Help! How do I get started?

[planespottersam]

Hello!

I am brand new to this entire world of model collecting, and I've been reading material and watching videos on what I should do to get started... but I thought maybe I'd hop on a forum and ask around, too! One can never have too much information! The first model I got was Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B from Smithsonian... now I'm hooked and I want more.

You should give me a follow and shoot me a message! Let's be friends! Any advice is accepted!

Thanks!
Sam

 

[OscarBravo992]

Hi Sam, welcome to the world of model collecting!

There's loads of different options to choose from, but mostly it will depend on your main collecting interest, budget and available space. Are you interested in military, commercial or GA aircraft, modern or classic aircraft, which geographical regions interest you the most, etc, etc.

There are multiple prominent scales nowadays, and which one you choose will likely be affected by the answers to the above questions. For civilian aircraft, 1/200, 1/400 and 1/500 are the major scales, from largest to smallest (and most expensive to least) respectively. For military and GA aircraft, there are some larger types in the aforementioned scales, however, the majority is in 1/72 and 1/48 scale.

Have a look around on the forum, there's loads of useful stuff here. If you have any specific questions just ask, we would be happy to answer. (I'd love to see a pic of the Vega 5B too, it's such an iconic aircraft! )

 

[IndyJets]

Hello!

I am brand new to this entire world of model collecting, and I've been reading material and watching videos on what I should do to get started... but I thought maybe I'd hop on a forum and ask around, too! One can never have too much information! The first model I got was Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B from Smithsonian... now I'm hooked and I want more.

You should give me a follow and shoot me a message! Let's be friends! Any advice is accepted!

Thanks!
Sam

If you plan to get just a few special models, then a larger scale will allow you to appreciate the fine detail. If you're into variety, a smaller scale is going to be the better route. A lot of us who do 1:400 and 1:500 have selected a particular airport and era to specialize in, and in some cases have actually built a diorama of said airport to display our models. My father and I are working together (I started the collection when I was in high school, 25 years ago... and I moved it to his place for safekeeping when my son was born, and he has continued to expand it) on a collection focused on mainline aircraft (no props or RJs) serving Indianapolis in scheduled service over the past 50 years in 1:400, and a terminal and ramp diorama (overall size is 6 feet square, which includes the terminal and ramp plus some surrounding taxiway and runway space).

Where do your interests lie personally?

 

[planespottersam]

Hey! Thanks for the reply
My interests lie in GA and Military, if I'm being honest! Also- the airport sounds awesome and I definitely will look into that.

 

[IndyJets]

Hey! Thanks for the reply
My interests lie in GA and Military, if I'm being honest! Also- the airport sounds awesome and I definitely will look into that.

For GA and fighters, 1:72 is a great scale. For bombers and transports, those are more on the scale of airliners so you'll want to go with 1:144 or smaller.

This forum is focused on airliners specifically, but www.diecastaircraftforum.com (where several of us here also hang out) has sections just for GA and military. I hope to see you there!

 

[planespottersam]

Yay! Thank you so much

 

[Irish]

Hey! Thanks for the reply
My interests lie in GA and Military, if I'm being honest! Also- the airport sounds awesome and I definitely will look into that.

GeminiJets has some really nice 1/72 Cessnas, Cirrus, and Piper aircraft. They also focus on 1/400 and 1/200 military like C-130s, C-17s, you name it (excluding fighter jets). If you want to do an airport I would look into 1/200 fighter jets and/or the 1:400 military from GJ (keep in mind NG has some great ones too!) If you look up Aviation18 on youtube he has some really good examples of how the 1:200 fighters look and which brands to get. They are also decently small but still beautifully detailed which will allow for an airport to be done without having to be extremely large.