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What non-auto model did you get today?


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Today I received this plane model for free, thanks to a neighbor who works at a thrift store and saves items that are heading to the trash because they're too damaged. In this case, the model had a water-damaged box. Glad it didn't get tossed out, because I plan to build a Star Wars-style speeder out of it!

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5 hours ago, Snake45 said:

They seem to be right on 1/12 scale--for many years I had them exhibited with my 1/12 scale '67 Mustang fastback (who made that--Cox or Wen-Mac or somebody--runs on battery but can be converted to model airplane engine power) and they seemed to fit right in. Today you could put them with a Monogram 1/12 '67 Corvette or '69 Camaro. 

Sure enough, Thomas Graham's Aurora book says the U.N.C.L.E. figures are 1/12 scale.   And so was your Wen-Mac Mustang.  James Bond, like most of the Sixties figures/monsters, is in the bigger 1/8 scale.  I'm sort of surprised Napoleon and Illya aren't 1/8. Maybe because their bases were designed to interlock and create that neat diorama. And doing them in 1/8 would have just been too big.

Several years ago at a kit swap meet, I saw a Polar Lights James Bond kit for $10. I whipped out my wallet and didn't even dicker with the seller. That kit hasn't been issued since 1999, AFAIK. 

It had a neat bonus inside - a resin nameplate, and a resin head that looks a lot better than the one in the kit.  Here's a quick and not very good photo, but I didn't want to unseal the bag it's in. EDIT: Ha! Just noticed that the bag is already ripped by the corner of the nameplate. I'll still leave it alone, since I'm less likely to lose it, if it sort-of stays in the bag.

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Edited by Mike999
goof2
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Local toy show. For the first time, I made a major score on model airplanes. 1/48 Hobbycraft kits of Hawker Sea Fury,  Spanish"Buchon" Bf-109, Czech Avia Bf-109, TWO Hobbycraft VNAF F8F Bearcats, and an Airfix Spitfire 22/24, all brand new and still sealed, for a grand total of $45 (average $7.50 each). Folks, it just don't get much better than that. Boo-ya! B)

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1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Local toy show. For the first time, I made a major score on model airplanes. 1/48 Hobbycraft kits of Hawker Sea Fury,  Spanish"Buchon" Bf-109, Czech Avia Bf-109, TWO Hobbycraft VNAF F8F Bearcats, and an Airfix Spitfire 22/24, all brand new and still sealed, for a grand total of $45 (average $7.50 each). Folks, it just don't get much better than that. Boo-ya! B)

Any photos? Even seeing the unopened boxes would be appreciated. 

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1 hour ago, unclescott58 said:

Any photos? Even seeing the unopened boxes would be appreciated. 

They're still in the car trunk. Haven't had an opportunity to sneak them into the house past The Lovely Mrs. Snake yet. But I'm sure you can see them all on your Google. B)

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5 hours ago, Snake45 said:

They're still in the car trunk. Haven't had an opportunity to sneak them into the house past The Lovely Mrs. Snake yet. But I'm sure you can see them all on your Google. B)

I've never meet Mrs. Snake, but she can't be all that bad that you have to sneak things into the house... On second thought, if they're like some of the women I've been with I the past. Good luck. ?

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Another airplane model came in today's mail. This time it's Williams Bros. 1/32 scale Wendell-Williams Racer. It can be built one of three ways. Being a fan of Roscoe Turner, I plan on building it as his plane, #121 the "Gilmore Red Lion." I love those 1930's racing planes. 

 

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Made an offer on ebay for this Monogram Apollo CSM

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and the seller accepted. I've been wanting to build an accurate scale model of this for the longest time after checking out the info HERE. I also plan on building a 1/32 Lunar Module . Vincent Meens, the guy who runs that page, has created a fantastic selection of 3D-printed parts for both the CSM and LM (complete w/interior) which are available at Shapeways.

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Good news Joe. Thanks for letting me know. There are at least two kits from what you've shown above that I want to add to my collection. The 1/24 scale Gemini. And the 1/96 scale Columbia and Eagle. In the case of the Columbia/Eagle kit, I want to build as shown on the box art of the original release back in 1967. Totally incorrect. But it was the first Apollo kit I built back then. The incorrect version shown on the original Revell '67 box has a simple charm I'd like to replicate. After all it represents the way we thought the real Apollo was going to look like, from reading kids books on the subject, and our Weekly Readers newspapers of the time. Plus, for a correct version of the Columbia and Eagle, I have Dragon Models 1/72 Apollo 11 "Lunar Landing" set.

