Last night, I found out while explaining to a non-modeler who was admiring my builtups (Would one – how you Americans say – expect anything less, no?) why I let my props rotate and wheels (the unflattened ones) roll. To which I replied, "because for some reason every time a civilian (that is to say, non-modeler) picks up the airplane or car, the first thing they do is try to spin the prop or turn the wheels. After having X-number of props and wheels twisted off I now make sure they turn. Which brings me to a point.
We have become, at some point in the evolution of our hobby, so afraid of being thought of as grown men who play with toys, that we have vilified any kind of working feature on a scale model. Now, I realize there are practical matters here, such as destruction of detail…oh, hell, there’s a thousand reasons not to. But hear he out.
Why can’t we start finding ways to make canopies slide pr raise and lower in a scale way. This is the perfect way to be able to show off all those hours of cockpit work, while at the same time keeping out dust that cannot, and I mean CANNOT, be removed. And, though this may be simply impossible because the parts needed would be too small and weak in scale size, how about folding and unfolding wings. I’m always itching to build a model with folding wings, but it just seems too darned permanent I can’t bring myself to do it. Especially on a really pricey kit like the Tamiya Swordfish.
All this is just a thought.
P.S. All day long I’ve been remembering models from childhood with some really outlandish working features. Like, anyone remember the (Monogram, I think) A3J (A-5) Vigilante that fired a torpedo-looking “nuke” out that unique rear-deploying bomb bay? It was spring loaded and, of course, the “bomb” looked nothing like the short-lived real life weapons system. I seem to recall the pilot could eject as well.
Another ejecting pilot came in a pre-painted SEA scheme Thud, as well a Monogram B-58 (still one of my favorite planes of any era) (the other two crewmen were glued in to die.
The Monogram F3F was a classic. Besides being a good looking kit in, I believe, around 1/32 scale, EVERYTHING on this little jewel seemed to operate. You turned the prop and the wheels went up and down. Ailerons operated as did rudder and elevator. Canopies slid on their rails. It may have done the tango for all I know. Lindberg made a Corsair and some others that had battery driven spinning props, and you had to build that electric motor from plastic and metal parts along with copper wire which had to be wound perfectly.
And it’s odd, looking back, how Vietnam affected the model airplane business. This is when we got more than one company (AMT and Monogram come to mind) giving us battle damaged models. And all these working ejection seats suddently appearing. Really shows you how the industry has changed its target demographic from the very young to the, uh, older crowd.
Does anyone remember any other kits that had lots of working parts? Like all those Monogram navy kits with no cockpit or engine detail, but all kinds of folding wings and working control surfaces. And that massive Revell Skyraider from the '60s with working everything AND lots of accurate detail, including engraved panel lines.
regards,
TOM
Built a lot of the Monogram kits in those days (The T-28 with retracting landing gear and operating canopy comes to mind). But even preceding those does anyone remember Comet’s Struto-Speed line? Wings were pre-cut from balsa, fuselage was a frame planked with balsa sheet, the intakes, exhausts, canopies were plastic, landing gear was bent wire (which retracted) and gear doors were heavy construction paper. I remember building an F-84 and an F-86 one winter in the mid fifties at my grandmothers house. (Had to finish with dope)
I motorize all my prop aircrafts and currently am thinking motorizing a helicopters tail rotor using watch parts. I don’t care if someone calls them toys, the models I build are for my satisfaction and for the satisfaction of those who are able to appreciate them. Last year I made a MIG-21 as a present to my dad. It was a beautiful bird-- natural metal, shades, washed panel lines, dropped flaps and so on. He hardly glanced at it, but because it was a present and I don’t visit often (he lives in E. Europe), he didn’t say anything. Later he counseled me to drop the models and start doing something productive, like, do projects around the house in America.
On the same visit, a childhood friend came by and when saw the MIG he politely asked if I bought the toy. I replied that the kit came in pieces of unpainted plastic which I put together. I explained that what he saw in front of him was the finished product and that in a way his question was a form of compliment.
The point is that there are not very many people that appreciate our hobby and they are not the measure our art. Yes, I consider that what we do involves a lot of art, at least this is what I strive for when I open yet another box from e-bay. And also we have forums like this one where we can share our hobby with the like minded. Besides, scale modeling is not exactly a spectator sport.
Borislav
I could not put it so eloquently, and I used thrice the words.
