What kind of models do you make?

[Simpo Two]

Over the current two months model-making has had a renaissance. I've always made models, since I was 8, but my productivity and enthusiasm has certainly gone up over the last year.

I started with little Airfix kits, mostly aeroplanes. When I was about 11 somebody gave me an unwanted Keil-Kraft kit. There were no instructions and it never dawned to me that the wood had to be cut to length... but something emerged, Phoenix-like, and it glided once - the length of the living room and straight into an open fire! That started a run of KK kits - gliders, then rubber power, and finally control line. Aeromodelling was a popular hobby for many at school. But I was never much good at starting the engines, and never got to radio control due to the cost. I saw a colleague give a maiden flight to a free flight powered model on the playing field - it performed a barrel roll and plunged to the ground making matchwood. And I saw that if you go round and round with a control line model you can gradually move position without realising... until you fly it straight into a tree. And I had a big Russian diesel engine with a 9" prop, bolted to a piece of wood, that a friend fired up for me. That went well until he saw the bolts unscrewing themselves and had the presence of mind to (literally) throw the towel in and stall it. My Caprice towline glider would do complete circuits of the playing field. Happy days, as they say!

Not fancying my chances of flying r/c more than once, in my 20s I switched to boats - on the principle that if it stops working you can wade out and get it. I've stayed with wooden boats ever since, some kits, some scratch-built including my own design.

So how did you get to making what you make now?

[clockworks]

I started out building Airfix planes over 50 years ago, then switched to cars.
In my late 20's I moved on to 1/43 resin car kits.

I had a few RC cars, and tried racing buggies and 1/12 carpet for a few years.
Switched to planes about 10 years ago - mostly foamies and slope soaring.
I found flying almost as stressful as racing buggies, so last year I switched to boats.

I've built 5 so far, currently building an SLEC Fairey Huntsman - my first "proper" wooden RC kit, although I have built a couple of static wooden boats in the past.

[Eric Mc]

Scale plastic kits, mostly aircraft but also spacecraft and the occasional car. I try to stick to standard scales - 1/72 and 1/144 for aircraft and spacecraft, 1/32 for cars. However, if necessary, I will build in any scale.

I build kits from any manufacturer and from any era. I have a soft spot for older "classic" kits which will have their issues but which provide a huge nostalgia factor for me.

[r159]

In my case it through phases, I enjoy modern military jets usually 1/48, then it will be some 1/35 armour (ww2 German). Every now and then it will be something daft...currently finishing off a Fist of war P.500 gungnir which is 1/72 but bigger than a 1/35 KingTiger...next is a flipping massive Trumpeter Tu-160.

[robemcdonald]

I built models to a low standard as a kid. Mostly of Aircraft as that was my interest.

Around 3 years ago i came across Andys' Hobby Headquarters on youtube. my wife got me a cheap airbrush and compressor as a x christmas present and down the rabbit hole I went...

I moved from tanks to cars to aircraft and now mainly do cars and aircraft and the occasional bit of sci-fi or figure modelling.

I don't have a preference for scale or manufacturer, but prefer newer kits as generally they offer a better experience. All types and scales come with their own challenges and as I am still building my skill set I like to mix things up a bit. At the moment i am back on cars..

As a side note i have really enjoyed seeing all the new posters work in the forum lately. These and Dr_gns incredible work on the McLaren have been a highlight of the lockdown.

[tuscan30]

Went through the usual "pocket money" models as a kid. They generally lasted till Sunday (having been bought on Saturday) before they had crash landed down the stairs or been incinerated in the garden.
Late teen years brought an interest in F1 cars and the beginnings of a collection of Tamiya 1:12 models. This continued sporadically until marriage when "other" interests took over.

One fateful day an over-enthusiatic dusting of the glass shelves on which were displayed the F1cars, resulted in a scene reminiscent of start line accidents at Silverstone 1973 or even Spa in 1998. Broken cars everywhere. Glad to report no driver injuries but a lot of work for the mechanics (Tyrrell 003 / Lotus 72 / McLaren M23 / Brabham BT44 / Lotus 49) and a helluva lot of broken glass (domino effect - knock the top shelf loose and it takes out those below it)

Spool forward two or three decades and I started collecting 1:12 cars again for my retirement project. The stash includes Caterham 7 (Tamiya 1:12) GT40 (Trumpeter 1:12) Tyrrell P34 and good old 003 again, This seemed a good idea at the time but now I'm not so sure. I've developed a fascination for RNLI lifeboats and am keen to give them a go at 1;12 scale. There's some kits available and plans are out there too for scratch building.

Just need to reclaim my airbrush and compressor from my Son, get myself retired and get on with it.

