Just joined. Live on Gold Coast Qld Australia. Aged 66. Have been building wooden boat kits for the past year but need a bit of a break and have always loved war planes. Tried to join the Australian Airforce when I was young but I was too young and by the time I was old enough my life went down another track. I always want to be a pilot of a jet fighter but unfortunately I grew too tall and I am about 195 cms (or 6feet 4 inches) So I wouldnt even fit in the cockpit. So I am left to dreaming. I was going to try and build some plastic 1/48 models. Have done a little research on the web and am thinking of buying a couple of Academy kits as they seem reasonably priced for starters. Might then venture into the better kits (Tamiya?) I have always loved the Sabre and one of my friends flew the last one in Australia to Malaysia many years ago. I see the Italeri has a model. Anyone have any ideas on that model. Also I was going to buy the Academny 1/48 F 4B Phantom and then perhaps the Academy 1/48 Lockheed Martin F22A Raptor. If anyone has tried any of these I would appreciate any input of what they think of them. Anyway hello from Australia and hope to meet a few of you in time

Welcome aboard, Laurie. I have built Academy's Sabres and enjoyed them very much, both in 1/72 and 1/48. I have not yet tried the Phantom but I have seen other builds online and it appears to be an excellent kit. Grab what you can and you will find plenty of help here to get you along in the build.

Laurie,
Welcome to KitMaker Network, and specifically to Aeroscale. You'll find that our site isn't so crazy busy, nor so large that you get lost, confused, & frustrated trying to find things or stay current on threads that interest you. It's just about perfect combination of size, busyness, and pretty well organized. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to spend countless hours and make hundreds and hundreds of posts before anyone remembers who you are. I can practically guarantee you that you're going to really like it here.

It's nice to have another 66 year old join. Yep, I'm 66 too.

I've tried a few wooden balsa kits when I was a teenager, and never finished one. Never tried a wooden ship as the skill levels are way more then what I've attained over the years. Plastic is where I feel most comfortable and at home with.

The world of plastic aircraft modeling will let you go virtually anywhere you want to go, and for the most part today's kits all build into nice replicas. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. The more detail in a kit, the better it's engineered, the more it usually costs.

You made an excellent choice with 1/48 scale, which is my main scale since coming back to the hobby several years ago. I would suggest that you build your 1st few kits box Stock till you feel the need to add bits & pieces.

I've never built the Academy 1/48 F86, but every review has been a positive one. Currently I'm building Academy's F-4B, and it's one of the best kits I've ever built. Detail is excellent, fit is excellent, decals are excellent as well. Some fit issues with the intakes but every jet seems to have them. Here's the link to my build thread:

F-4B Build

Looking forward to your 1st build thread,
Joel

Thanks Russ for your kind welcome and reassurance. Still doing a bit of research into what I need for start. I have a big box of timber boat tools and scalpels. I am sure some will come in handy.

Thanks Joel for the welcome and thanks for the link to your build. I was a member of the shipbuilders forums and they also had a build log where you showed pictures of your progress and got help from other members. I think I will follow your choice as I will then have someone to ask if I have problems. The first perception of plastic aircraft was from childhood where the kits were small and simple. Just a bit of joining here and there and you were finished. From your build log I see that it is much more complicated and satisfying and there is room for showing your own flair. Thanks for the info and keep in touch