I think it's all about dreams. Many of us would have loved to strap an F-14 to our backs and burn holes in the sky, but never will, not even as a passenger. Flying in an Airbus is only a few mouse clicks away.

I think it's all about dreams. Many of us would have loved to strap an F-14 to our backs and burn holes in the sky, but never will, not even as a passenger. Flying in an Airbus is only a few mouse clicks away.

I guess it's because a bus isn't as exciting as a sports car. Don't get me wrong, I used to own and fly a Cessna 172, I could never think about piloting a 737, but they just aren't as heart pounding as an F16.

Also, if the manufactures could build a airline model with more pizazz, like extended flaps, open reversers and a larger scale, there may be more interest.

See my post "727 worth a hoot" cs.finescale.com/.../161962.aspx

Thought provoking question. I'd guess civilian aircraft just don't instill quite the same excitement level in most folks, especially the younger ones. At airshows you don't see many airliners represented, except Paris and Farnborough, then when they do their flight routine it's usually just some flybys and gentle maneuvers.

Military A/C go by at nearly Mach speeds, full afterburners and maneuvers so tight the pilot has to look out his belly button to see where he's going. They can be so colorful and exotic, that it stirs interest just seeing them.

As a pilot of 600 mph commercial aircraft, often I heard passengers say they "found airline flying to be boring, it just seemed like we were hardly moving." At 35-40K feet it would seem that way, and our ops manual stressed the importance of smooth aircraft handling, to enhance passenger comfort.

For a 1:48 military model a tremendous amount of detail can be represented and highly visible, for a 1:144 scale airliner the perspective really changes, not as much scale detail would be that readily seen in comparison.

I build a few commercial A/C models, but much prefer the military types myself. I just consider a camo finish on an F-4, F-105 or F-101 to peak my interest a good bit more. Then there are solid color WWll types with a modest amount of weathering, the Corsair, P-51, P-47 and P-38 A/C hold major interest for me.

Patrick      

Back in the pre plastic days the world wasn't entertaining the notion that aircraft would be more than for defense. While wood was the way to build models military has a more noble purpose and reason. I've heard and read about identification models that were meant to teach civilians as well as military to recognize an aircrafts shape as friend or foe. Every model one could build has been emulated. Once plastic took hold in manufacturing with injection molding made it easier for all sorts of presentation models of military aircraft. Trade shows are a great place to see Civilian models in impressive scales where military has a stronger  presence still. At the model manufacturing end, kits of military has always been by how history sees a particular aircraft.

On the other hand civilian modeling is vague and much less popular as we all have gotten a model of some military aircraft as a gift in our lives. I feel it's a matter of interest. This also shows up in scales offered Civilian VS Military. I washed aircraft for years so I got use to seeing all sorts of civil aircraft. Really to be sure as modelers we do tend to go for what catches our interest. Modelers in this forum do take great pride in their Military builds...

Same for me, no interest in civilian subjects whether they be aircraft ships or anything else. My life has revolved around all things military for as long as I can remember, its one of the reasons I always wanted to join the army. It might seem a bit sad and narrow minded, but its what peaks my interest. I think the only none military kit I have in the stash is Anakin Skywalker's pod racer.

Civilian aircraft do not have guns, missiles, bombs, or any other type of weapon. To me, this is what makes Military subjects more interesting. But, I will not rule out that my interest could change. One of these days, I will venture to build an airliner.

^ What Tojo said.

A Ford TriMotor maybe, with it's exposed radials would make a cool build as would the Spirit of St. Louis but the new stuff just doesn't strike my fancy.

It seems like I would almost have to have some kind of connection (owned, flew, maintained) to a modern civilian aircraft to want to build one.  Most are such commonplace machines. Kinda like building a model of a modern Greyhound bus. Bleh. 

I admit though, since I work in Memphis, a DC-10 in Fed-Ex dress would make a nice display for the office.

I don't know,I just have zero interest in building them,much the same way I don't build civilian vehichles.Just preference I guess.

I suppose I do not build many civil aircraft for a combination of reasons:

1-Most airline models seem to be in 1:144 scale due to the sheer size of the actual aircraft , plus military aircraft models in that scale simply do not have the interior detail available in larger scales

2- Civil aircraft aren't always the fastest aircraft of their era, though the 1930s spawned some very fast civil aircraft.

