I've been bitten by the bug again... I've made p-40s, p-51s, Hurricanes and spits in my younger years(pre-teen), but now I would like to line my shelves with obscure planes.... what would you people say are some must haves?

No kits over $50 please, I just don't have the funds. I know I like Revell Germany's stuff, having just built a few of their cars and an ME-262 many moons ago. If you could specify necessary paints and the like too, that would be appreciated (I have sand browns, olive greens and "gull" grays, but would like more accuracy)

Chris - You may wish to give modeling obscure / rare planes at least a second thought. The Rare plane models are usually a little more expensive than the popular ones. A typical price for a 1/72 rare plane (from Valom, KP, or others) is in the range of $40 to $50 (some quite a bit higher), and these kits (most are short run / limited production) require a bit of work and research to produce a representative model. These prices aren't much compared to the hundreds of dollars fellows are paying for 1/48 and 1/32 models now a days, but a little pricey for 1/72 kits.

I like your idea,as I model a lot of rare planes, and I don't want to discourage you, it's fun. If spending a lot of money bothers you (as it does most of us), shop around a little see what's out there, and give it some more thought.

A case that points to the issue : I recently spend $41 for a rare aircraft kit that, when built, very few folks (other than myself) will recognize let alone have any interest in, so building it will be purely for my own enjoyment.

Check Squadron and their sale flyer a pdf download. there are always some interesting offerings there.

Dragon has released a number of german late WWII kits and rare subjects - some of them never flew. Check out their Arado 234, ME 1101, and HE 162 kits. There are some pretty rare and interesting kits. I have most of them myself in my stash and they look rather good.

Hope this helps

Ditto what Jesper said. I also like to build some of the more obscure kits. You never know what you might find on line or in a hobby shop. I found what is now one of my favorite kits in a little place in Nashville visiting relatives, a 1/48 A.E.G. G.IV. I haven't built it yet, but it is great. Only problem is finding good reference materials. Good luck.