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Monogram still kicks butt


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I vented here already about how I'm through with PE cockpits because I'm a spaz when it comes to working with them. But y'know what? It helped. I'm having a blast building again, and my old Monograms and early Tamiyas are coming along.

My Tamiya Zero came out great and I'm fiddling about with a Monogram P-39 and P-47 bubbletop. The P-47 needed putty along EVERY join and seam, and the P-39 took surgery to both wings. But y'know what else? The kits took my clumsiness and abuse and work is progressing nicely.

Now that I'm a big boy, I really learned to use my airbrushes properly and my paint jobs on my Monograms put them up there with my Hasegawa favorites.

I tried rescribing and it came out O.K. but for me just getting in there building, with only the final outcome to worry about, is fun again.

Credit goes to Osprey books, and all of you who contribute to the website and/ or offer comments and criticisms. Thank you.

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<_< Listen to what Mr. Brundt has to say, cuz it's true. I have build several old Monogram kits. Yup, there was plenty of extra work to do, but an 1/48 F-86 Sabre I picked up at a flea market for $5.00 was worth it and then some. It doesn't take much prodding to get me to buy more when I spot them here and there. Ivan :)

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Just ordered a Monogram-tooled Bf-109 to use as an European continent post-war racer. That, along with a 5-bladed, bubble-topped Tamiya Raiden will begin the series.

Monogram had this knack of getting shapes correct didn't they. <_< Today's high-tech kits often inexcusably fall short in this matter.

Vive la Yesteryear

Daryl J.

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I built most of Monogram's WWII "Big Iron" as a kid, before switching to 1/72. They were on a roll in that scale in the late '60s..the Do-17Z, F8F, and P-36 are very nice (just a little sparse on interior detail.) Until recently, their P-51B was regarded as the most accurate in 1/72. Unfortunately, they abandoned the scale for some reason, but the kits have been re-re-re-released many times, and are still easy to find.

SN

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Amen brothers!! I'm guessing that many of you guys are like me- mid-30s or older and grew up buying Monogram, Airfix, and Matchbox kits at local variety stores or Toys R Us. I rememeber when my grandfather (a B-17 crewman) bought me that big B-17 with the diorama sheet inside! The Shep Paine dioramas fascinate me as much now as they did back then.

A few years back when Nostalgic Palstic was going out of business at his Silver Spring store, all kits in the "Oldies Room" were marked down by huge %age. I mentioned this to my wife...you know, "these are the old kits from when I was a kid".....she gave me the green light to purchase what I wanted. I came home with 35 kits at a cost of about $150. Today probably 75% of my stash is Monogram/Revell/ProModeler.

Right now I'm working on two Monogram products- B-29 and B-58, both original issue kits.

Chappie

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Ah, yes..I got the Mono B-17 for Christmas in '74 or '75 (making me 10 or 11.) That kit and the included diorama pamphlet was what inspired me to make it my first "serious" model. Actually went to the library and got some references..and even mixed more-or-less correct colors. Unfortunately they were gloss..the only paint I had access to was the old Testor's square-bottle rack at the local supermarket, which had maybe a dozen gloss colors, and flat black. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I was able to get to the nearest hobby shop on a regular basis to get actual military colors. It was 20 miles away, but the only one in the county!

SN

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Hi!: I agree with all of you, although Tamiya and Hasegawa are the leaders now, Monogram´s P-51D, P-47D, B-25, B-26 and Bf-109 G kits are very nice and, most important thing...they´re cheap......God bless Monogram kits!!! :thumbsup:

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My first Monogram kit was the 1:48 Me262 way back in 1980. I was a regular builder of 1:72 Matchbox and Airfix kits at that time and when my Grandmother presented me with this kit......

Don't have the old kit anymore, but still have an unbuilt Me262 in the stash and consider it a worthly kit even now!

The Monogram Century Series and F-5's are excellent kits.

:thumbsup:

MikeJ

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I agree-I built the Monogram 1/48 Me262 a few months ago-you know the one with the erk cleaning the windscreen forever? got it off ebay for about 6 quid-really enjoyed building it-rock solid feel to it. AND it had seatbelts cast onto the seat like a resin one (take note Tamiya with your decals)

Actually my first build with an airbrush-quite pleased-just need some decals from hannants as the kit ones disintegrated.

Will definitely look out for another

Edited by RocketBeau
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I remember walking across town to get the 1/48 B-29 and walking home with it under my arm all the way home. I remember getting the F-106 at a Ben Franklin store and also walking home with it. I loved building that kit.

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I remember walking across town to get the 1/48 B-29 and walking home with it under my arm all the way home. I remember getting the F-106 at a Ben Franklin store and also walking home with it. I loved building that kit.

