Does anyone know of a Citation V kit? Preferrably plastic and 1/48 or larger.
Thanks in advance.
Hmmm… all the reference I could find of this aircraft in 1/48 scale, was for a pre-built/painted resin display model. There is vague reference to a 1/72nd scale “V”, but haven’t put my finger on it yet.
Okay, Soapbox time…
I’ve contended for years, that there should exist a line of civilian aircraft models, to compliment all the warbirds. Enthusiast maintain: “Manufacturers produce what sells, and WWII sells the best”… I maintain that the public will buy what’s on the shelves! Just look at what happened when Aurora produced their line of civilian aircraft… they sold like HOT CAKES, and bring BIG money when auctioned on E-Bay today!
I have always related model manufacturers never ending obsession with the same subject line, to the finding of an idea that worked, then refusing to allow it to evolve. What if Auto Manufacturers done that… or Computer manufacturers… for heavens sake, if Westinghouse had thought like that, we wouldn’t even know what a Microwave is!!
I’m a former pilot, with over 6,000 hours in various type aircraft, most of which were rotary wing while in the Army, but my REAL modeling ambition is to one day see the airplane I learned to fly; the Aeronca 7AC “Champ”, in 1/48 or 1/32 scale. Alas, that will never happen though, because “World War II sells so much better, they say!!”… Should at least 1/4th of the shelves have Civilian (historic & modern) modeling subjects displayed on them, “THEY” would discover how wrong “THEY” are, and sells would BOOM!
Baskin-Robbins would have been a long forgotten name, had they chose to just “stick with what sells best”!
stepping down
Frank
Frank, I completely agree…I know a lot of general aviation pilots who would jump through hoops to get models of their planes…could you imagine how many new people it would really bring into the hobby!!! There are a few kits out there of Cessna 172 or a piper cherokee, all made by minicraft (or minicrap as I like to think of 'em), but where’e the KingAir, the Duke, and the 421???
Frank,
I agree wholeheartedly! More civil birds would be awesome. Imagine the detailing possibilities of the cabin of a Cessna 172. There’s enough glass that the interior would be very visible. I realize that there are 172 kits available, but they generally get poor reviews for not having a lot of detail and being difficult to fit together. I think there’s a real need for new, hi-tech, kits of Cessnas, Pipers, Bonanzas, etc.
Regards,
Aurora used to do kits for the Rockwell Commander, both the twin prop bird, and the executive jet. Used to have the jet kit myself. Haven’t a clue where you’d get hold of one now though
Way to go Frank!! Because of the lack of these kits, I have to resort to scratch-building. I have a 1/24th 7DC and a 1/16th Pitts S2B under way now, and having to build everything is very time-consuming!
Hey Frank,
Good thoughts and I agree. I see the occassional Cherokee or single engine Cessna on the shelf but general aviation is sorely neglected by the model mfgs.
I’d like to build a model of all the A/C I’ve flown in my career but try to find a King Air 200 or an HS-125 or a NA265. Navajos, 421s, Dukes, etc just aren’t there. I saw a model 55 Baron once at a sawp meet (plastic 1/32) but missed it by inches. Can’t remember the mfg… I’ve seen the pre built and painted models and although they’re not too bad----someone else built them.
Thanks for the treplies everyone!!
VIVA LE SOAPBOX,
Lloyd
I agree as well, but they should be in their own scale. I hate building 1/72 or 1/48 scale Cherokees and 150’s because they are so small. I would die for a 1/48 scale King Air 200 or 400 series or twins like the C310, Navajo, or Cheiftan.
The prebuilt wood and resin just look too bulky for me. Models need interiors, cockpits, and engine details.
Scott
OK, now say a cottage kit maker was to delve into civil light airplane subjects, like Airshow Models has done with their 1/32 Pitts, Eagle and Extra kits, what subjects and what scales do you think would sell well enough to justify the investment? Right off the bat, I can think of a Golden Age series in 1/24th, to include, say, Aeronca Champ, Piper J3, Fairchild 24, Spartan Executive.
Any ideas?
I agree, I would definately buy civil kits if they were put on the market. My problem is I’m not up to building resin or vacuform kits and that seems to be all that’s out there besides the stray Cessna 150 or Piper Cherokee.
Good thoughts everyone…Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I would definitely buy 1/24 or 1/32 plastic of Citation, Sabre, Gulfstream, Hawker, etc. Would also love to have the same scale for Aeronca, Tri-Pacer, Swift, Christen Eagle, Navajo, 310, J-3, Navion and Camanche.
Can’t imagine that the mfgs wouldn’t make money on them. I know new tooling is expensive and a risk but it seems that with all the enthusiasm for general aviation (the planes that any one of us could fly) they’d sell like hot cakes. If for no other reason, then just because none of us have any in our collections.
Now that I’ve seen others who would be interested in this type of model I guess I’ll start writing the mfgs and let them know how I feel.
Well, here’s the way I look at it; Of course, there are those who took their maiden flight during Military Flight School, but the large majority of Military Pilots’, Crew Chiefs’, Flight Engineers’, etc etc etc, were introduced to Flying in General Aviation type aircraft. I can’t imagine ANY current/former military pilot not being emotionally humbled to see a good 1/48 or 1/32 example of the airplane they soloed in, on the shelves of their local hobby shop!
With all the flying I was privileged to do, and all the aircraft I was privileged to do it in, NONE quite compares to the one I was in the first time I saw my shadow getting smaller underneath me as I climbed out, alone! Richard Bach said it best… “I remember that… inability to breath!”
There could be a General Aviation Series which featured “Vintage”, “Post WWII”, & “Modern Era” aircraft. Trainers, Recreational, Business, Experimental, and Aerobatics… I feel these facts would more than justify the effort, and a virtual untapped market would more than account for the manufacturing cost.
Take care,
Frank
"Yeah, a 1/48 “Duke”, “Baron”, and “King Air”!!! A 1/32/35 “Taylorcraft”, “Luscomb”, “Aeronca”, and “Piper”!!!
Oh yeah, how about a 1/35th “VeriEze”!!! [:0][:0][:0][:0][:0]…(where’s my pills)
Hasegawa did produce a series of 1/48 bizjets. I have the Citation 500, Falcon 10, and Learjet 35. I don’t know what others were in the series. I loved them, because they were like an empty canvas waiting to be filled with any sort of logo or color scheme that I could invent (as well as USAF variants, etc.)
The time is ripe for a general aviation revival in modeling. I think a wider circle of people might buy a model of something they know and love. Let’s face it, a dwindling number of people have seen a P-51 or F-100. Only people committed to historical subjects are going to enter modleing through archaic subjects. On the other hand, it is almost impossible for me to sit and read in my backyard for any lenght of time without a GA aircraft passing overhead (along with the odd F-16, F-18, etc - there are benefits living near a GA hub as well as an air base.)
I used to own a Cherokee 140, so I bought the Minicraft version. It was a disappointment. Is it really 1/48 scale? It didn’t seem so - I sat a 1/48 pilot figure from a military kit in the front seat of the Cherokee and it seemed to fill the entire cockpit. Unless pilots are 6’10" and 450 lbs, something was wrong somewhere.
It would be great to have good 1/48 or 1/32 models of common subjects. For one thing, reference material for detailing would be as close as the nearest hangar. Maybe Accurate Miniatures would take the gamble - you have to believe a beautifully detailed Cessna 172 or Beech Kingair would have as wide an appeal as a Stormovik. Some of the new aircraft like the Lancair Columbia 300 are aesthetically as beautiful as anything flying.
Well, so much for my soapboxing. I am not going to hold my breath.