'mainstream' What-if Thread

[Mossie]

I got thinking with people replying to BdB's modelling slump about simple builds.  Most of our build usually involve some amount of chopping & kit bashing, so what's out there if you want an easy life?  What mainstream kits are there if you want to Whiff oob, with a minimum of swapping stores & decals?  I'm not talking about a Russian F-16, but projects, prototypes, experimental aircraft, those that are so rare they never got into full flow, fictional aircraft & others that may fit the bill.  Airfix's TSR.2 comes to mind & I'm sure there are many others out there.

If you know of one or find something new or rumoured, pop it in here, then we can dip in to find something when we just want something nice & easy!

Simon.  

[Geoff]

Some of the Revell D Luft '46 stuff  

[Gervasius]

Trumpeter F-107 is a nice kit.

Marko

[cthulhu77]

Any scifi kit...I actually really like the 1/72nd X-wing...neat kit, cheap, and fun.

[John Howling Mouse]

Maybe not right off the shelf but likely available in older LHS's and on ebay are several Lindberg kits that are simply shaped incorrectly enough that they could be made to be "what if" variations on existing aircraft types right out of the box.

Their Skyhawk, for example, is some artistic expression of a Skyhawk that you could simply call an A-4 "X" of your choice.

Another idea is to take an existing OOB model and paint it up in prototype livery (or prototype primer) for any nation of your choice as an evaluation aircraft.

[kitnut617]

I would say have a look at Unicraft's & Planet Model's stuff.  Also Sharkit has a number of What-If's on their website.

[Archibald]

Mirage F1 - you can build tons of things around this machine
I've build an ACF, a Breguet project, and a naval F1 M53 from Heller F1C/CT/CR kits. To a lesser extent you can use its canopy, intakes and undercarriage for many, many others models...

Same thing for the MiG-23, which is one of the smaller VG machines ever build, and the only VG single-engine aircraft.  

[B777LR]

Testors with their stealth planes:
F-19
Mig-37B
Stingbat LHX

Sorta a whiff, theres the revell and italeri realeases of the comanche

Revell does a Boeing supersonic airliner (SST)

And theres the XP-55 Ascender by MPM

Same thing for the MiG-23, which is one of the smaller VG machines ever build, and the only VG single-engine aircraft.

Hmm, what about the Su-22?

[Mossie]

I would say have a look at Unicraft's & Planet Model's stuff.  Also Sharkit has a number of What-If's on their website.

Thanks Robert, I have a look at their stuff every now & then, along with Anigrand, some fantastic stuff.  Only trouble with resin is the price & preparation needed.

Some older kits of prototypes & stuff are worth getting if you can hold of them.  The Airfix Rotodyne is one, along with rarities like the SR.53.  I've just had a look through my Pocketbond catalogue & seen that PM, Huma & Czech Model do a fair few, especially Luft '46.  There also a few kits of the A-10 N/AW as well, Trumpeter in 1/32 & Hobby Boss in 1/48.  Any Spitfire floatplane kit is a goer too, as well as the C-47 floatplane too.  Su-47 & even the Su-34 are quite easy to whiff.  Many 30's era racers can be quickly converted to fighters too.

[Geoff]

....and fighters to racers!!!!!!!!!!!!  

[dwomby]

What mainstream kits are there if you want to Whiff oob, with a minimum of swapping stores & decals?  I'm not talking about a Russian F-16, but projects, prototypes, experimental aircraft, those that are so rare they never got into full flow, fictional aircraft & others that may fit the bill.  Airfix's TSR.2 comes to mind & I'm sure there are many others out there.

Hre's a few come to mind in 72nd scale:

Airfix SR-53

Monogram Snap Fit Orient Express (not 72nd but could be good basis for a 1/72 design)

Monogram Snap Fit Ultra Stealth

Italeri/Testors F19

Italeri/Testors Mig-37

Italeri/Testors XR-7

Italeri/Testors SR-75

Hasegawa F-20 Tigershark

Hasegawa X-29

Monogram F-16XL

Hasegawa F-16 (the one with intake canards)

Heller Rafale A

Frog/Novo Fairey Delta FD2

David W.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

....and fighters to racers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Odd that you mention that.  There was a rather nicely done F-5 conversion to a land speeder on diplay at the Seattle IPMS show yesterday.  

[McGreig]

The 1/72 Academy/Hasegawa MiG-21 is  consideraby over-scale. Just adding an extra pylon and weapon under each wing gives you the basis for an enlarged MiG-21 development. Alternatively, you can put the Academy wings on any other 1/72 MiG-21 (should require virtually no cutting or sanding) to create something similar to the MiG "7-31" and MiG-21Sh projects which both had an enlarged wing with extended span and chord and six weapon pylons under each wing.

And there's the Italeri MiG-37 "Ferret" stealth and "Havoc" helicopter and the AMT/Esci "Hokum"which are still fairly easy to get hold of.

Are Huma and MPM/Special Hobby mainstream? Because they do models of the He-280, Me-263 and Bell P-59, the development of all of which could plausibly be extended.

And anything from 1944 - 1946 could have been captured or sold for testing or trials to just about anyone (see the "TsAGI 1946" thread)

[Sisko]

Someone mentioned planet kits.

These are awesome I have built about 5 of them and the latest ones to come from planet are as good if not better than some of the big boy manufacturers.

they make plenty of luft46 and prototype aircraft so the possibilities are endless.

He is the last one I built

planet kit

[kitnut617]

He is the last one I built

Ooo!  B)   Now that is sweet, I'll have to get one of those myself, it's got everything I like -- contra-prop, pusher, and canards -- all in one.

Robert