I was initially going to post this in the aircraft section but these are not really modeling subject as they are received. I’m talking about the aircraft purchased preassembled from bbi, Forces of Valor, Elite Force, Ultimate Soldier, 21st Century Toys, and others. There is a “large scale” modeling forum that rips these apart and rebuilds them to an amazing level of detail. Still others go for something inbetween or even show them straight from the box.
Most of these display pieces arrive in a box and require only minimal assembly such as wings, fuel tanks, armament, etc. While they arrive pre-painted, you would have to repaint the whole kit in order to get a scale modelers level of detail and finish.
My reason for posting this string is to ask if anyone else ever purchased any of these to display? Did you modify them with greater detail or repaint them?
I began purchasing these aircraft many years ago (when they were much cheaper) to display in my basement much like larger scale RC kits. Over the years I accumulated several but was unable to grab one of the F-16 or F-14 before they spiked into the hundreds of dollars.
If you have any, please share them with us in your responses.
In recent years Hobby Boss, Trumpeter, Merit, and a reissue called “I love kit” has begun selling a more detailed version of some of these kits that require full assembly like a standard model. While I know they are not cheap, I wonder if anyone in the forum has purchased or built any of these kits too?
I have purchased a couple to see how they are but have not taken the parts out of the bags just yet.
Please share your thoughts and photos, should you have any of these huge aircraft. I will share mine in updates to this message as well.
I did build the Merit 1/18th 88mm Flak 36 a few years back, which was a re-box of a 21st Century kit. It was really nice to build but did require a lot of stractch building. It had the feel more of a toy than the sort of kits we normally build. I don’t think i would do an aircraft in that scale, the 88 is a big sucker, not sure where i would put an aircraft.
And yes, some years ago we’ve had several WIPs here where a modeller extensively modified 1/18 “toys” to get extreme scale models. Of course I have problems finding those posts and the Photobucket plague probably obliterated the pictures, but the work on those projects was epic…
I bought a couple of the P-47s, but just to have them, not to rework them. But yes, I’ve seen some of the projects people have undertaken to superdetail those models.
When they were originally issued, I said that they would be excellent presents to give to kids, to spark interest in models and in history. They were cheap enough (originally), that you could give a kid one of the airplanes and send him out into the backyard to play with it, and not worry about that it get destroyed in the process. But letting kids play with them creates interest, and memories.
Bish, Pawel, and The Baron, I can totally understand what your saying as model size can be a major factor in the purchase, along with price. Add to that the fact that they are not really models at all, unless you purchase one of the newer ones in kit form. While they had a moment of popularity, I believe they are now more exclusive based because of price, selection, and availability.
Here are a few of the ones I already have. Some of them have been reworked, others with highlighted panel lines, and some with no modifications at all.
(This one is still in the box, image sourced from web)
Here are some that have been further detailed throughout:
I also have a P-47 bubble top with rockets and a OH-6 Cayuse Warrior gunship hanging but I cannot find a photo of either of them. I also bought a couple of the newer model kits in 1/18 as well:
I am surprised that nobody else here has any of these at all (?). With only a little work they can change from a toy to become an impressive display piece. Come on everyone, share your photos of your 1/18 aircraft…
Once we get the aircraft discussed we can start talking about the 1:18 or 1:16 armor or land vehicles…
They were available in retail about 20 years ago. Here in the US, you could find them at toy stores, and at discount department stores like WalMart. They were very reasonably priced, too. I think the airplanes sold for around $25 to $30, depending on the retailer. And while there were different brands, I suspect they all came from the same “people’s own” factory in the PRC. Along with the 1/18 aircraft, there was a series in 1/32, if I remember correctly. And there was a line of 1/32 armor, with figures.
The brands went out of business about 15 years ago, or maybe a little more recently. I do remember that there was at least one vendor here in the US who tried to pick up distribution rights and revive the series, but that didn’t go anywhere.
Now you find these airplanes on the secondary market for many times the original retail price. The Pearl Harbor Defender P-40B can sell for around $250.
I do recall, too, that the selection varied from retailer to retailer. I never saw the TBF at the stores around here, for example, nor the F4U. That’s why I got 2 P-47s.
One boxing of the P-40B was a Flying Tiger subject, and it was sold with separate national markings. The Red Chinese didn’t like seeing the Nationalist sunburst.
