When it comes to displaying my planes, I’ve alway preferred to place them on a base…i.e. a spitfire on a grass field, a mustang on a concrete tarmac, a wildcat on a deck…I love the context…but they’ve always suffered damages because they were attached…when you guys go to some of these model shows, and a plane is on a base, are they attached? Or is it best just to place the aircraft on it…What’s the preferred method? Just wonderin’
Mark
I believe it’s a matter of personal taste. If you attach a plane and then wish to use the base for something else…trouble. Plus if the A/C gets ‘bumped’ by a wayward onlooker…something will break.
Personally, I wouldn’t attach.
I don’t have any bases, but at the contest, the people who had them did not attach them.
I wouldn’t attach either. Unless maybe it’s a specific base and it is going to spend it’s days in a display cabinet. Having it not attached means you can use just a couple of bases with different aircraft for photography purposes.
It’s a good way to avoid having judges looking at the underside of your a/c. Just remember that except for dioramas the base doesn’t count towards judging.
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if I could, I would never put my airplanes on bases. It’s too much extra work and space. But seeing as I build my models for 4-H, I have to put them in a diorama to have a good chance of winning.
I treat the base like part of the model. I think the context and scale is important. I mean, a perfectly executed 1/48th P-40 on a photographed on a Corian countertop looks just like that. But, on a proper base, you get a far better impression that you’re looking at the real deal. Beside, making a base is a nice little diversion that takes little time or effort, but adds tons of realism.
As far as attaching, I try not to. This way I can “mix and match.” I have generic grass fields and some Luftwaffe wooden hard-stands for shows and photography that are a bit bigger than what I normally display on in the cases. Plus, as stated, having a plan loose on the base is far more forgiving of the occasional bump of tap.
Of course, everyone has their own preference. Afterall, the base IS secondary to the actual model.
All of my airplanes are firmly attached to a base for the simple reason that all of them are in individual cases because of a little thing I call “cat.” That said, I too try to make the base part of the overall presentation of a particular model so that it ends up as a minimalist diorama/nice display.
Thanks everyone…as usual you all have given me insight on the best way to do things…I think in order to save my planes from “broken legs”, I’ll keep them unattached to the bases. I agree building a minor diorama base for aircraft is a nice break and really adds context to your build.
Mark
Probably a belt-and-suspenders mentality, but I am concerned about landing gear eventually deforming under the weight of the model. So, to avoid adding any weight to keep a trike-gear a/c sitting properly, I do secure my models to a base with pinpoints of glue, usually CA or epoxy, where the wheels contact the base. The glue doesn’t show and there she sits as she’s supposed to. Since I plan to keep my models for all eternity, my demise, I lose interest, or the wife tells me to clean out the d***ed basement, whichever occurs first, the ability to switch-and-mix is not a consideration for me.