Alyssa's A-10 Thunderbolt II
I'm just like all Dads out there. We want our kids to do the stuff we do. So when my daughter told me that she wanted to make a model with me, I was quite happy. Unfortunately she was still a little young for that. Now she's 4 and a half, and a pretty sharp little girl. When I took her to Michael's to get some dull coat, I asked her if she wanted to build a model with me and she said "Sure!" So we picked up the only airplane model they had. A pre-painted snap together A-10.
I was impressed how far snap together models have come. When I was a kid, you still had to paint them. They were basically normal models that you didn't need glue for. They were a little too complex for most kids, and if you we're old enough for your parents to let you paint it you had a grey airplane. Boring.
This model is smaller, not as complex, and pre-painted. All that together makes for a perfect first model. She still not strong enough to push the parts together, so I helped her with that. Some parts rattled around so I put in a little glue. I also cut all the parts off the spruce and trimmed them down so they didn't have any sharp or rough edges. Overall, it turned out to be a cool little model.
It's obviously not 100% accurate. There are several little problems with it, but for a kit designed for a kid starting to model it's perfect. There's no need to paint it, so it's ready to be played with once they are done with it. (It's called a snap and play model, or something like that.) If you have a child interested in modeling and want to keep it fun, try a kit like this. They can build it just like you and then play with it. Since it's just a few bucks, it's just like getting them a toy. Plus you get to spend some great Dad/kid time. That's really the best part in my book.
Alyssa's Thoughts
Of course, I can't just post this without her thoughts on it. So, here's what Alyssa said about it:
Who would like to know about my model? We got it at Michael's the arts and crafts store. My dad helped me put it together. And I flew it around some after we finished it. I had to use a lot of parts to put it together, but my dad helpted [sic] me. I love my airplane.
And yes, this theme will be used for Alyssa's future models. Until she comes up with one on her own.