Warbird Information Exchange

May I ask what "state of the art" kits might cost?

I'm a would-be scale modeler, and have no doubt I'd be right up there with the best if my interest/passion lay in that direction. At least I can fully and totally appreciate the art, and admire its practitioners. I'd rather look at finely made scale models than oil paintings or sculptures, that's for sure.

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

The cost of state-of-art model is labour really, if you are ready to count labour as cost in a hobby. Modelling is rather cheap when you try to make splendid model. It means even over 5 years of work and material you use is mainly scrap there. Modelling may hit your pocket when you finish as box collector of the kits, you are going to build in the future. Many modellers own real kit shops in their large closets. Apart from that - there are many more expensive hobbies and you don't have to own a warbird here.

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I'm asking what high end KITS cost these days? I build plenty enough stuff to know about "labor" (which is really "fun" when there's passion involved).

I'm guessing there are two ways of looking at it - just a kit, or a kit plus "aftermarket" decal set, plus photo-etched parts set, etc.?

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

The high quality kit by main stream producer would cost some 100-300 bucks. With aftermarket the cost may be doubled, but with those kits it is rather a matter of correcting then adding quality. The small producers may be more expensive.

I am talking about the third way, when being accurate is the target. You buy a correction set and correct it thoroughly or you just don't bother with the set and do it yourself. Same thing with a kit itself.

In this case a high quality kit may happen to be of no help at all.

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Let's just say the days of the 50 cent or $1 model airplane are over. You can't even get much of a kit for $10 anymore.

It's no trick at all to drop $100-$200 on a single model airplane anymore. Throw in a couple reference books and you can top three pigs and keep going as high as your VISA limit will stand.

And all that money does not guarantee that you will build a GOOD model.

As I said, these days, I'd rather work on some kit I paid $5 or $7 for 20 or 30 years ago, build and paint it as carefully as I can with a minimum of further outlay on it, and enjoy it sitting on my shelf. You wouldn't believe how many of those $100+ models never get finished. Hell, you wouldn't believe how many of them never even get started.

I think Lynn will back me up on this.

I think the term you were looking for is "Snake-slap'em together..."

You are so incredibly right about the high-dollar kits not getting built, though. Case in point would be the Trumpeter 1/48 RA-5C Vigilante. It's a nice kit- not perfect, needs some work, but it's big and impressive and retails for around 50 to 70 bucks, depending on where you look. And I have seen maybe TWO built in the past six years or so. Oddly, the Tamiya uberkits like the 1/32 P-51D and Spitfires seem to show up in droves on contest tables, and I recall seeing a pic of someone's stash where he had something obscene like 14 of those freakin' Mustangs in a pile in his room. I can't even afford ONE, let alone multiples!

Anyways, back to the original point, there are a lot of modelers out there who know an awful lot about these aircraft and their history, and it is incredibly rewarding to be able to work with some of the warbird owners and help them out where possible. And conversely, those owners who really go that extra mile to ensure the authenticity of their stuff, like the FHC or Mike V with his P-51 work, they really do us modelers a massive favor by giving us wartime spec equipment to look at, photograph, and drool over.

Lynn

Almost right, the RNZAF didn't operate the P39. Certainly is a similar colour scheme though, wonder if there was anything on the topsides of the wings?

While I've enjoyed the discussion, my apologies, I did not mean to turn this into a modeler thread - I am interested in the Hellcat stripes too.

Ken
long-ago model builder
current pilot
future TBD

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

For those of you who don't know either or both of us, Lynn's not insulting me. That's a term I've often used myself to describe my now-standard building style, in which I'll take some old crock now universally regarded as "substandard," assemble it cleanly, making whatever minimal modifications I deem necessary to make the wretched thing suitable to MY eye, and squirting on the simplest paint scheme possible, often Glossy Sea Blue, Floquil Old Silver, Testor MM 16473 ADC Gray, or night-fighter black (flat, glossy, or matte, as appropriate).

This is also known as "wrestling the pig to the ground," "dragging it across the finish line," "kicking it through the goal posts," "making it my b*tch," and/or "flinging it onto the shelf."

I tend to have more fun with my modeling than many "serious" modelers do.

It's not that I can't build a contest-quality model. I can. I'd just rather spend the same amount of time and effort Snake-slapping six or eight old crocks together. Lynn will testify.

There is no need to explain your modeling approach, but now that you have our attention. There is a need to show us pics of your work. Where can we see it?

Thank you August.

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

Well, just since you asked, here's some of my "Snake-slapped" junk.

Modeler for 35 years and former Warbird owner/pilot O2-A and UH-1H!

Whew!! The Jay-Dee gear doors weren't green!!

I usually build Mustang gear doors either up, or in some state of asymmetrical intermediate droop, just for visual interest. This is the old Otaki (ARII) kit, which is engineered for them to be assembled down, and it would take a bit of work to do anything else with them. Now, it's rare to see a picture of a Mustang with the gear doors all the way down and the flaps up, but I actually managed to find a photo of Jay Dee in that exact, unusual configuration.