I consider myself a “What If” model builder. I don’t build models straight from the box. I understand that a lot of modelers for various reasons like building Patton tanks, USS Arizona battleships, Chevy cars, and so many other “normal” subjects. But for me, I need something that challenges my creativity and imagination. As the old saying goes, Creativity is the spice of life. I’ll find ways to kit bash kits together, use different decals and painting schemes on a model subject that weren’t normally meant for that subject, and so much more. I like the what if’s, the could have been, might have been, should have been, the paper projects, the prototypes, etc.
Is there anybody else who feels the same way? Or am I only a minority of one?
What are everybody’s thoughts concerning “What If” type modeling subjects? Love them? Hate them? Want to see more or less of them? Would you want model manufacturers to make more What If type model subjects or not?
I certainly don’t “hate” the idea of what-if models. I enjoy the thought experiment and the creativity – but as an observer. My motivation to do this work is dependent on fascination within an existing reality, as opposed to the more creative mind’s “blank slate” – too much creative leeway paralyzes me.
Personally, I derive much of the enjoyment I get out of this hobby from the deep research on the subject and my own striving to be as accurate as is reasonably possible to a vehicle in a specific historic time or place. Sci-fi models (40K, Star Wars) are like palate-cleansers that I work on between historical builds to refresh my mind – though the research rabbit-holes for those kits can be nearly as deep as the historical stuff if one isn’t careful.
I like the balancing act that always comes in a build of what can be documented vs. what has to be speculated on, what is plausible, etc. There is always plenty of creativity required, even if you resist the “well that’s close enough; who will ever know?” mindset.
Also I have a strong “collector” streak in me, and I have to work every day to keep it from moving toward “accumulator.” I’ve gone down that road too often in life. This means focus in my areas of interest; I’m finally learning in middle-age that narrowing my interests leads to better return on time investments.
Of course that has meant I have to decide what kind of “returns” I want. For me, the deep-dive research into a very specific facet of a specific part of WWII history/Sci-fi lore/etc. is one return; another is progress made on a discrete physical project – “making” in the cultural parlance.
Sharing such progress and research here on the forum is a return as well, which is welcome in such an otherwise solitary hobby.
I enjoy building and seeing what-if models. Whenever I start a historically accurate real subject it rarely gets finished. I just keep getting caught up in every accurate detail. What-if was in someone’s mind at some point to make a real thing.
I feel it all depends the subject. I like to build military kits to represent history and I try to keep accurate to it. Sci fi I go all out with creativity. I recently built a Klingon bird of prey which I have a separate form written in. I painted each panel a part with a thought of creativity.
I build a lot of “what if” armor, but I always try to make them plausible, functional or maybe even one more step down a dead end that actually happened. It’s a challenge and keeps me from getting bored building OOB. A couple of pics:
First, a scout tank based off a Tamiya Bradley: IMG_4269 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
A Leo 1 turret on an AMX 30 hull IMG_3863 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
How about a K9 turret on a Merkava 3 hull. IMG_3854 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
And a similar concept, an AUF 1 turret on another Merkava 3 hull. IMG_1870 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I have more, but that’s the general idea of what I try to do. I probably do a couple of these a year now.
Also fun are one-offs, like the Cadillac Gage/Royal Ordinance 105mm turret on an M41 hull I just finished. The turret is a distant prototype of a Stingray turret as used by the Royal Thai Army, and there are pics of a couple of Stingray turrets on old M41 hulls, maybe an attempt to update old M41’s in inventory. Anyway, mine: IMG_4438 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
It’s all about the fun, in the end.
I do “what if” in my dioramas/ vignettes. There is many more “interpreted” historically “accurate” possibilities than what is documented and/or photographed.
The main thing I like about doing What If type model subjects is that nobody can say to me that they aren’t historically accurate. Whenever I’m at a contest, I’ll always hear people say that “This isn’t right” or “That should have been like this” or some other comments. With me, I don’t have to worry about that, especially from the judges. I let my imagination and creativity take me wherever I want to go with a model subject. Sure, I’ll get dinged for gluing and painting mistakes. But at least that’s the most I’ll have to worry about. I won’t have to listen to “That’s the wrong color olive drab” or “That’s the wrong unit marking for that time period” and so forth.
I don’t really have any “what ifs” in my collection. I do have a couple sci-fi / gundams though. I also just came across this and it might just find a place in my stash.
I like oddball stuff like X-planes and paper panzers, but I especially like the outlandish ones that made it to hardware stage.
