Hi All,

I think I may have mentioned this once before, but of late, after collecting a huge (at least for me) stash of armor kits (primarily tanks), of late, I have been going the other direction, and been going bonkers on getting lots of airplane models. As in armor/tanks, I tend toward modern/current hardware, and have, now several Soviet/Russian planes (MIG-29, Flanker, MIG-31, and just tonight, ordered an F-15, and have an F-22, which is the first kit I got after I got back into the hobby, maybe 8 years ago now). I have yet to build a single one of these airplanes, because, frankly, they scare me. I had felt, when I got back into modeling, that doing armor/tanks would be somewhat more forgiving, in the sense that having less than perfect seams, and maybe even some gaps, would be easier to address, even if I took the sloppy route of covering up any errors with weathering/dirt/mud. Now, I have not, thankfully, had to avail myself of such methods, but just knowing that's an option, which is not really the case on airplanes, made building armor something easier to contemplate. Subsequently, I really have enjoyed my adventures in tanks, and I don't see myself going over to the wing-thing side of things instead of tanks, only in addition to, but I remain apprehensive about the precision that airplanes seem to require.

Have any of you done this or felt this way? Have any of you started with planes, and moved over to tanks, or do most of you do both? Do you see a difference in the type of modeling you must do with airplanes as opposed to tanks/armor? Am I just mentally a basket case?

Would love to hear your thoughts...

I started out as a kid, building nothing but planes preferably WW2. When I went away to uni, renting a single room I didn't have space to deal with building aircraft, so bought my first ever figure model because it had get few parts, and suddenly I was a figure builder and found myself enjoying the different techniques I was trying to acquire. After leaving uni, I decided that if I could enjoy figure building, why not tanks.
Now my stash is closer to equal distribution between tanks, aircraft and figures, with a few sci-fi,a couple of car, and some large scale motorbikes thrown in for good measure.
My interest are varied, and so are my models.

As far as taking extra care and needing more precision with aircraft, a good kit should limit the angst in that regard. If it's a well designed kit getting the seams right shouldn't be a whole of extra work. Most of my errors tend to be minor and have been hidden with simple primer and paint.
On the other hand, poor kits, or limited run models can take much more work for a satisfactory finish.

Did airplane from 1957 on. Then in college started with tanks. Still doing them. Also did 54 mm miniatures in college. have a few 120mm resin WW2 figures now. (reduces eye strain!) Have a couple of ship models would like to do a couple of those. 1/72nd scale Type IX sub--lots of weathering fun!
Stick with tanks. More fun doing weathering and mud!

I do both, plus other stuff. The only thing that makes me hesitant on building one of my plane kits is how much masking I might be in for if the camo is complex.

True, the amount of dirt/mud you can put on tanks is almost infinite!! But when I was a kid, in the 1960s, I did almost 100% airplanes, 1/32 scales as I recall. Makes sense as when I was that little, I didn't have the dexterity to do little models. I was inclined to go back to planes when I re-started modeling, in my 50s by then. I am glad that I started with tanks, though. As Pave-Hawk mentioned, airplane models today are much better engineered, and as far as modern airplanes go, the big fear I've had, the joints where the wings meet the fuselage, are, for the most part, no longer an issue, as in many cases, those joints aren't there (Oh, I forgot to mention the F-4C that I have as well). The good news for me is that all of the airplane kits I've gotten, save for the F-22 (the Academy kit instead of the Hasegawa, oh well) are only the best of the best in terms of accuracy and model engineering (well, at least as far as the reviews have said). Great Wall Hobby, AMK, Zoukie-Mura, Zvezda...I won't get any airplanes that aren't identified in reviews as the top end of kits (at least as of now, not so much when I got interest in models again, about 2009), primarily for that reason. Always hoping for the best fits possible, perhaps even more than the subject matter, because, frankly, while I tend to be a perfectionist, my modeling skills will never be that good, no matter how hard or long I do this.

I started building armor after I decided that I do not want to spend 2/3 of my modelling time sanding, filling, masking and riveting.

Been happy ever since...

