What modelling projects do you think you'll never build or see?

Weaver · June 16, 2025, 06:24:49 AM

Here's an open question: what modelling projects, particularly What If ones, have you dreamt up, but are convinced that you'll never get to make (due to complexity, cost, kit availability, whatever) or that you'll never see someone else make for similar reasons?

Here's a couple that occurred to me, to get the ball rolling:

1. The F-18XL. in 1/72nd scale.
I think that an F-18, modified along the same lines as the F-16XL, would look very good indeed. However the only F-16XL kit in 1/72nd was the rare-as-rocking-horse-doo-doo Monogram one from ages ago, and I don't see anyone chopping one of those up just to stick the wings on a Rhino. I certainly wouldn't, if I had one. You could do it in 1/144th, but would it be worth the effort?

2. The "Das Boot-ified" Yellow Submarine.
I had this evil idea to get the kit of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine and re-work it into a tired, battered grey warboat with kill markings and a shell-shocked crew, then write the grimmest, Das Boot-style downer backstory I possibly could for it.

Not happening because the kits go for VERY silly collectors' prices. It's not just kit collectors you're competing with, it's also Beatlemaniacs who'll buy ANYTHING associated with the Beatles even if they haven't the slightest interest in kits, and then keep it in it's perfectly intact shrink-wrap in their climate-controlled "shrine". The only slight chance I have, I suppose, is if I find a badly bodged and "ruined" one going for sane money at a show or antiques fair or something like that, and there's enough of it left to make a waterline dio. I mean, it's not like I'm going to need the flower-power stickers...

jcf · June 16, 2025, 08:44:29 AM

The old MPC Yellow Submarine kit has been re-released at least twice, AMT-ERTL in 1999 and by Polar Lights - under the MPC label in 2012 including in a "collectors tin" version.
The kit is regularly available over here and prices start low.
AMT ERTL listings:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=AMT+yellow+submarine+model+kit&_trksid=p2334524.m4084.l1313&_odkw=yellow+submarine+model+kit&_osacat=0&_sop=15&_psop=12&LH_PrefLoc=2

seadude · June 16, 2025, 11:22:15 AM

One major model project that I'm wondering if I'll ever get to finish is my 1/350 scale HMS Habakkuk ship model here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=51061.0
It's stalled due to cost, complexity, and lack of building materials. But cost mostly.
I can't help but wonder if I bit off more than I could chew with trying to tackle this subject.
I've seen other people build Habakkuk type models in the past, but their designs were so far off the mark, I practically cringed when I saw them.
I almost don't want anybody else to build a Habakkuk model nor do I want a model manufacturer to make a kit of one. They'll just get the design wrong based on piss poor research.

Another project I want to do, but have doubts on if I'll ever be able to start it is the proposed, but never built, WW2 German Landkreuzer P1500 mobile artillery gun. It would have been a German DORA railway gun, but on a tracked mobile chassis instead. Trying to build a model of one will be very difficult as diagrams and specifications are hard to pin down. Books, websites, etc. all show different images and such. There's almost no consensus. I've got a 1/144 scale DORA railway gun kit at home I can use, but the entirety of the tracked chassis would have to be scratch built. I only know of one other person who built a moderately realistic 1/87 scale model of one and I think that was in France a few years ago.
Several years ago, TAKOM was planning to come out with a model kit of one (Pic below), but they canceled it for unknown reasons.

Weaver · June 16, 2025, 03:13:33 PM

Quote from: jcf on June 16, 2025, 08:44:29 AMThe old MPC Yellow Submarine kit has been re-released at least twice, AMT-ERTL in 1999 and by Polar Lights - under the MPC label in 2012 including in a "collectors tin" version.
The kit is regularly available over here and prices start low.
AMT ERTL listings:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=AMT+yellow+submarine+model+kit&_trksid=p2334524.m4084.l1313&_odkw=yellow+submarine+model+kit&_osacat=0&_sop=15&_psop=12&LH_PrefLoc=2

Yeah, but I think that for whatever reason, very few made it to the UK, and the postage from the US to here more than makes up the difference between the UK and US prices. There's exactly one from a UK seller on UK ebay right now, and it's £53.00.

Wardukw · June 17, 2025, 01:00:24 AM

Quote from: seadude on June 16, 2025, 11:22:15 AMAnother project I want to do, but have doubts on if I'll ever be able to start it is the proposed, but never built, WW2 German Landkreuzer P1500 mobile artillery gun. It would have been a German DORA railway gun, but on a tracked mobile chassis instead. Trying to build a model of one will be very difficult as diagrams and specifications are hard to pin down. Books, websites, etc. all show different images and such. There's almost no consensus. I've got a 1/144 scale DORA railway gun kit at home I can use, but the entirety of the tracked chassis would have to be scratch built. I only know of one other person who built a moderately realistic 1/87 scale model of one and I think that was in France a few years ago.
Several years ago, TAKOM was planning to come out with a model kit of one (Pic below), but they canceled it for unknown reasons.

