Happy new year, everyone! For the first post of 2008, let me share with you my experiences in buying my first planes from abroad (I live in the Philippines). The online merchant from which I bought was DieCastAirplane.com, and the package arrived last December 4, 2007.

The store’s owner, Steven Howland was very quick, helpful, and accommodating in replying to my inquiries regarding the availability of the models, as well as the ‘delay’ in their delivery (the USPS package took about a month to arrive). The latter wasn’t actually the fault of the merchant, but rather the inefficiency of the Philippine postal service and customs.

The five diecast planes I ordered — two from Philippine Airlines, one Cebu Pacific, 1 Air Spain, and 1 F-15 — arrived in great condition. The Cebu Pac model answered my desire for the first plane on the top of this wishlist.

All in all, I am very satisfied with my experience with DieCastAirplane.com, and I recommend it to anyone who’s planning to buy toy planes online. You can check out their clearance items for some affordable finds.

One caveat for newbie overseas buyers — don’t forget how much you need to pay your local customs office! The customs here sprang a surprise for me, as I had to pay nearly $40 upon claiming the package. The actual prices of the planes, shipping, and customs combined, my wallet took a damage of around $223. That’s a prohibitive price around these parts, and as I’m definitely not wallowing in cash, I’ve considered this purchase as just a rare Christmas gift for myself.

Here are more photos of my newly landed planes (click for full versions):

I hope everyone of you had a truly merry Christmas. The splendid day has just passed by, but it’s not too late to present my wishlist of holiday-themed diecast models.

All of the planes are manufactured by Herpa and don’t sport true-to-life liveries. Most have unfortunately gone out of stock, except for the first one (pictured above):

Aircraft: Boeing B777-300ER
Scale: 1:500
Price: $11.95 from the original $25.95

It’s my favorite of today’s bunch mainly because it’s decked in maroon (the color of my alma mater) and it has the most subdued livery of the six (yeah, even with that generous sprinkling of stars).

The second model is my next top choice:

Aircraft: Airbus A300-600ST Beluga
Scale: 1:500
Price: $28.95

I already have a ‘regular’ Beluga model in my collection (see photo) that I haven’t yet featured here on AMC but was mentioned in my ‘anniversary’ post.

The third model is the first of three black-based planes:

Aircraft: Antonov An-124 Ruslan
Scale: 1:500
Price: $28.95

The imagery is a bit over the top, but it’s still a beauty, nonetheless.

The fourth plane’s scheme is similar to the previous one:

Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Scale: 1:500
Price: $28.95

It’s a Superjumbo, Yuletide style. I like this plane’s more condensed imagery better than the previous model’s.

The fifth diecast model is the one I like the least (but I will still take as a gift anytime!):

Aircraft: Boeing B747-400F
Scale: 1:500
Price: $30.95

I think that’s a cartoon version of Rudolph the Reindeer, with his famous red nose adorning the plane’s nose.

And finally, a winter-themed plane to break the monotony of black:

Aircraft: Boeing B787-8
Scale: 1:500
Price: $31.95

If we had a Superjumbo, why can’t we have a Dreamliner? That’s a pretty good winter paint scheme, I should say.

Now, it would’ve been absolutely great to have gotten my hands on any one of these diecast planes, but I’m out of luck and out of cash. I’ve spent all my holiday funds on a boat — to be specific, a floating bookstore!

Wow, that was fast.

Exactly one year ago, I bought my very first miniature model as a whim. I didn’t foresee myself becoming serious with the hobby, branching out to fantasy minis and cars, and getting featured on TV.

After a year of collecting, my entire aircraft fleet now consists of 23 planes (16 civilian and 7 military). As if display space isn’t a huge problem of mine, I fooled myself to buying 9 Dungeons & Dragons minis and 2 collector’s cars (both cheaply manufactured Ferraris).

Five of those 23 planes were recent purchases from the US, and I just picked them up this morning from the post office. (More on my first overseas planes purchase on a future post.) In the meantime, here are some fleet pics to commemorate my “anniversary” as a miniature model collector (click for full versions):

My civilian fleet of 16 diecast and plastic planes.

Two Cebu Pacific planes (both of which were previously in my wishlist), 2 Philippine Airlines planes in old livery, and 2 PAL planes in current livery.

Six diecast planes from other parts of Asia: two from Qatar Airways, 1 from Malaysia Airlines, 1 from Korean Air, 1 from AirAsia, and 1 from SAAD/NAS.

Four planes from other parts of the globe: 1 from the now-defunct Air Spain, 1 from Qantas, 1 Airbus Beluga, and 1 from British Airways (plastic model).

My military fleet of 7 planes: 1 F4U Corsair, 1 A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1 B-1 Bomber, 1 Spitfire Mk V, 1 P-38 Lightning, 1 Messerschmitt Me 262, and 1 F-15 Eagle.

Also, if you want to get your own collection featured here on AMC, just shoot me an email or drop a comment below.

Here’s to another year of collecting great aircraft models!

As earlier reported, yours truly appeared on Nancy Castiglione’s show about toys (no, nothing naughty, unfortunately) last Sunday, November 18, at 7 P.M. I was one of the episode’s four guests, and it was my pleasure to talk about my experiences as a newbie airplane minis collector. (And I did sound like one — many veterans surely found mistakes in my blabberings.)

