I loved the Monogram line of aircraft even more than their tank line. There were more planes, more nationalities and more workable features. My favorite sub-segment was US Navy aircraft.
The Avenger was neat with its folding wings and retracting landing gear. Also, there was a bomb bay with a torpedo. I learned to build the wings tight so I never had the sagging wing problem.
The Devastator was a real treat for modelers because the TBD was a rarity in the model world till Monogram produced this beauty. There was so much detail in the cockpit and sighting bay. This model led me to research Miday and got me into the writings of Walter Lord.
The Zero was cool because it was my only option to model a Japanese plane (The Tamiya kits we cost-prohibitive to me). I loved the Zero and discovered Rene Francillion's excellent and comprehensive reference work on JAAF/JNAF planes.
The Corsair, one of my top-five aircraft, looked great in dark blue and had the most difficult retracting gear of any plane available. It looked great on the shelf.
I was also interested in the Flying Tigers, after watching the movie with my dad (a WWII USN vet). Again, one of my fave planes of all time. To my eyes, the P-40 was one of the very few planes that "looked right" in every livery which it flew.
My next post will continue the showcase.