Curt, my story is pretty similar to Iain's. In the early 60's it was mostly planes until Monogram started releasing their 1/32 German armor. Highschool started and the usual distractions took me away from the hobby. The early 80's I took my first trip to Europe and I saw a lot of well painted 54mm figures and I was hooked. Brought home a few and started painting moving on to the Series 77 line. But I wanted a little more from the figures -vignettes. That lead to dioramas with armor on them, 8x10" bases so to fit 2 in a paper box.

Eduard started with their WWI biplanes. I loved the bold colors but wasn't happy with my rigging technique. I stopped building but not collecting. There are lots of "how to" booklets out there but to my knowledge not one on biplane rigging techniques. Wish there was !

Along the way I've picked up a few WWII 1/48 fighter kits, most are unbuilt. With all of the new 1/48th vehicle kits and accessories my mind says, "diorama time". But it ain't gonna happen as I have way too many kits to start something new on top of the Eldercare issues I'm dealing with at the moment.

I did pick up the 1/32 Zoueki Mura Horten Ho-229, my favorite plane from WWII. Haven't started it. This one I want to be perfect, so it scares me a little bit.

Curt, think of aircraft building as a palette cleanser before starting a new armor kit. A lot of your armor techniques won't transfer too well to AC but you'll learn some new techniques building AC that maybe will work with armor, cross pollination.


Bottom line is, be happy & have fun !

To paraphrase for my experience:
I stopped building aircraft after I decided that I do not want to spend 2/3 of my modelling time sanding, filling, scribing/re-scribing panel lines, and decaling.

Same end result, though.

KL

Same basic story. As a kid I built planes and cars. When I re-entered model building in the early 90's I built tanks. The tanks led to about 15 years of diorama building. At some point around 2011-12 I burnt out and wasn't able to get motivated to build anything which lasted several years. I finally started building again this year and it's gone the full circle.... I'm back to building airplanes
Cheers,
C.

I built my first aircraft model when I was five. And then keep on building them for 37 years. All scales, all types. Three years ago I got tired. Not of sanding and masking, but of stencils and countless hours of airbrushing.
Pro modeling demands discipline but discipline kills creativity. And, without creativity, there is no joy in doing it.
So I switched to vehicles in 1/35 scale, mostly because I needed to explore something new. I made some ground rules, I am sticking to them and I am enjoying every moment at this table.
But... There is always "but"...
I live for a day when there will be some Curtiss P-40E in 1/35. Or Hurricane or whatever aircraft in 1/35 scale.
So, I love them both, like my wife and my mistress, like my daughter and my dog, like my curent Renault Laguna and my ex Opel Corsa Turbo...

Hi, Curt, glad to see you posting again!

I am also a "propeller head" in addition to being a "tread head." The freedom of building both actually liberates me: sometimes the pressure of all the AM stuff, documentation, etc. with armor puts me off, whereas I KNOW I'm a duffer with planes.

My advice is just wade in and build one of the kits. It's a hobby, Man, don't let anything or anyone intimidate you. After all, at modeling shows, it's the execution of the build, not whether your markings are absolutely accurate, that determines how you're judged.

If you think aircraft are picky, try automobiles with that fit and finish. Like 2000 grit sandpaper? you will.

Wow, thanks everyone for the great replies! It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in my experiences, or doubts or fears. But, fun is what it's all about, right. That said, I wish I had more confidence in my capabilities. I guess there is no choice, if I want to have things with wings in my collections of models, but to just wade in and give it a shot.

Bill, thanks for the words!

I went back to aircraft a couple months ago too- just looking at pictures of Messerschmitt 109's and stukas and eventually I just gave airfix's stuka a go. I just made sure I didn't rush and took it slow when weathering and it looked great. So just make sure you don't daub it in mud and you can't go wrong!

Fun to look at, nice to hold, scary to build? These are the beginnings of all of us that are “stashaholics”!! I think if you model in one genre, you can model in any genre. All it takes is some research, and development of patience and perhaps new skills. Some modelers prefer one area over another for many of the reasons listed in the posts above. As for me, I model aircraft, armor, ships and cars (and a few spacecraft and architectural models), and I was a long time model railroader in the past. I’ve found many techniques and skills crossover into the other genres with ease. I think the first thing you need to do is pull out the kit and get it started, regardless of type. Then, have the patience to work on it to the best of your ability. So many modelers give up too soon because they become bored or frustrated. In my case, if that happens, I set the project aside a while and go work on something else— which is why I have 8-10 projects ongoing all the time— so what? It’s your hobby, have fun doing it, but a kit sitting in the box will never make any progress without you getting involved in it! If you lack a skill, that’s what this great website and others are for— there are folks out there that can help.
VR, Russ

Hey listen to me.You have to do build what you to and not worry about what everything else.For me,I build both 35th scale armor and 72nd scale aircraft.To this day I am able to fulfull my hobby to the fullest.

