Inspiration: Bob Steinbrunn

I’ve met many excellent modelers in my 30 years in the hobby and seen the work of hundreds online and in print, but there are a handful that have truly inspired me, whose techniques, craftsmanship, or approach to the hobby shaped the modeler I am today. This is the first of a series of articles to acknowledge their contributions to my participation in this wonderful hobby.

You may not recognize Bob Steinbrunn’s name, but he’s been building models for more than 30 years. I saw his work in early 1985 when he published his first article in FineScale Modeler. He described his build of the old Monogram T-6 Texan, eliminating what semblance there was of detail in the cockpit and superdetailing it using basic modeling techniques and sheet plastic; the result was a cockpit that looked better than any of the resin aftermarket alternatives on the market today. He extended the same treatment to other areas of the model, such as the landing gear bays, flaps, and engine. He followed up this article with many others over the years, focusing mostly on 1/48 WW2 aircraft.

A selection of Bob Steinbrunn's articles in FineScale Modeler.

Bob’s articles showed the modeling community what you can do with simple materials and a bit of skill. I’m convinced that the scratchbuilding he showed in FSM sparked the origin of the cottage industry as we know it today. Modelers saw his work and wanted the same results (albeit without the commitment of time at the bench), and we now buy photoetch detail, resin cockpits, and aftermarket detailing parts from dozens of aftermarket companies. This was a turning point in the hobby.

Bob eventually moved on from aircraft, turning his attention to armor – scratchbuilding a 1/6 scale M5A1 Stuart, which is documented in a book he published in 2011 – and ships – such as a mostly scratchbuilt 1/192 scale USS Kidd. Bob is modeler par excellence, and I often think about his modeling as I hone my own humble skills. His modeling reminds me that I don’t have to buy expensive aftermarket to detail my models. If I had to pick a favorite modeler, Bob Steinbrunn would be that man.

Read more about other inspiring modelers.

Is your stash complete?

We modelers like to brag about the size of our stashes. We toss out those big numbers and laugh at the newbies among us who think that their collection of 40 kits is a lot. There’s even a Facebook group where I can show you mine and you can show me yours. But is there a point when you can officially declare that you have everything you want?

I think I can say that I do.

I’ve maintained a wish list in Dropbox for many years, which I’ve continually updated with the kits, aftermarket, decals, and books that I’m looking for. Dropbox has an app for the iPhone, so I can pull up that list when I visit hobby shops, browse the vendor rooms at IPMS contests, or search listings on eBay. Slowly, very slowly, I’ve removed items as I found them. When I looked at the list yesterday I realized there wasn’t anything left that is inherently hard to find left. I’m…done?

Not quite. There will always be models and related products that I want to buy. What’s left in my wish list are the items, some kits but mostly aftermarket, that I think I need for future projects. For example, I bought Valom’s new 1/72 RF-101C, but I have not yet picked up the F-101A and C variants. I have only one of Valom’s four Navions. I’m patiently waiting for the Hobby Boss SS-23 Spider to drop significant below the $95-111 price point that I see. And there are many Aires exhausts, Armory missiles and bombs, and Eduard sets for kits I already have. But in terms of “rare” models, I have everything I want.

It’s taken a long time to get to this point. I wanted an Airfix/MPC C-130 for a long time but was intent on finding one sealed (too many parts that could otherwise go missing); I finally found one at a hobby shop a couple of years ago. When I realized Sword’s P-80A had become difficult to find and that I didn’t have one (oh, the horror!) I saved a search on eBay and eventually won one. When I was more intensely engaged with figures years ago I longed for Kirin’s 120mm Highlander and happened to find one at an IPMS contest. I didn’t spend a fortune to acquire any of these. I tempered my eagerness with patience.

The internet and particularly eBay have leveled the playing field. Very few models are truly “rare” these days, despite the overuse of the word in eBay listings and the occasional IPMS vendor who proclaims everything on his table as such. Every time I was outbid on models that I sought over the years, I reminded myself that eventually — maybe not today, maybe not this year, but eventually — another one will show up.

