What does all this mean fro aircraft modelling?

[BarryW]

I have long been a lover of 1/32 scale aircraft and build almost only these.

My stash is the smallest it has been for 15 years for some very personal reasons that some of you may well be aware of.

On my bench:
Revell 'First Edition' Meteor', see my build thread

In the stash:
Kotare Spitfire Vb (next build)
DBMK Sea Fury
DBMK DH Hornet

My stash is small because over the last 15 years I have built just about all the 1/32 aircraft kits available, well over 100, that I want to build. So I now look to build just new releases.

That's it, I said its small. But look at my list of kits I am planning to buy and build when they get released:

Kotare	Hurricane !
Kotare	Bf109E
Kotare	P47
Zoukei Mura	Mustang B
Zoukei Mura	Ki 100
GWH	Hellcat
Das Werke	Me262
DMBK	Mustang 1
DMBK DMBK	Sea Hawk Spitfire (Griffon)
Eduard	Mustang C
Revell	Harrier GR3
Red Pill	Phantom

That's the longest list of planned buys I have ever had by a large margin.

Consider this, seven of these kits and all three in my stash are produced by companies (DBMK, Kotare, Red Pill) that didn't even exist until a few years ago. Two of these kits are produced by companies newish to 1/32 aircraft (Das Werke, GWH). One company (Eduard) is returning to 1/32 having exited this scale a fair few years ago. One company (Revell) is one of the original 1/32 providers who has recently really got its act together, invested and is now producing kits of the highest quality (their Hurricane and Meteor) Then of course we have Zoukei Mura with their unique style of kit releases continuing.... No doubt that other mainstream 1/32 producers will also have releases over the next couple of years, Trumpeter, HobbyBoss, HKM etc.

So what is this telling us about the health of our hobby if anything at all? Given that

1. We see a significant increase in new providers in the 1/32 space (and in this I am not including the 3D printed or resin kit manufacturers, of which I there are two or three producing in 1/32, I don't track these)
2. These new brands mostly have a well publicised schedule of new 1/32 kits and some are engaging with the modelling community during development.
3. Also they are highly detailed kits that are not necessary cheap, ranging up the around £250 expected for the Red Pill F4.

any thoughts?

 

[BOATMAN]

I have long been a lover of 1/32 scale aircraft and build almost only these.

My stash is the smallest it has been for 15 years for some very personal reasons that some of you may well be aware of.

On my bench:
Revell 'First Edition' Meteor', see my build thread

In the stash:
Kotare Spitfire Vb (next build)
DBMK Sea Fury
DBMK DH Hornet

My stash is small because over the last 15 years I have built just about all the 1/32 aircraft kits available, well over 100, that I want to build. So I now look to build just new releases.

That's it, I said its small. But look at my list of kits I am planning to buy and build when they get released:

Kotare	Hurricane !
Kotare	Bf109E
Kotare	P47
Zoukei Mura	Mustang B
Zoukei Mura	Ki 100
GWH	Hellcat
Das Werke	Me262
DMBK	Mustang 1
DMBK DMBK	Sea Hawk Spitfire (Griffon)
Eduard	Mustang C
Revell	Harrier GR3
Red Pill	Phantom

That's the longest list of planned buys I have ever had by a large margin.

Consider this, seven of these kits and all three in my stash are produced by companies (DBMK, Kotare, Red Pill) that didn't even exist until a few years ago. Two of these kits are produced by companies newish to 1/32 aircraft (Das Werke, GWH). One company (Eduard) is returning to 1/32 having exited this scale a fair few years ago. One company (Revell) is one of the original 1/32 providers who has recently really got its act together, invested and is now producing kits of the highest quality (their Hurricane and Meteor) Then of course we have Zoukei Mura with their unique style of kit releases continuing.... No doubt that other mainstream 1/32 producers will also have releases over the next couple of years, Trumpeter, HobbyBoss, HKM etc.

So what is this telling us about the health of our hobby if anything at all? Given that

1. We see a significant increase in new providers in the 1/32 space (and in this I am not including the 3D printed or resin kit manufacturers, of which I there are two or three producing in 1/32, I don't track these)
2. These new brands mostly have a well publicised schedule of new 1/32 kits and some are engaging with the modelling community during development.
3. Also they are highly detailed kits that are not necessary cheap, ranging up the around £250 expected for the Red Pill F4.

any thoughts?

well Barry my thoughts are yes i like 1/32 scale kits an have some in my stash but im thinking of these new kits are getting to exspensive for me so im glad ive got enough kits to see me out

 

[BarryW]

well Barry my thoughts are yes i like 1/32 scale kits an have some in my stash but im thinking of these new kits are getting to exspensive for me so im glad ive got enough kits to see me out

Fortunately there are still kits available that are more affordable.

