Wif History

[JC Carbonel]

I wanted to do an history of WIF for French friends but I would like first to have my fact s straight.

1) early WIF kits were Renwal cars , REvell/Strombecker etc... futuristic spacecraft, Airmodel vacs

2) for begun as a trend circa 1995 when a group of wargamers brought to Telford (or was it Donnington?) their Roman Empire versus Aztec war aircraft
3) WIF SIG created in ?
4) split between pure WIF (mostly making swaps)SIG  and Project Cancelled SIG (real aircraft) in ?
5) most WIF are aircraft by now with the rarest being civilian vehicles and naval stuff.

JCC

[Jennings]

For what it's worth, my first Whiff model was made in approximately 1976

J

[Daryl J.]

Jennings, I'm right in the same time frame as you.   After my second model, a MPC B-17G in one seventy-tooth,  most kits were ''mine''.   Spurious markings, deviated from usual construction, or the like.


It helped launch my career as a dentist.    Those same imagination skills are instrumental in cavity prep design, treatment planning, fabrication of temporaries, obturation, and the like.
No regrets.

Daryl J.

[upnorth]

It helped launch my career as a dentist.    Those same imagination skills are instrumental in cavity prep design, treatment planning, fabrication of temporaries, obturation, and the like.
No regrets.

Daryl J.

So you whiff fillings and root canals and other dental procedures?!  

[Radish]

The What If? SIg was started at Peterborough, for the IPMS(UK) Nationals there in, I think, 1992? The "prime mover" in beginning the SIG was Ian Hartup, the original SIG leader. There's been 3 SIG leaders, myself after Ian, and Martin after me. Martin is set to continue until he's approximately 5000 years old, giving forth his decisions and opinions from within a Guiness filled globe.

I've been building Whatiffery for years....certainly since the '60s.
My first that I can possibly remember as a definite effort to "whiff" was an Airfix Fiat G-91 painted silver with red and yellow trim in USAF colours....I'd read in the RAF Flying Review that the Gina was being evaluated by the US. (I know, yes, the US Army, not USAF).
I also remember in the '60s....must have been around '62??....imagining squadrons of p-40s, Mustangs, etc., with various colours, all USAAF, and with schemes similar to "The Millie G" of the 55th FG, 8th AF. I remember thinking, planning an Airfix P-40E with a yellow aft fuselage on the way back in the back of dad's Vauxhall Victor, from The Temperance Seven concert in Coventry.

The Roman/Aztec stuff is mine from around the late '90s, certainly at Donnington, as after one year at Peterborough, the venue burnt down (thank goodness as it was awful) and the Nats moved to Donnington.

JC, I've just e-mailed you a copy of the article I wrote re the SIG for the IPMS(UK) Mag that's as yet, unpublished. I hope you find it useful.

[TsrJoe]

hiyas JCC, the 'Research & Development, Projected & Cancelled SIG' was formed circa 1994, about 2 years after the 'What-if SIG' as noted on previous pages originally helmed by Ian Hartup and including Radish, Wookster etc.

At the time I felt the What-if didnt really cover 'mainstream tastes such as my own, so after prompting by the then IPMS. liason officer Rob Sullivan we formed the R&D., P&C. SIG. with an original group of 20 or so members including Dave Fleming, Steven Lee, Armando Loni, Jens Brandal, Geoff Wilde, Richard Jakeman, et al. adding to which a number of non IPMS./industry/non modeller members with an interest in the subject

I guess theres always been 'whatiffers' even tho the term hadnt been coined at that time, my father building a number of spurious types (some requiring extensive conversion too) back in the early 1960's inspired im sure by Alan Halls conversion articles in the old Airfix Magazine which encouraged all to start chopping balsa and styrene card!

