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Personal Favourites - What and Why?
raypalmer
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 29, 2010
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Posted: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 - 08:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Richard, great to see that you are still with us! Thanks for your input, those Italian airframes have an undeniably attractive line.

Cheers, D


Thanks Damian! I'm still lurking around generally. Just out of the game lately so nothing to post. Time is my enemy.

I forgot Ki-43! The only airframe to rival the Spitfire for sheer elegance in my mind.
V2Phantom
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United States
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Posted: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 - 08:56 PM UTC
Outstanding choices Jessica! I especially like your selection of the Schweizer 2-33 glider. This was also my first in-person introduction to a sailplane. I took sailplane lessons on a 2-33 waaaay back when but my job/family took me on a different path and I never soloed. Would you happen to know if any company ever released a kit of the Schweizer 2-33? This would be great to add to my collection of glider models.

Now that I am in this thread, I might as well nominate my favorite aircraft.

F-4 Phantom - The epitome of what a jet aircraft should be! Getting to see several fly back in October was a good way to end the year. Here's a photo I shot in October at DM Airbase, great mix of noise and the smell of jet fuel being burned!



T-38 Talon - My love of NASA and this sports car like jet is a perfect match.

Boeing 727 - Not only spending time flying as a passenger in this iconic jet, getting to spend some time flying in Piedmont Airlines full motion B727 simulator back in the 1980s made me a fan for life.

Piedmont Airlines - Any airliner flown by Piedmont!

It is difficult to pick a 5th candidate as there are two many choices after my top 4!

Have fun modeling
Mike



Quoted Text

Now with pictures as I remember them from my first encounters:

Schweizer 2-33

rdt1953
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: February 06, 2015
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Posted: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 - 11:27 PM UTC
Hi-new to this site. Interesting question .My top 3 would be ( and the order can change from minuit to Minuit
)
Mitsubishi Zero-I am fascinated by a design so lightly built that performed as it did.Pilot armour,self sealing fuel tanks, stronger structure to absorb hits and all of the other negatives would have changed the aircraft from what it was-brilliant for it's original purpose .
Supermarine Spitfire - I love all things British and I love It's power and grace and beautiful wing tips and Merlin engine and it's appearance at a crucial moment and Reginald Mitchell's story and vision and blah,blah,blah-
Waco Ymf series- Just look at it in red and black!
If you need two more it is more difficult - P 47 ? Big and seemingly ungainly till you view it head on and wonder how they got all that stuff into it and yet such a minimal frontal area - lastly just about every other aircraft ever built-Ha ha- how's that fora cop out !
Jessie_C
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: September 03, 2009
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Posted: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 - 11:39 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Outstanding choices Jessica! I especially like your selection of the Schweizer 2-33 glider. This was also my first in-person introduction to a sailplane. I took sailplane lessons on a 2-33 waaaay back when but my job/family took me on a different path and I never soloed. Would you happen to know if any company ever released a kit of the Schweizer 2-33? This would be great to add to my collection of glider models.


No, I don't know of a kit, which is my opinion is desperately needed. There are some plans for RC models floating about the 'net, and the 2-33 is generally slab-sided enough to make scratch-building a definite possibility so I've been slowly making plans in the back of my mind...
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
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Posted: Friday, December 25, 2015 - 02:33 AM UTC
Mike, Richard, thanks for your input. Once again some interesting and varied thoughts!

Merry Christmas all, I hope everybody enjoys the day.

Cheers, D 🎄
V2Phantom
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United States
Joined: December 26, 2008
KitMaker: 288 posts
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Posted: Friday, December 25, 2015 - 08:45 PM UTC

Thanks Jessica! I thought that this would be the case. Hopefully one of the resin companies (Czechmaster?) might add this to the other sailplane kits that have been popping up over the last few years.

Have fun modeling!
Mike




Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Outstanding choices Jessica! I especially like your selection of the Schweizer 2-33 glider. This was also my first in-person introduction to a sailplane. I took sailplane lessons on a 2-33 waaaay back when but my job/family took me on a different path and I never soloed. Would you happen to know if any company ever released a kit of the Schweizer 2-33? This would be great to add to my collection of glider models.


No, I don't know of a kit, which is my opinion is desperately needed. There are some plans for RC models floating about the 'net, and the 2-33 is generally slab-sided enough to make scratch-building a definite possibility so I've been slowly making plans in the back of my mind...
V2Phantom
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United States
Joined: December 26, 2008
KitMaker: 288 posts
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2016 - 09:05 PM UTC
Hi Jessica!

