Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hi guys. I've been slowly collecting for about 2 years now, and in the last few months 1/72 diecast has become the focus of my collecting. I've also got about 40 1/72 US Navy aircraft plastic kits that I will be starting in on soon. Anyway, I hope you like what I've got going. All of the tractors and small figures were painted by me, the catapult diorama came with a Dragon VFA-2 Super Hornet. I'm not going for psychotic levels of accuracy, for example I know an F-8 doesn't belong on a Nimitz catapult, and I know VFA-2 never carried jamming pods, that was a what-if for fun. Sorry about the less than stellar pics, had to use my Droid X because the wife has "misplaced" the digital camera

My two large shelves:


1/18 JSI VF-84 F-14A Tomcat- eventually to be repainted as VF-101 Grim Reapers AD160 circa 2004


Unimax FOV F-14A Tomcat VF-84 (original crappy edition) and 1/60 Sky Pilot SH-60 Seahawk. Behind them is a large Weapons of War DVD set.


A plastic kit battle damaged A-1D Skyraider, Falcon Models F9F Panther NAS Pensacola, Corgi Models A-4F Skyhawk "Rampant Raiders", Century Wings F-8E Crusader NP101 takeoff configuration on Dragon catapult.


Witty Wings F/A-18C Blue Diamonds and Witty Wings VF-124 F-14A Tomcat Bicentennial NAS Miramar


MRC Easy Model VMFA(AW)-225 Vikings F/A-18D, Corgi VMFA-232 Red Devils F-4J Phantom, SunStar Air Command F/A-18A Hornet VMFA-232 Red Devils




Revell F-14B Tomcat VF-101 AD101 "Tomato", Altaya/IXO VF-101 AD163, (and dying to get a Century Wings VF-101 for this shelf too!)





My smaller shelf:


Dragon Wings Cyber Hobby exclusive F-14D Tomcat VF-2 Bounty Hunters NE100, Dragon Wings Cyber Hobby exclusive F/A-18F Super Hornet NE-101, Dragon Wings F/A-18F Super Hornet NE100, custom figures.




Corgi VF-111 Sundowners F-4J Phantom NL200, Hobby Master VF-111 Sundowners NL201, Unimax FOV VF-111 F-14 A Tomcat "Miss Molly"




Sky Pilot 1/55 SeaKnight with FOV marines and APC (diorama in progress)

Very nicely displayed

Nice collection of Navy jets, astronut1885.

And quite a few different manufacturers represented.

Thanks for posting.

Did the F9F come in the Pensacola scheme, or did you do it yourself? I ask because I grew up across the bay from the base and although I collect WWII have a notion to someday start on jets/props that would have been in service in my area - both PNAS and Eglin AFB.

Very nice, you obviously don't have small children!

YT wrote:Very nice, you obviously don't have small children!

The trick is to have shelves higher than the kids are tall.

Very nice display Astronut

Its almost like a convention, all the major manufacturers represented

I like that its not cluttered, very carefully thought out. Do you have more planes boxed up waiting for their chance at their T.O.D (Tour of Display) rotation?

[Cat]CplSlade, That F9F is from a company called Falcon Models, diecast 1/72 scale, its relatively new, released last year I think, still plenty available in the market now.

http://www.flyingmule.com/products/FA-FA721003

Hobby Master has one in 1/48

http://www.flyingmule.com/products/HM-HA7203

Yeah, no kids yet. 27 and freshly married over here. No diecast are currently waiting display, they go out as I get them. I actually just got my Altaya VF-101 Reaper in last evening. Not quite up to par with a Dragon or even Witty model, and certainly not for the accuracy lovers out there, but it's a passable Reapers jet and I'm happy with it. It's the first Tomcat I've gotten without articulated wings, too, which is a bit lame, but again, this is the WalMart of model companies here. Most of the manufacturers are up there because at some point they covered a subject I have some kind of connection to, or they were on a good sale . I'd prefer to have all top shelf models like CW, but sometimes something like the EasyModel VMFA-225 F/A-18D is the only way to get that squadron into the collection without building one myself, and my skills just aren't there yet.

CplSlade- Gouchy hit it right on the nose, that F9F is Falcon Model's NAS Pensacola version that comes exactly how you see it (- the ladder and figure). I got it when the Flying Mule did a huge winter sale a few weeks back along with the Sundowners Phantoms and Tomcat. It's a nice model, very heavy with the diecast, and is a nice early jet age example for a collection. I like it better than the blue combat paint scheme one they had, for some reason I like Navy jets so much better in grey than the old school blue.

Oh, and inside the drawers on the cabinets are 40+ plastic model kits I plan on doing for the collection. Stuff ranging from Navy X planes like the pogo, flying pancake, Ryan FR-1 Fireball, and TFX/ F-111B navy version to movie planes like an A-6E with "Flight of the Intruder" markings, F-14As with decals for Maverick/Goose and Iceman/Slider from Top Gun, an F/A-18C with markings for Will Smith's jet in Independence day, and several planes from the squadrons already represented like VF-2 (I have a nice retro scheme F-14D to do with PE, resin, rubber, and all kinds of goodies, a very early F-14A, and a low viz F-14D), VF-111 (a few crusaders), VF-124 (Miramar Tomcats), some A-6Es/KA-6Ds/A-6As all to be marked in VA-196 to match the Flight of the Intruder model, and then some Navy greats like a Vigilante, Prowlers, Tracker, Hawkeye, Skyknight, Tigercat, Corsair IIs (even a 2 seater), and lots of tractors/figures/accessories (verlinden resin- a whole new learning curve there!). I just hope the built kits come out on a level of quality that makes me comfortable adding them in and showing them off. I'm definitely going to need more shelf space going forward, but I want to keep clutter down to the minimum.

Also, on my diecast wish list right now, I'm looking for a Witty VF-111 Sundowners Low Viz, a Corgi VX-4 F-4J Bicentennial scheme, a Witty VA-93 A-7A Bicentennial, a CW F-14D Reaper (my holy grail), and at least one CW A-6 intruder. I keep adding as hobby finances allow. I just liquidated another of my collections, Transformers from the movies, and got a few hundred bucks to dump into this collection.

The build stash:

very cool

Those kits should definitely keep you busy for quite a while.

While the CW Grim Reapers might set you back some bucks, you may want to consider an A-6, or an A-7 from them. Some of these can still be had for a reasonable price, and as you know from your F-8, the quality is great. And they both come with lots of ordinance hanging off them.

That is quite the navy collection you have there, astronut1885.

Hey man. Thanks for the compliment. I plan on getting at least one CW A-6, probably the last flight bird. If I get the chance I'll get a retro-schemed one too. As far as their A-7s, I'd love VA-93 NF301 to go with the bicentennial Witty A-7A I plan on adding to the bunch.

Score another one for the collection. Just won this for $40 shipped on Ebay.

Nice collection and display. What is the scale on your latest acquisition? I am so impressed with your display of your planes because it is neat, orderly and it is not "cluttered."

That's a Witty Wings A-7A Corsair II VA-93 USS Midway 1976 Bicentennial scheme.

ketelone wrote:Nice collection and display. What is the scale on your latest acquisition? I am so impressed with your display of your planes because it is neat, orderly and it is not "cluttered."

1/72 scale, ketelone.

A good scale for jets. Not too big, and not too small. Easy to display, and ever increasing types of aircraft done.

You are so right, but sadly I am addicted to 1/32...