3- While many airliners are colorful, military aircraft can have a much wider variation in color schemes with both friend and foe markings.

4- Not many small civil aircraft models are available ( I'd prefer 1.72 or 1/48th ) - though I did just buy a Monogram Piper Tri-pacer re-issue as a nostalgia build.

5- I do have an AURORA Pan Am Orion III airliner in my stash if that counts as civil.  The all white scheme might seem a bit boring but it just makes those blue Pan Am logos stand out.

From my perspective it has a lot to do with what is available and the scales.  When it comes to military models I mainly build 1/48, obviously many commercial aircraft would be HUGE if they were done in 1/48; however, on the same note, I would love to find a 737 in 1/48 scale.

So basically to sum up my side of things, the reason I don't build many airliners or civilian aircraft is that it has to do with scale.  I don't like 1/144 scale as its basically just a fuselage and wings with very little detail.

Airliner paint jobs tend to be the hardest.  

First, they usually have to be very glossy.  Gloss finishes are just harder to get right.  Second, they have difficult schemes to paint.  Its very tough to get the stripes and belly areas right when there are so many curves involved.  It is incredibly difficult to get "wrap around" paint jobs correct.  Its usually a masking nightmare to paint airliners.  Third, the wings are a different color...and they typically have 3 colors that aren't really easy to mask.  Fourth, the decals can be large, awkward and difficult to work with.

But I think a well done airliner is as interesting as any military plane.  I've got one I'm about to finish (a TWA 767-200) and a few more airliners in my stash.

I think the glossy paint is part of it. I don't model much civil aviation for the same reason I don't build autos- glossy finishes and they have be so clean! I guess I could do some beat-up dirty Alaskan bush plane sometime though?  

For me there is just more history and drama behind military aircraft verses civilian.  There are several civilian aircraft that I'm very fond of like the 727 and Constellation but I just haven't gotten around to building one yet.

Mike

Good question.

I have built both, but if it's an aircraft it's usually military.

Many more military models are available than civilian.

Military aircraft are generally more exciting/have more story's associated

with them.

Military aircraft change much more frequently. A new airliner/civil aircraft comes out only

a few times every decade.

The detail is much more apparent on fighter type aircraft. I'm guessing that military cargo type

aircraft are modeled at a much lower rate than the fighter type.

look at the detail available on a 1/72 scale fighter vs a 1/144  airliner.

Size/cost, it is much easier to display/build/purchase a fighter type aircraft than a large transport type aircraft.    

Aftermarket stuff. For airliners the availability of an airlines livery might not be available.

What do others think?

Don, I dont do aircraft very often and not sure my opinion is worth much.  When I do look at aircraft in a hobby shop or on line, I see hundreds of military stuff to choose from and very little of the other.  I looked a while for a Convair 580 so I could build an example of what used to be in large numbers at my local airport.  When I found Frontier decals for the kit, they cost about twice what the kit did.  I don't look that often at aircraft but I never seem to see civil aircraft kits.  It may just be me or where I look as I am not really an aircraft modeler.  

It could be a lack of adequate kits.  Most airliners are very large so, kits are limited by scale sizes and detail is limited by scale.  General Aviation aircraft tend to be pretty small and simple so, even large scale kits lack the intricacy of detail modelers like.  I am currently building a 1/7th scale 1930s General Aviation monoplane from an antique kit that's been in my stash for over 30 years.  Just my two cents worth...

I really don't get it either, Don.

I have a Chartwell's that starts at the earliest days of flight and goes up to 2001. There are literally more aircraft types in that one book than in the military history of the US.  I don't have a list, but there are a good number of civil kits available also,,,,,,and some of the aircraft that would require scratchbuilding wouldn't be that difficult to do.

With sizes ranging from Pitts S2 up to 747, a person could go with models that fit their own purposes, just like the military modelers do.

I will wind up with about 20 civil aircraft in my collection, just because I can't see leaving those designs out, some, like the Beech Bonanza have features that stand out too proud to ignore.

Rex