FanFlieger2014
New member
Hello everyone!
I just found this forum and immediately signed up, because I have an important question on my mind and would love to hear your opinions.
First, however, I’d like to briefly introduce myself (you can skip this blue paragraph if you want):
I’m from Germany, and ever since I was a child I’ve been interested in airplanes, but also in many other things. Still, I think airplanes have fascinated me the most consistently throughout my life. In the beginning, back in the 1980s, I collected 1:600 models from Schabak as a child (which, from today’s perspective, were of rather dreadful quality). As a young adult, around the turn of the millennium, I discovered the 1:500 models from Herpa and other manufacturers, which offered a completely different level of quality. Within a few years I collected almost 50 models in that scale, nearly every commercial aircraft type of my lifetime. Then came the summer of 2014. Germany won the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Even though I’m not a huge football fan, it was a fantastic event for me. The day after the victory, the German national team was flown home on a Fanhansa 747-8 that had been specially decorated with the golden lettering “Siegerflieger” (“Victory Flyer”). I immediately knew that I had to have that 747-8. However, the 1:500 scale didn’t seem worthy enough to celebrate that event. So I ordered the model in 1:200. (The manufacturer Herpa had announced it immediately – it was made of plastic.) Well, soon it became clear that it wouldn’t stop with just that one airplane – after all, I’m interested in airplanes and not necessarily in football.
Today, almost 12 years later, I own 95 die-cast metal models in 1:200 scale from JC Wings, Gemini Jets, Inflight and others. About 18 of them are duplicates in terms of aircraft type or variant that I keep for variation, so in practice I display around 77 different aircraft types or variants.
But now I’ll get to my question:
Only a few months ago, I believe, JC Wings released the Boeing 747-8i “Fanhansa / Siegerflieger” (Lufthansa), registration D-ABYI. Of course I bought the model, since until then I only had the plastic version from Herpa. Thanks to a good offer, I’ve now purchased a second copy.
And this brings me to the point:
I will probably soon have the opportunity to meet the player who scored the only goal in the 2014 World Cup final, Mario Goetze. He is still playing here in Frankfurt. His goal is essentially the reason why this "Siegerflieger" exists. Now I’m considering asking him to sign one of the two models I have, perhaps on the wing. The question I’m asking myself is whether this would turn the model into an even more desirable collector’s item, or whether I would simply be ruining it.
Of course I would document it with photos or video to prove that he actually signed it himself. But what do you think: if someone is a fan of the model and associates it with the World Cup victory and therefore inevitably also with Mario Goetze, would the signed model be something special? Or do you feel that using a model airplane as a "surface" for a signature is inappropriate? I would really appreciate your opinions. You might say: "You have to decide for yourself whether you like it." And that’s true. But I think I will keep the unsigned model for myself. The other one I might sell someday, of course profitably to someone who truly appreciates it – assuming they appreciate signed models.
By the way: My 77 different models are displayed in three glass cabinets. The "Siegerflieger", however, will receive a special place under its own display cover. On the base it stands on, there will be a text I wrote myself. It guides the reader from the World Cup final and the decisive goal, through the Fanhansa campaign and the golden special livery (which remained on the aircraft for four years), to the historical significance of the Boeing 747 and its gradual disappearance from the skies, as well as Lufthansa’s role as the largest remaining operator, based in Frankfurt – which also happens to be the city where Mario Goetze still plays today. I spent quite some time working on this text, so it feels like a fortunate coincidence that I might actually get the chance to meet him. For that reason, personally, for my model I would actually prefer to have him sign the base plate instead.
But as I said: what do you think about a signed model? Is that something people do, or is it just defacing it?
Thanks for your comments!
I just found this forum and immediately signed up, because I have an important question on my mind and would love to hear your opinions.
First, however, I’d like to briefly introduce myself (you can skip this blue paragraph if you want):
I’m from Germany, and ever since I was a child I’ve been interested in airplanes, but also in many other things. Still, I think airplanes have fascinated me the most consistently throughout my life. In the beginning, back in the 1980s, I collected 1:600 models from Schabak as a child (which, from today’s perspective, were of rather dreadful quality). As a young adult, around the turn of the millennium, I discovered the 1:500 models from Herpa and other manufacturers, which offered a completely different level of quality. Within a few years I collected almost 50 models in that scale, nearly every commercial aircraft type of my lifetime. Then came the summer of 2014. Germany won the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Even though I’m not a huge football fan, it was a fantastic event for me. The day after the victory, the German national team was flown home on a Fanhansa 747-8 that had been specially decorated with the golden lettering “Siegerflieger” (“Victory Flyer”). I immediately knew that I had to have that 747-8. However, the 1:500 scale didn’t seem worthy enough to celebrate that event. So I ordered the model in 1:200. (The manufacturer Herpa had announced it immediately – it was made of plastic.) Well, soon it became clear that it wouldn’t stop with just that one airplane – after all, I’m interested in airplanes and not necessarily in football.
Today, almost 12 years later, I own 95 die-cast metal models in 1:200 scale from JC Wings, Gemini Jets, Inflight and others. About 18 of them are duplicates in terms of aircraft type or variant that I keep for variation, so in practice I display around 77 different aircraft types or variants.But now I’ll get to my question:
Only a few months ago, I believe, JC Wings released the Boeing 747-8i “Fanhansa / Siegerflieger” (Lufthansa), registration D-ABYI. Of course I bought the model, since until then I only had the plastic version from Herpa. Thanks to a good offer, I’ve now purchased a second copy.
And this brings me to the point:
I will probably soon have the opportunity to meet the player who scored the only goal in the 2014 World Cup final, Mario Goetze. He is still playing here in Frankfurt. His goal is essentially the reason why this "Siegerflieger" exists. Now I’m considering asking him to sign one of the two models I have, perhaps on the wing. The question I’m asking myself is whether this would turn the model into an even more desirable collector’s item, or whether I would simply be ruining it.
Of course I would document it with photos or video to prove that he actually signed it himself. But what do you think: if someone is a fan of the model and associates it with the World Cup victory and therefore inevitably also with Mario Goetze, would the signed model be something special? Or do you feel that using a model airplane as a "surface" for a signature is inappropriate? I would really appreciate your opinions. You might say: "You have to decide for yourself whether you like it." And that’s true. But I think I will keep the unsigned model for myself. The other one I might sell someday, of course profitably to someone who truly appreciates it – assuming they appreciate signed models.
By the way: My 77 different models are displayed in three glass cabinets. The "Siegerflieger", however, will receive a special place under its own display cover. On the base it stands on, there will be a text I wrote myself. It guides the reader from the World Cup final and the decisive goal, through the Fanhansa campaign and the golden special livery (which remained on the aircraft for four years), to the historical significance of the Boeing 747 and its gradual disappearance from the skies, as well as Lufthansa’s role as the largest remaining operator, based in Frankfurt – which also happens to be the city where Mario Goetze still plays today. I spent quite some time working on this text, so it feels like a fortunate coincidence that I might actually get the chance to meet him. For that reason, personally, for my model I would actually prefer to have him sign the base plate instead.
But as I said: what do you think about a signed model? Is that something people do, or is it just defacing it?
Thanks for your comments!
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