I’m one of those that generally like to stick with the finish the prototype wore. Sometimes I’ll hate the finish of the real thing, like the Maus V2 with the broom-applied tricolor squiggles. Those times I will deviate from the authentic scheme.
For planes I have a harder time allowing myself to change up the operator’s nation or camouflage. I guess the scale rivet counter still lives in me. But the kinds of planes I like tend to be really odd looking, so doing a whiffer scheme is not really necessary, like a Ju-287. Metal was cut and the thing flew several times, but it just looks so improbable as-is, without having to add Japanese or captured US or British markings.
But I do dabble in flights of fancy.
I think the Triebflugel is my all-time favorite “Napkinwaffe” aircraft!
When it comes ton"what if", I am at the mild side. I am heavily into military aviation and I like to do “what if” aircraft…
More importantly, “what if” this particular P-51 Mustang existed in a said squadron…
Here’s a “what if” Mustang that I did if it existed with the 357thFG, 364thFS.
It was the third Mustang to carry the code C5*K and the name/nose art was done by me.
Typically no, but I did once build an AT-6 Texan painted in colors of the NFL’s Houston Texans with custom decals for Texans logos.
More recently, I built an F-86F Sabre painted in camouflage - found an actual photograph of a Sabre bearing this paint scheme, but I what-if’d it by adding a pilot’s name marker as “Lt. Jett Porkins”. Porkins was the first X-Wing pilot to be blasted in the Death Star attack in Star Wars.
I would say I am a “What If” or “Outside of the Box” kind of guy. That is one of the many great things about this hobby. Use your creativity to create your own vision.
I have a couple of what-if projects in progress. They’re what-if in the sense of aircraft that existed but weren’t put into production, or were, but I’ll finish them as different subjects.
One is the Minicraft XF5F, which I’m finishing as the long-nose version, and the premise is that the Navy accepted a batch, but decided not to use them aboard carriers. Instead, they handed them off to the Marines as ground attack aircraft, and the Marines used them at Guadalcanal. That build is stalled, though. I had opened the nose to show the weapons bay, with an armorer loading the machine guns. But it’s proving to be more effort than I wanted to spend. So it’s about half-built.
The other is to finish a Vultee Vengeance as the proposed naval version, the TBV Georgia. Again, the Navy accepts an order and arms 1 squadron with them, shipped out on the Hornet. Not much of a change, more in the colors and markings. But I like the idea.
And I have another project, for which I’ve collected some kits, 1/48 aircraft and a 1/720 ship, but I don’t want to divulge the subject.
Oh, and one more that is in progress. It’s the ancient Lindberg Knight Twister sport biplane kit. When I say ancient, I mean ancient-the kit was released in 1949 as an O-Lin kit; mine was boxed in 1953. Simple kit, no interior; in fact, the cockpit is closed over. I got it off eBay and thought that it would look cool in the Navy’s yellow-wings livery, even as an experimental, with the aluminum body and yellow wings. I’m finishing that way, as an experiment point-defense interceptor. I have to remove the plastic covering the cockpit and add the detail, but it’ll look pretty cool on a mahogany-colored flight deck.
A few WHAT IF model projects that I have in the pipeline so to speak for future years.
Continue working on my 1/350 scale HMS Habakkuk model which will be a multi-year building project.
A long overdue project which was to convert an LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious ship into a Clive Cussler type NUMA oceanographic research and exploration ship.
Build a Testor 1/72 scale B-2 stealth bomber into Santa Clauses’s next Christmas present delivery vehicle for a humorous diorama display. Already briefy started on this.
Build/convert a Squadron 1/72 scale Haunebu German flying saucer model into a Doctor Who Dalek flying saucer spacecraft model.
Build/convert an old 1/72 scale Testor SR-75 Penetrator into a B-3 hypersonic stealth bomber aircraft.
Way, way, way down the road on this, but was thinking of converting the very old Revell 1/72 scale B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber kit into a stealthy aerial refueling tanker aircraft.
Scratch build a large 1/144 scale P1500 Landkreuzer. This was a “paper Panzer” project that was actually proposed in WW2, but never built. I’ve only seen one person who built a 1/87 scale model of one long ago and it was on a French website I think.
Build a USS Iowa battleship into a spaceship similar to Space Battleship Yamato.
I’ll find ways to kit bash kits together, use different decals and painting schemes on a model subject that weren’t normally meant for that subject, and so much more. I like the what if’s, the could have been, might have been, should have been, the paper projects, the prototypes, etc.
