Small Scale Military Headquarters

Have any of you long time XDers noticed your interests have changed over time? Mine have. I still like tanks, planes etc but i've become increasingly more interested in ships. Maybe it was just the fact that they were so elusive in this scale but over the past 2 years i've become very interested in them and have even tinkered with practical ways to make them. It's gotten to the point where planes and tanks have taken a back seat. Probably a passing fancy; just something new and different.

Has anyone else had similar interest changes?

I went from planes to tanks but still want both, but I also want ships in 1:18th especially submarines i.e. WWII Germen U-boats and American Subs,,,I guess the old saying is true: "you want something more when you know you can’t have it"

I ditto that sentiment

i want the Yorktown battleship or some kind of carrier

The 1:18 sub out their cost an armed and a leg... and they are not true 1:18 scale..

Armor and figures remain my primary interest, but aircraft are a very close second. I've been consistent about this for about eight years. One-track mind, I guess....

On the other hand, I'd sure go for a PBR!

"you want something more when you know you can’t have it"

ain't the truth...

I'm in the same boat as you Andrew. Military history has so many facets to it that just sticking with one is impossilbe for me. As a kid, WWII land and air were my sole interests. I could care less about naval warefare. But after watching the Lost Ships of Guadalcanal years ago, I was hooked on ships. They are technical wonders that act as floating cities for their sailers. Epic battles like Jutland, Savo Island, Coronel, Falklands, Leyte Gulf conjure a passion of interest that can't be beat..... It's just that passion that got me into card modeling ships....


So, my passion for military history is a true revolving door. It's called variety and it's the spice of life!!

My interests...hmmm...

1/700 scale warships, then upscaled to 1/350 scale...the 1/48 WWII aircraft, then 1/35 scale tanks, the 1/6 scale figures, then 1/18 tank and planes, then went down to 1/32 and 1/48 diecast.

THEN back to 1/18. But now, I'm more into the 1/24 scale RC tanks (these things are FREAKING GORGEOUS), and 1/16 scale tanks (RC and non-RC).

Now I'm thinking about going back to collecting 1/32.

While I'll always be a plane fan, armor has taken on a very strong interest of mine. I've also become more interested in smaller scale products than simply the 1:18th behemoths.

I usually change my hobbies after 4 years or so. To date this is how my interest has gone.

Large R/C planes
German WW 2 helmets
German WW 2 daggers
German WW1 helmets
Turn of the century stereo viewers 1800's
XD
It looks like that I am coming up for a change in the near future. I hope not this hobby price wise is reasonable and the subjects are fun. But I do switch back and forth . This week I like planes next will be armor. I like both equaly as well.
Ships and boats do not interest me. But I do like Civil war Ironclads. That would be a nice subject for Kamakazi's new contest. But I have way too much on my plate now.

I started out with a strong nterest in 1/18 armor AND aircraft (both modern and WWII, not so much Korea or VN, but there as filler). That interest remains strong, but unfortunately, nobody seems to be building anything (where IS that KT and 88 that was promised us by Christmas?)

So now I am in collecting limbo, since the only other toy line I collect that seems to be doing anything is GI Joe, and even that is hit and miss around here...

Maybe it's time to branch out... glass paperweights or something...

1/18 scale WWII Warbirds are my weakness. I would very much like to get into customizing though. I am trying to get a supply to practice on so I don't trash my good ones.

I am a big fan of collecting 1:1 militaria. I am really into AAF patches and US medal groups. But, I have collect planes for a long while. I built 1:48 as a kid. I started to get into RC as a teen. But, I am really digging the 32x and XD. I will probably keep buying it as long as they make it.

Helo --> Aircraft

Wasn't much left after getting a few of the Helos.

What started with ww2 concord books has now reached a stage in the last 3 years where i spend more money on ww2 books than 1/18. My current book shows 100's of 1944 photos of Germans retreating in Normandy and the exact same photos 60 years on, minus the Germans. They are timeless and interesting seeing in some cases how little has changed in 60 years to the period 2004. Other than that my only distraction from 1/18 is BBI 1/20 Romans, 3rd wave 3 months overdue. 21ST could get so much more from me if they produced any of their 1/32 in 1/18, armor that is. 12 planes is the limit.

I guess I'm sort of backwards...... I started as a kid collecting boats and ships. Growing up on the water obviously had a lot to do with that, but where on the water I grew up had a lot to do with my fascination with planes as well.

