually scored another copy of my very first kit, some 32 years later, on Ebay... We (Mom, me, & Sis) were spending a few weeks at my aunt & uncle's house back in 1967, while we got ready to move into base housing at Eglin AFB during Dad's 1st deployment to Vietnam.  He was flying F-100s back then, but I was more into the toy WW2 stuff and "grenn army men", and didn't know a Super Sabre from a MiG or a  "BUFF" from a "SLUF"...

My cousin Mark, who was a few years older than me, like 3 or so, was a model builder, mostly cars, but airplanes too, and one afternoon while Mom & Aunt Donna were in town, Donna bought Mark a model, and she thought that it'd be somethin' I might like to try as well, since I was already a FAN (Frikkin' Airplane Nut), so she grabbed a couple 1/72 HAWK kits (.39 cents a copy back then), an F4U-1D Corsair and a Mk 22 Spitfire... Since I was "company" I got to choose which kit to build, and took the Spitfire... Been going ever since...

Here's the same Spit I found on Ebay, 32 years later...   99% complete with (yellowed) decals, but all there except the stand.  It just popped up in one of my email searches (the one I have with the price range .49 to 4.99, LOL) and I just HAD to buy it...

Here's the Corsair kit (obviously a later release than 1965), but close enough to the one Mark built. Only the box changed.  Heh.. I remember it well, why I chose the Spitfire... The Corsair "looked wierd" because I'd never seen inverted gull-wings before and though that the wings had melted or something along those lines...

 Anyway, that Spit's the 1st one, and I reckon I'll come full-circle with it, when I finally have to give up the hobby due to eyesight or some other  "Auld Phart's Disease"...

Who says you can't "time-travel", eh?

I can't remember...

My first model eh..  Well I grew up near Boston in Massachusetts and when I was 4, my parents took me to see the Bunker Hill Monument (BTW The battle actually took place at Breeds hill about .25 miles from Bunker Hill.)  After trekking a hundred or so stairs to the tiny observation room then back down, we went to the gift shop.  My Dad used to do models occasionally so he thought that it would be interesting to get a small one for me to do, so he got me a model of a revolutionary war era cannon.  It had like 15 pieces and the glue he got was that nasty lemon scented "No-Tox" brand they had back in the late 60s.  That stuff was hideous to work with.  But that's all my parents would let me use for the next few years.  I started with aircraft after that, and when I got into school, they would get me a small kit like one of the Glenco space series kits(Vanguard, mercury, vostock, etc...) every time I brought home a decent report card.  My first real challenge was the Aurora Big A box B-58 Hustler, I think it was something like 1/65 scale or something of that rough size.  Then the Big A XB-70 nd on from there.  I did some cars over the years too but I have never had good luck with them.  But through all of it, I always remember that first kit.  I wish I could find another one of the same kit, but I don't even remember who made it. LOL  Okay now I have completely dated myself..

What the heck.

a 1/144th minicraft (I think, that or it was Academy) F-4 Phantom. Had a blast building it! Then I went to build the revell 1/48 P-40, an AMT Deuce Coup (from American Graffiti) and the Academy H.M.S. Eagle I believe.

Aurora Catalina. I had it for over 20 years and used it as a airbrush mule during that time. Saddly I decided to strip it and rebuild it as a serious build but I couldn't find it. I figure it was lost in a move about 10 years ago. *sigh*

Woody

Aurora Catalina. I had it for over 20 years and used it as a airbrush mule during that time. Saddly I decided to strip it and rebuild it as a serious build but I couldn't find it. I figure it was lost in a move about 10 years ago. *sigh*

I feel for you.  almost all of my models from the age of 4, to about 16.5 were lost at once.  When I think of what they would have been worth now, I get ill.  I had an entire fleet of all 12 Battlestars based on the old Original Series kits, and hand detailed.  2 Squadrons of Viper fighters, about 50 odd aircraft.  and a whole mess of larger scale WWII Naval vessels.  And lots more.  I really miss my Space 1999 Eagle collection.  I doubt I will ever be able to replace most of them.  They have just gotten too expensive.  What used to cost $6 now costs $60.  Seriously, the prices are ridiculous now a days.

Manstein's revenge

I can't remember...

I was at a party and there she was. Tall, Blonde, a fine set of       legs and......    A    P-51 Mustang

C'mon, I'm 76 yrs old - you can't possibly expect me to remember!!

Ken

kbuzz01

C'mon, I'm 76 yrs old - you can't possibly expect me to remember!!

Ken

I'll wager that it was made of wood and paper, or maybe stone.

subfixer

 

kbuzz01:

 

C'mon, I'm 76 yrs old - you can't possibly expect me to remember!!

Ken

 

 

I'll wager that it was made of wood and paper, or maybe stone.

Yup, balsa wood and tissue something.

Ken

My first was a 1/144th scale Death Scythe Gundam kit I got a Toys R Us when I was in middle school.  They were 5 bucks each and not that bad, could be been alot better though.    Didnt paint it or anything, was basicly a toy, but I enjoyed it, and bought that whole series, and every other one I could find.  I took a break for a while in highschool but once I got to college I was searching online for stuff, found a pic of a new, at the time, gundam kit, bought it on a impulse and couldnt believe how much better it was.  I started posting about it on a scifi/gundam building forum, some of the guys there pushed me toward armor and now Im doing everything.

From start to finish it would be the Revell Seamaster when it first came out and I was five.

Up to that time I had beel trying out the Solid wood aircraft models with weights, decals for windows and so on.