[generationx]

My earliest memory is my dad building a Navy Phantom and the Airfix lunar lander in the very early seventies. My earliest kits were a tiny oil rig which was one of those cereal collection offers, followed by a Red Arrow and then a slew of aircraft of all ages.

My eyes were opened to Tamiya cars in the mid 70s after a holiday visit to Hamleys yielded the Group 5 Stratos (my first ever car build) and the Ferrari 312T3. This kicked off a passion for car modelling I have never lost in 1/24,1/20 and 1/12 scales, but I also enjoy Space Race era rockets, motorbikes and, well, whatever takes my fancy.

The rise of the internet has merely expanded my kit stash exponentially and I now have far more kits than lifetime...

[Drawweight]

I've just started again after not going near a model since childhood.

I've done a Nissan Skyline and a Bristol Beaufighter so far.

The Beaufighter to be honest I didn't enjoy too much. I don't think I'll be tackling similar for a while. My next project is a Cromwell Mk 1V which I'm looking forward to.

It's tricky just starting out equipment wise as it probably takes a while to build up what you need. I find myself having to compromise on paints especially. But I'll get there.

[dr_gn]

I build anything that interests me - aircraft, cars, spacecraft, ships, robots, steam engines, in any medium - wood, plastic, paper and metal. Lego technic and Meccano are also firm favourites. Also built and flew slope-soaring rc gliders in the Peak District, mainly in the '90's, which I loved, and of course rc cars.

One of my earliest memories (I was about 3 or 4 years old) was watching my grandad building a Revell Boeing Kaydet on his dining room table:



No idea why he was building it, becasue he had no interest in aircraft, or model building as far as I know. He gave it to me and my dad to finish, but I can't remember whether we ever got around to it. We did however build a Revell SE.5a, which was the first kit I ever remember being involved with and seeing complete:



I always look at those boxes at model shows and they bring back happy memories.

No idea why, but that sparked a lifelong obsession with model building. I've been building on and off ever since, even through the ages when it wasn't the thing to admit doing! I must have built over 1000 models over the years (my family had a Chemist's shop, and they sold Matchbox and Revell kits). The vast majority were built to a pretty poor standard.

Epiphany came about 15 years ago when I discovered model forums, and realised that for someone of my experience, my standards should be way, way higher. Started by trying pre-shading, then quickly moved to aftermarket stuff, and improving my airbrushing and scratch-building. Next step was attending model shows, and being inspired to enter IPMS competitions. This, along with writing build reviews for a magazine, has probably been the biggest single factor in improving my techniques, and attitude to building. The standards set at the IPMS Telford competition is astonishing. I'm definitely still "working towards" that.

It's great to see a few more people taking up the hobby - and rc models of course. Kind of reassuring to know that, given a bit of free time, so many people want to turn to a creative, constructive outlet.

[dr_gn]

robemcdonald said:

I built models to a low standard as a kid. Mostly of Aircraft as that was my interest.

Around 3 years ago i came across Andys' Hobby Headquarters on youtube. my wife got me a cheap airbrush and compressor as a x christmas present and down the rabbit hole I went...

I moved from tanks to cars to aircraft and now mainly do cars and aircraft and the occasional bit of sci-fi or figure modelling.

I don't have a preference for scale or manufacturer, but prefer newer kits as generally they offer a better experience. All types and scales come with their own challenges and as I am still building my skill set I like to mix things up a bit. At the moment i am back on cars..

As a side note i have really enjoyed seeing all the new posters work in the forum lately. These and Dr_gns incredible work on the McLaren have been a highlight of the lockdown.

Too kind!

I think of all the 'new' modellers on this particular forum, your combination of work rate, variety and quality is pretty much unprecedented! So thanks for sharing your work.

[Eric Mc]

dr_gn said:

It's great to see a few more people taking up the hobby - and rc models of course. Kind of reassuring to know that, given a bit of free time, so many people want to turn to a creative, constructive outlet.

I find that very heartening too.

[Skyedriver]

It's where do you put them all when finished is my problem/question.

[robemcdonald]

dr_gn said:

robemcdonald said:

I built models to a low standard as a kid. Mostly of Aircraft as that was my interest.

Around 3 years ago i came across Andys' Hobby Headquarters on youtube. my wife got me a cheap airbrush and compressor as a x christmas present and down the rabbit hole I went...

I moved from tanks to cars to aircraft and now mainly do cars and aircraft and the occasional bit of sci-fi or figure modelling.

I don't have a preference for scale or manufacturer, but prefer newer kits as generally they offer a better experience. All types and scales come with their own challenges and as I am still building my skill set I like to mix things up a bit. At the moment i am back on cars..

