In the admittedly small world of model airplane enthusiasts, there is a smaller circle of enthusiasts who stalk the "Luft 46" collection. It stands for "Luftwaffe 1946" and supposes that World War Two had lasted into 1946, giving the Germans time to fully develop many of the wonder weapons that existed either as a loose collection of sketches or half-finished wooden mockups in April of 1945 when events in the Fuehrerbunker moved into the final act.
I used to heap endless quantities of scorn on the Luft 46 fashion trend, even going so far as to accuse some of its more notable practitioners of closet Nazi worship. Now, I'm not one of those modelers who gets offended if someone puts a swastika on model Fw190 - I recognize the difference between building a model airplane and celebrating (or, for that matter, hating) the cause that the swastika represents. But the Luft 46 thing seemed a bit much, even for me, a veteran of many an Me-109 and Hs-129 model.
But now... I don't know. Maybe I'm mellowing with age, or maybe I've forgotten how to be indignant, but I have to say, there are aspects of the Luft 46 thing that appeal to me. I didn't realize the extent of the infection until the other way when I was reviewing my Wall O' Unbuilt Models and discovered (with some shock) that I have three Arado Ar-234s of various sorts, two identical Bachem Natters, two Me-163s (not technically Luft 46 but in the same spirit), two "German guided missile" kits, and two variants of the V2 ballistic missile, in this case the A9 and the A4b (if the A9 and A4b don't qualify as Luft 46, I have no idea what would).
I don't know why I find this surprising, but I do.
Is That All?
11 years ago
2 comments:
Is it possible that just out of pure curiousity these models were made to be built? After all, it's just a model. It is we the people who put the intent to an inanimate object. At least, I think that's all it is for most good people. (You have to discount that weird and evil 10-12%!) Have a great day.
I have to remind myself that the models themselves aren't evil. They're just models. Nothing man-made is really evil in and of itself; it is merely the uses that men make of things that are sometimes evil.
Well, I take that back. I found a Tupperware thing in the back of the refrigerator that was truly evil. Yes, I made the mistake of opening it and sniffing. No, I won't make that mistake again.
Post a Comment