A very popular hobby today among the very young all the way to the very old is building plastic model airplane kits
. Retirees and mostly young men engage in the hobby of collecting and building model planes. But from time to time you will find young ladies getting in on the fun also. Finding the best kits can be a challenge sometimes but does not have to be.
In many collections they will be proudly displayed in basements, dens and the young mans bedroom. They are hug from the ceiling and placed on shelving as well as many other creative ways of display.
Locating new kits or even some of the vintage model kits from time gone by is not as hard as you might think. For collectors young and old alike acquiring one as a gift for them will be much appreciated. Even duplicates because they can be painted to resemble another famous plane. When the modeler builds old warbirds it is possible to build many different famous planes painted different ways and have no two alike.
If a modeler collects old warbirds dont buy them a jet liner or commercial aircraft. Stick to them area of interest if it is American military aircraft dont buy them a German fighter model.
Modelers will most often stick to a certain theme such as trainer aircraft, Air Force One models, and military aircraft or commercial aircraft models. It is very rare to mix themes. There are few that love to build any kind of plastic model airplane kits and have collections to prove it.
The most loved types of kits are the hard to find vintage kits and limited editions. Hobby shops are a limited source because they do not carry big inventories. A good source of vintage and limited edition plastic model airplane kits can be found at many of the old warbird museums. Many of them will have gift shops with airplane kits of all kinds that are vintage and many never seen before and very rare.
Today with help of the internet it makes it very easy to find vintage and limited edition model kits. Plus you can research the history behind the models creation and use.
Brand name model manufactures will produce a higher quality kits. There are many excellent airplane model manufactures producing copies of most everything ever made and many prototypes that never made it off the drawing boards. But the off brand makers that may have made a lower quality product may not matter to a seasoned collector because building in the quality is the talent of the model builder. So if you locate a plastic model airplane kit from an off brand maker remember it can still make a treasure for a model collector builder.