# Any other model builders on the SDMB? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063 "2008-09-24T21:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/41 "2008-09-26T04:04:14Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Where are y’all buying plastic aircraft models and rockets? I’d pick up the plastic models at various hobby shops. (Hobby shops usually have higher-quality kits than variety stores.) I like Tamiya and Airfix, but I have Revell and Monogram too. (Monogram reminds me of when I was a kid.) For the rockets I like the vintage ones. The Astron Sprint is my favourite. (You can get them from [Pimp Daddy Rocketry](http://www.pdrocketry.com/rockets/49.HTM). I also like the old balsa-nosed Alpha. A few of my rockets (a couple of Sprints and an Alpha) I’ve just had around for decades. Other vintage kits I bought on eBay. And I have a few rockets from PDR. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/42 "2008-09-26T04:05:27Z")
> [@Some\_FNG](#): > > To me, it means that one is a hardcore badass. A person that doesn’t need a kit or instructions, just some photos and maybe a blueprint or technical manual. > Any and all possible materials are free game, but generally styrene plastic stock, brass sheets and tubes, filling putty and some superglue. > > People like me _assemble_ their models, scratchbuilders _make_ their models. You kind of edge into scratchbuilding sideways. You look at some kit item, and you say to yourself, “Well, I could add a couple bolt heads to this fuel pump and it’d look a lot more realistic”, and it looks pretty good, so then when you find out that there’s no frame that’ll fit under your t-bucket properly, you feel confident enough to get out some strip styrene and start cutting and gluing, and before you know it you’re looking at a painting or an illustration and thinking, “Heck, I could do that. It’d take some lathe work, but that lathe work on the last project turned out okay, and this isn’t much more complicated. And I wonder how I’m going to build that bit. Hmmmm; maybe I could use that plastic stuff they make porch railings out of…” It really stretches your creativity and builds your confidence. Very fulfilling. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/43 "2008-09-26T05:48:48Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Where do you get the balsa kits from? > > I used to build balsa airplanes as a kid and quite fancied doing it again but unfortunately here in the UK I can’t find a balsa supplier I have ordered stuff from [Free Flight Supplies](http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/conform-wrap-ms) in the UK before, Mike is a very nice fellow to do business with; he has a nice selection of good quality balsa and supplies, although the kits he sells are mostly competition models. For kits, [Sams Models](http://www.samsmodels.com/) has a very good reputation among the Free Flight model community. I build model airplanes from scratch, when I have the time… So not often. The last model I built is a R/C seaplane based on the Porco Rosso plane in the eponymous anime movie, [here you can see it.](http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832454&page=5&highlight=porco+rosso). Be sure to go to the first page to see how scratch building is made! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/44 "2008-09-26T05:52:17Z")
By the way, **Rocketeer** , fantastic stuff mate! ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/45 "2008-09-26T13:09:33Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > …I build model airplanes from scratch, when I have the time… So not often. > The last model I built is a R/C seaplane based on the Porco Rosso plane in the eponymous anime movie, [here you can see it.](http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832454&page=5&highlight=porco+rosso). Be sure to go to the first page to see how scratch building is made! 😃 What a cutie! You mention it was tail-heavy–have you fixed that yet? And how did you fix it? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/46 "2008-09-26T15:43:08Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > What a cutie! You mention it was tail-heavy–have you fixed that yet? And how did you fix it? Not fixed yet, worse, I managed to prang it pretty good and broke the wing support structure (bad engineer in my parta actually). In fact I´m looking forward to build a new, improved version soon… some day. :dubious: However, talking about hypotheticals, what I would have done to fix the balance would had been to move the tail surface servos further forward, now they are on the cockpit opening, I could move them into the same compartment as the receiver and battery and that should remove any tail heaviness. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/47 "2008-09-26T16:01:30Z")
For my giant robot action, [www.imageanime.com](http://www.imageanime.com) is local to me in NY. If they don’t have it, like everyone else [www.hlj.com](http://www.hlj.com) Hobbylinks Japan is full of allll sorts of neat shinies. For my 40K work, Forgeworld or a gaming store, plus, well, spare bits. And legos. And Zoids bits. And power supplies from computers. And styrene and some putty… I don’t scratchbuild, but I do convert and improve a bit. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063/48 "2008-09-26T16:33:26Z")
I’m working on a model of HMS Hood right now. I think my next project will be Bismarck. Maybe late one night, Bismarck will blow up Hood. After that I’m going to get more ambitious and go to 1:350 scale, probably one of the big Iowa-class battleships, or maybe that lovely Yamato set Tamiya makes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-other-model-builders-on-the-sdmb/465063.md?page=2)