Don't bother to read this is you are under 60 ...
Recent construction of a 1/72 Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M3 Type 32 caused me to think about the progress of scale aircraft modelling over the past 66 years.
I took up this great hobby at 8 years of age in 1955. Boy, was it quite different to today. No such thing as superglue. Polystyrene cement only came in metal tubes with nozzles so thick it was so difficult to apply small amounts. There were no 3rd party add-on products such as masks, canopies or panels. And cockpit detail? Ha, de rigeur was a pilot figure, a crude seat, and a cockpit wall protrusion to glue the seat to. Not that it mattered as little could be seen through the thick canopies in most kits. Split canopies? You must be joking ...
Painting was restricted to enamels (I could only buy Humbrol) and a hairy stick. A 24 hour wait between coats and the smell of turps (white spirit) dampened any enjoyment. Where I lived in the Antipodes the only kits available were 1/72 scale Airfix and Frog. Most destruc ... er ... instructions comprised a simple exploded view with little help in the actual order of things. My enjoyment came from looking at the completed model. The only enjoyment from the building process came purely from the anticipation of completion.
Advance forward to today and what a difference. While building the Mitsubishi ‘Hamp’ I was in awe of the fine detail provided and the fit of the parts, including an option for either split or closed canopy. Now my enjoyment is predominantly contained to the construction, and since I purchased an airbrush - the painting. I currently have 61 finished models filling two glass display cabinets. Over the past couple of months more than 20 others have been disposed of. I can honestly say that I have never finished a model and been 100% satisfied with it. There is always some feature that could have been done better. But you only learn when things go awry and I certainly have a long way to go even now after 6 decades. At least I don’t make the same mistake twice and keep learning what not to do.
I find it amusing that you can spend more than the value of a kit on 3rd party add-ons. Each to his own. I can’t understand kits that have decent cockpit detail but include a closed canopy that little can be seen through or internal detail that disappears once the model is built. I’m very grateful for all the improvements that have occurred to kits and to the tools that are available to help.
From my dialog with other modellers I realise that the enjoyment from the hobby can be very varied. It’s a great testament that this activity can deliver such a wide range of pleasure.
Recent construction of a 1/72 Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M3 Type 32 caused me to think about the progress of scale aircraft modelling over the past 66 years.
I took up this great hobby at 8 years of age in 1955. Boy, was it quite different to today. No such thing as superglue. Polystyrene cement only came in metal tubes with nozzles so thick it was so difficult to apply small amounts. There were no 3rd party add-on products such as masks, canopies or panels. And cockpit detail? Ha, de rigeur was a pilot figure, a crude seat, and a cockpit wall protrusion to glue the seat to. Not that it mattered as little could be seen through the thick canopies in most kits. Split canopies? You must be joking ...
Painting was restricted to enamels (I could only buy Humbrol) and a hairy stick. A 24 hour wait between coats and the smell of turps (white spirit) dampened any enjoyment. Where I lived in the Antipodes the only kits available were 1/72 scale Airfix and Frog. Most destruc ... er ... instructions comprised a simple exploded view with little help in the actual order of things. My enjoyment came from looking at the completed model. The only enjoyment from the building process came purely from the anticipation of completion.
Advance forward to today and what a difference. While building the Mitsubishi ‘Hamp’ I was in awe of the fine detail provided and the fit of the parts, including an option for either split or closed canopy. Now my enjoyment is predominantly contained to the construction, and since I purchased an airbrush - the painting. I currently have 61 finished models filling two glass display cabinets. Over the past couple of months more than 20 others have been disposed of. I can honestly say that I have never finished a model and been 100% satisfied with it. There is always some feature that could have been done better. But you only learn when things go awry and I certainly have a long way to go even now after 6 decades. At least I don’t make the same mistake twice and keep learning what not to do.
I find it amusing that you can spend more than the value of a kit on 3rd party add-ons. Each to his own. I can’t understand kits that have decent cockpit detail but include a closed canopy that little can be seen through or internal detail that disappears once the model is built. I’m very grateful for all the improvements that have occurred to kits and to the tools that are available to help.
From my dialog with other modellers I realise that the enjoyment from the hobby can be very varied. It’s a great testament that this activity can deliver such a wide range of pleasure.
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