Small Scale Aircraft Models?

[Hero of Man]

So I'm a pretty big fan of Ace Combat and Area 88, and have always wanted to do some kind of Air Mercs style table top game with more of a roleplaying focus. Problem is, I can't seem to find the best range/size with the most variety. I was curious if any of you could point me in the right direction?

Preference is Post Vietnam era planes, though some modern and ultra modern are okay.

[Section9]

So I'm a pretty big fan of Ace Combat and Area 88, and have always wanted to do some kind of Air Mercs style table top game with more of a roleplaying focus. Problem is, I can't seem to find the best range/size with the most variety. I was curious if any of you could point me in the right direction?

Preference is Post Vietnam era planes, though some modern and ultra modern are okay.

Choices are really 1/200, 1/285, 1/300, or 1/600. Anything bigger than 1/200 is way too big.

Armaments in Miniature is the only source of 1/200 aircraft I know, they have an OK range from Korea through to the Arab-Israeli wars and look very good.

No F14 Tomcat, though, and you do need a big Cat to play Area 88. Modern 1/200 fighters are ~3" long.

1/285 and 1/300 are largely equivalent as far as size goes. GHQ makes 1/285 scale models, has a very good reputation for scale and has a pretty good range of NATO aircraft. Their Warsaw Pact aircraft range isn't as good. Raiden Miniatures has a pretty good range.

Lots of options for 1/300, and I don't think there are any bad choices, to be honest.

You might be able to find a decent range of 1/350 plastics for the big naval models, check Hobbylink Japan. Modern 1/285, 1/300, and 1/350 fighters are all roughly 2" long, WW2 and Korean vintage aircraft are closer to 1" long.

Then we have 1/600. Not a lot of choices, but the ranges are pretty comprehensive. There's Oddzmial Ozzmy (O8 minis) and Tumbling Dice.

[Hero of Man]

Thanks Section 9!

The lack of Tomcats and Tiger 2s is very disturbing at Armaments, as those feel like obvious choices for an Area 88 game. GHQ is looking like the best compromise, though I wish there were more Bogey types. I was really excited about the 1/600th scale until I saw how small they were compared to a square base; that looks like a nightmare to paint with any level of detail.

The idea for the roleplay is a Mercenary Air Squadron/PMC that starts off small and works their way up to the Biggest Name in Air Superiority, perhaps diversifying into ground troops and such.

[Section9]

I'd seriously consider the 1/350 scale plastic ship detail sets. Trumpeter has an OK range, including F4s, F14s, F18Cs and Ds, Super Hornets, and a bunch of Soviet helos. All Naval types, though. No F5 or F20s, or any of the early Soviet MiGs. Not a bad range of WW2 stuff, either, though it's mostly Pacific Theater. At roughly $8.50 a set of 6, price is pretty nice, too!

Tamiya makes a couple sets of USN aircraft, too: F14s, A6s, A7, F18A, S3s, E2s, F4s, SH3s. ~$4 a pack.

[chromedog]

There is a new aircraft combat game coming out sometime soonish from Andy Chambers (it was covered in a Podhammer interview a few months back).

I think it's written for 1/144 or 1/200 stuff. It's not full on Area 88 scale stuff. but it's more of a more modern take on WoW - or even Top Gun (using minis, not counters). My club got to test out the rules a few months back. It was almost as cool as Top Gun was back in the 80s (board game with counters on a hex-board).

[Hero of Man]

Section 9: Ooo, I like these, especially price wise!

Chromedog: I'll keep an eye out, thanks! Area 88 was an anime I'm taking as inspiration, so scale is more of a "what is the most affordable with the most variety" than anything.

[Hero of Man]

Not to double post, but found this and thought ya'll might have interest;

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/kampfflieger

[Section9]

Not to double post, but found this and thought ya'll might have interest;

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/kampfflieger

Gotta be careful with Shapeways, some materials are really rough-surfaced and take a lot of clean-up with filler putty and sandpaper.

If you get Frosted Ultra Detail, that's obscenely expensive. Cool for something you only need a couple of, but utterly impractical for large orders! FUD is about the minimum surface quality for making masters for production.

[Hero of Man]

Dang, finding bogeys has been difficult! But Ebay thankfully has A LOT of sellers of Trumpeter and Tamiya not at hobby link. Thanks for helping me narrow down my scale, as this has made things infinitely easier than before.

[chromedog]

Section 9: Ooo, I like these, especially price wise!

Chromedog: I'll keep an eye out, thanks! Area 88 was an anime I'm taking as inspiration, so scale is more of a "what is the most affordable with the most variety" than anything.

Yeah, I meant the scale of the combats seen in that anime.

It's more around squadron scale over wing scale (squadron is x aircraft, "Wing" is Y squadrons of X aircraft).

[Hero of Man]

Oh, whoops. I'll still give it a consideration, as my last air combat game was Wings of War, and that was only a single game.

Also, unrelated, but you just nabbed the 666th post for this subforum.

[Pierzasty]

Now I have to watch Area 88 again. Thanks a lot. <_<

[Hero of Man]

Now I have to watch Area 88 again. Thanks a lot. <_<

You're welcome.