Here are more pics of the show. Apologies for the quality; I just photographed the TV with my cheapo camera. I didn’t have the right equipment to record the show and I haven’t obtained a copy yet from Makisig Network.

Update: The airing has been postponed to November 18. And even that date is tentative. Sorry for this belated notice; their own notice to me was also belated.

Later this day, yours truly will be guesting at At Your Pleasure, Nancy hosted by Nancy Castiglione, airing at either 2 or 3 pm on Makisig Network (channel 76/82 at SkyCable/ HomeCable, ch. 84 if you have an analog box installed).

The episode is about toys, and I will be sharing my experiences in collecting — what else — airplane miniature models!

For those who can’t catch the show, I’ll try to post some vidcaps (and hopefully a video) in the coming days. You can read my post on my main blog to learn more about my experiences in taping the episode.

Country: United States Air Force
Aircraft: A-10A Thunderbolt II (492nd FS, 48th FW)
Scale: 1:144
Manufacturer: Can Do Pocket Army (Dragon Models)
Date Bought: December 21, 2006
Price: Php 285.00 (discounted from Php 319.75)

Time to revive this stagnant blog! Contrary to what my recent posting frequency shows, I’m still very active in collecting airplane miniatures, and my collection has now reached 18 models (with 5 more en route from the U.S.).

Today’s model is the so-called “Warthog”, the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The Warthog is a close air support attack aircraft that has been oft-referred to as ‘an airborne tank’ due to its toughness. Unfortunately, my model isn’t as well-built as the real life version (you can see its subpar quality in the closeup shots below), but it’s still one of my favorites.

More pictures of the A-10A Thunderbolt II airplane model (click for full versions):

More on the A-10 Thunderbolt II on Wikipedia.

Last time, I expressed my wish for a Cebu Pacific A320. Today I present four stunning airplane models that I am seriously considering buying through credit card.

The first plane is the Herpa Cebu Pacific B757-200 (pictured above):

Carrier: Cebu Pacific
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Scale: 1:500
Price: $24.95

This is definitely on the top of my list. I’ve always wanted greater tourism initiatives for the Philippines, and this model exemplifies it, showcasing some of Manila’s sights such as the calesa, the Rizal Monument, and Fort Santiago, among others. You can see this model “in action” (on a model airport, that is) here.

The second plane is the Phoenix Cebu Pacific (”Yellow-Tropical”) DC-9-30:

Carrier: Cebu Pacific
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30
Scale: 1:400
Price: $29.95

This is tropical livery at its finest! Not to mention it fits Cebu Pacific’s own colors, namely yellow, green, and blue. Oddly enough, this plane reminds me of Boracay, which is part of my clan’s home province. Maybe it’s the sun, the palm trees, and the sea…but of course. Silly me.

The third plane is the Phoenix Cebu Pacific (”Blue-Fish”) DC-9-30:

Carrier: Cebu Pacific
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30
Scale: 1:400
Price: $29.95

This one’s the most soothing of ‘em all. The color scheme kind of reminds me of our Ituloy AngSulong blog, hehe. This livery makes sense, as the Philippines is surrounded by seas…of which I actually have a fear of. Curse myself for not taking my swimming lessons seriously.

Last but not the least, we have Phoenix Cebu Pacific (”Orange-Fruit”) DC-9-30:

Carrier: Cebu Pacific
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30
Scale: 1:400
Price: $29.95

I must admit, this model doesn’t strike me as much as the other three did. Maybe I just don’t like its hue of gold/yellow/orange. The eagle near the plane’s cockpit is a great touch, though.

The first is a Malaysia Airlines B747-400 bought at the plane’s “Golden Boutique” inflight shop. The second is a large model of a British Airways 747-400, bought at Heathrow’s duty-free store.

The latter is actually more of a toy rather than a ’serious’ plane miniature; I can already tell that without opening the package. Heck, it’s light, and the “8+” imprinted on the cardboard suggests I’m the proud owner of a toy that some 9-year old kid across the ocean is also playing with right now. Too bad I wasn’t there myself to pick the best model. Still, this is better than having no model plane at all! Thanks Dad.

I’ll be featuring these models in their own posts in the next few weeks. Three other planes have been lined up, as well as items from my wishlist. Keep checking out this site for these future entries, or subscribe to the RSS feed so you’ll get updated the hassle-free way. ‘Til the next post!

Country: Royal Air Force (Britain)
Aircraft: Supermarine Spitfire
Measurements: 1:72
Manufacturer: Wa San Development - Easy Model
Date Bought: December 14, 2006
Price: Php 298.00

This eye-catching British Spitfire model is my second WWII plane after the P-38 Lightning. Its pink color made it stand out from the rest of the drab-looking pack in the store, so I bought it (of course, it was priced cheap, too!).

The Spitfire is one of the most popular planes from the war era, and the MkV was its most common variant, with over six thousand produced. Many people also say it’s the most aesthetically appealing plane of the war…and I have to agree.

The model sports uber-realistic “smudges” and “exhaust marks” (heck I don’t know the right terms, obviously) that you would expect from a plane in the thick of the war. All in all, I’m greatly pleased with this model — worth every cent of the 298 pesos!

More pictures of the RAF Spitfire MkV airplane model (click for full versions):

More on the Spitfire on Wikipedia.