What Did Everyone First Build.?

I started building simple model planes when I was 5, don't remember what though.  I do remember building the Kearsage in the summer between 1st and 2nd grade.  I'm sure it looked horrible but I thought I did great.  Next was the Cutty Sark, then the CSS Alabama and 2 builds of the Constitution.  I did paint the last several and did minor rigging but quit building at 13.  Started building again 3 years ago at the age of 47, so a big gap between ship modeling.

Stll my favorite hobby!

The first ship model I bought was the 1/720 Revell Arizona - I got it for my father.  It was the first year I bought Christmas presents for my family by myself, and I got him this ship model because he served in WW2 and I knew the Arizone had a connection to WW2. I wasn't old enough yet to understand that my father was in the Army Air Corps - all I knew was the WW2 connection.  I got it 'for him' so I could build it - and he knew it.  So he let it sit on the shelf for well over a year, torturing me.  And I guess I deserved it.

 The first ship model I built?  I may be wrong, but I think it was the Revell USS Coral Sea.  Back in the late 60's/early 70's.  I still have a bunch of the aircraft (F9F Panthers, I think?) stashed away in a plastic container somewhere, still in their original Testors gloss blue paint scheme.  Hey, it took me a while to learn about accurate paint colors. For a few years the only source of model supplies I was aware of was the Woolworth's in the next town over.

 I remember the first 3 kits I ever had - my father got them for me from E.J. Korvette's, I think for my birthday. Not sure of the year.  Could have been at the end of the school year, though, so I had something to do over the summer. I just don't remember.  He gave me an Aurora (?) 1/72 Huey Cobra copter, a Revell 1/48 P-40, and a Monogram 1/32 P-51D Mustang - the one with the movable control surfaces, sliding canopy, droppable bombs and retracting landing gear.  Well, I was told straight off that it was a model and not a toy, so I was forced to glue the movable parts into place. Yay.

Sigh.  Memories.....

My first plastic ship was Elizabethan by Zvezda (it is a repack of Heller's kit). I build about 20 aircrafts in 1/72 and several sailing ships from paper before this.

Wow.. that was a long time ago!

I was 6yo, and with my dad's help we put together a beautiful, unpainted, tube-glued "Airfix" 1/600 "constant-scale" HMS AJAX (a Christmas or Birthday present, don't clearly remember).

1 year later, evolution made me put some cotton thread along the tops of the masts (didn't knew what it was for, but looked nice in the box art). And fwe months later, disaster stroke: mum was changing the bed linen, one sheet flew onto my desk... and landed on top of the proud cruiser! It looked worst than the Scharnhorst in her last battle, and after weeping long time reconstructed it the best I could (with just 2yr modeling experience, surely was not my best effort to date!).

At 12, the hulk was my proving ground for a thrilling "new" technique... Painting! So it received a nice (and thick!) brushed layer of Humbrol enamel: grey upper hull & superstructures, light brown () deck, bright red lower hull... waterline just by hand (masking? what's that?).

Once decomissioned (whan I was about 15yo), it was transferred to my younger (8yo then) brother... after removing any useful parts !!!  (not too many at that moment, but still in my "parts" box). And it was probably discarded some years later (I recall having seen my brother battling it against a derelict, funneless, white&black HMS "Suffolk", also my donation  , a couple of years after that). End of this story!

The "Ajax" was a very significant ship for me, not only because it was "my first" kit but also because it fought in the "Battle of River Plate" and I was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina, on that estuary south-western shore)... sadly there was no "Graf Spee" at that time to put against it in the bathtub!!!

Hope this was not too long and boring... but the Topic evoked fond memories for me!

Cheers from DownUnder,

Diego.

PS: some 10 years after getting rid of the old hulk, I found an old "Ajax" in its '60s box, in a sale at a Toy shop... which was promply bougt at a cheeeap price. Basic assembly was done, but at that time I was a "serious" modeller so research on details and cammo was mandatory... which I never finalised! So the unfinished hull is still in my "to-do-who-knows-when" box.  (unbuilt/unfinished kits in the wardrobe... does anyone feels identified?)

Hello Folks ,

      My first ship model was the ancient Airfix kit of the " Great Eastern" . It was small ,scale unknown , maybe 1/600. Then after her was numous Airfix , Aurora ,Revell , and Pyro kits . My favorites were the Airfix Hood , Cossack , and Daring , the Aurora Bismarck ,  Graf Spee,and Forrestal Class Carriers ,the Revell HMS Victory, Forrest Sherman , Oriskany , and Midway , and the Pyro ,  " Table Top Navy" Series . These kits bring back alot of fond childhood memories . Even though I build mainly armor kits now, I still pick up some of these old kits . I guess I am still a kid , at heart !

Frank

" PERSEVERANCE "

Hi Dan,

I'm reaching the conclusion that "not everything" is available on Internet... first my struggle on the 27th PzDiv (see elsewhere in this Forum) and now... just a simple list of all airfix kits with a pic of the box top!  Nearly impossible, even more because the sad current situation of Airfix (please, rise again as the Phoenix!!!).

Ok, I guess that those fond little blister-package ships (previously packed in a plastic bag... you should be younger than me!  ) might be among the following list:

Kit List - Series 1

No 68 Cutty Sark

No 64 The Golden Hind

No 66 HMS Shannon

No 65 Santa Maria

No 69 Mayflower

No 67 HMS Victory

No 162 Revenge

No 161 Great Western (this should be the steamer...)

(source: http://www.airfixcollector.co.uk/airfix_series_1_historical_ships.htm )

Hope I've helped your memory!

Cheers from DownUnder,

Diego.

PD: please fellows, let's keep feeding this amazing thread which should triger nice memories of all modelers!

dpdelhoyo wrote:

Ok, I guess that those fond little blister-package ships (previously packed in a plastic bag... you should be younger than me!  ) might be aaong the following list:

Hmm, now that you mention the bag, I start doubting if those weren't packed in bag instead of blisters, my memory seems to be letting me down on this one, but I think it must have been somewhere in the mid- to late seventies... Anyway, that T4 picture sure is one of those that I had, but I can't make out from the picture if that's a blister or a bag against a card backing. And about my age, I'm 38 atm, as will I be for the next decade or so

Oh, almost forgot, isn't Airfix rising like the phoenix at the moment, or were that just rumours ? 

Ok Dan, not much younguer! I'm (still) 42 so nearly same generation!

Mid to late 70's... Based on my experience (at that time was a very inexperienced and young "buy-gue-play" modeler) could be either (I still have those empty packages in my storage room!  ), assuming that Argentina received the "new kits" at the same time as Belgium.

So it could have been "blistered", according to the scarce "Airfix-holics" sites I could check yesterday (eg: http://pws.prserv.net/gbinet.dbjames/types.htm ). But if the kit was an "old" packaging (eg: from the early 70's or before) for sure it was "bagged". Do you remember if the "art" was in multi-colour or just a sketch of the ship?  That would indicate the aproximate age.

Latest news I could find were in the "HORNBY" website (which bought Airfix, Humbrol and other "assets"), they say that they're going to "revigorize" and "update" the iconic brand, and keep on with the "suspended" projects. HUURRAHHH!!! (hmmmm.... I need to grab a TSR-2 when they reissue it!).

Cheers,

Diego.

My first ship was an Aurora Graff Spee.

I thought it was very nice.

Tom