Green Christmas More Than Spending Money

It is very easy to saunter into your local hobby shop and pick up a kit that will provide your significant other with hours of entertainment after Christmas morning but...This year, let's make a statement!

Put some green back into Christmas 'in 2007 by doing some good forthe environment as you put together your gifting list.

SMH Greenie Award

Scale modeling whether you are talking about RC flying, model railroading, model ship building or military dioramas you’ll find both the most expensive and the cheapest way to execute Eco-Friendly techniques.

Foamies Flying High

Foam flyers have come on the scene over the past few years and many flyers Are building their own to get airborne. Many build them recycling Expanded PolyStyrene foam used as a hamburger tray from the supermarket. Model aircraft made of foam are very durable and nearly unbreakable.

Most Foam planes are built with housing insulation and are relatively cheap. These are lightweight easy to fly and are a lot of fun. Repairs are usually quick and easy and after too many crashes you simply build a new one.

But maybe a pilot from Virgin Airlines can change all of that. Check out the Foamy Factory

For Model Railroaders

Did you know that a model building constructed of eighth-inch plastic offers an optimum facsimile of 3-dimensional miniaturization for a given scale?

Unfortunately, plastics are made from petroleum -- the processing and burning of which is considered one of the main contributors to global warming, according to the EPA. In addition, sending plastics to the landfill also increases greenhouse gases. Reduce, re-use and recycle your plastics for one of the best ways to combat global warming.

Consider: a paper-thin plastic bag from a grocery store will lastin the environment anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years, roughly 8 times longer that the average human.

How many lifetimes will that life-like plastic brick wall last?

This year, for a fraction of the cost of the plastic kit, your modeler could build all of his/her model structures from biodegradable materials like paper.

Take a look at what can be accomplished with your computer and printer Using Model Builder Software

Standard Industries building flat

With this program, your modeler is in charge of what buildings will look like, what size they will be and how long they will last.

I have been working with it for several weeks now and am amazed at what can be done in building structures for my N Scale layout.

You can design your own building flats right here using the Building Flat Designer

Not just a paper boat

I have been watching the development of paper models of ships, planes and even cars which offer a lot of potential in producing detailed, easily assembled models which can be build with downloaded files from websites specializing in producing 3-D replicas of a variety of vessels.

One major source that offers free downloads of some spectacular models is Digital Navy.

This model of the USS Arizona is constructed entirely of paper

Roman Detyna in Ronkonkoma, NY developed the site a decade ago and has produced models of a variety of ships and planes. “Card modeling is one of the oldest kinds of miniature creation and it is also the first branch of model making which went 100% digital,” according to Detyna.

Another site supplying downloadable paper models is Fiddlers Green.

which offers what may well be the largest selection of paper models online ranging from all types of planes and foamies to buildings, tanks and “fun stuff”.

Speaking of impressive, take a look at the galleries of finished paper models at the Zealot Hobby Forum

If You Are Looking For Model Railroading Items...


For Radio Controlled Cars, Planes, Helicopters, or Boats...


Scale Models of Ships, Cars, Rockets, Planes, Trees, even a Wooly Mammoth...

Check The Mall

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