The stash mentality ......

[Chippyminton]

I'm a pretty new member here - and I freely admit that I'm here specifically because of a guy on YouTube named Jim ('Beyond the Sprue') who first alerted me to the fact that a previously-unknown-to-me manufacturer (Airscale) had a 1/32 Dornier Do17Z in the pipeline. My story is (I'm sure) a pretty common one - a kid building Airfix kits in the '70's, followed by life in general and a 40-year modelling hiatus, followed by a desire to get back to the glory days of solitude, patience, and creativity - unfettered by inconveniences such as a career, kids, a mortgage and all the rest of it. 

 

Since I'd remembered always being frustrated by the limitations of 1/72 - I decided to tentatively explore LSP's, and a whole world of wonder awaited me. I couldn't believe just how much things had moved on. PE, resin, 3D, acrylic paints ...... just everything imaginable. And most exciting of all - HUGE 1/32 renditions of my all-time favourite aircraft including the He111, Bf110, He219, and Ju88. 

 

I then quickly realised that many of these kits had been OOP for ages. So my initial excuse for a stash was to nab these things on eBay as and when they came up for sale as boxed, complete, unstarted kits. I then also realised that for reasons unknown, various other kits seemed to become unavailable for sometimes extended periods of time (HKM Do335, ZM Ta152H, Takom V2/Hanomag tractor/Meillerwagen). So I decided to nab those, too. And by then - I'd decided to incorporate every aircraft onto a hefty-sized diorama with scenery, figures, vehicles ......  and the 'nab list' search quickly expanded to incorporate OOP trucks, other vehicles, accessories and figures.

 

Although I've been pretty prolific with my builds, I'm posting this, crippled with guilt at the fact that I'm now sitting on 12 kits purchased, but as-yet unstarted. I can hear many of you laughing already at this paltry accumulation ...

 

The first armour kit I built as an accessory/background subject was a 'Mobelwagen' Flakvierling on a Panzer IV chassis, built from a Tamiya kit first produced in 1977. I bought it from an eBay seller who was disposing of her deceased Dad's stash. She had close to 500 listings - with this kit featuring yellowed instructions, unusable decals and so on. A 49-year-old timewarp in a faded box. It went together beautifully.

 

I'd love to hear your stories. How many? How old? Why? When (if ever) will they get built?

 

 

 

[Out2gtcha]

It is indeed a rare privilege to have a manufacturer here as a posting, regular member.

 

As to stash......I have attempted to narrow my focus as far as collecting (as we all know collecting and building kits are not necessarily the same hobby), as I have most of my LSP wants but with the advent of 3D printing and companies like AirScale, its impossible to resist certain subjects.

At this point in my life, I have the disposable income, and you never know what the future holds......so when I see something I actually want in 1/32 scale, I generally just buy it.

 

Current stash is tracked in an .xls file but I've not added it all up.

[Duncan Doenitz]

Welcome back to the hobby. I returned almost 50 years on and the one great lesson is that YouTube is your friend. The Airfix 1:24 Spitfire was the inspiration and it goes together like a dream. The major differences 50 years on are in no particular order...

 

The science of cement.

Airbrushing and pre-shading

Masking and stencils - both commercial and home made. The joy of making your own for insignia is terrific.

After market. The job's not done until the cost of the belts, barrels, alternative markings, wheels, payload equals the cost of the kit.

Panel lines and oil washes

Paint including an endless range of metallics and lacquers

 

I've undoubtedly missed a few but the hobby is vast compared to a 1970s tube of glue, humbrol and a brush.

[Out2gtcha]

The ol adage of "this is not your father's......." definitely applies to modeling and it's current abundance of new technologies and techniques.