I have some good news for you in regards to a kit of the Schweizer 2-33. It looks like Constanza has just released a 1/72 resin kit of this workhorse glider. There is even Canadian markings in the kit. Here's a link to the kit on the Aviation Megastore website.

http://www.aviationm...info&art=134789

I am not sure where else one can find Constanza kits. I plan on biting the bullet and ordering one from this site rather than miss the opportunity to pick up a copy.
Have fun modeling
Mike
Jessie_C
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: September 03, 2009
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2016 - 09:21 PM UTC
Hi Mike,

Your link got trimmed somehow. I think that the forum software does that to very long links. Here's the full link.

And I think that I must have that. Thank you

YEEP!!!! The postage costs more than the kit does!


I think that the only sane way to do this is to get together and do a bulk order. Who wants a 2-33 model?
48thscale
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Limburg, Netherlands
Joined: January 31, 2009
KitMaker: 229 posts
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Posted: Friday, February 05, 2016 - 10:04 PM UTC
You could try here:

http://conmowo.com/produktkategorie/modellbausaetze/flugzeuge/segelfl/segelfl_172/

JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 12:30 AM UTC

Quoted Text

1. PBY
2. PBY
3. PBY
4. PBY
5. Albatross (the Grumman seaplane of course)

6. P-51


Can't really argue there!
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 01:42 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I forgot Ki-43! The only airframe to rival the Spitfire for sheer elegance in my mind.

I concur that Oscar was a beauty. Ki-43 was an attractive airframe. I think the Sakae 21-powered Zeros (esp. the A6M3 Model 22) are equally elegant and perhaps even better balanced aesthetically.

Imperial Japan fielded some of the most beautiful warplanes of the war. I think the long-nose Ki-61 is THE best looking WW2 fighter, period.
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 01:54 AM UTC
Very hard to pick because I have favorites due to legend, and favs due to looks. Well, here goes.

DC-3/C-47 and variants: (what aviation enthusiast can not recognize that splendid bird?) mainly because I flew them.

P-40: "best second-best fighter of the war." Maybe not a war-winner but certainly helped keep the war from being lost. And the AVG - legendary.

F-104 and F-105: exceptional aircraft with misunderstood service records. F-104 was never employed as USAF envisioned it as a clear airmass air superiority fighter.

F-8 Crusader: "a tits machine."

F-86: viceless and effective.

F-4 Phantom II: could do it all well.

MiG-19: "obsolete" fighter that shocked everyone that fought it.

Kawasaki Ki-61 Hein "Tony": most beautiful airframe of WWII.

Do 24: beautiful flyingboat.

Hawker Hunter: effective and beautiful.

Yak-3/7/9: the "western A6M Zero".

Mosquito: nothing bad can be said about it in any of its variants.

Brewster Buffalo: troubled aircraft with a bad rep that showed what it could when flown by the Finns against the Soviets.

P-39: troubled aircraft with a bad rep that showed what it could when flown by the Soviets against the Nazis.

SPAD: great fighter when its complex engine worked.

An incomplete list but hard to narrow down.

JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 03:00 AM UTC
WWI planes: hard to say because I like so many for so many reasons. Here are the six that come to mind:

Fokker D.VII (superb fighter)
SE5a: high performance, strong and well-balanced excellent warplane.
Siemens-Schuckert D.III/Sopwith Snipe (F-16 of its day?)
SPAD (see above)
Sopwith Pup: pilot's airplane (Ki-43 Hayubusha of its day?)
Pfalz D. series (WWI's Brewster Buffalo/Bell P-39)
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 03:17 AM UTC
To pick a top 5, I guess I will go with which 5 I would really want to "slip the surlies" in, or if I was told I could only model these 5 for the rest of my life:

DC-3/C-47 and variants

P-40

F-104

A6M Zero

SE5a
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 03:27 AM UTC

Okay, I just read through everyone's lists. Wow - there are soo many airplanes that I am on the verge of rewriting my list for. But I'll hold what I got.

I think the Dornier and Sikorsky flyingboats need honorable mention.

Jessica, I soloed in the Cessna 152 but I can not say I am that fond of it. The Cessna Cardinal RG - now that I fondly remember.
V2Phantom
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United States
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 09:22 PM UTC
Hi Jessica

Ouch, sorry about the problem with the link. I had not realized it was truncated and did not check the link after I posted it. Glad that you were able to find the kit on the website, though. I agree, the postage was truly out of this world. I ended up looking through their catalog and ordering a few other things to help make the postage easier to take as it is a standard fee rather than a function of the order cost. This kit should be a fun build!

Have fun modeling
Mike




Quoted Text

Hi Mike,

Your link got trimmed somehow. I think that the forum software does that to very long links. Here's the full link.