My own introduction to the 'what-if' craft stemmed from making models of eg, the Bristol Freighter, P.1127, Belvedere, etc, bacy in the early 1970's all finished in what i thought then was an ideal camouflage scheme of earth, green and lt blue sky all from the recently introduced Humbrol Authentics range of paints found in my fathers stash! (actually being honest i recall he was the one doing the painting to save on kitchen table mess!.. lol)

this led to making my own creations using bits from my growing pile of broken or damaged models (building about 2 kits a week was a great way of building up a stock of potential bits! ... lol) further inspiration coming from Revell's 'Design a Fighter' competition back in 1976 where i entered a hybrid based upon F.104, Draken, Phantom, Gnat and misc parts! (i even got a runner up prize too..yipee!)

this led to further works being completed, my dad and i building spurious types alongside our more usual fare (i have fond memories of dad making a libellula type mosquito with meteor engines in its wings...def looked cool and different at the time, especially when sitting beside his canard Defiant!) ill try find those amongst the broken models bags!

in recent years the tie between the What-If, Research and Development and TSR.2 (itself an outgrowth of the forementioned groups) SIGs has grown, usually being referred to as the 'unholy triumvite'...lol!

a more recent development re the 'Research & Development SIG.' being the press ganging of Geoff Baker (Thorvic) as co'co-ordinator bringing much needed efficiancy renewed enthuisiasm to the group!

cheers, Joe Cherrie    

[Mossie]

JCC, I know you probably aware of the site, but Fantastic Plastic has a good description of many whiff kits, it might be useful for you to get some info from or to direct your freinds to.

Fantastic Plastic homepage:
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/welcome1.htm
Kit index:
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/NewKitsList.htm

[Daryl J.]

Nope!      The actual thought processes that make the difference between acceptable and genuinely excellent are remarkably similar.  Whiffing is just part of my off-time mental exercise to keep in shape.

Tooth fixin' is very fun to do; I wish it was as pleasant to have done.


Daryl J.

 

[elmayerle]

It helped launch my career as a dentist.    Those same imagination skills are instrumental in cavity prep design, treatment planning, fabrication of temporaries, obturation, and the like.
No regrets.

Daryl J.

So you whiff fillings and root canals and other dental procedures?!

Well, as having been the recipient of a lot of dental work, I'd say not so much the root canals.  But fillings, crowns, bridges, etc. all require a fair bit of customization to work right and that's pretty close to whiffing it.

[Brian da Basher]

When I got my porcelain crown, I could hear my dentist "fine tuning" it with something that sounded like a Dremel™ which had me wondering how modelling skills might be useful in dentistry.

Finding a really good dentist is right up there with finding a really good mechanic!

I'm tempted to ask Dr. Daryl, D.M.D. if he's ever substituted Tamiya putty for amalgam...

Brian da Basher

[JC Carbonel]

Thank you all for your contributions. That was much more than expect so i am now thinking of writing a full article on the Whaff and the Whiff of what-if-ing in Modelstories

JCC

[TsrJoe]

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,16698.0/highlight,revell.html

[Weaver]

In the early '80s I used to attend Sale IPMS as a non-exhibiting "guest", and there were quite a few Whiffs being built then, although they came in for a fair bit of snottiness from some sections of the membership. I bought one guy's pair of abandoned projects: Yak-15 and -17 made by grafting Me-262 engine pods onto Yak-3 (?) bodies. Always felt guilty at not finishing what he'd put a lot of work into....

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

The Roman/Aztec stuff is mine from around the late '90s, certainly at Donnington, as after one year at Peterborough, the venue burnt down (thank goodness as it was awful) and the Nats moved to Donnington.

Ohh yes I remember the Roman/Aztec stuff very clearly - Dork and I were wandering around that display for ages marvelling at the workmanship and sense of fun !!

As to the venue - I was on the IPMS National Committee at the time.... in three years we moved from Stoneleigh, to P'boro to Donnington..... is it any wonder why I lost my hair !

Ian

[Martin H]

I was on the IPMS National Committee at the time....
Ian

and we have never let u live that down ever since LOL