I'd say possibly lack of interest Seadude mate ...it's a very different model but I'd promise you one thing ..I'd have gotten one for damn sure and to show the demented state of my mind I wanted to build one in 35th scale

The reason that ya can't get any solid information on it is there never was any ...it was nothing but a idea when the minds of the German scientists went totally bonkers ..it was an idea to make the rail gun more useful

.
I wanted ..still want the 35th scale model of DORA and from that you can get all the goodies needed for the main gun parts for the SPG. .. im still tempted by Hobbyboss's 72nd DORA and building a 72nd scale Landkreuzer P1500.
Oh to give you some idea about sizes ..in 35th scale the road wheels for the Landkreuzer would be 1/16th scale Kingtiger ones along with 7 full sets of tracks ..in 72nd scale.. 35th would be needed and a crap load of em when you look at the Maus .
Ive had the Maus in 35th scale 3 times now and if my math is remembered correctly..so no problem there

..the Landkreuzer in 35th is over 500mm wide and like 1200mm in lenght

Beermonster58 · June 17, 2025, 01:22:30 AM

Quote from: seadude on June 16, 2025, 11:22:15 AMOne major model project that I'm wondering if I'll ever get to finish is my 1/350 scale HMS Habakkuk ship model here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=51061.0
It's stalled due to cost, complexity, and lack of building materials. But cost mostly.
I can't help but wonder if I bit off more than I could chew with trying to tackle this subject.
I've seen other people build Habakkuk type models in the past, but their designs were so far off the mark, I practically cringed when I saw them.
I almost don't want anybody else to build a Habakkuk model nor do I want a model manufacturer to make a kit of one. They'll just get the design wrong based on piss poor research.

Another project I want to do, but have doubts on if I'll ever be able to start it is the proposed, but never built, WW2 German Landkreuzer P1500 mobile artillery gun. It would have been a German DORA railway gun, but on a tracked mobile chassis instead. Trying to build a model of one will be very difficult as diagrams and specifications are hard to pin down. Books, websites, etc. all show different images and such. There's almost no consensus. I've got a 1/144 scale DORA railway gun kit at home I can use, but the entirety of the tracked chassis would have to be scratch built. I only know of one other person who built a moderately realistic 1/87 scale model of one and I think that was in France a few years ago.
Several years ago, TAKOM was planning to come out with a model kit of one (Pic below), but they canceled it for unknown reasons.

I'd have jumped at the chance of something like the proposed TAKOM kit. If you like that sort of thing, check out the Modelcollect " Fist of War" series! I recently treated myself to their 1/72 P.1000 "Ratte" Landkreuzer. TAKOM do a 1/144 version of the Ratte and, it comes with a little 1/144 scale Maus included.

George the Cat · June 17, 2025, 04:26:29 AM

Blackburn Botha

zenrat · June 17, 2025, 04:31:01 AM

I doubt i'll ever see the following injection moulded kits from mainstream manufacturers;

New tool 1/72 Rotodyne.
1/25 or 1/24 Alfa Romeo Montreal.
1/12 1967 Triumph Bonneville (or any Classic British Motorcycle - a hugely unexploited subject matter IMO).

kerick · June 17, 2025, 05:40:18 AM

The F-18XL sounds fantastic! I think I would grab some delta wings from one kit and outer wings from something like a Drakken.

seadude · June 17, 2025, 06:09:32 AM

Quote from: Beermonster58 on June 17, 2025, 01:22:30 AMI'd have jumped at the chance of something like the proposed TAKOM kit. If you like that sort of thing, check out the Modelcollect " Fist of War" series! I recently treated myself to their 1/72 P.1000 "Ratte" Landkreuzer. TAKOM do a 1/144 version of the Ratte and, it comes with a little 1/144 scale Maus included.

Lucky you. I'm jealous. I came close to getting Modelcollect's 1/72 scale Landkreuzer P1000 long ago. Close, but not close enough.

To this day, I'm still kicking myself and screaming about it. I do have TAKOM's 1/144 scale Ratte at home. It's sitting on the shelf of doom waiting to be finished...........whenever I get around to it.

Weaver · June 17, 2025, 06:36:06 AM

Quote from: zenrat on June 17, 2025, 04:31:01 AMI doubt i'll ever see the following injection moulded kits from mainstream manufacturers;

New tool 1/72 Rotodyne.
1/25 or 1/24 Alfa Romeo Montreal.
1/12 1967 Triumph Bonneville (or any Classic British Motorcycle - a hugely unexploited subject matter IMO).

I'm going to add a new tool 1/72nd Bristol Belvedere to that, in the reverse-psychology hope that that makes someone like Mikro-Mir actually do it, just to make me wrong...

Old Wombat · June 17, 2025, 06:43:13 AM

I'm fairly sure I'll never see a quality injection moulded kit of either a CH-46 Sea Knight or a CH-53D/E Sea Stallion in 1/35, nor a 1/350 Black Swan class sloop.

The Rat · June 17, 2025, 07:30:28 AM

Quote from: George the Cat on June 17, 2025, 04:26:29 AMBlackburn Botha

PH Model Blackburn Botha Mk.I

The Rat · June 17, 2025, 07:37:22 AM

Ho hum... My weekly complaint about not having a Hindustan HF-24 Marut.

And I despair of ever seeing anothet CF-100 Canuck. The Hobbycraft ones are getting rare and expensive, and they had issues.

Weaver · June 17, 2025, 07:44:41 AM

Quote from: The Rat on June 17, 2025, 07:37:22 AMHo hum... My weekly complaint about not having a Hindustan HF-24 Marut. And I despair of ever seeing anothet CF-100 Canuck. The Hobbycraft ones are getting rare and expensive, and they had issues.

I'd love a Marut. With Airfix getting a lot of their casting done in India you'd think it'd a be a natural. Then again, I don't actually know if there's a big modelling scene over there.