The very first model kit I ever put together was Monogram’s P-40B Flying Tiger, at age 3. In about the same time frame, I did a couple of other old Monogram kits that had proven elusive to find in recent years - Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel, and the Red Barron’s Fokker tri-plane.
Well, one could find those early '70s (1971, I think) kits on eBay, but for prices that made one think they were more valuable than a kidney, or an arm and a leg. But thankfully, Atlantis stepped in with their acquisition of these molds and have returned this fun kits to online store shelves.
Now the Snoopy/Red Baron builds I did at age 4 did not survive my childhood, but tracings my mother made of the kits’ boxart, as well as a wood cutout she did of Snoopy’s Sopwith Camel boxart did. Roughly 50 years later, I got to do these kits again, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity.
These kits are snap-together kits, with minimal parts, stickers instead of decals, multi-colored plastic, and wireless motors that allowed safe operation of the props. Unlike when I was 4, I actually did use paint and glue on these builds, in very limited places. I painted Snoopy’s helmet green, the google strap brown, his eyes/eyebrows black, outlined his teeth with black, and his dog house stand red. For the Red Baron, I painted his skin flesh color, blue eyes, brown eyebrows and mustache, and brown goggle straps. I glued the head pieces together on both as I was not happy with the quality of the snap-fit there. But everything else is snapped together, for potential deconstruction (and storage in the boxes, that I am going to keep).
I believe I spent 3 total days building both of these, although without paint these could have been completed in just a few minutes. But it is kits like these that remind why we get into this hobby - because it is fun!