 

[Ron2]

Fortunately there are still kits available that are more affordable.

I love the big kits but I'm also wondering where the heck and how the heck am I going to display these? I am glad that more kits are becoming available I was afraid your post was going to say it's going the opposite direction.

 

[Edbert]

how the heck am I going to display these?

I speak for nobody, and as an American I (generally) have more room than most of the world, but at some point you give them away or sell them.

 

[BarryW]

I speak for nobody, and as an American I (generally) have more room than most of the world, but at some point you give them away or sell them.

In my case some are in museums, some I gave to children and the rest thrown away. I still have the photos and that's the main thing, plus of course, I had the enjoyment in the build. The best I keep on display, at least until bits get knocked off, currently about 30 are displayed with room for 20/30 more.

 

[Ron2]

I speak for nobody, and as an American I (generally) have more room than most of the world, but at some point you give them away or sell them.

Yes I realize we have more room than what Europeans are used to but I also have a wife so… we actually have two spare bedrooms, have an office, and a large garage but I'm whining about space. I can't imagine anyone would purchase any of my models so I don't think that's an option. I'd love to get good enough to do commission work as I thoroughly enjoy the build process and it would be easier to sell my finished work than to toss it. I assumed, when I started, that I'd just toss the older models as I built but I'm having a difficult time doing so. I did throw out the crash diorama I did the other week just because of the amount of space it took up.

 

[Ron2]

In my case some are in museums, some I gave to children and the rest thrown away. I still have the photos and that's the main thing, plus of course, I had the enjoyment in the build. The best I keep on display, at least until bits get knocked off, currently about 30 are displayed with room for 20/30 more.

Museums??? That's impressive. I'd love to be able to create something good enough for a museum. Did you spend more time on the museum pieces as far as details went? That's where I get bogged down. I get bored and want to move on. I saw a recent post of someone who spent three years working on a plane. The details were incredible but that's just never going to happen for me. If my build takes more than a month it's because I got distracted or bored.

 

[49thStateRT]

Yes I realize we have more room than what Europeans are used to but I also have a wife so… we actually have two spare bedrooms, have an office, and a large garage but I'm whining about space. I can't imagine anyone would purchase any of my models so I don't think that's an option. I'd love to get good enough to do commission work as I thoroughly enjoy the build process and it would be easier to sell my finished work than to toss it. I assumed, when I started, that I'd just toss the older models as I built but I'm having a difficult time doing so. I did throw out the crash diorama I did the other week just because of the amount of space it took up.

I may have to build shelves in our dry, well lit crawl space. Sad nobody wants them displayed in our living room or master bedroom

 

[BOATMAN]

I may have to build shelves in our dry, well lit crawl space. Sad nobody wants them displayed in our living room or master bedroom

IS that the missus stopping you then ?

 

[49thStateRT]

IS that the missus stopping you then ?

Yes, I get 1/2 the garage because my truck doesn't fit, but my shelf space is limited.

 

[Holz44]

Ahhh, the Wife factor!!! Us older builders that still have a wife that has endured all our ups and downs of model building and displaying are Blessed indeed. I'm proud to say my wife has encouraged my passion for aviation our entire relationship. She endured my building R/C planes when we first met and crashed a nice trainer on her first attempt at flying. She supported me getting my Private Pilot license at age 40, but got airsick when she flew! She walked the Flight Line and helped marshal people at airshows we volunteered at and can tell you the differences between a Corsair, Mustang, P-40 and Mitchell. Helped me and my buddies build a 36'X36' shop in the backyard to house a derelict 1944 Stinson AT-19 I was trying to restore. and recently just coughed up a Curio display case of hers to start displaying my planes during this resurgence of 1/48 model building in my 70s.
I'm guessing...... she's a "Keeper"

 

[Edbert]

Ahhh, the Wife factor!!!

AKA...

"SWMBO"

I'm guessing...... she's a "Keeper"

Been married 36 years myself. Not allowed (but I've not fought for it either) to have displays in the den or family rooms, but the garage is all mine and I have an "office" that I work from which is 15% work, 35% simulator (flight and race) and ~50% models. I have taken over the dining room temporarily with a photo-booth, but it is portable.

 

[BarryW]

Museums??? That's impressive. I'd love to be able to create something good enough for a museum. Did you spend more time on the museum pieces as far as details went? That's where I get bogged down. I get bored and want to move on. I saw a recent post of someone who spent three years working on a plane. The details were incredible but that's just never going to happen for me. If my build takes more than a month it's because I got distracted or bored.

I don't think there was anuthjj in bf special about the museum pieces other than being fully intact, no broken aerials and so on. I have a friend who was at the time trustee of a museum and felt some models would add something.