The model or the War - the neverending saga of WW1 modelling

[Scotsman]

What came first , the war or the models?

 

As some who isn't that interested in the pre WWII aviation ,(to put it mildly), I've watched the growth of WW1 modelling with fascination , it seems that every 6 weeks or so WNM or Roden or someone else with produce another wonderkit, pushing the boundaries of tool making. Within 3 months every copy of said kit will have vanished off the shelves, and builds of it will abound on line.. its been like this for several years now , and shows no signs of changing .. so I ask my question..

 

If this a manifestation of some long repressed interest in WW1 , where in thousands of modellers secretly longed to work on aircraft of this era, or is it simply the existence of these kits that has prompted a renewed interest in the period, based partly around the anniversary of the start of the conflict last year.

 

Don't get me wrong , I have huge respect for those of you out there that can take a RE8 kit for example , and turn it into a masterpiece , I don't have that skill set , and I don't have the depth of interest in the era to work on developing the necessary skills.

 

I am genuinely interested  since I have no desire to build WW1 aircraft , having neither the interest , or more importantly the skill to do these kits justice , so what is it guys , the kits or the war?

Edited March 25, 2015 by Scotsman

[Old Dog]

My thought is that WNW made WWI aircraft that were more build able by the masses and the  100th anniversary of the conflict has brought a lot more information on the conflict to the forefront.

[Out2gtcha]

WnW..................

ALL WnW for me. I was actually in your same boat Collin..........absolutely NO interest in WWI what-so-ever. To say the LEAST. After Sir Peters company came along it was ALL ABOUT their kits and not necessarily WWI stuff.

 

If it wasnt for Sir Peters company I would have 0 WWI kits in the stash and 0 built. Periord.

[Verbeek]

Same here.

WnW make me love those Great War planes.

[OldTroll]

It's the pre-WW2 aviation history for me - my first non-kit modeling project (in the late 50s as a teenager) was to scratch-build a model of every aircraft in the old Harleyford series of books on WWI.  I did them in 1/72 from balsa and such and probably worked my way through about 50 or so before college interfered.  I view the WNW kits as a fulfillment of a dream - models designed and produced by a company that loves the subject era as much as I do.  As a result, I have a stash of WNW (and Silver Wings and Special Hobby and Planet Models and old Alley Cat) kits that far exceed my remaining time on this planet but, like many of us, I buy what I hope to build, not what I will realistically be able to build.

[williamj]

    There is literally nothing out there comparable to WNW's models at the moment...for me it is the kit,not the war.    Grown with WW II and post war and Korean War as a modeler and never had a serious interest in the "Great War"

       Until we got our hands on a WNW's kit...Then everything changed.  Now there is an interest in WWI aircraft and the stories behind them,,and such stories there are. It was a bit like finding a hidden treasure,a new book,a new tale to tell .

 

       That's about as simple an explanation as I can give for my take on it.

          Tally Ho.

Edited March 25, 2015 by williamj

[Tnarg]

When I first build models, I started with ships and build Revell's sailing ships with all that rigging. I got those for birthdays or Christmas presents. When I started subbing for my friend's paper routes I had some small amount of cash, and wanted the Aurora 1/48 scale WWI kits, but could afford Revell and Airfix 1/72 WWI kits. Rigging them was easier than the ships, and I wasn't so obsessed with detail as I can be now. I did some WWII kits later, but always loved the pre-WWII and even pre-WWI stuff. "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" must have stuck deep in my brain, along with "2001, A Space Odyssey". Or maybe it was that cute French girl in Magnificent Men? That and "The Blue Max", but "Battle of Britain" made me like Hurricanes and Spitfires as well.

 

Flash forward past school and starting a family and I wanted to build aircraft models again. I started with the 30's and Spanish Civil War subjects in addition to the wooden ships I first loved. I was happy even with the crude Eduard first issue 1/48 scale kits because they were better than the 1/72 Airfix kits. I even built the masters for the 1/48 Lohner Flying Boat kit for Mike West at Lone Star Models. Even so, the detail was just below the level I wanted to see.

 

Then came WNW and pushed me way over the edge. I sold all my stash of smaller kits and buy all I can of the WNW kits. Finally, you can see the detail I hoped to create as a kid... too bad I build so slowly, so I will never finish the stash, but at least I can enjoy them on the shelf.

 

I am moving forward on a few (including that bigger Lohner), and have fun with CAD and cutting 2D parts to make what I thought I couldn't do. Maybe that's why I love WWI subjects and have very few airplane models with propellers on the inside (jets). I do like spaceships, so go figure?

