SPA Modeler

I have a stack of kits,,,,,there is no denying that. Many of my kits have gone through different plans before I got to them to build them up.

How many of your kits have you laid out a plan for, and then gone back and changed what you are going to build with it? I have a "short stack" of RF-4 Phantoms,,,my plan was to do each different markings scheme for the thin wing and the thick winged variants of the kits. That was before my current USN/USMC theme became my goal. So, one of the kits that was going to be just another Light Gull Gray RF-4B became a half-completed YF-4E lately (the gun was installed in the camera space of an RF-4B for the F-4E Prototype)

Another kit was going to be an "average looking" KA-6D, until I got the A-6B Obscureco conversion and Wolfpack decals,,,,now it is going to be one of the "bottle cap" A-6Bs with Shrikes and Standards.

And of the kits that you have changed your mind on,,,,,,,what kits got their destination changed after you started to build it?

Oh a few... The Testors 1/48 RF-4 that I am stalled out on was originally going to do as an 80s era overall Gull Gray USMC bird is now going to be a Linebacker era USAF Vietnam RF-4. My Monogram 1/48 AV-8A was slated to be converted to an RAF Falklands War Harrier GR.3, is now slated to be an 80s USMC AV-8C. There are plenty more in my stash that have been re purposed as I acquired new decals or armaments for them.

New decal sheets are what spurred my question. I only have 3 early model Harriers, then I got the Caracal decal sheet.

Since that sheet has my unit on it, and a really good set of markings for one of the US Prototypes, that caused me to bump all my plans for those three Harriers. Wolfpack caused that same thing when they included a "better choice" of my Phantom unit's birds than the Microscale sheet I was going to use.

Decal sheets will do that. I have a F-105D and F-105F in my stash that are both unbuilt and I was both planning to build using the kit decals. Then I found and bought this decal set with great artwork that would require backdating each kit for use, and then that decal set with ore great artwork which would allow me to keep the kits "as is". Neither kit has been started yet but now I would like to get another Thud or two for the remaining decal sets.... Many of my aircraft kits in the stash have similar tales...

Finding cool decals always changes the plans.

Medicman71 wrote:Finding cool decals always changes the plans.

or makes you need to expand to the stash...

That is how I ended up with so many "off topic" trainer aircraft.

Two of those happened recently,,,,,,I had Two of the old tooled Hasegawa T-33 kits, ILLIAD came out with a beautiful Naval T2V/T-33 decal sheet,,,,,with Five options on it. So, I have "3 T-33s" on my shopping list for the shows I go to.

I was being a good boy, and only had two of the Testors/Italeri T-45 kits. One was going to be the Prototype built OOB, the other was going to be built up with the mods Paul Boyer wrote about in his FSM article a long time back. The same order that had the Harrier sheet in it had their Goshawk sheet, it has Five options on it,,,so I am just watching for more of those kits.

There are 11 T-2 Buckeye marking schemes here,,,,,,,and only two Matchbox Buckeye models, lol.

The Trainers are the ones that I get teased about by the "Staff Sergeant that out ranks me",,,,,,,she loves telling people that I have so many trainer models because I need to learn on *something*.

It is strange, I read all the time about wives that don't approve of the stash or new purchases or whatever,,,,,,,and she just grins at me when I bring home something new, or open a box full of stuff.

yeah, I know,,,,I am being wordy and rambling again,,,,,,if you knew me in person, you'd know that is how she and I talk at the shows and stuff,,,,,,I talk away, get right into describing the Hell Hole in a Skyhawk and she makes the "Rex is still learning, he is working on Trainer Models right now" type of comments, or describing the Skyhawk stash of kits that are right over her head when she sits at her home PC.

Yeah if I did one kit for every option on the decal sheet...........well I'd need another house and I'd be broke.