Do you ever look back on things you did as a kid? Do you ever wish you could have a "Do Over"?
The other day, my wife was surfing eBay, looking at older model kits. I glanced over at the the screen and immediately recognized a snapshot of a box. The more she looked, the more kits I saw that sent me in the Wayback Machine to the mid-1970's. A while later, I went over to the Old Plastic Model Kits website and did some surfing of my own. Those images kept me in the '70s for a while longer…
The first thing I checked out was the MPC Profile Series kits. MPC marketed the Airfix line of 1/72 scale kits in the States back in the day, and they came up with the idea of tying the kits to the contemporary monograph series of the same name. The kits differed from the standard Airfix/MPC fare by offering several decal options with each kit. The box top was plain white with color profiles of the aircraft featured on the decal sheet. When I used to go to Lionel Playworld, I would see these kits all over–there must have been a full aisle dedicated to them. They were a little rich for my blood, and by the time I appreciated them for what they were, I was firmly established as a 1/48 scale man. Shame, too–some of those kits still hold up today.
Staying with MPC for a while, does anyone remember the "Pirates of the Caribbean" tie-in with the Walt Disney attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World? MPC did a series of seven "Pirates" kits as well as a series of four kits tied to "The Haunted Mansion". I built one of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" kits as a kid–I though that "Zap/Action!" feature was pretty neat…
I was also good for a good number of the MPC car kits, AMT big rig kits (like the Kenworth W-925 Conventional from the TV series "Movin' On"), and a few Revell and Lindberg ships. I recall building Revell's 1/426 scale USS Arizona a few times (and their 1/720 kit of the same ship once or twice, too), and Lindberg's 1/525 Essex-Class aircraft carrier, I believe in the USS Ticonderoga boxing.
If you want to walk further into your youth, drive your browser over to Schiffer Publications and get copies of Remembering Revell Model Kits, Monogram Models, and Aurora Model Kits, all by Thomas Graham. If those books don't stir up memories, nothing will.
What is the purpose of this nostalgic walk in the park? Just that–a refreshing trip down memory lane. One of the comments I made to my wife–I think it was about an Aurora kit of the Piper Aztec C–was that back then, none of us (the kids on the block) really cared if the model was in some wierd off-scale. None of us really cared if it was accurate. All we knew is that it was kind of neat. And we built them in the space of an afternoon, painted them, slapped the decals ("stickers" in those days) on, and if the model survived a week, we must not have been feeling well. We played with them. Only later did I become attuned to the research and historical aspects of modeling. Those silly looking crosses, stars, bands, and circles actually meant something. The colors the instruction sheet called out were done so in order for you to build a model of some famous pilot's airplane, or driver's race car.
As I got older, the research aspect of a model became appealing. I still like to do as much research as i can on any given subject before I build a model. But I'm happy to say that I haven't fallen into the trap of being so wrapped up in minutiae that I don't build at all. If I ever do, I have a sure-fire cure. Read on…
If you happen to be one of those modelers who haven't touched a kit in months because you "can't find the reference on the color of the button fourth down from the right on the back-seater's left console", and are recognizing it for what it is (the dreaded Advanced Modeler's Syndrome, or AMS), here's a way to break the cycle–go to the local hobby shop (or even dig deep in your stash) and find one of those kits from your youth. Build it. Sure, you might be tempted to "bring it up to code", but don't. Just build it. Yes, you can fill seams, and airbrush the final color scheme. Just don't get too wrapped around the axle about little things.
I am thankful that Round Two Models has brought back the MPC, Polar Lights, and AMT kits (including the TV tie-ins); and J. Lloyd International has resurrected the Hawk Models line and revived the Lindberg line. Moebius Models, too, has kept up with the Sci-Fi TV tie-ins from the '60s and '70s. For as much as I enjoy building a good representation of an F-16 or Essex-Class aircraft carrier, I equally enjoy busting out the likes of a USNS Seaview from time to time, too…
Whatever destination you seek, enjoy the journey.
Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.