Edited by unclescott58
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1 hour ago, unclescott58 said:

...our Weekly Readers newspapers of the time. 

Boy THAT brings back memories. I had those. IIRC you "subscribed" at your school for some nominal cost--25c or $1 a school year or something. I don't believe everyone got them, but a lot of us did. 

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1 hour ago, cobraman said:

Austro -Hungarian WW 1 experimental tethered observation helicopter . PKZ-2 . Was said to be of high danger to the observer. I can believe that ! 

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Pretty cool! Roden puts out some interesting subjects.

 

37 minutes ago, Agent G said:

See the source image
 

DX '08, yet. That must've significantly lightened the wallet, Wayne.

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1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Boy THAT brings back memories. I had those. IIRC you "subscribed" at your school for some nominal cost--25c or $1 a school year or something. I don't believe everyone got them, but a lot of us did. 

Yea, I too have very fond memories of the Weekly Reader. 

 

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6 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Pretty cool! Roden puts out some interesting subjects.

 

DX '08, yet. That must've significantly lightened the wallet, Wayne.

Believe it or not, $35.00 from a vendor at Valley Con in Pasadena last Sunday. Jumped right on that as soon as I saw it.  

See the source image
 

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The recent airplane obsession continues. In today's mail I got the Williams Bros. 1/32 scale Gee Bee R-1 Racer. And also the book by Carroll V. Glines, Roscoe Turner, Aviation's Master Showman. A book that is part of the Smithsonian History of Aviation Series. 

The photos below show the Williams Bros. Gee Bee R-1 by itself. And then in comparison to Lindberg's model of the same subject, in supposably the same scale. Naturally the Williams Bros. kit is by far the better of the two. More accurate details. And more details in general. Mainly things like cockpit and engine. What surprises me, is comparing the two kits size wise. I knew the Lindberg kit was big for being 1/32 scale. But, it's really not that much bigger the 1/32 scale Williams Bros. kit. As you can see below. I'm not sure what to make of that? 

 

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Yesterday I showed my latest acquisition, the Williams Bros. 1/32 scale Gee Bee R-1 Racer. I also showed one picture showing how it compared the Lindberg 1/32 scale Gee Bee R-1. If you go back a page or two, you will see that right around two weeks ago, I also acquired the Williams Bros. 1/32 scale Gee Bee "Z" Racer. I thought it might be interesting to see how the two Williams Bros. Gee Bees compare to each other. 

In real life the Gee Bee Z came first in 1931. The very similar Gee Bee R-1 and R-2 came along a year later. The big difference, other than paint colors, that stands out between the Z and the two Rs is the location of the cockpit. The R's cockpits sat right in front of the tail of plane. The Z's cockpit is a little forward of that. The difference between the R-1 and R-2? Basically the engine and engine cowling. R-1 raced under the number 11. R-2, 7. Beyond that, they are pretty close. The Williams Bros. R-1 kit comes with the parts and decals to build it as the R-2. 

As a side note. For those of you who love the Rocketeer movie, like I do. The plane that Howard Hughes gives Cliff at the end of the movie, is a replica of The Gee Bee Z. As dangerous as the Gee Bees could be to fly, neither the original Z, or either R racers still exist. All three being wrecked in accidents. They were very fast planes. But, tough to handle, and killed several of their pilots. And that goes for all Gee Bee models. My question, is why Howard didn't give Cliff a Hughes H-1 in the movie, rather than a Gee Bee built by someone else? 

Back to the Williams Bros. Gee Bee kits. The Gee Bee R-1 is the one molded in the white plastic. The Gee Bee Z, in gray. You can tell these are of for sure the same scale. They compare size wise, very close. The level of detail between the kits is fairly close too. Both easily beating Lindberg Gee Bee in size and detail. Though again, other than being too big for 1/32 scale, looks pretty good. 

One last thing. Last night I decided I needed to add the old Hawk, later Testors 1/48 scale Gee Bee R-1 to my collection. So I ordered one on eBay. If people are interested, I'm willing to show photos comparing that kit to the Williams Bros. and Lindberg R-1 kits, after I get it. 

 

 

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Look what came in today's mail. It's not an airplane kit. This is another one of those kits I've wanted to own for about 50 years, after seeing it as kid. And one I'm sure my mother would never have approved of. So I never got one until now. It's the Polar Lights repop of the Aurora Chamber of Horrors Guillotine. With both a normal and "glow in the dark" victim. Cool! I love it. 

 

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