I share my experience because I want those of you who are seeking your holy grail (and who doesn’t have one…or five) that this day will come for you, too. In the meantime, build and enjoy what you have, and remember, as I remind myself every day, that your happiness is not contingent upon acquiring or building any one particular model.

Why we build what we build

Why do you build what you build? It’s easy to answer, “Because I like German fighters from the Second World War,” or whatever it is that drives your interests, but dig deeper and ask yourself that question again.

A friend and I recently had a conversation about what kits in our respective stashes we’d be willing to sell if, for some reason, we absolutely had to. Or, put another way, which kits would you most definitely keep if you had to downsize?

My strongest interest is Cold War military aviation, if only because those are the aircraft I saw growing up in the 80s. I build older and newer subject matter as well, but mostly for a change of pace. A guy can paint only so much European One schemes before getting bored! For me that in-person experience with those aircraft is what created an affinity for building scale models of them. If I haven’t seen an aircraft in-the-flesh, it probably won’t be a favorite subject when I make a purchase or think about my next project. I wrote about the Ryan Navion last month, but there are other examples.

As I look back over 30-40 years of interest in aviation, I understand now why certain models in my stash will never be the victim of a downsizing.

I saw my first F-16 in 1982 at an open house at MacDill AFB. The 56th Tactical Training Wing was transitioning from the F-4 Phantom to this new airplane, so it holds a special place in my mind. That one of my high school friends became an F-16 pilot 10 years later only reinforces my interest in the jet.

An F-16 of the 56th TTW.

Several years later I spent a week at a Tyndall AFB Civil Air Patrol summer encampment. The organizers paired each cadet for an afternoon with active duty personnel who were performing the jobs we were interested in. They didn’t have pilots available, so I spent the afternoon with an F-106 crew chief with the now-inactive Air Defense Weapons Center. That aircraft isn’t the most interesting modeling subject, but it’s one that I intend to build sooner than later. (I started the Monogram kit that summer, but some construction mistakes on my part doomed the project.)

I’ve always liked the B-25. One was stored at a nearby airport for a number of years, and I had the chance to fly in one when I was 13 or 14. I have two Hasegawa kits in the stash, and I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to buy the 1/32 HK Models kit. Some day….

That's me, just before my flight!

I love the UH-1. Going back to my high school days again, I flew in a UH-1P several times thanks to orientation flights offered by the 56th TTW. If there’s one “ultimate” model I’d like to build in my lifetime, it’s a super-detailed 1/32 UH-1P.

That's me, the skinny kid in the flight suit behind the crew chief.

Fast-forward a few years and you’ll find me a young buck serving a four-year enlistment in the Air Force…flying a desk. The unit I was assigned to supported, among others, the F-15E System Program Office, the organization responsible for the overall procurement and management of the F-15E. It’s no surprise then, that the Strike Eagle is special to me, too. That and a high school friend was a crew chief on the C model with the 33rd TFW around the same time.

Hasegawa 1/72 F-15E in my stash.

These connections to aircraft, armor, ships, and vehicles — no matter how tenuous — are what give passion to the models we build. When I see modelers posting to the forums telling us they’re burnt out or don’t know what to build, my response is always the same: Build what excites you the most. Look back what inspired you from the beginning and pick up where you left off.

Interview with a 747 pilot

Slate hosts an podcast called Working, which consists of a series of 30-60 minute interviews with people have interesting jobs. You’ll find interviews with people who run a Japanese supermarket, manage a funeral home, and work as a bail bondsman, to share just a few examples.

Of interest to my readers is an interview with a 747 pilot last summer. When I see articles or podcasts about aviation in the general media I usually skip them, because more often than not they’re intended for an audience that that little knowledge of aircraft, so the conversation tends to be dumbed down. This podcast is an exception. The 45 minute interview -- most of it recorded in the cockpit of the airplane -- is very interesting, and I think you’ll enjoy it, too. Although I could’ve used a little more detail here and there, I learned quite a lot about the experience of flying the 747.