As a side note i have really enjoyed seeing all the new posters work in the forum lately. These and Dr_gns incredible work on the McLaren have been a highlight of the lockdown.

Too kind!

I think of all the 'new' modellers on this particular forum, your combination of work rate, variety and quality is pretty much unprecedented! So thanks for sharing your work.

Ta very much!

[robemcdonald]

Skyedriver said:

It's where do you put them all when finished is my problem/question.

Most of mine aren't worth keeping.

They may get an outing at the next show before ending up in the bin after a short spell in being played with by my daughters. don't worry too much I do keep a lot of them too...

I've also but a few for other people. I quite like this as i get to build them, but not worry about storing them.

I even have a model on display in the cabinet at Hannants in Hendon.

[Simpo Two]

Skyedriver said:

It's where do you put them all when finished is my problem/question.

That's true - I need to put up some shelves! Unlike 1/72 aeroplanes you can't really hang 3' long boats from the ceiling...

[gruffgriff]

I had no chance growing up surrounded by toy cars of all genres and the burgeoning white metal kit scene of the 70s.....watched my dad making "chops" and assembling the finished 1/43rds for sale. Building plastic kits was my thing though. Started at age of ten with a gifted Pyro Typhoon, brush painted with dad's humbrol enamels....I recall the open glued gap along the fuselage halves well! Found 1/24 car kits and that bottom drawer of his cellulose aerosols took a hit from then on! Still at it some 4 decades later..glue gaps getting smaller....cellulose replaced by acrylic of course..
Like Eric I enjoy wrestling with an older kit, no wrestling required with my beloved nostalgia-trip Matchbox 1/76 armour stuff...but older MPC or AMT cars do need a bit of coercion to make presentable, but that's where great fun lies....silk purse and all that...
To answer an earlier question: I built a self contained workshop to avoid repeating the then girlfriend's destructive tendencies as she said "cool, do the wheels go round?" as she wheeled the latest across my bedroom bench to the sound of four plastic stub axles snapping...so now as wife she occasionally pops her head in to the shed or brings a beer but the models are safe behind perspex in my bloke place. Breakage are all my own responsibility.
Kids come in and daughter never tells me she's used up all of this or that but she does tell me likes it when I smell of shed! I like to smell of shed!

[nigelpugh7]

I think I started off like most people building plastic kits, which were I think mostly Airfix planes.

However when we were in our early teens, we spent lots of time riding our bikes to the local fields playing with building dens and tree houses.

One time a lad we met down there brought a free flight glider, that I think was a Keil Kraft model, and was powered by a set of large rubber bands that took an age to wind up.

However once duly would up and chucked in to the sky, it flew beautifully, and seemed to stay up there for ages.

Well that was all of us hooked, so we were on a mission to save scrounge and borrow some cash so we could buy one to build ourselves.

I had a paper round, so had some cash, but two of us decided to start doing a window cleaning round, and set up off to do that to get some much needed cash.

I pretty sure the model we bought was the keil kraft senator, mostly because I remember building that balsa wing with the dihedral in it, it was much harder to build than we thought.

I also remember almost passing out from applying dope to the covering material to make it harden across the air frame.

I also seem to recall it took weeks to build, after school and at the weekends, my mum would moan about the mess and smell and that it filled the entire top of the dining room table!

[Eric Mc]

I built the Keil Kraft Ajax



and their Gypsy



They both flew surprisingly well.

[Simpo Two]

Sad that KK met their demise. The ones I remember making were Cub, Pioneer (notable as it had 1/8" balsa not 1/32", ie the big time!), Caprice, Elf, Eaglet and Pixie (rubber), Chief (the biggest glider), Phantom and Radian (control line). There were more but I can't recall them. I scratch-built a control line Supermarine Spiteful from plans but it never got finished as I realised I needed to hard solder the u/c legs to the internal brackets - and they were already built into the wing...

Whatever the model or its material, it's a hobby where you learn manual skills, material and handling skills and how to think out problems - all very useful in adult life.

gruffgriff said:

Kids come in and daughter never tells me she's used up all of this or that but she does tell me likes it when I smell of shed! I like to smell of shed!

Sawdust is a nice smell

[Yertis]

Simpo Two said:

Whatever the model or its material, it's a hobby where you learn manual skills, material and handling skills and how to think out problems - all very useful in adult life.

That is very true. I think my wife things model making is a bit... odd. TBH it's one reason why my models are seldom finished or remain 'theoretical'. But whenever I successfully repair this or that piece of jewellery or whatever it's "Wow! How did you manage that?"