Here's a new series to add to the collection. I was pleased a friend went out of her way to present me a coupon that offers
a discount on Mattel products. I haven't been able to spend up to the required amount on Hot Wheels in one visit at any
store all summer, and it was expiring at the end of October on top of that. On the very last day however, I remembered
that Matchbox was also owned by Mattel now. While I found no Matchbox cars to grab, I turned to the Sky Busters as that
was the last thing of interest. Sky Busters were a series I wouldn't get myself into since I am in the progress of slowing the
collecting urge, but I didn't want that coupon to go to waste either especially after someone biked a 15-minute trip just to
hand a cereal box cut-out to me. Despite my initial pact, I don't regret getting involved with the Sky Busters. It was exciting
to learn about what planes Matchbox made and to compare the theme from the past with today's. Matchbox Forum has
been extremely helpful in identifying models and re-colour releases, as well as the abundance of photos available.
With only a few planes, there was little to do with it. I have no intentions of keeping them in their blister packaging,
yet I had not planned on a storage method. What I did notice was how eye-catching the shape of planes are from
the top view and it reminded me of a Hot Wheels Mad Propz collection someone framed on his wall. It gave off a
clear indication of a collection of things that fly, similar to a butterfly collection. The idea was so appealing I wanted
to frame these planes as well. Except I only had 2 planes at the time; sure going to need a little more than that.
And so on Ebay I went...
Oh god I'm on eBay again.
These planes definitely are not in the same price range as Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars so these prices were daunting
most of the time. It makes me wonder how big the Sky Busters collector community is compared to the cars for sellers
to list for as much as they did. That being said, I based my selection initially on prices, and documented all the items
of reasonable value (including shipping charges) on a spreadsheet. I took the liberty of composing a preview of how
specific planes look together and whether it retains some theme or pattern. At first I aimed to compose a set with a
multitude of colours as that would create an open theme that welcomes any type of plane. After seeing enough
fighter/military planes in the search results, the theme changed immediately – thanks a lot, Strikers 1945. The number
of choices were going down, exactly what I wanted. This meant I would have to search up other sellers to see what
other warfare planes were available. One Saturday afternoon later, I arrived at this set:
a discount on Mattel products. I haven't been able to spend up to the required amount on Hot Wheels in one visit at any
store all summer, and it was expiring at the end of October on top of that. On the very last day however, I remembered
that Matchbox was also owned by Mattel now. While I found no Matchbox cars to grab, I turned to the Sky Busters as that
was the last thing of interest. Sky Busters were a series I wouldn't get myself into since I am in the progress of slowing the
collecting urge, but I didn't want that coupon to go to waste either especially after someone biked a 15-minute trip just to
hand a cereal box cut-out to me. Despite my initial pact, I don't regret getting involved with the Sky Busters. It was exciting
to learn about what planes Matchbox made and to compare the theme from the past with today's. Matchbox Forum has
been extremely helpful in identifying models and re-colour releases, as well as the abundance of photos available.
With only a few planes, there was little to do with it. I have no intentions of keeping them in their blister packaging,
yet I had not planned on a storage method. What I did notice was how eye-catching the shape of planes are from
the top view and it reminded me of a Hot Wheels Mad Propz collection someone framed on his wall. It gave off a
clear indication of a collection of things that fly, similar to a butterfly collection. The idea was so appealing I wanted
to frame these planes as well. Except I only had 2 planes at the time; sure going to need a little more than that.
And so on Ebay I went...
Oh god I'm on eBay again.
These planes definitely are not in the same price range as Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars so these prices were daunting
most of the time. It makes me wonder how big the Sky Busters collector community is compared to the cars for sellers
to list for as much as they did. That being said, I based my selection initially on prices, and documented all the items
of reasonable value (including shipping charges) on a spreadsheet. I took the liberty of composing a preview of how
specific planes look together and whether it retains some theme or pattern. At first I aimed to compose a set with a
multitude of colours as that would create an open theme that welcomes any type of plane. After seeing enough
fighter/military planes in the search results, the theme changed immediately – thanks a lot, Strikers 1945. The number
of choices were going down, exactly what I wanted. This meant I would have to search up other sellers to see what
other warfare planes were available. One Saturday afternoon later, I arrived at this set:
Photos taken from Matchbox Forum
I wanted the 4th row to be exclusively black planes – ideally all stealth planes if possible. Sad to say, I had my eyes on
a F-117A Stealth Fighter (1998 release) in Black, but I was beaten to it the next morning after a seller responded to a plea
for a cheaper shipping option. Luckily I had the Nighthawk as a backup choice. A black B-2 would've made for a solid
bottom row, except no one was selling one so I had to settle with second choice once again. If you caught onto the Stunt
Plane (first column, third row) being the only plane that's not representative of a combat aircraft. This was the only exception
I made since it is part of a 4-pack and it's in a chrome finish! What's not to love about a plane with chrome panels?
