Advice for an elderly beginner?

[Mike_D]

Howdy.  I'm new to this forum and don't know much about modeling.  

 

My elderly father in his late eighties is showing early signs of dementia.  I've been trying to come up with ideas of tasks that might exercise his mental faculties and bring him some enjoyment at the same time.  He used to build models with me as a child and I know he had a lot of fun with it then, so I'd like to give him a model for Christmas to see how he does with it.

 

He was in the air force during the Korean war, and I know he  likes airplanes from that era.  Could someone please suggest a brand/scale that might be good for this context?  I'd like to find him something high quality with good instructions.  I'd like to stay away from something overly complex, but he is still pretty functional and so I don't think it has to be simplistic either.   

 

Any advice anyone could offer would be much appreciated.

 

Mike_D

Plano, TX

[TaiidanTomcat]

Keep things simple so you can get lots of builds finish. Build your experience. 

 

When I restarted this hobby I took on tough projects, got little done. I could have built 10 models in the time it took me to do 1.

[echolmberg]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum!

 

I'm sorry to hear about your dad's condition.  It can't be easy at all to deal with.  I think that's great that you and your dad will be working on kits together again.  In regards to model kits, when it comes to simplicity, I can't think of anything that's much simpler than the following:

 

1/48 Tamiya P-51D (I'm sure their "C" must be great but I haven't built one yet.)

1/48 Monogram P-51B

1/48 Monogram P-47 (either the razorback or the bubbletop)

1/48 Monogram P-39

1/48 Testors Ryan PT-20

1/48 Testors Curtiss racer

 

When I was in a modelling funk, I picked up these kits because of their simplicity, low parts count, low cost and high quality.  I got to focus on the build process without having to worry about filling seams or dealing with difficult fixes.  They weren't maddening or frustrating in any way.

 

I'm sure there are lots of other kits out there and I'm sure others will chime in.  These are the ones that leap to my mind.

 

Best wishes,

 

Eric

Edited December 14, 2016 by echolmberg

[falcon20driver]

Hey Mike, I see you live in the Dallas area.  If you would like some help in person, perhaps picking out a kit or supplies, we have a model club that meets at the Hobbytown USA at 75 and Parker.  We're meeting this Saturday from 1030 to Noon.  Feel free to stop by and we can help answer any questions.

[breadneck]

I think one of your main priorities if not The priority would be to go with a larger scale (single engine) model kit. If he`s in his eighties,

1:32 leaps to mind. There may be some kits with a high parts count out there for sure, but i am sure there are 1:32 scale kits that will

suit your needs. Another consideration would be choosing a prop or a jet. There are F4U`s, P-51`s, F9F`s, F-84`s to name a couple

and in the unlikely event he likes red stars, check this link out. As far as quality, you`d be hard pressed to find a "bad" kit these days.    

 

http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/korean-war-aircraft.asp

 

Here`s a few 1:32 scale kits from ebay  (we all love ebay don`t we ??!) 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hasegawa-Minicraft-Deluxe-1-32-Scale-North-American-F-86F-Sabre-Airplane-Kit-/311758778873?hash=item48964571f9:g:sAAAAOSwEzxYTueC

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trumpeter-1-32-02253-A-1H-AD-6-Skyraider-/261612623680?hash=item3ce953d740:g:JYsAAOSwEK9UK~Ei

 

Here`s the season !

[phantom]

For a "simple" (ish) 1/32 scale kit I would suggest the Revell Phantom. The G is cheap and a new release so its easy to find. Low part count compared to other big scale modern ish fighters.

[Mike_D]

Thanks to all for all of that wonderful advice!

 

Falcon20driver, I'll see if I can make it by on Saturday.

 

Merry Christmas, all

 

Mike

.

[falcon20driver]

Great.  If you do come by, we meet in the back of the store in the room with big red double doors.  My name is Tony, and I'm hard to miss since I'm 6'5".  We will be glad to help in any way we can.

[Mike_D]

What do y'all think of either of these:

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WN6TUA/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A102LSINP0J0MH

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017TCB0A/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2FQ5GG01HBOZ1

 

TIA,

 

Mike

[breadneck]

 

TAMIYA is the Rolls Royce of plastic modelling. Their modern tooled aeroplane kits are superb in every sense of the word. Hasegawa not so much, but not really lagging far behind. With Tamiya you can actually feel the soft "higher quality" plastic whereas the Hasegawa is harder and a bit more brittle. I`m no wiz in the bigger scales (1:48 & 1:32) but the Tamiya P-47 kit in your link is well known for being a gem. Here`s a review so you can sit down and have a peek at what`s in the box. Reviews are great this way, i use them all the time. 

 

http://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/us/cleaverp47preview.htm

 

You may want to start looking into the various paint colors required when you decide on a kit. Just to get that out of the way. Here`s the Hasegawa review..

 

 http://www.hyperscale.com/reviews/kits/hasegawast27reviewbg_1.htm#1

 

Now going back to your preferences, if you truly want to model a KOREAN era warbird, that will take some looking into as these are not so well catered for unless you know exactly what you are gunning for. Maybe you will need to buy an aftermarket decal sheet for your specific subject. There are SO many to choose from. I don`t think you will strike gold with any P-47 Thunderbolt though, they did not fly over Korea in that conflict. There......i said it :)

 

I understand you want to spoli your old man, but a mans gotta know his history ;-)