Of course now I want to build a model of a 747!

All good things to those who wait

When you’re an aviation enthusiast growing up in a small town you enjoy whatever airplanes happen to be nearby. For me that was a dozen or so Cessnas and Beechcraft at the local airport. Every time I drove by I’d scan the grass flightline with the hope of seeing something new and interesting tied down awaiting its moment to take to the skies.

My favorite inhabitant was an old, white Ryan Navion. It was quite unusual sitting among its smaller brethren, and I grew fond of it. You may know that it was designed by North American for the civilian market after World War Two but was eventually manufactured by Ryan and eventually saw service as the L-17. It is one of the most macho looking civilian aircraft I've ever seen. If I were a private pilot, this is the airplane I'd own.

As a modeler I looked for a model of the Navion and found that only Lindberg had made a crude kit a thousand years ago. Not something for the serious modeler.

I always remained hopeful that I would see a kit of the Navion but knew it was beyond even a long shot. My hope took the form of cheeky quips on Hyperscale and ARC over the years -- nine years ago telling Jake Reid that his next book should be on the L-17 Navion, once proclaiming the Navion as the best aircraft that ever flew, and making the claim that the Navion is only prop-driven airplane that could shoot down an F-16.

Meanwhile one of the most popular topics of conversations on the forums has always been wish lists, and I’ve always mentioned the Navion, always with the thought that I’d never see one.

Fast forward too many years, and here I am holding the new Valom 1/72 Navion!

I shouldn’t be surprised. A year ago I opined here on Scale Model Soup that the manufacturers might run out of subject matter in 10 years, estimating that we could see 500 new 1/72 aircraft, 500 new 1/48 aircraft, and 750 new 1/35 tanks and soft skin vehicles by 2025. And guess what. I even mentioned the L-17 Navion in that post!

I share my excitement about finally getting a model of this unusual aircraft only to suggest that if you wait long enough, if you’re patient, you may eventually get your wish. I know we’re an impatient bunch of guys, but the good news is we have plenty of models to build while we wait.

Stop creating Facebook groups!

When Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to the West sometime around 1440 it was a revolution in mass communication. Within years, anyone with access to a printing press could disseminate his ideas, no matter how prescient or cockamamie they might be, to hundreds or thousands of people. Similar revolutions occurred with the invention of the radio and television and when Al Gore invented the Internet. Today anyone with an Internet connection and a Google account care publish a blog and spew all kinds of crazy ideas. And yes, I count myself among those who believe we have something interesting to say.

Most recently, hoodie-wearing hipster and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has made it even easier for any yahoo to gather likeminded enthusiasts using a Facebook group that can be created with a single click of a mouse. His minions of programmers have gone so far as to proactively suggest groups that you might create! (Suggested to me this weekend was “Friends Who Like Trumpeter & HobbyBoss.")

But before you click that Create button, please take this suggestion: Stop creating Facebook groups!

Here’s the thing. There are too many groups. They overlap each other, share the same content, or dilute the content that’s out there. We've gone too far. There are even groups for Internet forums, discussions about discussions, if you will. It's all so...meta. Let’s take a look at the insanity that’s out there right now.

Note: I’ve retained the oddball capitalization and spelling of all of the groups you’ll see below.

Maybe you’re one of my favorite types of modelers, the kind that builds anything and everything. There’s no shortage of what I would consider generalist Facebook groups; I found roughly 25 with a quick search. Two are informally branded with the Facebook name, Facebook Scale Modellers and Facebook Scale Model Society. Four make it clear they’re all about plastic scale models, lest some capricious fool confuse them with groups whose focus is say, paper models: The Plastic Scale Model Making Group, Plastic Scale Modelers Group, Plastic Scale Models, and Plastic Scale Model Builders. Scale models is the focus of these seven groups:

Scale Modeling Tips, Tricks and Advice

Scale Modeling Workshop

Scale Modelers

Scale Model Society

Scale Model Kit Review

Scale Model Hobbiest

I can only infer from the names of Military In Miniature and Scale Military Models that cars and things without guns are of no interest to their members. Two – The Scale Modelers Critique Group and Accuracy in Scale Modeling: Rivet Counters Unite – I assume,are intended for those who take the hobby a little more seriously than the rest of us. For those who still feel a childlike enthusiasm for the hobby, “I Love Scale Models" (with quotes) looks appealing. Hippies might be enticed by Hobby Beat for scale modelers. If you're among those who incorrectly consider scale modeling to be art, you’ll probably appreciate what the artists in Painting Scale Models With Light have to say, but let's pray your workshop doesn't lose power. If you’re the kind of modeler who needs a pair of OptiVISOR to distinguish a 1/32 F-16 exhaust can from a coffee cup, check in with Old-timers and newbees scale plastic model and The Grumpy Old Scale Modelers Group.

Speaking of old guys, if you realize you’re too old to build all those models in your stash, or if your dementia suggests you have plenty of time, you’re sure to find a bargain in one of these groups:

Scale Model Trader

Scale Model Raffle

Military Model Sell and Trade Area

Military Model Graveyard 

Plastic Scale Models and Hobby Auction

1/32 Scale Model Truck Buy/Sell/Trade

ANYTHING GOES HOBBY AUCTION

Plastic Scale Models For Sale & Swap U.K.

“But I like building only aircraft models,” you say. “Is there anything for me on Facebook?” Friend, do I have options for you! There’s Plastic Scale Model Aircraft, Aircraft scale modeling, and Scale model planes…for passion. If you want to be assured of communicating with modelers from around the world, International Plastic Scale Aircraft Modelers seems appropriate. If you don’t want to be bothered with pictures of boring old Cessna 152s and slick airlines, there’s the Combat Aircraft - Scale Model Builder Group. Do you focus on large scale aircraft? There’s 1/32 Scale Plastic Model Airplanes. Too big, you say? Try 1/48 Scale Plastic Model Airplanes instead.

If you’re into World War Two aircraft, there’s no shortage of options. Look for Scale Model Fighters & Trainers of WWII, but hear me now and believe me later...don’t even think about posting a picture of a bomber! (The gall of some people!) If that’s your thing, join Scale model Medium/heavy Bombers of WWII and talk about B-17s and Lancasters to your heart's content. If you like meatballs, someone has kindly created Scale Model WW2 Japanese Aircraft. If 1/72 scale is too small and 1/48 scale too large, 1/48 scale WWII model aircraft is just what you need. If you can list the inaccuracies of the Dragon and Eduard 1/32 Bf-109s, you’ll be among friends in Large Scale Luftwaffe Modelers.

If you like aircraft that saw combat in your lifetime, how about Scale Model Cold War - Modern or Fighter/Strike/Interceptor Trainer jets, or Aircraft of the Cold War, Cold War Model Making & Photos or Cold War Soviet Aircraft?

Maybe you’re a brand loyal kind of guy: Scale Model Grumman Iron Works and Scale Models of Lockheed’s greats. My mother briefly worked for the former, so I should probably join.

“But I’m from South Africa,” says the guy from Pretoria. You’re in luck! Look for Scale Model Aircraft Fanatix South Africa. His friend a few continents over might join ModelArt Australia or Scale Model Builders (Australia).

Do you like the F-4 Phantom? Of course you do. You’re in luck! There are nearly a dozen groups dedicated to this venerable old fighter, where modelers and enthusiasts like you share photos and stories. Here they are, in case you need a little direction:

The F-4 Phantom II

The F-4 Phantom’s Group

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

McDonnell Douglas F-4 “Phantom II”

F-4 Phantom Apprciation Group

British F-4 Phantom Aviation Group

Phantom FG1/FGR2 and F4J(UK) Group

McDonnell Douglas Phantom plastic modelers

USMC F-4 Phantoms

F-4 / QF-4 Phantom

Friends of the RAAF F-4E Phantom II

“I build tanks,” explains the guy wearing the AMPS “Tanks for the Memories” t-shirt. May I suggest AMPS’s own group, Armor Modeling and Preservation Society with its 1,800 members, or The Armor Journal: Scale Modeling Group or Military Truck and Half Track Scale Modeling? If you’re trendy, you should belong to 1/48 Armor Modelling.