I remember my first model very well because of what happened while I was working on it.  It was a Stuka divebomber--- November, 1963, shortly after John Kennedy's assassination--- admiring the fine green paint job I had just brush painted on--- half-watching the live TV: Lee Harvey Oswald being led out of the Dallas police garage---  BAM!--- and during the next minute I forgot all about my model.  Never did finish the thing, 'cause when I picked it back up my wonderful green finish sported a full set of palm and finger prints.  My second model (the first one I actually completed, shortly thereafter) was the Aurora Black Knight--- my wife found that one on e-Bay and I built it again a couple of years ago.  Modeling memories.......... thanks for the question.

Tom  

trumpeter 1/350 scale hood was my 1st ever model about 12 months ago. took me 3 months to do it i sprayed canned the lower hull and hand painted everything else

iv resplit the hull and the deck isnt as yellow as it looks in the pics

That's a really good job for your first kit.  Most of us just end up with some horrible mass of glue that vaguely resembles some weird piece of abstract art.

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trumpeter 1/350 scale hood was my 1st ever model about 12 months ago. took me 3 months to do it i sprayed canned the lower hull and hand painted everything else

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The first model I "really" built (paint, decals, everything) was a 1/72 Messerchmit BF-109 G6, but i have no idea who made it. I remember i got it as a birthday present.

Even though this post has whiskers it still draws answers.Well, let me think(takes a while due to age) I built my first model around 1950.It was a GUILLOWS small scale  flying model of a PIPER CUB. That,s right it was wood!. My next one was the big one that was wood stringers and frames covered with "silkspan" paper. The first plastic model was the early REVELL car kits ,then known as GOWLAND and GOWLAND "HIGHWAY PIONEERS" You had to lock the wheels on with a hot knife!! Now that you think about it that makes me almost 70 don,t it?     ha,ha,ha,   tankerbuilder

My first real model was the old Monogram P-38. I had put together a snap kit F4 a few weeks before and thought I would like something a little more complicated as I used to watch my Dad put together tall ships and wanted to paint and glue like he did.

Given that I used his stuff I painted the airframe gold and I thought the bombs would be cool and look more dangerous if they were painted red. It was one cool looking A/C at least if you were Goldfinger, but it was enough for me to catch the fever. That was around 1980 and between then and 1989 when I went in the military I built tons of models. I filled my bedroom ceiling, all horizontal surfaces in my room and even spilled over into the living areas of the house.

Flash forward 20 years and the modeling disease that had been in remission came back full force and I seem to be buying more than I am building but I am having fun doing it. To my surprise my Mom decided that I needed to have all the kits I had decorated her house with so now I have an attic full of kits that she packed up 20 years ago. It is interesting to go back and see what I thought was so awesome back in the day.

Sorry to run on but this post brought back lots of good memories and elicited a huge smile from me. Thanks for letting me ramble.

My first builds were cars or close...  I remember the Rat-Fink and wacky stuff. I forget the guys name that went along with those,,  "Ed" something. I remember building the Munster mobile and Dragula. The chrome German helmut Bucket T rig. I also remember building the monster line too,,, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, etc...   those were fun kits. I dabbled in military, but mostly all my early efforts were cars...  Hot rods and muscle cars....  Typically I remember them costing anywhere between $1.50 and $2.50....   ah, the memories.

Don't remember my first - I vaguely remember a snap-tite Firebird, but it's a distant memory (~25 yrs ago!)

The only model that survived my youth (and my destructive phase) was a Revell 1:48 F4U-4 Corsair. My elderly mother still has it displayed in her curio cabinet (she still lives in my childhood home) - it looks pretty darn good after all these years, just a few curled and crispy decals...

First model I ever had was the Monogram (or Revell) snap together USS John F Kennedy, from a Christmas Party at my dad's engineering firm in 1979.  I was 8, and after I got it, I was hooked.  Would probably explain the 15 year Navy career as well... at least it wasn't a Snap-Tite Patton!  No offense to my Army/Marine Corp veteran brethren out there of course...

First kit that had glue, decals and paint?  Revell's old F-111 Aardvark the following summer.  I think I painted it something vaguely similar to SEA USAF camo, since my dad had been over there and told me the colors to use.  

Matt

Forgot to add - - I started building around 1961, I was 7  .......  Sounds like such a long time ago

I don't remember what I had for breakfast, but I still have some of my kits from 50 years ago.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/waynebaker/Models/013.jpg

I see this post started in Dec 2002, got to be a record for the oldest post here.

By the way, my first was a Monogram hot rod (34 Ford?) in about 1974.

I build my firt model(s) in 1979.  My newly aquired step-father had 3 model cars he was saving.  I dont know something about them being collectibles or something.

When he got home from work. As a surprise, I had waiting for him a completed Chevy 55, 56, and a 57.  It was a surprise alright.  

I later shot those cars with a BB gun, he was surprised then too.

My first was The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I remember it  because our schizoid Doberman would go into a fit when he saw the thing. 

My very first model was a 1970 Dodge Charger.

Zuiho..

Ain't this thread somethin'?

Lindberg 1/160ish SR-71. Actually a YF-12A, but I was 7 and thought the box art was so cool that I had to have what was inside. I got that you had to put it together, but my parents were skeptical. I convinced them, and the rest is history. Dad helped me with the first two kits (the other a Monogram 1/72 snap UH-1), and then I was on my own.

I'm a little blurry on this one, no "eureka moment", but it is somewhere among these...

• small plastic Viking ship, manufacturer unknown
• 1959 Corvette convertible, rattle-can yellow, long before I knew about "mist-coats"
• 1/700 USS New Jersey
• 1/72 F/A-18 with RCAF markings. White plastic, no paint.