evolution of modern modeling...

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Recent threads have got me to thinking of how our hobby has changed so much in 40-odd years…see if ya’ll agree with the following:

Shep Paine and Revell/Monogram were what whetted our appetites in the late 60’s thru mid 70’s…taught us also what a dio was…

late 70’s thru 80’s: Tamiya and Hasegawa took the kits to a level of technical finesse we all now demand, and offered us subjects we never before comtenplated…clubs were formed, people won prizes

mid 80’s: Verlinden used resin and marketed “his way” of modelbuilding to a new level, using terms we now use all the time: washes, drybrushing, etc…aftermarket kits were now PART of the market…superdioramas became the rage…

late 90’s: The media caught up with the hobby: magazines, books, reference material, websites, etc…hobby went international, MIG kicked Verlinden’s techniques up a notch…

I’m leaving a lot out…help me fill in the rest…

2

I’ll throw a little wrinkle into this discussion and say…none of that timeframe is relevant to many, myself included, at least from a direct experience standpoint. I started in the hobby (armor building) in 2001…so the history for me in terms of “modern” modelling began with Tamiya at it’s pinnacle as king of the heap in terms of available kit offerings, then in 2003-2004 DML made their move and hasn’t stopped since. Trumpeter, AFVClub, etc. have all as well worked to fill the void left by the Big T’s exit from the 1/35 stage.

Picked a good time to come back into the hobby (previously did airplanes and ships as a kid), as the current era is truly a Golden Age by comparison to the history you’ve laid out. I think your capstone to that timeline would be 2000-2001 with the introduction of internet-based forums, sites, etc. in a big way that built communities transcending limitations of driving distance to cross state, national, and international boundaries.

3

great comments…I would say that ALL of those timeframes were relevant to your experience, otherwise you wouldn’t have entered the “Golden Age” of modeling…thanks for the input…

4

I agree but not from a direct experience standpoint on many of the points mentioned (for example, while I know the name Shep Paine, I’ve never read anything by him or his or Tony Greenland’s “way”). Today’s standards are built on their shoulders, no doubt, but only in an indirect way for many. Kind of like knowing who Babe Ruth was but never having seen him play. [;)] Different frame of reference depending on age and experience…and that’s an added point to the evolution discussion.

I think in many ways the hobby is splitting into two distinct categories as it is evolving…the internet-based model world and the more traditional. Vast majority of hobbyists aren’t online…but the younger generation that is the future of the hobby is as well as many “returnees” looking for the fast track back into the mainstream. The decline of LHSs vs. online shops is an indicator as well and has influenced the growing prevalence of AM suppliers and availability. Hard to believe that my current project for example has a kit made in the Philippines (on behalf of a Japanese label), with a resin update set produced in France, PE detail sets from Czechoslovakia, and replacement tracks from Japan itself…all ordered from a shop located in Utah and sent to my door by FedEx for $7.50 in shipping within 1 week of the order being placed. [:D]

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…very relevant points…like everything, what we know today is built on the collective knowledge of the past, directly or indirectly…Let me guess, Great Models is the Utah store you are referring to? They are my main supplier! What kit are you describing with the international pedigree ?

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The Marder III M. [;)] Yes, GM is my first go-to choice for many things, although I’ve started doing more busines with Hobby-Link Japan too for stuff I’m not in hurry on to receive, especially when they have a sale on.

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ahhhh…I should have remembered…you have the WIP thread of the Marder with the BLAST resin set…looks good so far…

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Interesting thread. A few things to add. The modelling world has become very accessible for many with the onset of websites. Track Link (1996), rec.models.scale and others became a skeleton from which a large worldwide online community has gathered. Before it was publications like Military Modeler, FSM or Milmod – occasionally showing us pics of the latest and greatest. Now, we get live streaming from the floor of the Shiziouku Toy Fair. How far we’ve progressed.

Secondly, the hobby has always been international. We’ve just all recently connected with one another (European, Japanese, others) via the WWW.

We shouldn’t ingore the influence of Verlinden and VP to the hobby. It really initiated a revolution by offering aftermarket – not only in Armor either. Also about this time, modellers began to see photoetch (from our rail road cousins) yield great results. Remember Airwaves (UK) and On The Mark? AccArmour, DES, Azimut, Tank Workshop, Resicast, CMD, Cromwell – came on the back of VP’s success. Now we have Formations, TMD, Blast, Real, PSP, MIG, etc.

Another benchmark was the 1989 Tamiya release of 35146. Does anyone know what that is? It’s their Tiger I, Late production kit. Its fidelity to detail was unheard of in 1/35. This single kit was the first in a resurgence in 1/35 AFV modelling, lead by Tamiya. In quick succession they re-tooled many of their 1970s era kits and produced amazing subjects previously unheard of (Famo, Dragon Wagon) while pounding out long wanted kits (T-55 MBT, Char B1 bis, M8 Greyhound, T26E3 Pershing). While it’s easy to bemoan Tamiya’s paucity of releases and what some see as a diversion into 1/48, all who currently enjoy AFV modelling have MUCH to be grateful about in that 1989 model.

During that time, upstart DML, Academy and AFV Club made some little waves. Along the way, Italeri resurrected a tiny bit and the giant from China, Trumpeter, emerged after an awful start. Now Tristar, Bronco, Tasca arrive and they don’t even have a learning curve.

Golden days, indeed!

9

nice post…AND the Tamiya Tiger was the first with single links in the box!!! I think…although their old 250 had length and link…

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were they the first to have single links in the box?