Armor modelers with a penchant for a specific era might look to Modeling WWII, Pacific War Armor Modelling Interest Group, or going way back, the The Great War/First World War Armor Model and Discussion group. Fans of Soviet armor like me belong to the Sovetsaya Bronya - Soviet Armor Modeling Group or Soviet/Russian Scale modeling.

If you’re into German armor of World War Two, there are groups to quench your thirst for Panzerspähwagens and Heuschreckes. It’s all about the panzer at The Panzer Page, Panzer Model, Panzer Fakten, and Tanks and Panzers in Focus. Other groups are more specialized, such as these two groups for the Panther: Panzer Kampfwagen V Panther Medium Tank and (Sd.Kfz.171.)Pz.Kpfw.V. “Panther.” Others are similarly focused, such as TIGER KING TIGER JAGDPANTHER PANTHER (looks like someone's caps lock key is stuck), The Armor Journal Medium Panzer-III and –IV, and Tiger Panzer and other tanks & places.

If you’re interested in more recent conflicts, how about Modeling the Vietnam War or the Vietnam Allies & Adversaries Scale Model Group? Or Military Vehicles of the Syrian Civil War or the Syrian Army (1945-present) special interest group?

There are even groups dedicated to scale models of one manufacturer:

AMK (Avantgarde) Model Builders

Bandai 1/48 Military Scale Models

Monogram Scale Models

TAMIYA FUJIMI AOSHIMA Model Kit

WingNut Wings Fans

Airfix Modelling Club

ITALERI

And may the gods save us, Hasegawa EggPlanes. Seriously. This is not a joke.

Do you want to show photos of your workspace to make other modelers jealous or show off your stash and entice geeky thieves? Look for Modeling Man Cave or Scale Modeling Work Spaces.

So there you have it, roughly 90 groups to meet your every need. So the next time you think about creating a new group, think twice. Look around for one that's close to your idea. I can appreciate your special affection for the De Havilland Vampires of 45 Squadron of the Indian Air Force circa the Indo-Pakistani War, but do you really need a new group for that? Do you reckon that maybe the existing De Havilland Vampire Appreciation Society group might meet your needs? I bet it does.

Wine and models

In my 2015 year-end review, I briefly mentioned my interest in wine. I started teaching myself about it about 20 years ago when I was on a date and mistakenly ordered a glass of white wine that I thought was red. I’ve entertained that interest off and on over the years and got back into it when my fiancée and I realized we shared the same interest in all things grapes. A vacation to Napa in November kicked it off in earnest.

As you might imagine there are a huge number of blogs and discussion groups related to wine, and I’ve been reading them in between my daily checks of Hyperscale, ARC, and Missing Links. I was pleasantly surprised to find at least one similarity between wine and scale modeling, that oenophiles collect more wine than they can drink just as we buy more models than we can build!

This thread on the Wine Berserkers forum highlighted other, similar problems that we face as scale modelers. Here are a few lessons these wine enthusiasts learned last year that we might scale modelers should consider as well. Replace wine with model and drink with build, and you'll see that they might as well be talking about us.

• I still allow others' opinions to influence too much of my purchases.

• If you order a bunch of wine, you are going to outgrow your storage.

• If you order a bunch of wine, you need to start drinking more.

• I get more enjoyment from sharing wine with curious and grateful friends with limited wine knowledge than with fellow cognoscenti who fuss over and dissect every nuance of the wine.

• Drink your good wine. You may go to the doctor and find out you have a problem you never knew you had. The wine in your collection won't matter if you're dead.

• It's okay to pass on wine sales, even if they are great sales. There will be more.

And my favorite….

• Wine seems to attract people with very strongly held opinions. When some dip starts talking about wine and doesn't have a sense of humor about it, he's someone to avoid.

It’s a small world. Drink wine and build models!