That's exactly how I bought my B-29. From the same store, Ben Franklin, in fact. That was easily one of the happiest days of my childhood. During construction, I'd spin the props out of my hand and was amazed that they'd fly all the way up to the ceiling. It became the Enola Gay. It was also my first diorama. Mom got after me when she found me in her Tupperware getting flour. Perhaps my hands were dirty, but it's more likely that she just couldn't quite get past the fact that I needed to mix it with water and sand to make ''dirt''. :(

I've bought a few sealed white-box Monogram kits off Edward-Bay to have as ''rememberies''.

BTW, does anyone remember the article Fine Scale had with one of Monogram's lead pattern makers? He'd done a Skyknight just for himself.

:cheers: :( :(

Daryl J.

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This is really nice. Most agree the Monogram era in the mid 70' till the acquisition by Revell or vice versa, was the time when they came with a series of very nice 1/48th scale kits. Still remember the Helldiver,Corsair,Dauntless,Wildcat and the Devastator. The retractable landing gear, folding wings those were neat kits for a teenager to build and yeah and play with. But then around 77 when Monogram and their white boxes came out with the B-25H and the P-61 Black Widow. They were getting it down then. I believe the B-17, B-24 and the B-29 were released the year before. As mentioned before the only Tamiya kit I ever looked were the armor. Except for the Lancaster, I didn't care to look at Tamiya. Besides I could by a B-25 and a P-38 kit for one of the 48th Japanese Fighters from Tamiya. The Lancaster was already $40.00 back then. Remember how nice the F-4C/D was when it was released along with the F-15A? That kit is still nice despite the raised panel lines. Then the Century series! Wow the F-100D, the F-102's all of them were and are still fantastic kits. The F-105 was just wonderful. And yet we have not seen a new tool kit from any other Manufacturer of the Century series? Do we really need any? Too bad that Monogram didn't follow up on the F-100 with a C or twin seat F. Like they did with the F-105G/F. Imagine an F-101C or a recon version. Remember how heavy they were when they were finished? I think only the F-105 had trouble with the landing gear. Maybe even the A/B-26 nose gear also is a little weak. I can go on, but for the price of what the hi tech new tool kits are going for these days. Monogram still produces a nice product knowing their weakness that they do need work, but what the heck. Isn't this what is all about even for a beginner or master builder, the challenge, when it it said and done, if the box says it is an F-104 Starfighter, when your done, that is exactly what it is, an F-104 Starfighter. For the value I agree with everyone I like the Monogram/Revell/Promodeller line. Too me it's like Baseball,Apple Pie and a Chevrolet.

Chuck

Fly Navy

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THis thread kind of gives you the warm fuzzies! I had the 48th Dauntless with the retractable gear and dropping bomb. I hung it from my ceiling in about a 60 degree dive and loved dropping the bomb on something.

I'm guessing that the folks that have posted here are no younger than 31 or 32. Am I correct? I did not get my first B-29 until I was 28 or so!! But I did have several B-17s and as a kid, the big box was sooooooo cool!!

Chappie

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Yes I agree too. I love Monogram kits. Ever since I finally learned how to rescribe panel lines, all I have been working on are Monogram kits. I think I have no less than 10 in progress :soapbox: I am only 25, but when I was growing up, my hooby stores were Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Michaels. So, as you can imagine, Monogram was it for me (and all that my parents would buy :woot.gif: ) I wisj they would sell all those its again.... I think to this day I have only built one Hasegawa kit....Now don't get me wrong, I have plenty of the "wunderkits," but somehow I just seem to come back to good ol' Monogram. I have an F-105D I can't wait to get started on!! Long live Monogram!!!!!! (I just wish they would go back to the plastic they used in the 70's and 80's -- much better than what they use today.

-Doug :explode:

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Here's an ad from the June 1969 issue of "Air/Space Model" magazine. The B-52 was $15.00. I still have the "jet sound" unit somewhere around here. Monogram was and still is my favorite. I have some more modeling magazines from the 60's and 70's, I'll try to find them and post some more ads.

56062d92.jpg

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I've built most all the classic monogram kits from the 70s to current. I still build at least one per year. I loved these things when I was a kid.

Did the F-102, F-105, and A-10 in the past 3 years. Great stuff.

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I recently returned to the hobby after 30 years away. I loved the Monogram kits when I was a kid. Not much detail, but boy did they go together well.

I made my first trip to a hobby store since returning back in April. What do I see? Stacks of old kits! The owner of the store told me that they were from an estate sale. I picked up two of the 1/48 Hurricanes and one of the 1/48 Mosquitos, both with the painted box (not the white box with the photo). I later went and picked up a P-40B. Can't tell you what great memories seeing those boxes brought back.

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