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The way to my "Lufthansa model-collection" As you will have noticed I'm a big fan of classic first and second generation jet aircraft. As a boy I lived close to Frankfurt airport in the mid-1970s - that was the time I really got interested in the kind of airplanes you will find as models on this homepage. It was fascinating to see those Lufthansa-jets take-off to far away places all over the world. My favourite aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet were the Boeing models 707 and 727 as well as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. |
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In those days every time I walked past a travel-agency I was very jealous of the employees inside... Most of the Lufthansa jets I saw up in the skies stood there in large scales. A great sight! I swore to myself, one day I would love to have one of those models at home. Well, meanwhile I have been able to buy more than one - but having started my collection rather late I am facing constantly rising prices for the desired travel-agency models. Anyway, my motto is: "If you want it - buy it!" You never know whether you will find a model like that again. In order to limit the collecting-mania a bit I concentrate on display-models that were made for Lufthansa in the period from 1955-1990. At first Lufthansa placed orders with German manufacturers like "Metallgießerei Bermel" in Düsseldorf and "Modellbau Schaarschmidt" in Berlin - later models were made by foreign experts like "Verkuyl" in the Netherlands and "Westway Models" in England. To the left: Two Boeing 727s - a "Westway" model in 1:100 scale - the smaller aircraft was made by "Verkuyl" in 1:200 scale. |
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The beginning The collection I'd like to show you on these pages didn't start with travel-agency models at all. Actually the whole thing was a huge coincidence. In 2002 a colleague gave me an old tin-airplane as a gift. She said the model had been a toy her brother had played with years ago. Being an aviation-enthusiast I appreciated the present very much and gave the model a nice place in a display-cabinet in my living-room. It was not until some time later I found out that I was the new owner of a "Radiant 5600" made by the German toy-manufacturer "Schuco" between 1958 and 1968. My first travel-agency model After some research on the internet I felt a growing desire to own one of those travel-agency models I had seen as a boy. eBay and various collector's sites became the prime source for information on this topic. In early 2003 I was lucky to be able to let my dream come true: On eBay I managed to get my hands on a Lufthansa Boeing 727 in 1:100 scale. The model displayed the Lufthansa-livery of the mid-1960s and had a silver stand. Unsuspectingly I had bought a travel-agency model made by the Spanish manufacturer "Mecater" which in the meantime is the pride and joy of my collection. |
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| Above: My first travel-agency model - a Lufthansa 727 made by "Mecater" of Spain. |
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No display-room for my models
This homepage went online in late 2008 to compensate for the lack of display-room in my house. Unfortunately most of my models are stored in my basement at the moment - until I'm able to show them in a proper way some day. All the models shown here are in the original condition I bought them in. They have not been restored in any way. In some relevant internet-forums it has been discussed many times whether vintage models should be touched up or not. In my opinion restoration is a no-go unless you have a unique specimen in an unbearable condition. Collectors who own models showing some wear should be proud to have leftovers from an era that has gone by a long time ago. Very often little scratches or some yellowing are signs that you have the real thing at home - and none of those new plastic or mahagony models for sale out there today. Over the years I have also collected items that are not model-related: Old Lufthansa leaflets, timetables, adverts and give-aways. To the left: Luckily, the wife allows some models to be displayed in the living-room... |
| Model purchases If you have a Lufthansa-model you would like to sell or know somebody who is planning to sell one, please contact me. It would be very kind of you to send me a description and - if possible - some photographs. Also, it would be interesting to know your anticipated price. Please inform me of any item - travel-agency model or tin-airplane. As I mentioned earlier the condition of the model is not important. Here's a list of what I'm looking for at the moment: |
michael.saunders@lhmc.de. |
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| Above: Two Boeing 707s on a glass cabinet in my hall. To the left a "Verkuyl"-model, on the right a 707 by "Mecater" - both are 1:100 scale. |
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Two dreamjobs
I guess I don't have to tell you what would have been my dreamjob - but to be honest: I always had two dreamjobs. And thank god for that! After it was clear I couldn't become a pilot due to bad eyesight, I still had my passion for journalism. And in this professional field I was able to settle down very early when I was still a university-student. Meanwhile I've been working for German TV and radio for over 20 years. A real dreamjob infront of microfones and cameras! I regularly go flying as a passenger - but also as a virtual pilot with "Microsoft Flight Simulator" on my computer. Since 1984 I have logged hundreds of hours on every version of the "flightsim" that was available at the time. The most interesting experience I have had with flight-simulation so far were flights in the home-cockpit of a colleague, who built himself a flight-deck of a Boeing 737-800. And who knows: May be one day I will be able to get some flying time in a real full-motion simulator as used by airlines. To the left: The model-collector as a co-pilot in a Boeing 737-800 home-cockpit made by a colleague. |
| Enjoy my homepage! Thank you very much for stopping by on my homepage! If you liked my "Lufthansa model-collection" you may want to bookmark the site and come back again. I update these pages regularly - so you haven't seen everything yet... As they always say in civil aviation: It would be nice to see you on board again sometime! Michael Saunders |
| This is a fan-site and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Lufthansa German Airlines. The trademark "Lufthansa" and the "Lufthansa"-logo are the property of Lufthansa German Airlines. Both are used here only to show my collection of airplane models. |
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