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Bachman Mini-Planes
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Author:  Warbird Kid [ Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:23 am ]
Post subject:  Bachman Mini-Planes
I'm sure many know of you guys remember (or at least have heard of the) Bachman Mini-Plane Series from the 60s-70s. My father would tell me about them from his childhood, as I became fascinated with all things miniature. Eventually he started collecting them again and we ended up with around 40 or so. Considered fairly inaccurate for today's standards, they were a pretty great staple for their time.

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Aside from just collecting them, my dad started to take a particular interest in the WWI aircraft since they were all very close to HO Train scale, and could pass on a layout. Something I had setup for quite awhile on the "airplane table" downstairs. Pictured here you can see a stock Red Barron Fokker DR.1 alongside some redone and repainted examples.

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And here you can see a stock Fokker D.VII with a redone red D.VII. We have a couple of busted up Sopwith Camels that may see salvation eventually. Who knows!

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Author:  K5DH [ Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bachman Mini-Planes
I had a bunch of Bachman Mini-Planes when I was in grade school in the mid 1960s. Inaccurate? Sure. Fun? Oh, yeah! I see them for sale on eBay and other venues frequently. I have to resist the temptation to start collecting them. I collect too much stuff already!

S.S.Kresge, Inc., operate a nationwide chain of 5 & 10 cent stores for decades. They later expanded in the 1970s and morphed into K-Mart. They sold Bachman Mini-Planes with their own K-Mart branding on the packaging. I have one of theirs... a B-17 Flying Fortress. It's in mint shape in the original packaging.
Author:  JohnB [ Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bachman Mini-Planes
I have four of them and love them...okay, some of them, a few had issues. IIRC, the B-17 had prop shafts that went about 1/8th of an inch past the cowlings...as you can see in the lead photo. Also, their markings were stickers, not decals, some aged badly and started to peel.

I have a doodr DC-3 in AA markings, a neat HH-3E in Vietnam camo, and perhaps the best of the bunch, a Spirit of St. Louis, and a very nice Wright Flyer.
The Douglas and Sikorsky are both about 1/300. The Wright is 1/107, the Ryan 1/176...according to my measurements.

I wouldn't mind getting a few more..at a reasonable price.
Author:  Snake45 [ Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bachman Mini-Planes
I remember these appeared somewhere near the end of my teenage model-building days--I saw them at the hobby shop and toy stores. I never thought they were particularly accurate nor good-looking, and was put off by the fact that they weren't a constant scale, so I never bought a single one. I do remember seeing them at KMart (and maybe other places) up to fairly recently, but couldn't give you an exact date--'90s? Early 2000s? Maybe even later?

I also remember in the '60s, UPC had a line of true HO scale (1/87) airplane model kits, and I had several of these and they were pretty nice as I recall. I wouldn't mind running across some of those again.
Author:  JohnB [ Tue Dec 22, 2020 6:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bachman Mini-Planes
Snake...If you're looking for HO models...

Roco From Germany makes a UH-1.
Air power makes an EC-145/UH-72, and Revell Germany (now the only Revell I guess) has reissued a Super Cub, Piper Cherokee and Cessna 172.
So there are some 1/87 kits out there.

Heller makes a range of 1/100 helicopters.

However, if one is into civil aviation and want nicely detailed pre-built model, try the Hallmark Christmas ornaments....in various scales.
They issue one a year and are up to 24. You can find the older ones online or in antique stores.This year they did a Funk.

Considering the lack of plastic models of general aviation aircraft, let alone old GA ships, I think these are kind of neat.

Their Wright Flyer is nice, as is their Jenny...complete with rigging.
They did a bunch of 30s racers and (two GeeBees, a Laird, Travel Air, Wadell Williams, Curtiss float racer, Howard, Hughes), several nice private types from the "Golden Age"...a gull wing Stinson, a Vega, ia cabin WACO, a chrome Spartan Executive and a very nice Beech Staggerwing.
Postwar types include a chrome 195, and an Ercoupe.

Thwse two newest types are a post 1967 Cessna 172 and a Cessna 310D (tuna tanks but swept tail...it could make a U-3B of you're a good enough painter).
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