Model airplanes for 10-year-olds.

B

badamsios

New Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2023
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13
Hello y'all!

I have an 8-year-old grandson that is a sheer Genius. He can name every capital in every state, he knows the names of all most every country in the world, and he can even name all of the planet in order. He even told me that Pluto may or may not be a planet depending on who you ask. He is also extremely coordinated.

We flew him and his family from Michigan to here in California to see Jeff Dunham.

He is now fascinated with airplanes. I want to get him a model for Christmas. I am sure he could handle one for a 10 or even 12 year old.

I would prefer a World War I biplane. Barring that, a World War II fighter would be fine. Barring that, I'll settle for a modern military aircraft.

I am now open to suggestions.

TIA
 
badamsios said:
Hello y'all!

I have an 8-year-old grandson that is a sheer Genius. He can name every capital in every state, he knows the names of all most every country in the world, and he can even name all of the planet in order. He even told me that Pluto may or may not be a planet depending on who you ask. He is also extremely coordinated.

We flew him and his family from Michigan to here in California to see Jeff Dunham.

He is now fascinated with airplanes. I want to get him a model for Christmas. I am sure he could handle one for a 10 or even 12 year old.

I would prefer a World War I biplane. Barring that, a World War II fighter would be fine. Barring that, I'll settle for a modern military aircraft.

I am now open to suggestions.

TIA
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome to the forum. I would suggest a Tamiya model as they are usually a very good fit with clear instructions. I would also suggest Tamiya cement as an easy to use glue.

Great place for information here so any questions just let us know and we can help.
Pantherman

Screenshot_20231013_101317_Amazon Shopping.jpg
 
I agree with Pantherman's suggestion. I can still remember the first model I was ever involved in building. I was 8 or 9 at the time and I sat at the kitchen table with my Dad mostly watching him put it together and follow the instructions. He let me do a few things but that was all it took. We didn't even paint it. It was a P-47 and was molded in green plastic, probably olive drab but to me at that age it was just green. There was no painting involved, just plastic and glue. It's a very fond memory. I'd recommend you build it with him, he'll never forget it.
 
Airfix starter sets are also a good path. Those come with some basic paints, glue and a paint brush and the kits themselves tend to be easy kits that assemble nicely.
 
Bear43 said:
Airfix starter sets are also a good path. Those come with some basic paints, glue and a paint brush and the kits themselves tend to be easy kits that assemble nicely.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I knew I would like it here. Forums. Always place to go to get answers. I don't ask Google anymore I just asked for forums.
 
Yeah, that's where I looked first, but there are very little details and none of them say how many pieces.
 
Jim62 said:
I agree with Pantherman's suggestion. I can still remember the first model I was ever involved in building. I was 8 or 9 at the time and I sat at the kitchen table with my Dad mostly watching him put it together and follow the instructions. He let me do a few things but that was all it took. We didn't even paint it. It was a P-47 and was molded in green plastic, probably olive drab but to me at that age it was just green. There was no painting involved, just plastic and glue. It's a very fond memory. I'd recommend you build it with him, he'll never forget it.
Click to expand...
Man, I would love to be there to help him, but he lives in Michigan and I am here in California. I guess his dad's going to have to help him.
Jim62 said:
I agree with Pantherman's suggestion. I can still remember the first model I was ever involved in building. I was 8 or 9 at the time and I sat at the kitchen table with my Dad mostly watching him put it together and follow the instructions. He let me do a few things but that was all it took. We didn't even paint it. It was a P-47 and was molded in green plastic, probably olive drab but to me at that age it was just green. There was no painting involved, just plastic and glue. It's a very fond memory. I'd recommend you build it with him, he'll never forget it.
Click to expand...

20231013_092149.jpg

20231013_092115.jpg

Screenshot_20231013-090721_Chrome.jpg
 
Yep. The visible V8 was the first Model my dad bought for me that I got to watch him build. Probably around 7:00 or 8 years old. Talk about being hooked! At least I was able to quit smoking.
 
The old Monogram kits of their first generation are good, too-the Avenger, the Dauntless, the Wildcat, the Hellcat. They're relatively simple, but can look good and can be fun for a kid to build. You can find them in their post-merger Revell boxings, or find second-hand boxings originally issued by Monogram.
 
If you like a WWI Bi-Plane, Eduard makes a bunch of them in 1/48th Scale - both simple to build and rather complicated. You can generally find a large selection on e-Bay.
 
badamsios said:
Hello y'all!

I have an 8-year-old grandson that is a sheer Genius. He can name every capital in every state, he knows the names of all most every country in the world, and he can even name all of the planet in order. He even told me that Pluto may or may not be a planet depending on who you ask. He is also extremely coordinated.

We flew him and his family from Michigan to here in California to see Jeff Dunham.

He is now fascinated with airplanes. I want to get him a model for Christmas. I am sure he could handle one for a 10 or even 12 year old.

I would prefer a World War I biplane. Barring that, a World War II fighter would be fine. Barring that, I'll settle for a modern military aircraft.

I am now open to suggestions.

TIA
Click to expand...
Welcome. I would recommend a larger scale for the youngster. Something like this.
Also I agree that Tamiya extra thin cement is the best option for glue. Testors is hard to work with IMO.

IMG_2163.jpeg
 
Golanthius said:
Welcome. I would recommend a larger scale for the youngster. Something like this.
Also I agree that Tamiya extra thin cement is the best option for glue. Testors is hard to work with IMO.

View attachment 107402
Click to expand...
I am currently building this kit and it would be great for a first build. It's fairly basic and fairly large part's. It comes in red plastic so you don't need to paint it. Pantherman
 

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