January 19, 2023 John Parkin

A Beginners Guide to Model Aircraft

If you’re looking to dive headfirst into the exciting world of collectible aircraft models, then you are definitely in the right place!

Fans of the hobby collect planes for a multitude of reasons — they love the history of aircraft, the topic of aircraft itself is fascinating, or they love the satisfaction of building and painting something with their own hands.

However, getting into a hobby as old and as vast as collecting model aircrafts can feel overwhelming at the start. With so many eras, aircrafts, and skill levels to choose from, where do you even begin? With us, of course!

Getting started
Believe it or not, the hardest task of all is going to be choosing your very first model. With an endless supply of iconic aircraft at your fingertips, narrowing it down to just one is going to be a real Sophie’s choice.

The most logical place to begin if you don’t already have a model in mind, is to filter the initial search by using our era system. Shopping by era is an immensely helpful way of getting to grips with the aircraft’s time period and can help you add the right accessories if you’re someone who likes to be historically accurate. Our most popular aircraft eras are World War One, Inter-War, World War Two, and the Cold War.

You’ll also be faced with the hard choice of deciding between military aircraft and civilian aircraft. We tend to break the eras into the various wars for ease, but that doesn’t mean that our ranges are purely military — we also have an exciting collection of civilian models dating from around the same time periods.

Finally, the question of skill level. This model aircraft hobby of ours is as much about building as it is about collecting. The magic of your first build will undoubtedly be enough to hook you for life (we’re not casual people, us modelers). If you’re already artistically minded and have a wealth of your own equipment at the ready, then we have no reservations about encouraging you to go straight into one of our classic builds. However, if you’re not super confident with a paint brush (or even own a paint brush for that matter) then we absolutely recommend one of our Starter Kits! Minimal pieces and they come with their own set of paints and brushes.

How will you display your aircraft model?
When it comes to displaying your finished plane, you are truly spoilt for choice. There are three main ways to display your model aircraft (the further you delve into the hobby, the more outside of the box you’ll get when it comes to things like this):

Wall mounting: this is popular for those of us with far too many models to count (and a severe lack of shelf space). All it takes is a little wall bracket and a bit of patience and you’ll have a terrific, mid-flight model.
On a stand: this is probably the most conventional method. You simply purchase a stand and then attach your aircraft. It displays it well and is the perfect accessory if you’re looking to photograph your finished product.
Diorama: although this is definitely the most difficult option, it’s also our favourite. Creating a diorama (to scale scene) to place your model in is a fantastic way to show off the time period and your creative skills at the same time. It also makes for phenomenal pictures!