And I think that I must have that. Thank you

YEEP!!!! The postage costs more than the kit does!


I think that the only sane way to do this is to get together and do a bulk order. Who wants a 2-33 model?
DaveCox
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: January 11, 2003
KitMaker: 4,307 posts
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Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2016 - 09:41 PM UTC
Top 5:
D H Chippie-Did 10 hours dual on these at Tangmere as a cadet

Merlin powered Spitfire - the most beautiful thing ever made out of metal

Mosquito - the first true MRCA, and it looks fantastic

Meteor - the whine of the engines and the elegant lines made these my favourite jet when I was just a kid.

Vulcan - always a favourite, the Black Buck raids and XH558's airshow performances ensure it's place on the list
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
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Victoria, Australia
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Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2016 - 02:38 AM UTC
Funny, I was just thinking yesterday that I should bump and revive this thread, and you guys have dredged it up and done just that. I must be psychic, or is it psychotic . . . hmmm, maybe both?

Fred, you are right, it is almost impossible to narrow it down to just 5.

As I said earlier it is just a personal preference thing with no right or wrong, and the list is likely to change regularly. I find that just watching others going through the build process here on Aeroscale can send me off into a search pattern in books and on the interweb and create a whole new area of interest.

Dave, and Fred, thanks for posting up here, your "Top 5" lists are both interesting and diverse.

I'm still circling around the idea of creating a Group Build out of this theme, but I am booked up for this year with other builds.

Cheers, D
betheyn
Staff MemberSenior Editor
AEROSCALE
#019
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: October 14, 2004
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Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2016 - 03:01 AM UTC
Ok I have been scratching my head at trying to narrow the list down to five, so I'm going to "cheat" like a few others have done, five props and 5 jets. Its still going to be hard though.
Props.
Merlin powered Spitfire
As I have a few regularly fly over during the summer months.
Lancaster
Just love that soundtrack and the sheer beauty.
Ju 87 Stuka
Was always fascinated by it as a kid.
C-130 Hercules
Big bad and can be thrown around.
Fairy Gannett
Its got two props, its big and butch.

Jets
F-100 Sabre
Its just so pretty
F-4 Phantom
Possibly my favourite jet aircraft as a kid.
Vulcan
Beauty and noise all rolled into one.
Harrier
The first not to need a runway.
A-10
An aircraft only a mother could love. Can carry bloody anything under the wings.

There are so many more that could go on this list.
Andy
warmonger
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Oklahoma, United States
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Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2016 - 04:16 AM UTC
My first aircraft to work on was the F-4D, you always gotta love your first. But after working on the C-130 for 11 years it dropped a little lower. I was never impressed with the Herk til I started I started working it (engine mechanic). This plane will always be my favorite. As far as WW2 it's the Wildcat, Corsair, Dauntless, and the P-39.
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
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Victoria, Australia
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Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2016 - 07:48 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Ok I have been scratching my head at trying to narrow the list down to five, so I'm going to "cheat" like a few others have done, five props and 5 jets. Its still going to be hard though.


All good Andy, great list. Cheating is accepted, and in the case of some actually anticipated
You are right though, the list could go on and on and . . .

Troy, thanks for chiming in.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
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Victoria, Australia
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Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 03:03 AM UTC
Did I mention the P-61? I think I mentioned the P-61!




(I love the guy kicking back in the Jeep under the shade of the port wing in this one!)


(This one made me cry)

There, I mentioned it again!

Shameless BUMP, lets see some more favourites discussion folks.

Cheers, D

EDIT: If you haven't already, it's worth reading through this thread from the start. Some great input from all quarters!
CReading
#001
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California, United States
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Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 03:39 AM UTC
P-51D cause my Dad used to fly one during the war
P-47 razorback- cause it's a badass airplane
BF-109F just love the look of these
JU-88 Germany's most versatile a/c
JU-87 'Stuka' another badass a/c
de Havilland Mosquito list wouldn't be complete without the wooden wonder
warmonger
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Oklahoma, United States
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Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 04:41 AM UTC
I always loved the looks of the P-39. To me it has some of the most graceful lines out there. Not to mention the firepower that it packed.
The F4U Corsair is another favorite. It's record speaks for itself.
The F4F Wildcat is the list too. I just liked it's looks and it was there when it was needed.
Bink123
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Quebec, Canada
Joined: June 23, 2008
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Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 05:19 AM UTC
Of all the aircraft of the jet age, my favourite as fas as looks is the F-86.

WW1 vintage - Sopwith Camel hands down.

Interwar - Stinson Reliant

WW2 - Spifire

Jet age - F-86 Sabre
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