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If there's one hobby I have totally ceased to engage in, primarily due to time and budget constraints (well, what other constraints are there?), it's the classic "boy's hobby" called plastic scale modeling.

(from wikipedia) Plastic models, often called scale models, are models manufactured as kits which are assembled by hobbyists, and intended for static display. The most popular subjects of plastic models by far are vehicles such as aircraft, ships, automobiles, and armored vehicles such as tanks. The majority of models depict military vehicles, due to the wider variety of form and historical context compared to civilian vehicles. Other subjects include science fiction vehicles and robots (Most famously the "Mobile Suits" from the various Gundam series), real spacecraft, buildings, animals, human figures, and characters from motion pictures. While military, ship, and aircraft modelers prize accuracy above all, modelers of automobiles and science-fiction themes may attempt to duplicate an existing subject, or may depict a completely imaginary subject.

Through the years, I've managed to build plastic scale models here and there, but my collection was considerably sparse, compared to that of friends who were more "financially capable" to buy more models. So here are the exact models I used to own, some of which still exist, in a dusty corner of our house in Marawi or perhaps in Iligan.

Please take note that the images shown below are NOT of my original plastic model kits--they are representations of how those kits looked like, to give you an idea what I saw that made my eyes sparkle the very first time I laid my eyes on them as a child/teenager.


Elementary Years

My first (and perhaps only) plastic model was that of the German pocket battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee manufactured by Matchbox, the same company that made the famous little die cast toy cars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_...iral_Graf_Spee I bought it from the Agrix Mall (well they weren't called malls back then, it was a "department store") in Los Banos, Laguna. It was a simple "waterline" ship model, meaning, the model appears as if the lower part of the hull is sitting underwater. I found images of the same exact model, right down to the box art, in the internet, and here is what it looks like:



Putting it together was quite easy, so even though it was my first time to build a plastic model, it didn't take me 2 hours to finish it, although I did have some issues with the glue--I used Duco cement, which for some reason, didn't work well. I then went back to the store and bought a modeling glue by Matchbox, and that one worked better. At the time, I didn't realize the ship would have looked a lot better if I spent more time trying to make sure that seams between two plastic parts fit better, or that eliminating things like mold flashings (parts of plastic that bunch up in seams during the molding process) will make the model look better, let alone decals and painting--I was first overcome with joy that I was able to actually follow the steps in the instruction guide and was able to put everything together--for a first-time plastic modeler, I guess that's one of the first few feelings of satisfaction you get when building your first beginner set.

Now while I didn't have any other models aside from the Graf Spee back in my elementary days, I was sort of "commissioned" by friends to help out on their models, perhaps because they realized I had an eye for detail. So here's a short list of some models I was able to participate or help out in building:

a) A 1:48 scale Monogram B-26 Marauder, owned by a classmate
b) A 1:48 scale Monogram B-25 Mitchell, owned by a neighbor (yes, Monogram was quite a popular plastic model brand back then...possible owner was Jingjing Mascarinas)
c) A 1:72 scale Sopwith Camel (which the owner eventually gave to me as a gift after we finished making it, I think the owner was Andrew Aglibut)
d) (I forgot the scale) A Space Shuttle (possibly the Enterprise) sitting on top of the Boeing 747 carrier, owned by Emil "Ogie" Javier, Jr., son of the then-Chancellor of UP Los Banos.

So yeah, I had a great time with scale models in my elementary years, and even though I truly only owned one model (the Graf Spee), I had the opportunity to exercise my skill through the modelling projects I got involved in thanks to friends.


High school Years

You may have noticed that the Wikipedia entry on plastic modeling did include sci-fi models. Well, I was a big Robotech/Macross fan when I was in high school, after Robotech premiered in local TV. So, after seeing a Revell Robotech Vexar Changer1:72 model in Gaisano Iligan, I begged my parents to let me buy it. And here is how it looked like (also found the box image in the internet).



This was a challenging model to build considering that after it was built, it could be posed into the three different "mecha modes", aircraft mode, walker mode, and humanoid anthropomorphic robot mode. This one took me almost a week to finish, and it became quite a messy affair, because owing to the lack of availability of proper model paints in the area, I had to resort to using enamel-based paints (for house/furniture), and rainy/damp conditions in MSU Marawi tended to make the paint dry ever so slowly, and I had to keep redoing the paintjob because it kept getting smudged. I was really proud of this model and occassionally would bring it to school to show off to friends.

Sadly, this great plastic model came to a terrible demise--our pet Japanese Spitz "Shasha" managed to reach up a low table where it was sitting on, and she chewed it to bits--I cried when I saw the aftermath. This was the last ever plastic model I worked on as a high school lad.


College Years

My parents put a lot of their hard earned money to put me through college, esp. during my first year, spent away from my family, at UP Diliman. Nonetheless, my passion for plastic scale modeling forced me to cut down on my snacks and misc. spending, just to save up to buy plastic models while I was studying at UP. Here are the three kits I worked on at the time, which I displayed on my study desk at the Kalayaan Resident Dormitory, in diorama fashion:


A Monogram 1:48 scale A-18 Strike Fighter, same exact kit as this one...


A Hasegawa 1:48 scale US Ground Crew (Set A), same exact kit as this one...

depicting ground crews that work on aircraft parked on the tarmac.

A Tamiya 1:48 scale F-16A Falcon, which was supposed to be painted in the standard "prototype" General Dynamics livery, but I opted to paint it into a standard gray combat paint scheme eventually.


After I transferred back to MSU Marawi in 1989, I brought back these three models with me. It was then I realized how much more detail work they needed. So from 1990-1992 these three models gradually were reworked "to death" with the help of my brother Ivan Herrera, in various states of "realism" and "detail" as how I defined it at the time. We eventually were satisfied with our additional detail work and decided to hang these models from the ceiling of our bedroom (well not the ground crew of course...they were grounded on a small plywood platform, tucked away in a shelf corner).

The last ever model I assembled during my college years was a Monogram 1:48 scale F-111 Aardvark, bought at Gaisano, Iligan City. Again, I found the same exact model online here:



I'll keep modifying this document each time I remember nice moments while I was building these models. But yeah, these are the only plastic scale models I've ever worked on since 4th grade It's nice how the internet can bring back vivid memories of these great childhood/youthful moments, even after the actual items are long gone from the physical world.

-RODION