What was the best—most fun model you ever built?

I tied for the Perfect Armor Model— got blown up. Agreed “there is no Perfect Model”

So what was you favorite model to build? Name/ Brand/ Scale. What ever and why?

Lets try this version

I enoyed building the Airfix 1/24th Stuka. Have built two of them over the years and unlike it’s 1/24th cousins, it went together rather well. Of course Airfix decals were an issue so I used a set from CAM.

I’ve done so many in my lifetime I can’t even keep track. Some had fit issues, others were pretty decent and I enjoyed building them, warts and all.

Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed building the old Tom Daniels Design kits by Monogram. Fun builds without dealing with accuracies.

To date, it’s probably been the Academy 1/72 P-40E. I don’t know why I like it so much, but I’ve built five or six of them before I gave up on the scale. They just build simple, and present well. With Aftermarket decals, I think they really pop and they build very well.

Did a Jeep CJ-5 for a close friend many years ago…had to swap in a V-6 out of a Buick GN kit and make my own diamond plate rear corners, and splice in tailights out of a Chev p/u kit… Was a fun build and matched his right down to a tear in the seat.

He still has it on the shelf.

wow I can’t even get the clear parts to simulate glass on a model

Tamiya 1/12 Kawasaki Ninja. Tamiya bikes are a joy to build and 1/12 scale is nice to work in

I have to second that ! Can’t get enough of those kit’s !

The kit I’m working on right now fine molds 1/72 millennium falcon. For such a big kit with a high part count she fell together like a Tamiya kit.

Accurate Miniatures 1/48 Grumman Avenger kit; not a big fan of the airframe, but the kit was a blast to build.

Monogram 1/48 P-39 kit, found an old white box version that survived the decades relatively intact. Fit is fantastic, not like the later reissues.

Tamiya 1/48 F4F Wildcat and the new F-14A. Excellent engineering.

Academy 1/32 F-18C kit, options and fit made it fun.

Fun question, I wish that I had an answer for you. I dont have a favorite yet. There might be one coming down the pike, though. There is always hope.

Yes this is a fun question.

Thinking back, probably the old Monogram Phantom Mustang. For those not old enough to remember, it was a well detailed airframe with a clear skin. It sat on a red control stand, and I believe one could make the prop spin, gear retract, and maybe something else I forgot.

I played with that thing for hours on end, and it might be what made me fall in love with aviation. Yikes, that kit cost me a lot of money in hindsight!!!

You could also drop bombs from the wing pylons…

I have to agree too. Those are fun kits to build.

Looking back, I’d have to say the old Revell (or Monogram) kit of the Saturn 5 with the locking stages, working doors on the third stage and working legs on the LEM. I put in a lot of time and effort into that one as a kid (late 60’s).

Now, the Hobby Boss Hurricane I did for the Weekend Madness group build a couple of weeks ago. It was quick but fun. The paint was challenging but I learned a lot. It was also the first kit I finished in 30 years. It got me fired up to keep on building.

For me it was the old 1/25 Academy Panther. It was remote controlled with working track links and suspension.

Thinking back, I would have to say it was the old Monogram 1/48 SBD Dauntless with working landing gear, dive flaps, and dropping bomb… it sank a lot of Japanese shipping in saturday morning wars. The 1/48 TBF-1 with working landing gear, folding wings, and dropping torpedo was a close second. My folks coffe table made a perfect carrier for the flight deck figures to cycle them thru flight operations…

yeah, those were my most fun kits…

I was hoping this topic would get the juice flowing- the USS Constitution-plastic sails and all. Trying to get those little cannons in place was a blast

DEfinately! The old Monogram kits back in the early 70’s with folding wings, retractable landing-gear, spinning props, etc were fun as heck. The Dauntless was one of my faves as well.

Probably one of my favorites was the DML Panther G late Imperial Series. It was an older Gunze Sangyo mold. It was decent detail and I added PE grills and Tamiya indy-tracks. The kit was pretty cheap. It was my first completed kit when I first joined the forums. It’s nostalgic for me. I sprayed the camo 3 times before I was happy. LOL

Color me goofy, but…

Marx sold a series of plastic kits of Rube Goldberg machines,

What we now call engineering mousetraps or marble races.

I spent my newspaper route money to build them all.

I think I’ll have to agree on the Monogram SBD Dauntless. It built fast and easy, and had good, robust working features. I tried to get one locally after seeing the movie “Midway”, but everyone had sold out! The F6F Hellcat was pretty good too.