Dec 6 edit: Some of the planes were scaled smaller than I hoped and the perfectionist in me can't let that slide.
And so goes another expedition for toys. A few days later at a distant Toys R Us, I learned of Maisto Tailwinds,
grabbed the only plane they had left, and started venturing on eBay once again. These arrived just yesterday.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk IV
Vought F4U-1D Corsair, Sukhoi Su-47, Grumman F-14 Tomcat
I was close to starting yet another collection of toys. These planes are so charming.
Shame Sky Busters aren't as big. That Tomcat puts the Blackbird to shame.
Now that the final plane roster is complete, let's move onto the frame they will reside in.
a F-117A Stealth Fighter (1998 release) in Black, but I was beaten to it the next morning after a seller responded to a plea
for a cheaper shipping option. Luckily I had the Nighthawk as a backup choice. A black B-2 would've made for a solid
bottom row, except no one was selling one so I had to settle with second choice once again. If you caught onto the Stunt
Plane (first column, third row) being the only plane that's not representative of a combat aircraft. This was the only exception
I made since it is part of a 4-pack and it's in a chrome finish! What's not to love about a plane with chrome panels?
Dec 6 edit: Some of the planes were scaled smaller than I hoped and the perfectionist in me can't let that slide.
And so goes another expedition for toys. A few days later at a distant Toys R Us, I learned of Maisto Tailwinds,
grabbed the only plane they had left, and started venturing on eBay once again. These arrived just yesterday.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk IV
Vought F4U-1D Corsair, Sukhoi Su-47, Grumman F-14 Tomcat
I was close to starting yet another collection of toys. These planes are so charming.
Shame Sky Busters aren't as big. That Tomcat puts the Blackbird to shame.
Now that the final plane roster is complete, let's move onto the frame they will reside in.
[pics of frame]
Picked up poplar wood from Home Depot to make the frame. Stood at IKEA thinking for a good 10 minutes
how the rectangular RIBBA frame could be modified since it lacked sufficient depth. After calculating the cost
of this idea versus building one from scratch, the latter option was decided on in a heartbeat. All that wood
there only cost $18 (compared to a $20 frame) that will cover the structure overall. I'll only need an inner-wall,
a back panel and a front clear panel, all of which I intend to accomplish with acrylic sheets.
Right off the bat, the 1/8" clear acrylic sheet in the left cost me a good $18 and the 1/8" white acrylic on the right $21.
The clear sheet will be the screen and the white sheet will be the backdrop. I was planning to buy styrene for its matte
surface and lower cost, but I didn't check to be sure I grabbed the right one from the fabrication shop's inventory. Oh darn.
It's glued to a larger sheet of masonite which will serve to help fasten the acrylic to the body of the frame.
The center has been cut out for a really neat feature when the planes get put up. Keep on reading to find out why and how.
The thin poplar wood has been cut to create the outer frame, and has been glued with the side walls.
Back
Front
Some lathered layers of acrylic paint and magnets later, we've got a complete product:
The cheap neodymium magnets I grabbed off DealExtreme work great, minus the fact they chip if they smack right
into each other at full magnetic force. One of the pieces actually broke into two. The magnets were glued to a 1/4"
thick 1" long dowel which were then glued to the bottom of each plane, suspending the planes from the back board.
The biggest letdown is that half the total cost spent obtaining the planes was shipping fees. It's just too
bad not many people carry Sky Busters to offer competitive prices, but I'll let it slide since this going to
be a one-time project. I've also got leftover planes to paint so that's the next thing you can check out!
The cheap neodymium magnets I grabbed off DealExtreme work great, minus the fact they chip if they smack right
into each other at full magnetic force. One of the pieces actually broke into two. The magnets were glued to a 1/4"
thick 1" long dowel which were then glued to the bottom of each plane, suspending the planes from the back board.
The biggest letdown is that half the total cost spent obtaining the planes was shipping fees. It's just too
bad not many people carry Sky Busters to offer competitive prices, but I'll let it slide since this going to
be a one-time project. I've also got leftover planes to paint so that's the next thing you can check out!
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