How did we all get started in WHIF'ing?

[Gary]

A very long time ago I read a wonderful Sci-Fi called the Texas Israeli War where the Northern US states were again at war with the South, only they hired Israel mercenaries to fight their 'brothers.' There was wonderfully described laser Centurion tanks and the story stuck in my head. A few years later a buddy of mine took a Patton and added some ribbed dome thingy to it, giving it a real insect like look. I started searching in vane for years afterward for a Centurion I could afford to modify to meet the story. Fast forward 25 years and I re-entered the hobby unwillingly by doing architectural models for the company I worked for. All kinds of scales and projects and unfortunately at the time, the work I was doing was good in the eyes of my employer. Before long I was doing models for medium sized clients and my work was offered up to the city and so on. While I was getting paid, it wasn't enjoyable and the pace was huge. I learned a lot about foam core and gator board and spray glue and so on, but it was hard to stay excited about each new project.
I was laid off oddly and ended up moving out of town but had all the gear for building models. I was building them at night in my basement because my daytime duties didn't permit the pace. So after I got a new job, I started building again, for pleasure and was having loads of fun. I joined a few clubs and then one fateful day I was looking for info on the XP-67 Moonbat, a plane I would still love to build. That lead me to here. At the same time I posted some of my work on Diaper scale and was shredded for having the stupidity of following the kit instructions. I received a physically violence threat from a prominant member and the board's admin refused to say or do anything about it. So I walked away from them and came here and began building serious WIFF projects as well as non-WIFF and the greeting here has ALWAYS ALWAYS been supportive and wonderful. I only wish I could build more, but alas, so little time.

[NARSES2]

Almost as soon as I started modelling in the late 50's, early 60's although I didn't know it back then. My aircraft would have had to walk to the target as I hung every available option on them.

First intentional WIF was an Airfix Fw 190D with Mustang drop tanks, a Mustang 4 bladed prop some airel poles made from stretched sprue and a all over light blue/grey camo with a darker "mirror wave". My take on a a Luftwaffe nightfighter, must have been mid 60's.

When I got back into Modelling I was reading Mike McEvoy's stuff and read a review of "Padded Cell", subscribed and then met the gang - Lee, Martin, Rad, Geoff, Aircav etc, etc. From there on in it was downhill all the way 

[cthulhu77]

 To me, the whole world is a what-if, so building warped models just seems to be natural.   

[Hobbes]

A few years ago I decided to get back into the hobby, and I was looking for some online resources, I think mostly for information on spraypainting and airbrushing.
Somehow, that's when I came across this forum. I'd never seriously thought about alternative history before, but I did tend to build models exactly as I like them, rather than following the instructions exactly. This forum has given me lots of inspiration, to the point where I now rarely build a RW model.

[tigercat2]

I have been modeling for 40+ years, and Whifs far outnumber "regular models".  I really enjoy the creativity of building something different; my first Whif was a DO-335 built in 1969 (I still have it), but the model that really ignited my interest was the Monogram F7F Tigercat.  This was about 1975 or so - I thought that the TCat would have made a great complement or supplement to the A-1 in SEA, so I started making USAF versions in various schemes with various ordinance.  I remember quite well purchasing Monogram A-1E kits just to use the 4-bladed prop on a Tigercat, and Revell A-7D kits for the ordinance.  Those were the days of cheap kits. 

Wes W.

[Shasper]

My name is Bud & I'm a Whiffer . . .



For me it started back in the day when the Monogram Snap-tite kits had waterslide decals, and it's what kept me in this hobby (I was getting s i c k of having my kits scrutinized to the Nth degree by old farts armed with dental pen lights at the IPMS contests), I think my first real Whiff has to be a 144th B-1A for the old Brit O Rama contests & the idea's have been rollin since. . .

[Radish]

I started whiffing back in the 50s/60s with camouflaged Kitmaster "Stephenson's Rocket" ideas, wierd Airfix Jet Provost 4s and other stuff. I was devising all sorts of schemes back then.

[Mossie]

Like a lot of people, my first models were whiffs of kind.  I didn't worry about accuarcy, I could only get gloss Humbrol paints from the local DIY shop until I was about 14 anyway.  As with Chris, the more bombs the better.  As I got older, I started to look a bit more closely at things, but tended to go exactly by the instructions.  Then left the hobby because of the usual girls/beer/not cool thing.

I was starting to think wether it was time to sell my stash, or get back into it as most kits I bought just ended up as loft ornaments.  I picked up a few models & knocked them together quickly & roughly to try & get a feel, one of them happened to be a whiff.  Didn't know what to do, so picked up a few model mags & found the old Airfix forum.  It was a good start, it gave me the bug again.  But I found the environment very bitchy & clicky & I found myself being dragged in without thinking about it.  I started using the words 'accurate' & 'correct' but I felt this wasn't the way I wanted to go.  Then someone posted a link to a crazy bunch of modelers (that would be here)!

