Ethics of model design choices.

[herky]

Originally Posted by Vermin_King

Yep, it's his opinion that matters as to whether he does it. Respectfully disagree and move on

in total agreement with you on this,he is designer and he will desisgn which ever model he wants to and one he is comfortable with ,i think he was worried about offended others by doing this one.i understand his arguement completly but still struggle to find the logic behind it

[airdave]

Look at how many young English lads built models of Heinkel bombers after the London blitz (WW2)?

And British model companies put out the most!

I think its all in how you look at the subject.
You can appreciate most things for a lot more than face value.


...
The Red Baron - Von Richtofen is an excellent example of subject matter and choice.

The most "kills" of any WW1 air pilot.
And on the enemy team.
So why do we recognize him and his aircraft (in modeling)?
Shouldn't he and his aircraft be a taboo subject?

Of course not.

[herky]

Originally Posted by airdave

Look at how many young English lads built models of Heinkel bombers after the London blitz (WW2)?

And British model companies put out the most!

I think its all in how you look at the subject.
You can appreciate most things for a lot more than face value.


...
The Red Baron - Von Richtofen is an excellent example of subject matter and choice.

The most "kills" of any WW1 air pilot.
And on the enemy team.
So why do we recognize him and his aircraft (in modeling)?
Shouldn't he and his aircraft be a taboo subject?

Of course not.

yes i think this comes up more on the subject of accident models.history is often passed over when it comes to military models.i remember the flack around models of costa ship and missing malaysian airliner.and of course history is always written by the victors

[elliott]

Originally Posted by Philip

Well, here's my tuppenceworth... I'm not clever enough to argue about morality, so I'll tell a story instead.


I've built Mauther's Auschwitz Gate. I didn't really want to as I find the subject has connections too gruesome to contemplate. It was my wife who persuaded me to do it as she was looking for a Christmas present for her brother that you couldn't actually buy anywhere. It happens that her brother has a fanatical interest in all things World War II and so I picked up my scalpel and glue and set to work; the result being delivered during the festive season. The model went down a treat. So something I wouldn't want gracing a shelf in my home meant a great deal to my brother-in-law who was delighted with it.


I don't know if this says anything meaningful about anything, but there you go.

I think it says a lot about you, your wife and her brother, all good. There's no right or wrong in this instance. In the end two people were happy and you learned something (if I'm reading your story right). How does that saying go, "One man's trash is another man's treasure"?

[herky]

Originally Posted by elliott

I think it says a lot about you, your wife and her brother, all good. There's no right or wrong in this instance. In the end two people were happy and you learned something (if I'm reading your story right). How does that saying go, "One man's trash is another man's treasure"?

next november is 40th anniversary of the erebus crash which touched and still does so many nerves in nz.i have been asked to make some copies of this model by the families support site.i feel deeply touched about this as someone who lost better half in this accident.and yes there are many pc types who say i am wrong to do this but all that have a direct connection are happy about it so sorry but stuff the rest.their opinions are irrelevant to me

[darter]

As modelers we are free to model whatever we want and as so, we need not be concerned with the feelings of others.
There is no argument.
The link below from a thread on this forum is testimony to that.

http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/r...p-main_27.html

[Lex]

It's an individual judgement, we might not share the same experience with another person and it would be wrong to impose one's principles on someone else. Who we are decide what we think, and in some cases it's difficult to find a neutral ground to make judgements - such position might not exist. Agree to disagree.

[Sakrison]

I have been displaying my GPM Bismarck at the EAA Museum's "Family Flight Fest" every March for several years. The event includes a large display of models, mostly plastic, by area modelers.

A year ago, an older fellow approached me and told me angrily it was unpatriotic and disrespectful for me to display a famous "Nazi" warship. I told him the Bismarck was a beautiful piece of naval engineering and design, that the I consider the model a tribute to the seaman of every nation. I also mentioned my intention to build a model of the Prince of Wales, and the USS Indianapolis. And I explained that the model gave me the opportunity to talk to young people about World War Two.

I noted to him that when the Bismarck went down, there were no cheers among the British sailors who watched her end.

He called me something unprintable and stormed away. I never did find out exactly why he found the model so offensive. He didn't seem old enough to be WWII vet -- Korea, maybe.

It was interesting that he had nothing to say about the many WWII German and Japanese aircraft models in the same display, or about the models of Korean War MiGs or Cold War Russian jets. Whether he objected to the full-size Me-109 on exhibit in the museum, I'll never know.

For my part, I continue to display the Bismarck -- most of the time it's on display at my local public library and I'm told that it's very popular with library patrons.

We build military models -- often of former or current foes -- for almost as many reasons as there are modelers. One important reason for me, though not the only reason, is that our scale models help keep history alive. And that is definitely worthwhile.

[Doug J]

Good or bad here goes; You are designing a ship.....to me it would be more important to do justice to the ship and it's design by being accurate with YOUR design than the history and other circumstances surrounding it.

[John Bowden]

To change an old saying..........no matter what you model somebody will have a disparaging remark............in other words.... you can NOT please all of the people all of the time.

I have done recolors of planes that have crashed and people have died, I do it to remember and to memorialize the act and the people. Not to celebrate the loss or to remind people of the accident. I've done drawings of aircraft that have crashed for the same reason.

If the designer doesn't want to do it because of his reason it is his right to not do it. If someone else does the model he doesn't have to build it.........

Not build or designing something because of an accident happen with the subject or because it was used by in an evil way....... is like blaming your spoon because you are over weight...........or the car you are driving while intoxicated for running off the road. It's just stupid.