Curt, I had the same doubts and issues making the transition from tanks to aircraft.


To me, the aircraft building process has 3 major things that need special attention and focus:

- Cockpit, fitting inside the fuselage.
- Wheels, having all 3 wheels touching the ground..
- Fuselage, closing it with cockpit and engine inside.

And you will need pratice, there will be errors along the way for sure.
But there were plenty with tanks and trucks too..

I also have a huge stash of Russian Aircraft, avoid brand like Eastern Express or A-model, you will lose all your patience correcting and fixing their kits...

One thing I did years ago, I did a couple of kits, but didn't paint them, I just wanted to build an aircraft and follow the whole process and see what I was getting into and find the mistakes or problems I would run into, it helped me alot.

Good luck, if you need and help just drop a PM.

Cheers,
J.

I assume you are talking about tricycle landing gear, otherwise, how do you get a plane with a tailwheel to NOT sit on all three wheels?

KL

One other thing is decals. It used to be you'd have markings on the wings, and fuselage. But now you have all that stenciling! The bigger the scale, the more the stenciling.

I am also doing my first car kit: Tamiya 1/20 Brabham BT46. I am dreading the decals. I should not have started with a racing car; so many sponsor decals. And the gloss finish.

But you gotta pay the price. Just remember to enjoy!

There is a common set of skills that apply to all types of kits. Proper part removal, gluing techniques, seam filling etc. Then there are skill sets that certain modeling genre require. Weathering on armor, gloss paint work on automobiles and panal scribing on aircraft. There is a certain amount of anxiety when you have to do techniques that you have not developed yet. Take a deep breath and try. You probably won't be happy with the results at first but that is how we learn. You remember what went well or at least worked. We also remember what went wrong and now know what not to do next time. The more you try the more you know and the fewer mistakes are made until you are proficient.

I am trying to take my own advice while using a new brand of paint. I really dislike the brand. It has few brush marks and is accurate in color. However it is not very opaque and has been very difficult for me to spray. I will not give up because any lessons I learn getting the paint to spray correctly will help with future use of other brands.

Thanks for the ongoing encouragement, all you guys! It's making me feel better about my decision to go back to airplanes after those being almost all I built when I was little.

Oh, I keep thinking of more airplane models I have (again, all unbuilt), a 1/48 Academy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter (I got a huge amount of photoetch for that one) and a 1/32 Trumpeter SU-MKK30 Flanker. Both of these I got early on in my return to the hobby and didn't think as closely as I do now to make sure they were the best kits of those subjects. I may have to avoid that last one though, though the 1/32 is REALLY cool, the scale means you have to work to extraordinary lengths to take advantage of the scale to bring out the detail it deserves.

Thanks for the offer of support, John Pereira.

Oh, now, one more complication. While I have a HUGE array of paints (brands and colors) which cover the gamut of the tanks I have, I'm guessing colors I don't yet have are going to be needed. The neverending joy of model making!!

I only have a few planes in my stash - and they're all modern 1/35 in keeping with my armor models. 1/32 Helicopters too. I have to keep to that scale and time period or I will end up buying all the models and losing my place to build them. Homeless folks don't tend to have a place for their stashes.

I'll be watching this thread with interest. I have done a couple of 1/35 armor models (along with loads of 1/100 and 1/56 wargame models), and just took delivery of a 1/32 airplane kit with ~600 parts. The box for the model is big enough to bury a medium-sized dog in.

If you think there is no way of getting a tailwheel to NOT sit on the ground, you must have never seen my first ever builds...honestly, there's things in there that'll make every fibre of your being quiver in horror.

I started as an airplane builder. When I discovered the simplicity of hiding a mistake with a tarp, gear bag, stowage of some kind, I found my calling.