Growing up on the southern Chesapeake Bay, I spent my childhood days on boats of all sorts, but constantly low overhead were the aircraft from NAS Oceana and Langley AFB. Every type of aircraft the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard flew could be seen on a regular basis. Many of these planes could be seen dropping in on the Tangier Island range near by.

As I got older I got into RC boats, mainly scale stuff. Many of my boats were scratch built using techniques learned from the old timers on the island. My love of flight eventually got me into RC planes, but boats were what I really enjoyed.

Later, I grew tired of building RC planes only to destroy them shortly thereafter, so I eventually ditched the hobby of RC aircraft. About this time, I happened to be in a TRU and saw a magnificent sight, a well detailed, 1/18 scale bf-109. Needless to say, this was the beginning of my addiction. Really, it was perfect....... I could continue my collection of boats, and collect the XD planes to satisfy my love of aircraft.

Now, I enjoy my planes just as much as my boats. I like 1/18 scale so much that when I build a new boat, I usually build them in 1/18 scale. My most ambitious project on the drawing board is a 1/18 scale USCG 87' CPB, which will be about 58" long when complete.

I've never talked much about my boats around here, simply because there never seemed to be much interest in them. I will say however, it is nice to see there are a few other forum members also interested in watercraft. Maybe 21C should release that PBR after all!

-Rob

My current interest is divided as such:

50% 1/18 Diecast cars and trucks.
30% 1/18 Military vehicles and figures
20% 1/18 Aircraft.

Most of my 40 years of collecting and building models has been of Military vehicles and figures. Ships and other Navel subjects have never really held much interest for me

I actually got into XD when I bought the 21C P47D razor "Blonde Angel" as a birthday present for my older brother. That was back in- what?- 04. Then I returned to the local Wally and picked up my own T-bolt, the checker version. Now I have the rueful satisfaction of going down to the back room of our basement and counting about 35 1/18 aircraft and 40 plus tanks/ vehicles. And then there are the figures! Got piles of them now and am looking for more.
My first 1/32 piece was the Panzer IV Ausf D. That has blossomed into maybe 20 tanks/ vehicles and a dozen of the planes with plenty more of both wanted.
The thing is, I was not an armor or plane guy! Those were my brothers interests. When I started this collection, I had not the foggiest idea what the difference was between a Panzer III and a Tiger I or an F4U1A from an F4U1D. Now I do and that is because while I may have bought the models because I thought they were cool, in order to find out something about them I obtained books on the various planes and tanks etc I was picking up. It has been an interesting/ expensive process but in pure educational terms, quite valuable. Now if I could only convince my wife about the appropriateness of broadening my knowledge base...
Anyway, I was/am primarily a naval history addict from an early age. You wanna find out the byzantine variations in the ESSEX class CV's right down to what makes a 27 Charlie a 27 Charlie or why the Penobscot Expedition was one of this country's worst defeats at sea or have a debate on whether the British QUEEN ELIZABETH class battleships deserve their place in the pantheon of greatest warship designs, well, I feel far more qualified to offer my views on those subjects than on a Stug III vs a Stug IV. But I am learning.
And that , my friends, is the true beaty of XD.

I love all of my collection and scales. I can see the draw of customization and naval pieces. After a while another Sherman or Tiger release just doesn't get the blood pumping like it used to.

I was in Tuesday morning today and picked up a whole slew or Corgi Tactical strike and 1/72 planes but almost ditched them all for some pre-built and painted 1/700 ships. They had the New Jersey, Mighty Mo, Indiannapolis and a carrier (can't remember which). I told myself that I don't need to branch out any more than I have now, but I think they are calling to me and I will have to return to liberate them.

I started off collecting 1/18 scale planes and then went from that to 1/18 figures and tanks. Now im about ready to start collecting more planes again

I started out collecting 1/18 Mopar muscle cars in the early 1990's. I found my first XD in 2002. Until then, I could never find any 1/18 figures to go with my models. I've always liked my 1/18 scale planes and tanks. Lately I've been concentrating on my Buddy L railroad. It seems to bring everything together. (WW2 that is.)

Kevin.

My problem is a scale issue. When there is nothing to collect in my beloved 1/18th scale, I start looking for a quick fix in 1/32 or 1/72 scales.

Mark

It's funny you should bring up changing interests and looking into ships. I was just getting ready to start on my Tamiya 1:350 scale Yamato battleship project. I have been wanting to do it for years and with the 1:18 scale slowdown I thought now was a good time.