I just wanted to ask. Why? well, I too think I have the answer. They are or can be a lot of fun to build. And the Markings ( or Livery if you prefer) can run the gamut. Some Birds are very colorful , some kinda plain. Now my interest runs from the very early years, think (Tri-Motors here), but, not Jets.The sheer number of planes that you could build would actually stagger the Imagination.
Now remember you have various iterations from Various countries, Some similar, Some Unique. All the way to the Jet Age! I was at Lake Washington when the 707 with Boeing Livery did it’s Barrel Rolls over the crowds, Even the Boat nuts looked up at that! Imagine, D.C.7Cs and 8Bs as well as the twin engined short Hop D.C.6 planes that populated our airports. Everything from Full Fledged Airliners to what some call Puddle Jumpers like the Beech Super 18.
The markings? Well, there were airlines that had names that I wondered who came up with them! Everything from Capitol(Regional) to Joes Sight-Seeing Service in a twenty year old Beech! Ah! those were the days. The wonderful Smells, The burnt oil smoke from those babies as they fired up, The Vibrations as they revved at pre take - off spots , then the Rumble and Roar and Vibrations again till the smooth translation to Cruise Power for the flight! Not so today, But boy, they’re still Pretty!
Big fan! I like doing airliners and transports occasionaly and really look for interesting liveries. Draw decals is a good source as well as joy decals. My latest is one of the nicest/most interesting liveries. Airbus 380-800 (huge)
Here’s my collection so far - more in the stash
My first airliner: 1/200 Hasegawa Boeing 737-700 All Nippon Airways
1/144 Skyline Boeing 737-300 Wester Pacific Simpsons
I like airliners because like TB I associate them with nostalgic good times. But I am child of a later generation. I will always love the 747 because the first time I rode one, it was to Japan. I picked up a 787 while in Japan a few years ago because I had flown in on one. But I will never buy a YS-11 in All Nippon Airways livery, because my sis got violently ill from the noise and vibration, and my eyeballs felt like they had milkshake in them!
I agree that airliners are like car models with wings, as the smooth finish and perfectly applied decals are essential.
I have yet to try a “dirty” configuration with all the slats/flaps/spoilers in the fully deployed configuration. But I’d like to try someday because again, it reminds me of a carefree time when I delighted in watching the 747’s triple slotted flaps cycle out for landing.
I was fascinated the first time I ever saw all the flaps seemingly come out of nowhere to help land. Sadly, I don’t fly anymore. After being one to walk away from a crash, I don’t fly commercial at all! Still love them birds though!
Revell 1/72 Junkers G-24 in Aero O/Y (later Finnair) livery. Rebox of an old VEB Plasticart model.
Matchbox 1/144 Dornier DO-X in Alitalia livery.
Minicraft 1/144 Douglas DC-6B.
Hasegawa 1/72 Kawanishi H6K “Mavis” in Imperial Japanese Airways livery.
These are definitely memory or nostalgia machines. It’s also interesting going through the military model albums; how many also had civilian counterparts.
It wasn’t so long ago that some of us prevailed on the powers that be at FSM to add the civilian aircraft forum. Prior, aircraft was this big bloated thing that was hard to find interesting civilian subjects in.
Nice weathering on the IL-62 Nick. I’ve been eyeballing this kit as I’m attracted to the interesting engine configuration. I have the Britannia in the stash - yours looks awesome.
As a kid who grew up in the '60s, the ‘romance’ and allure of international travel was nearly always depicted the same way on TV and in films: ‘stock’ footage of elegant PanAm 707s (and later, 747s) taking off or landing at (presumably) exotic foreign locations.
Since those gleaming PanAm birds the fascination has expanded with slightly less-familiar aircraft types (current, and ‘vintage’)…and the hundreds of colorful liveries available, thanks to sources like DrawDecal and others, as well as home-printing.
What’s not to like??? [:D]
Two of my favorite ‘pretties,’ West and East, for a nice contrast:
Airfix’s 1/144 737-200, in Aloha Airlines markings from SuperScale
And the ancient (and execrable) VEB/Plasticart 1/75 Antonov An-2 Colt, in homemade markings for (then-) East Germany’s Interflug
My first year in school shop ,The boys got projects based on Art Class scores. I had to build the DOX from a set of plans only. That was our project for the first Quarter. Remember, we had less days off, even for weather than the kids of today. I finished it the last class before the end of the first quarter! Aced the class. Next quarter it was furniture. Made a smoking Stand for Dad.
The “Mavis” always reminded me of a Catalina with extra power on a crash diet cause she was so thin.
My dad took me and my sister to Hawaii island, Maui, and Kauai when Aloha was flying those 737s. My mom said those were the best vacations she ever had (with all of us out of the house)!
I also have a soft spot for Pan Am 747s, as that was what we flew to Japan in. I still remember they would let us little kids peek into the cockpit and talk to the flight crew (all 3 of them), plus the little plastic “wings” we were awarded upon landing.
And the Pan Am bag - the highly coveted, essential fashion accessory for the well heeled air traveler! I do recall it quickly became the butt of jokes though, and here in Hawaii it was forever associated with nerds of Japanese descent! Yeah that’s me. [:$]
It still stuns me that, after being the literal icon of international travel for much of a century, Pan Am withered and folded like some neighborhood convenience store. But – just like the dinosaurs disappeared – I guess even cultural icons can go extinct when they can’t keep up with changing times and economies.
Yeah, it seems strange doesn’t it? You had Pan-Am, Lufthansa, Boac, and others that were mainstays on the international stage. Then here at home We had American Eastern, United and so on. Now I can’t think of a really well known around Household Airline Name. I will say this though. The Aircrash that ended my commercial flying days(as a passenger) was in a Lufthansa Charter 747.
