What if model was real

[Old Wombat]

Whatever you do, remember the Prime Directive:

HAVE FUN!

Although, the occasional insertion of Prime Directive sub-clause 1.a) (& keep the b@$^@rd$ guessing!) is quite popular around here, too.

[Ify]

Thanks Old Wombat.

[kerick]

Sounds fantastic!
Also a perfect opportunity for some figures and armor vehicles defending the bridge from advancing hordes of ogre zombies! Or whatever you can imagine.....

[Dizzyfugu]

The name of a whif implies that it is an alternative to something. This does IMHO not have to be real (as we perceive it...), but rather have some benchmark. Based on that point of view, military vehicles need a historical or technical context, and the aforementioned timber-made Tower Bridge is a good example for a building.

Someone described whiffing some time ago like doing forgery, and I subscribe to that theory. You have to do legwork and need some skill for a convincing result.

Then there's the issue of fiction. IMHO, a SF model - say a SW Tie Fighter - is not a whif, because the SW universe is its reality - but this would not prevent anyone from whiffing one into an "alternative" guise or variant.

Anyway, a "good" whif still makes its context clear to the (more or less educated) observer, and you should IMHO recognize "where it belongs". That sets it apart from true fantasy creations - the lines are blurry here, though, since the reference of a whif model might be highly obscure and only known to or recognizable by nerds and cultists.

Andm finally: A whif can IMHO actually be too subtle. That might be fun for the builder, but has little value for the audience.

[zenrat]

On the other hand, I subscribe to the school of build it and then make up some lies to explain it afterwards.
And as far as Sci Fi whiffs go, IMO if its different from canon then its a whiff.  The USS Enterprise in Klingon bird of prey colours for example.

[strobez]

It's really interesting to see different people's takes on what constitutes a WHIF.  I agree generally with almost everyone's statements and the only thing I have to add is being more interested in the craftsmanship than accuracy.  For me, I am much more drawn to the tactile experience and the satisfaction that comes from seeing my own creations begin to emerge, rather than a strict adherence to trying to scale down and capture reality in styrene.

I was extremely glad to have found this site, and I latched on immediately.  Everywhere else I'd poked my nose in online seemed way more concerned with the latter. 

[Ify]

Okay, some extra views on definition. Thank you Dizzyfugu, zenrat and strobez.
Very funny kerick. Or perhaps having zombie squatters defending their hut on the bridge from hordes of fishing folk.

For some reason I keep thinking...

Source- http://addamsfamily.wikia.com/wiki/Trainwreck

Now seriously, I like what I see in What If Modelers forum. It is imaginative and very creative - just how I like it.
Thanks for being here.

[NARSES2]

It is if you change the prop from a De Havilland to a Rotol...

If you know the subject inside out, even the tiniest of changes can make it a whiff.

Install a metric altimeter in an RAF Hurricane, that'd do it. 

Ah, but did the Belgian and Romanian ones have them ?

[PR19_Kit]

On the other hand, I subscribe to the school of build it and then make up some lies to explain it afterwards.

The backstory can always be adjusted to suit how the model comes out.............. 

[PR19_Kit]

It is if you change the prop from a De Havilland to a Rotol...

If you know the subject inside out, even the tiniest of changes can make it a whiff.

Install a metric altimeter in an RAF Hurricane, that'd do it. 

Ah, but did the Belgian and Romanian ones have them ?

Install a metric altimeter in an RAF Hurricane, that'd do it. 

[kerick]

I'm trying to think of the name of the casino in Las Vegas where the pirate ship in front sinks 10 times a night........

[NARSES2]

Treasure Island Hotel and Casino ?

I'm not a fan of Las Vegas but do remember that, and wasn't it meant to be a Royal Navy ship ? The skipper went down saluting 10 times a night as you say.

[martinbayer]

Unsurprisingly, this discussion has cropped in this forum up before, see http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,25948, including some musings by yours truly. I agree with most of the points made above, including the view that the material used for the model, as long as it more or less convincingly represents the shape and surface finish of the real item, most definitely does not enter into the consideration (there are for example some absolutely breathtaking paper models of non-paper real world objects out there), however I part with dizzyfugu, because to me (perhaps due to being an engineer by trade), there is only one single reality (somehow I feel like entering philosophical territory here), meaning that artifacts shown in SF and/or fantasy movies and TV shows that never existed (as opposed to say a 1975 Ford Gran Torino decked out in the Starsky and Hutch paint scheme, since these were real cars used for an albeit fictional TV show) do not represent actual reality and hence are what if by their very nature themselves, with the result that any models based on them are automatically what if as well, no matter how faithful they are to their inspiration (note also that many FX models are built in a few versions in different scales that often have sometimes quite notable differences between them). The only exceptions would be full scale replicas or mock ups, like for example those of X-Wing fighters, but since those were only used on the ground, any model of an X-Wing with rotated wings would still be a what if in my book .

Martin