eBay insanity

Spend more than five minutes searching or browsing the plastic model categories on eBay and you’ll run across all kinds of quixotic listings — so called “rare” models, prices that will literally make you LOL, kits in various stages of assembly or disrepair, and shipping fees so high that Kate Upton should deliver the item directly to your doorstep. eBay has long been a source of amusement to many of us, and at my suggestion several years ago the host of the Aircraft Resource Center even created the The Ridiculously Overpriced Thread to share noteworthy listings.

You can read through that thread, but here are a few items I’ve found on eBay over the last few months that made me chuckle.

This Tu-2 was listed as master modell tupolew tu-2 1/72 model plane partially assembled. The absence of capital letters would suggest that the seller's Shift key was broken, but oddly enough the item description was in ALL CAPs. Nevermind that, you’ve had nearly six months to buy this model, so what are you waiting for? On a positive note, since it's partially built, you won't have to spend much time turning it into a masterpiece to win the Judges' Grand Award at the IPMS Nats this summer. Priced at only $19.99.

It’s no secret that decals can truly become rare and hard to find. And expensive when you can find them. I noticed these worn, yellowed ESCI decals back in December for the low, low price of $20. Apparently the seller doesn't realize that no one has used ESCI decals since Jimmy Carter was President. Hey, at least shipping was free.

Who in the hell is buying incomplete models? Okay, maybe one or two of you are gamblers, but I'm not taking a chance that some key component, like a wing, might be missing. But if you're willing to take that chance, you may be interested in this P-38, which the seller described as Revell P-38J Lightning Model Set 1:48 Scale Might Be Incomplete. At least he’s honest, but someone should tell him that you can find complete kits for less than the $19.99 Buy It Now of this mess. I have to wonder if the seller has asked himself why it hasn’t sold in the six months it’s been listed.

As always my friends, bid often, bid high, or buy it now!

Mosquitocon 2016 - 25 years strong

It’s April in New Jersey, and that can mean only one thing — snow. No, Mosquitocon!

For those of us in the Northeast Mosquitocon is kind of the informal kickoff to the new contest year, and it never fails to disappoint. The NJIPMS crew have this show down to a science. If there are any glitches in their planning and execution, they keep it well hidden from the attendees. If you live within 3-4 hours of Wayne, New Jersey, you really show put this contest on your calendar. This year’s show was the club’s 25th, so expectations were high and they didn't disappoint.

There’s always a balanced mix of aircraft, armor, ships, and automotive entries, as well as the other categories. Here are a few of my favorites from this weekend’s contest.

There was this F6F Hellcat. “Good looking 1/48th build there,” you say. Wrong. It’s the Eduard 1/72 F6F Hellcat with the Aires detail set, Eduard photoetch, and a myriad number of scratchbuilt parts. An incredible example of fine scale modeling, and my favorite entry in the contest.

Another entry that caught my attention was this Italeri 1/72 UH-34D Choctaw. The modeler cut open the clamshell nose to expose the scratchbuilt engine compartment, resin engine, and scratchbuilt exhaust. As you might imagine, the interior was fully detailed as well.

Another favorite of mine, maybe just because it fits into my favorite genre, was this Hobby Boss 1/48 FB-111A. The modeling and finish were absolutely perfect. This is the kind of 1/48 model that can entice me to abandon 1/72 scale, if only for a couple of months.

I also liked the gorgeous 1/48 OA-4M conversion. I believe the modeler combined the Hasegawa TA-4J with the Monogram OA-4M.

If your interests run back to the 1940s, this Tamiya P-47D was a stunner.

Walking over to the armor entries this Takom 1/35 Krupp 420mm cannon. What an impressive piece of artillery!

It’s always great to see new releases on the contest tables, so I was pleased to see this Takom 1/35 T-14 Armata.

One of my favorite naval entries was this Tamiya 1/350 IJN I-400 submarine.

When I was a teenager back in the 80s the Monte Carlo was the car I really wanted to own. In fact, I think the manager of the grocery store where I worked had one, and I was a little more than jealous. Needless to say, this AMT 1/25 1986 Monte Carlo with superdetailed engine was  favorite in the automotive categories.

The modeler of this 1/16 scale Dewback and Sandtrooper jumped on the Star Wars bandwagon and showed us this impressive model. It was quite large.

I’m a sucker for imaginative models and dioramas, so this scratchbuilt 1/35 UFO was a favorite among the attendees.

See you next year!

PS. Take a look back at my reports on the 2014 and 2015 shows here on Scale Model Soup.

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.