A sad end to a lot of loving effort

[N4521U]

A long time ago I posted a thread about what we do with all these planes we build. Since there is no afterlife to take them to, eh?

I had the sad duty to sift thru Hundreds of donated builds. Most of them manhandeled by others, parts broken off when stacked on top of one another and just age. These pictures show the results of having to discard unreapaireble builds from long long ago. Most old enough to have been brush painted with acrylics. All the museum wanted was Aussie relevant plane models.

So now what do you think? Just what Will happen to all our lovingly built kits. Even the Unbuilt in the boxes.

A sad end.

 

[fubar57]

We are a dying breed Bill. I think my kids would take one or two built ones when I'm gone but pretty sure the stash would be sold off cheap and the tools becoming landfill .

Geo

 

[Wayne Little]

hope my Son will deal with my stuff accordingly maybe get them to the Aviation museum if they want them, the built stuff....and probably sell off the unbuilt stuff and make himself some money...

sad that so much gets the flick due to whatever circumstance...

 

[herman1rg]

I feel quite ill seeing all that work unloved

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Some of our members have workbenches like that Bill.

However, I have a pact with a fellow modeller who will get my hoard and builds if I peg it before him and vice versa and as he is much younger than I…………………………….

 

[Wildcat]

He saw you coming Vic!

 

[A4K]

That is sad indeed Bill, especially as the end goal of my RNZAF and Luftwaffe collections is to display them in one or two museums where others might enjoy them...

What will happen with those kits in the photos btw? If there are any RNZAF types in 1:72 there, I could take them off your hands, no matter what condition.

 

[Njaco]

When I volunteered at MAAM, I had to go through boxes and boxes of donated models. You would not believe what people donate to these museums. Even had a hobby shop that went out of business that donated all of its Matchbox-like military vehicles. MAAM had about 300 of them and didn't know what to do since its an Air museum. I picked out the best I could that represented all the various countries and had them on display.

When my father passed away I grabbed a bunch of his models and I have them displayed in my case including a Fw 190 that he did when he was about 17 years old. They have a place of pride among my own models.

and here are picks of the model display at MAAM that I helped put together.

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[A4K]

Nice job Chris, like that Japanese display especially.

 

[imalko]

Haven't thought about that really as I don't intent to expire any time soon. Having said that, I would like my models to stay preserved when I'm gone. Anyhow, here's to add a little cheer to the otherwise sad topic...

 

[Shinpachi]

The Yosegaki flag in the Japanese display interests me.
That looks filled with hundreds of the same letter "力 (chikara = power)".

 

[Capt. Vick]

Bill,

Why not have a box by the door of the museum, for the little visitors to take when they leave? Small parts not withstanding, what airplane minded kid wouldn't want to any one of those beaters for a flight around the backyard before it ends up broken and in the trash?

Just a thought. Probably not the safest thing to do with them.

Jim

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

The planes should be given to little tikes. Fix them up a little bit and give them to the young neighborhood kids. I learned to love building model planes because a neighbor gave my brother and I a model plane each. We didn't care what it looked like, it was a plane and we could go play with it. Over time it got broken more and ended up being thrown away but for that brief time it kindled a love that has lasted over 45 years. We each think of these models as our treasures and rightly so as they are a gateway to dreams. When you give them the plane, tell them a little about it, what its purpose was or about the people who flew them and the adventures and sacrifices made with them. Place the flame on to the next generation.

 

[Gnomey]

Always sad to see

 

[mikewint]

Indeed very sad. Even sadder when you realize the time, effort, and money that each represents. All of my early models were destroyed by my kids who "played" with them. My later built models, aircraft and armour, are in cases and protected for now. When Old Nick finally comes to get me??? Who knows. The same goes for all the "stuff" I brought back from Vietnam. As I mentioned once before I approached several museums and received the same reply: "We'll take it but do with it what we want" including in the trash. Several of them have yearly "yard" sales where they sell "excess" stuff.
"One man's treasure is another man's junk"

 

[at6]

I wish I lived close to you. I would most likely take most of those off of your hands. What is beyond repar would become spare parts for others or become pieces of what if models.

 

[Crimea_River]

I've gone through two purges myself in my life. Gotta say that it was hard to start but once it started it got easy. Didn't lose any sleep. I find that all of the fun is in the build and once done, I rarely look at them again.

 

[Njaco]

I have done the same CR. Thats why I am looking at about 15 models to be built instead of 300. Along with a lot of other junk I've been hauling around. I've moved 4 times since joining the Forum and all that extra junk is getting to be too much. It was out of sight when I had them, boxed up in the attic or basement and its no different now that they are gone - out of sight out of mind.

 

[Capt. Vick]

I remember a scandal at the USAF museum when a curator there was selling off items he deemed excess to the museums collection, through Ebay I believe, for his own enrichment. Sad that people will steal a nations heritage for profit.

 

[A4K]

With all above. Donated alot of aircraft parts to a museum that opened in the town I was living in at the time, as a 'long term loan' ( I was moving again). All items were identified and listed for them. Went back for the opening a couple of months later to see them (and a whole lot of other stuff) in a heap with the sign 'can anyone identify these items?' next to them. Gave them the list again. Went back a year later, they couldn't find most of them...
'Not bloody impressed' dosen't begin to sum up my thoughts, especially as I gave them some very rare items.

Still plan to see my models in one particular museum especially, run by a fantastic team who charged (atleast when I was there) a very small entry fee for what is a very impressive collection.