One of my first memories of seeing a model airplane was at my grandmother’s house. My father had two brothers who served with the Army Air force in WWII in Europe. At some point, I think one of them must have gotten hold of some kindof aircraft identification model. It was a Japanese fighter, I’m pretty sure it was a Zero - at least that is my memory of it.
It was a single solid piece of hard dense black plastic or bakelite - or something like that. Kindof heavy. All black with only Hinomaru on the wings I think. No propellor blades, Pitot tubes, or anything that could break off. I remember looking for it every time I went to Gramma’s - and flying many sortees around crowds of relatives.
It’s long gone, and I’ve never seen another model like it.
At a recent IPMS show, a friend of mine won a kit in a raffle - Being a “1/48 or bigger” guy - He decided to give me the 1/72 “Judy” that he had won. I opened the box - it was an old kit, with a very cloudy canopy, recessed outlines for placement of the Hinomaru. I thought - I know exactly what I’m going to do with this !
It’s not a Zero - but it definitely does the job of filling that hole in my memory . . . and I’m sure someone, somewhere may have had an ID model of a Judy pretty much just like this.
That’s pretty cool. I’ve thought of doing the same thing with a couple older/craptastic kits…just never got around to it!
Somewhat related…My brothers first squadron was VMFA(AW)-332 (F-18D WSO)…anyway, when the squadron was disbanded, there really wasn’t any “plank holders”(original members) left, so the current group of dudes got their choice of items belonging to the squadron. My bro grabbed me a few items…one being a wood F-14(ish!), on a stick. I’m assuming it was for demonstrating manuevers.
He also grabbed me a painting(print). IIRC, it was painted by one of his squadron mates. The Corsair was the first aircraft used by 332 upon being recommissioned for Korea.
I was in the Army Nat’l Guard, beginning in the early Sixtie’s. One of my units was an Assault Helicopter Company, our summer camp time was at Camp Roberts, in Ca. A really old base from WWII, many of the buildings had those old recognition models of airplanes stashed, and a few ships of the Japanese Navy.
The models were evidently just left behind at the end of the war, I was surprised at the details of some, none were crude and many had surface details like elevators, ailerons and rudders, even canopy frame lines. The scale appeared to be about 1:48 for the fighters, 1:144 for the bombers.
I’m guessing they were widely distributed, just in case.
I built a 1/48 scale F-104C (I think) when I was nine. It was awful looking, the paint job was partial. White parts were left in the molded white color, parts not used, it gets worse. I live in fear that its ghost will gome back from the polystyrene hell and avenge itself on me.
I think the description of that black model does sound a lot like those WW2 recognition models. I think they were made of hard rubber or composition- sort of a sawdust and resin material. All black- the ones I saw did not even have national insignias on them.
Those prints and the model are very nice mementos. The model looks - like you said - like it was for demonstrating maneuvers - or it was just a really funky holder for the double hot dog roaster that is stuck into the engine nozzles.
Patrick,
Yeah I remember the model being pretty detailed, with raised and recessed lines. I remember the canopy being just like the model above - very thick, raised detail.
Seasick,
I think almost every model builder has a similar story about their first model as a youngster. I doubt it’ll haunt you. More likely there’s some parallel universe where first timer models go (a la the Velveteen Rabbit) where they just become real !