This past weekend we had visitors from out of town who came to visit with their kids. You’re right ! - spin the props, see if anything moves…
I display my models in my sons’ bedroom and when I walked by the room on Saturday morning, my friend’s son had a P-47 in his hands -spinning the prop. Later he was looking at the Monogram Corsair I built with folding wings, retractable gear, and spinning prop. He was checkin everthing out and he didn’t look like he was doing any harm. I didn’t say anything like - “hey - be careful with those things”. I have come to expect that I need to do repair work every once in a while, and it was good to see someone enjoying them. After they left, I went into the room to asses the damage. A nose gear wheel was snapped off the 1/48 F-15 - (Something that has happened 8 or 9 times in the past) but other than that - no damage at all. Even the rigged 1/72 scale Swordfish made it through unscathed !
I admit - I did cringe a little bit when I first saw them being handled, but I thought - ya know - this is one of the few people that has really taken the time to look really closely at these kits. I’m glad I didn’t say anything. (but I will put the Swordfish in a less accessable spot.)
I know that when I was a kid - I thought that the Monogram Corsair kit had to be the absolute coolest kit out there cuz of all the working parts. That kinda thing really does appeal to kids - cuz they don’t want to just build it and put it up on a shelf. But let’s face it. The industry isn’t really targeting kids these days. Too bad - I lke goofing around with them too !
Chris
Ya have ta have moving parts, how else are you going to pass the time waiting for the paint to dry. Does any one know how to make good machine gun sounds? or airplane sounds for that matter? All I can do is chap my lips. Excuse me now while I duck out to buy more chapstick.
Well, the folks at Aber (the PE people) are on our side! They make all of their latches and hinges and clamps and everything else that’s remotely movable, movable!
Hmmm…do they make PE for aircraft? My only experience is with their armor PE.
Trumpeter’s on our side, too. Most of their control surfaces are moveable.
Personally, I really enjoy working parts, just so long as it doesn’t degrade from the detail. (Case in point- Revell Germany’s 1:72 Helldiver w/ “folding” wings. Not a pretty sight. I ended up just gluing them open. (They wouldn’t sit right folded.)) And sometimes, it can be advantagous. Right now I’m planning to motorize a German paper project, a Ju 290Z. (Think He-111Z, only much larger.) I havn’t seen the kit yet, so I have no idea how it’s going to work exactly, but I’d like to build the switch into one of the “moveable” turrets.
I had a pic of it on my signature, but it’s on the fritz right now. Here’s the website for ALL (!) the information on this monster. (I’m not kidding! That’s it!)
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/4082/mistel1/ju290.htm
I remember FSM in their “Kit Classics” column some time back talked about a model plane–I don’t remember what kind nor who made the kit–that had an odd feature wherein if you closed the canopy, the landing gear would retract, and when you opened the canopy, the landing gear would extend again. Because of the mechanism involved, there was no cockpit. Not very realistic but it sounded cool anyway!
I’m going to put some working features in my Jeep Cherokee tornado chase vehicle. I’ve opened two doors and the liftgate and they will be working features, primarily because although the finished model will be displayed with the doors open, I would like to be able to close the doors for transport purposes (might provide a bit of extra protection for the interior). The closed doors don’t line up well, but that won’t matter for display purposes. The spare tire will be mounted on the liftgate so out of necessity that will be a working feature so I can open and close the liftgate. For the cargo bay, I’m going to make “floor drawers” (based on a tidbit I saw in a hints and tips book for RV’s) and I want the drawers to work. I might put a laptop computer in the front passenger seat area and I was wanting to make that a working feature (the computer would swivel on a vertical post so the driver of the tornado chase vehicle could swing it out, use the computer, then swing it back again when it’s not in use), but because I didn’t open the front passenger door, I think it would be a bit difficult to operate because of the awkward angles from reaching a wire through the driver’s door. (I opened the rear passenger door but I don’t want to open the front passenger door because I don’t want to compromise the structural integrity of the model.)
The Tamiya kit I’m building the tornado chaser with featured a working suspension that is screwed to the chassis. Against my better judgment, at first I assembled the suspension with the working feature but right off the bat I had my doubts that the screws would hold. Sure enough, one of the screw sockets did fail and a wheel fell off as a result, so I just superglued the whole thing together! I don’t care if the suspension works; I just want the danged model to not fly apart![:)]
There is one model from my childhood in the 60s, the “heyday” of moving parts, that brings back fond memories. It was the James Bond Aston Martin car kit. It had everything. A bullet-proof shield that raised, rotating license plates, opening doors, hood, and trunk. But the best feature, BY FAR, was the spring-loaded ejection seat, complete with figure !
I can’t remember what company made it, but it is probably a collector’s item now, going for big $ on Ebay. Ahhh . . . to buy memories from youth . . .
It was Aurora, and it was a child modeler’s dream. And I’d build it today if it was available, as well as their Jaguar XKE in the same scale with simple opening doors and hood and lots of detail for its day.