At first I thought it wasn't my thing, some of the creations seemed too 'way out' when looking at them from my sheltered world.  But I continued to look in from time to time & I realised there was an accomodating & freindly environment here that was lacking on other forums & I was really enjoying the creativity.  I also had had a thing for project aircraft for some time & picked up copies of Project Cancelled & Secret Projects.  Seeing some of those porojects built up clinched it for me, I realised this was the modelling I wanted to do.  I took a little while to get a model finished, for all sorts of complex reasons, but I haven't done a real world build since.  I haven't abandoned real world stuff & I've got a few plans to do some, but I'm settled here.

[Dork the kit slayer]

It was this or community service............................................besides I like hanging out with the other nutters when we meet up.

As many of you will know Im not so much what if ,as lunatic fringe...and thats a calling not a crusade.

[Bungle]

Back in 2004 I remember reading a novel that included Adolf Hitler escaping from Berlin in a converted Dornier Do-335. The narrative described it as a 4 seater Lufthansa airliner used on the Berlin - Zurich run. Wish I could remember the book title. Anyway I decided to model said aircraft using a Revell do-335A-1.  A trim here, another  cut there, add a door, some windows a bit of interior - I seem to recall there was a reason for it being blue. I used the decals from the Italeri Junkers Ju-86B and guessed at the colour scheme from Black and White pictures of Lufthansa period aircraft.

So pleased was I that I put it on a plinth and entered it into a local competition........

I was torn to pieces by the local JMN. The small crowd of admirers I saw gathering around turned out to be biggest sh*ts I have ever met. From the colour scheme to the concept they were tearing it to pieces. One actually gave the serial number of the real D-AKOP and expressed his opinion of people who abuse modelling (I think he called it something fancy) and criticised my lack of imagination (?) in using that registration.

Sadly I failed to take them outside and thrash them within an inch of their life. Instead I took the kit out and placed under the wheel of my car and drove off. This is the only photo I have of the kit. I didn't model again for two years and have never shown a kit again until I found this site.

Now my modelling is 95% Whifs.   

[chrisonord]

That Dornier looks really nice Andy, what a shame it became road kill. You will have to make another now you know that don't you
But seriously... yeah...you do need to make another one, it is too cool stay as a dead reminder of the JMN fraternity.
Chris.

[anthonyp]

My whiffing appetite was whet decades ago, when both my Dad and Grandpa would build me kits, but not pay attention to the painting instructions.  I still have quite a few of them.

I got into building, tried to follow the instructions, but found I sucked at painting.  Then in the early 90's building craze I went through, I didn't go nuts with whiffing, but put the models into fictitious settings (like an extension of Red Storm Rising).  It was towards the end of this phase that I built my first two Whifs I had intended as Whifs, an A-45 and a Gripen painted in the markings of the 171st FS.  I still have the Gripen (missing all stores pylons).

In the late 90's, I surfaced again in the world of model building, and was heavy into Macross and started going beyond the standard Macross markings and put the VF-1's into modern day squadron markings, and invented a couple new VF-1 models.

I found, lost, found again, lost again, then finally bookmarked this site back in late 2004, and was so inspired, I started buying and building models for the sole purpose of Whiffing them.  Then, on a GLORIOUS April day in 2005, I earned my first title of "Productive Comrade" by post carpet bombing the site.

[JayBee]

My very first WIF was created in the late 1950's, or very early 1960's, and was a combination of the AIRFIX Swordfish and Auster Antarctic to give the Fleet Air Arm it's first float equipped, monoplane, torpedo bomber with an enclosed canopy. The model was never painted, and so remained in white and yellow plastic till it's dying days, which may (I can not remember exactly when) have been very soon after that.
That is where it started.
If you go to the home page, and scroll down past the Bordurian BF-109 G6,
past the Bubble top Hurricane (Gorgeous IMHO)
past the HS 1173
next you will find my story.

JimB

[sequoiaranger]

>Back in 2004 I remember reading a novel that included Adolf Hitler escaping from Berlin in a converted Dornier Do-335. <

REALLY? I have had, for DECADES, a whif concept of "Mein Flucht" (My Escape--A. Hitler) that is a combo of Do-335 and Ar-234 that would be flown out of Berlin by Hanna Reich (sp?) and have Goering at dummy controls. I have 1/72 figures for all three ("Hanna", a very small woman, is just an HO "seated figure") and WILL get it done someday. Good whiffing minds run in the same rut, I guess.

[sequoiaranger]

I started in the very late 50's. Especially in 1961 when I went to London at age 12 and found a hobby shop stacked to the ceiling with Airfix and Frog stuff---absolutely UN-heard of in the States! My suitcase was BULGING with bagged kits. My first whif was a "He-113" made from a Revell "Tony" and several other kits. It was RAW, man---not carefully mic-ed, but it was THERE. Only when Lindberg came out with its own 79-cent He-100 (He-113) that I realized that the "real" He-113 was such a tiny aircraft. I discovered I still have the whiffed version, only because it became a "painting dummy" unworthy of displaying.

I find it hard to stomach the JMN's who poo-poo the whifs. When you think of it, model car guys are ALL ABOUT "custom" rods and think nothing of making "whiffs" and kit-bashing, chopping, channeling, and wacky paint jobs.  What's with aircraft/armor/ship guys that get their underwear in a bundle over self-created aircraft/armor/ship models???