 

Tnarg

[ssculptor]

I'd say that the interest in WW1 models was sparked by the fact that we are in the 100th anniversary of that grand global stupidity. That war was something that had to happen, I suppose. Almost all the old monarchies that ruled the "civilized" countries of the west were top heavy with wooden headed royalty, political bosses and military leaders. Most of these people were mired in the old traditions. There wasn't an original thought amongst any of them. So they all went to war to seek glory and ended up butchering millions of fighting men and non-combatant civilians. I believe that is called retroactive birth control. The positive effects of all this moronic activity was that the old monarchies fell and new, more representative governments rose to take their place. But, since the people themselves do not change the old problems reemerged with power struggles still taking place, just under new names So we had Socialistic and Communistic governments exploiting their people, albeit with the intentions of doing good for the common man. The technological advancements would have taken place without the spur of meeting the necessities of the war, It merely would have taken years longer. I just do not think all the technological advancements were worth the life of even one soldier.

But people seem to need something bigger than themselves to fight for because that will give meaning to their lives. So off they go to butcher one another.

Nothing new. Same old story. Then 20 years later we did the whole thing all over again, calling it the Second World War. Sort of an encore. Oh well. WW1  and WW2 were so satisfying that we have been busy killing each other almost continually since 1945.

Kill for Peace.

Stephen

Edited March 25, 2015 by ssculptor

[Jasta 14 addict]

To me, it is the intrest in the technical achievement that where made in the short periode of four years of war.

WNW putted WW 1 airplane models on the map,and together with the 100th anniversary of this war it was mixed together to a very succesfull cocktail of modeling fun for many modellers arround the globe.

 

So in my opinion, and for me, it's the splendid WNW kit's and the very intresting technology of those men in theire flying machines that do the trick.

 

Greetz

 

Danny

[Rick Griewski]

I built 1/72 scale WWI models in the late 1960s as a youngster and read books about the war (balloon busting and the adventures and many times deaths of famous pilots).  My grandfather and mother were history buffs to say the least.  He would for example just rattle off that Goerring was a famous WWI pilot.   One grandfather was in WWI vet.  This was a big influence.  The models were inexpensive, easy to assemble and were painted with bright colors with a brush.  I found most of them intact in a box when I cleaned out the old homestead.  A switch just flipped a few years ago when Roden introduced new kits in 1/32.    I picked up some books and the reading at least is back on for me.  The 100 year disastaversity combined with the internet completes the large distraction. The WNW kits provide the interesting technology angle.

 

Rick

[Bill Cross]

Several reasons:

1. The Centenary of the war has meant more interest in the subject.
2. Some fine documentaries, including World War I and The Great War.
3. "The Blue Max" which was a silly movie but had some grand aerial photography.
4. Snoopy and The Red Baron
5. The sense that WW1 was the last time when individuals could make an impact on air combat (where do you think we get terms like the Immelmann turn?)
6. Visiting Verdun two years ago with my son. Most depressing damn thing I can remember.
7. Great kits: the WNW kits cry out to be built, and the colorful schemes of most WW1 planes are a visual delight.

[ade rowlands]

I had zero interest in First World War models despite having a big interest in reading and or watching anything on the conflict itself. I did buy the WNW Se5 when it first came out but on opening the kit (which had been too close to a broken bottle of some kind of Garlic infused olive oil in transit) I decided to sell the kit on, I think it was the rigging mainly, just looked like a chore. One I wasnt that willing to take on. Then about 2 months ago I was on the Uschi Vander Rosten website ordering some burnishing fluid and wood and leather decals when I came across a rigging how to video, he made it look so simple so off I went to to WNW and got myself the Se5 again and a Fokker DVII F with a DH9 Ninak ordered pretty quickly after the first 2 arrived. Have also just traded my Fisher Sea Fury for an Albatros and Snipe. Yep, been bitten by the bug alright.

[LSP_Ron]

They are still fiddly though, With my Albatross I am now working on, I felt like I needed four hands assembling the engine mount and ribs together and still fit the slots in the fuse for them and it's my second build of the kit too.

[MikeC]

One reason I still model is what I can best describe as "expressing the history", and my interest covers the 20th Century in general.  The 100th anniversary has certainly rekindled a latent interest in WWI (I'm usually more 39-45-focussed), but a number of other things have  contributed:  a holiday in the Somme (Albert) area, not least to pay respects to my Great-Uncle and all the other 70,000-odd names on the Thiepval Memorial; a fascination for the beautiful aeroplanes of the period, which I am fortunate in being able to indulge, living not far from the Shuttleworth Collection, and an hours drive away from the RAF museum with its WWI in the Air exhibition.

 

Finally, I'm also using new (to me) techniques and developing new skills, which has also upped the enthusiasm factor somewhat.

Edited March 26, 2015 by MikeC

[mozart]

I've been exclusively a WWII modeller with my own personal "theme" though having been raised as a boy on the adventures of Biggles I have an interest in WWI as well. When I visited Australia and the War Museum five years ago I was absolutely blown away by the CGI film made by Peter Jackson about the pilots who went on the dangerous balloon-bursting sorties and that, allied with the enthusiasm of WnW modellers here on LSP has convinced me to try a couple. I have the Sopwith Pup ready to go and I've just ordered an SE5a, there's an act of faith for you!

Max