SPA Modeler

I was contemplating various box art lately that make absolutely no sense to me. Example below for instance. Why if you are marketing a model of a WW2 Bomber would you depict it landing? Why would you depict any aircraft landing? A bomber should be taking off, or , wait for it.. dropping bombs... Maybe this is a subliminal message to the modeler that they want the kit to LAND in your shopping cart?


Well, at least they are showing the front end of the aircraft, not going the route Academy chose with their F4F, not only showing you the a/c landing, but showing it from the back end
Behold the famous Grumman F4F.. renowned for it's amazing landing exploits!

Well if I'm spending over $300.00 for a kit,the box art isn't a consideration at all.Now if your marketing a beginner kit for kids,then you probably want the most dynamic cover art you can come up with

You have to ask yourself... does it really matter? I have no issue with the box art of a B-17 coming in for a landing. Gives it another perspective of her returning from a mission... something we never see in a box art.

In a nutshell...who cares.

Actually I really like that box art. Grant you it’s not like the old Revell 1/72 B-17 box art on their various releases, but it compares quite well I think. It’s the Belle touching down and hopefully all done with her combat tour.

Looks more like a crash landing to me, going way too fast, so I will give it points for dramatic. A B-17 usually landed with the tailwheel very close to the ground. I think it is in the eye of the beholder. I have a large framed print of 3 F6F's on downwind to the carrier in the dark of cloudy evening and my wife just sees the dark image and it evokes no emotions. To me it makes my hair stand up because I have an idea what these young guys were up against finding their carrier in the dark and facing a night landing.

jeaton01 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 11:41 am Looks more like a crash landing to me, going way too fast, so I will give it points for dramatic. A B-17 usually landed with the tailwheel very close to the ground.

Or caught in a crosswind. Not every bomber will make a perfect landing upon returning from a mission. It does make it look realistic on the situation.

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 10:03 am You have to ask yourself... does it really matter? I have no issue with the box art of a B-17 coming in for a landing. Gives it another perspective of her returning from a mission... something we never see in a box art.

In a nutshell...who cares.

For me this was just an academic question. I was trying to understand the process for choosing / creating box art. Seems like some odd decisions where made--to my way of thinking at least.

Does it really matter depends on the individual modeler. We have heard for years, and I am in 100% agreement, that box art sells kits. Now, it's not as simple as that obviously. As for the B-17 example...how many choices do you have if you want a 1/32 B-17F? For the Academy F4F, it matters, at least for me (and I am sure I am not alone). I have no interest in the Academy F4F kit; however, I will buy kits in this price range if I really like the box art, so that is a fail for Academy.

jeaton01 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 11:41 am Looks more like a crash landing to me, going way too fast, so I will give it points for dramatic. A B-17 usually landed with the tailwheel very close to the ground. I think it is in the eye of the beholder. I have a large framed print of 3 F6F's on downwind to the carrier in the dark of cloudy evening and my wife just sees the dark image and it evokes no emotions. To me it makes my hair stand up because I have an idea what these young guys were up against finding their carrier in the dark and facing a night landing.

That is a great picture John. It has many elements that make it a great image. I would love to have it on my wall and if it was on a box top I would totally buy that kit if it was in my price range.

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 10:08 am Actually I really like that box art. Grant you it’s not like the old Revell 1/72 B-17 box art on their various releases, but it compares quite well I think. It’s the Belle touching down and hopefully all done with her combat tour.

It's a fine image Stik, no question. Not the best for a box top though IMO. That's all I'm saying. I know I'm spending too much time on this, but I thought it would be an interesting discussion.

Chris it’s a great discussion subject. Box art, like any other form of painting, is quite subjective as to what is pleasing to the viewer. I think one has a hard time of trying to top the work of the artists that Revell was using from the 60’s into the 70’s when photos of the actual model became the norm. I think the Revell 1/32 Wildcat had the best box art of any F4F kit up to today. And like I said before, their B-17 box arts still look damn good compared to this fabulous work.

Check out this site for a trip back in time in regards to this area…

https://www.boxartden.com/