What's the oldest kit in your stash?

[Geoff M]

Looking at my pile of kits to see what I wanted to build next I found Monograms B-25H in 1/48.  Scalemates says it was issued in 1978.  I think I got mine in the early 80's.  1982 maybe.  Why haven't I built that one yet?  Better find some decals!

 

What's your oldest kit?

 

Edited April 5, 2025 by Geoff M

[phantom]

I think its a Hasegawa 1/48 Tomcat. Nothing special, just been in the stash for years. I tend to build everything in the stash and its gotten rather smaller in recent years.

 

Actual oldest is a early issue Tamiya 1/48 Lancaster, but its only been mine for maybe 10 years. It could end up being the oldest one day as I have run out of display room.

[habu2]

1966 Heller 1/130 X-15

1967 Fujimi 1/50 T-38

1967 Revell 1/48 Apollo stack

1968 Fujimi 1/50 A-4E

1968 Revell 1/72 A-7A

1969 Aurora 1/48 A-7D

1969 Revell 1/96 Apollo Saturn V

1970 Monogram 1/32 Apollo CM/SM

1970 Crown 1/144 B-52H

 

release dates from scalemates

 

.

Edited April 5, 2025 by habu2

[Sabrejet]

I have an Airfix Bristol Bulldog in the plastic bag/stapled instructions and a Westland Scout in the same format. Both I suspect late 1960s. The Scout is a dog so won't get built but the Bulldog is an absolute stunner!

[Dutch]

Three Revell airliners: 707 Astrojet, 727 Astrojet and DC-8-11 Mainliner.  All from 1964. 

[Geoff M]

I feel rather embarrassed starting this with a kit from the 70's. 😳

[GW8345]

Lindberg FJ-2 Fury, 1955 boxing

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/lindberg-516-fj-2-fury-jet-fighter--370908

[Raptor.777]

mid 80's Monogram Mirage 2000

[arg]

Many years ago, my wife's uncle (who knew I built airplane models) found the Hawk Mister Mulligan kit at a flea market and bought it to give to me.  The box top is dated 1958.  Though I probably would not have bought it myself (not much into 1930s civilian planes), its a wonderful remembrance of him every time I see it --- he was a great guy.

[Scott Smith]

My oldest two I can think of is my Aurora C-141 from 1969 and the Otaki C-5A from 1971. 

[annie.shikinami]

the oldest i have right now is a Hasegawa Phantom FG.1. not as old as what's been mentioned here so far, but it is older than i am!

[f5guy]

Mine would be a 72nd Monogram A-1E Skyraider circa 1973. Second up would be a trio of 32nd Hasegawa TA-4Js from 1981. Fred K.

[Spook498]

I have a vintage USS Saratoga kit in a "Picture Fleet" box, from sometime in the 1960s.

 

I also have a Revell B-52 that is so complete, it has the original cardboard insert dividers for the wings and the fuselage halves.

[Joe Hegedus]

Oldest by what measure?

 

Oldest tooling?  Probably the Revell 1/28 WWI kits (Camel, Spad, Triplane) or maybe the Lindberg Deperdussin monoplane, Testors/Hawk PT-20, or Revell USS Nautilus.

 

Oldest boxing/release?  Probably the 1/720 Revell USS Pennsylvania kit

 

Been in the stash the longest?  Not sure I can answer that one, as my stash has a pretty high turnover rate besides building kits - changing interests means selling off some kits to make room for the new direction as I have a personal desire to limit the number of kits in the stash at any given time (ideally I'd like to have less than 100, but right now the total is closer to 200 - hoping to remedy that somewhat at the upcoming show this weekend).

[Geoff M]

My original thought was the kit that has been languishing the longest in the stash but no real qualifications.

2 hours ago, Joe Hegedus said:

Oldest by what measure?

 

Oldest tooling?  Probably the Revell 1/28 WWI kits (Camel, Spad, Triplane) or maybe the Lindberg Deperdussin monoplane, Testors/Hawk PT-20, or Revell USS Nautilus.

 

Oldest boxing/release?  Probably the 1/720 Revell USS Pennsylvania kit

 

Been in the stash the longest?  Not sure I can answer that one, as my stash has a pretty high turnover rate besides building kits - changing interests means selling off some kits to make room for the new direction as I have a personal desire to limit the number of kits in the stash at any given time (ideally I'd like to have less than 100, but right now the total is closer to 200 - hoping to remedy that somewhat at the upcoming show this weekend).

 

[Scott Smith]

1 hour ago, Geoff M said:

My original thought was the kit that has been languishing the longest in the stash but no real qualifications.

 

Oh, well that changes some things.  It’s between a 1/32 Revell F-4E and a Trumpeter A-10.  I think one kit that was hanging around the longest was the old Hasegawa F-16A first production aircraft.  But I finally built it last year.  

[Whirlybird]

Aurora H-21.

That funky silver grey plastic.

 

Edited August 31, 2025 by Whirlybird

[Spruemeister]

1/159 Frog B-45 Tornado from ‘58 according to SM. But I suppose it could have been molded at a much later date. Currently it is nearing paint after having all the trenches filled. 
 

Rick L. 
 

 

[Jon Krol]

I have as my oldest kit the U.S. Navy Frogmen and LCP(R) from 1959.

 

I just sold it recently but my actual oldest kit was the S-3A by ESCI original issue. I got it at Xmas around 1985 or so.

[BWDenver]

Strombecker TT-1, actually has a pretty good ejection seat for 1958.  I had two.  One built one in the stash. 

Edited September 3, 2025 by BWDenver

[hemspilot]

1/72 Airfix Sunderland.

I actually started building it in 1996.