Anyone here ever model any alternate history? I know alternate history is a ‘bad’ science, like the study of alchemy, but I think it is fun.
Politics and LW camo policies aside, what would an Me 262 look like in air superiority colours?
There are other things to think of and build, but I was just hoping to get people’s first impressions on the concept.
QT
It’s been done before and if you like the idea, go for it, modeling is suppose to be fun
Can you explain the “alternate history” idea? I can’t honestly say that I have heard of this.
Basically, go to a certain point in history and take a left turn. As in 'How would things gone differently if Hitler would have held off on the invasion of the USSR and concentrated on the Western front. Then you sit back and postulate as to how things would have gone. Like the idea of the Me-262 being used exclusively as an interceptor instead of a fighter bomber.
I am interested by the idea, I read a lot of Harry Turtledove. I’ve just never gotten around to building anything in that genre.
eizzle,
The basic premise of “alternate history” is that at a particular time in history, something changed or happened differently. For example, the Confederate States of America wins the Civil War instead of the Union or Hitler wins the Second World War. There are several books out that are based upon this (or variations of this) premise. The guys who model Luft 46 are doing a version of it. They’re building models of aircraft that were really little more than drawings, that didn’t get built and are painted in schemes that didn’t exist. But they might have if WW II had lasted 2 or three years longer.
It’s probably as clear as mud to you now but I hope I helped a little.
that is kind of what I was thinking, but I wasn’t sure.Thank you gentleman.
Alternate history is more than just choosing a later period or fictional paint scheme, it really should hold to the concept. You can certainly paint an Me-262 in a ghost or Ferris scheme, but would that make historical sense? What I’m saying is would it be feasable to have an Me-262 flying in 1980 when these patterns were being used or experimented with? Better to take design elements from the Messerschmitt projects and incorporate those concepts in an F-14-like airplane and evolve the camo patterns used by the Luftwaffe to this hypothetical aircraft.
Another area might be supposing that jet technology was perfected by the US in 1940. How would that have affected the aircraft we associate with the 8th Air Force, a turn and burn B-17 along the lines of a B-36? A P-38 with a jet engine in each boom? A P-51 with its intake moved to the nose and a jet exhaust midship?
Nitto’s 1/20 fighting suit line was a great example of alternate history.
I think that, for me, building a model is in part a testament to history; it is an opportunity to research, learn, and teach. Once you’ve got a grasp on it, I find it difficult not to more closely examine the boundaries of the subject with alternative hypotheses. What I mean, is that you can manipulate what you know by interacting it with what you don’t, to become more familiar with it. So, if you decide to paint an Me 262 in natural metal, you need to figure out where the most plausable historic ‘left turn’ would have been, and also what other likely results were. For example, if the Luftewaffe controlled the skies enough to use bright metal (like the Americans), then would the Me 262 (which wasn’t too manouvreable) have been more likely used as a fighter or bomber?
Anyway, I don’t know my history in that much detail to presume any authority, but it is fun to guess. I’m sure that while many say “to each, their own”, I wonder if they would be an accepted aspect of the hobby on a show’s table?
QT
Alternate history is a quit popular subject among ship modelers. I have seen ideas and examples of Iowas converted to aircraft carriers and amphibious assult ships. What if the Bismark survived another 20 years, how would it have been modernized? What the Arizona may have looked like if it survived Pearl Harbor. What ships might have looked like if the Washington Treaty never took place and supersized cruisers would have been built. What if Germany started building carriers when Japan and Britain began their carrier programs and the carriers would have been the first fast attack supercarriers built on the Bismark hull.
The ideas are endless.
Scott
Well Scott, I actually did one of these, only it was the Tirpitz, not Bismarck. I had an extra 1/600 scale Airfix Tirptz, so I modified her to show what I thought she’d look like if History had followed this course: She’d been captured/raised in Norway, repaired enough to float and towed to Britain at the end of the War. Then, when West Germany was allowed to join NATO, Britain offered the Tirpitz back to Germany to uise as a flagship to rebuild their fleet. Germany then modified her several times to maintain her viability in the role chosen for her: to cover the northern flank of NATO with naval gunfire support during any attempted invasion by the Warsaw Pact Forces. This model is the final representation of what she would probably look like:
If you look closely enough, you’ll see that I added a helicopter deck to her and based a Sea King on her for anti-submarine support, as well as SAR work.
I hope you like her Scott. I’ll try to get more pics taken of her if you’re interested in seeing more.
I’d havent done any yet but sometime I would like to build some 1946 German armor.
Yes Duke, I like your Tirpitz, a lot of imagination.
Scott
I love hypothetical modeling, some who have been around this forum for a few years will likely remember my Italian ME-163 Komet in North African theatre camo.
The alternate history can be a great relief from the reality based stuff.
I have two “real” projects and two alternate history projects on the go right now.
The “real” ones are a 1/72 Czech SAAB Gripen and a 1/72 Czech Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot.
Alternate history:
1/72 RAF A-7 Corsair II, running on the premise that the Sepecat Jaguar never made it into service. It will be in mid 80s wrap around tactical camo serving with the RAF in Germany.
1/144 Soviet four engined interceptor based on the B-58 Hustler. The premise is that the Soviets captured a B-58 and ordered Tupolev to reverse engineer it into an interceptor. I’ve got the Academy B-58, I’m just trying to source some “Acrid” and “Apex” missiles for her.
Got to keep the hobby fun.
Kinda like this?
My old E-100 '46!
Thanks Scott! I enjoyed building my Tirpitz that way. It was a blast!
Brian, I built one of those too!
Not as good as yours, and mine is in 1/72 scale too. Another fun build from DML!
Darn fine E, Duke! I like your Tirpitz, too!
I just finished Harry Turtledove’s Great War series, and am now starting on the American Empire series. I was thinking how cool it would have been to do some American and Confederate WWI tanks. I’m assuming that in the WW2 series, some of those tanks would be even more fun to build!
Thanks Brian! IT waas definitely a great kit to build. Thanks also on the Tirpitz.
Glamdring, the WWII series is pretty good, but Harry doesn’t go into too much detail describing the Race’s tanks. Nor does he get too much into the geographic element much so you never really know where they’ve conquered and where Humanity is still free, more or less. I did enjoy his series immensely though!
I read a good one last year, unfortunately I think I lent it out, and I’m having trouble remembering the name. I think it was Fox on the Rhine. In a nutshell, Rommell doesn’t get hurt at all by the strafing attack, and goes on to change the war in the west, with some very interesting twists.
QT
Are you talking about the WW2 one where aliens invader or the Settliing Accounts trilogy? I was thinking of the 2nd one where the Confederates start WW2 in “Drive to the East” and “Return Engagements.”