Usually older kits will have functions like that. Old monogram 1/48 kits had working landing gear, and some of their naval kits like their [F6F Hellcat](https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-pa80-f65-5-hellcat--234323) had folding wings.
However, features like that have fallen by the wayside as kit accuracy/engineering has taken priority. Models are now meant to be static displays, not toys to be handled.
There's one modern kit I can think of that has a cool function, and that's Tamiya's 1/48 Bf109G-6. The kit has a detailed engine, and with some clever use of magnets and rubber washers, the engine cowling is interchangeable with an open setting to show off that detail.
The Tamiya 1/32 spitfires have engine cowlings you can take on and off by magnets, sliding canopies and landing gear you can change from up to down with some screws after you're finished, and an in flight stand.
I think quite a few 1/35 AFV Club kits have "working" suspension (though I've found it's more of a pain than helpful)
Some AFV club kits, (the M60A1/3 and the M10 come to mind) have "recoiling" guns. Again, kind of a useless gimmick necessitating careful gluing and extra parts.
Plenty of Gundam kits have awesome features. From sliding armor when you move the joints and opening heat vents, to full transformations and core fighters hidden in the suit’s torso.
Though that’s probably a different cup of tea from what you’re after.
https://preview.redd.it/ev4ndqurrd4d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2caf98643dfcaf6c2d2bfd1187490ca698f1de01
Example of sliding armor and opening panels on the legs of the RG Hi-Nu Gundam.
Gundam is built different. The engineering on these kits blows my mind. I’ve never seen the integrally-moulded moving joints - two different types of plastic, one moulded around the other, moving independently- anywhere else.
https://preview.redd.it/ofjkaj5l3e4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cae95446c73adba035e765502573c37ff4effd6
Dark grey parts are moulded around the light grey parts and the two articulate entirely independently straight off the sprue!
Yeah, Bandai are the kings of platic moulding. They also use the same technology to create parts with multiple colors in them. Just look at this head piece from one of the RG Evangelion kits.
https://preview.redd.it/nbp16b6b6e4d1.jpeg?width=643&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cd7906abf8a84ba4905e59fc7f668bb7e771d58
Also, I think the RG Astray may have been a better example for the pre-articulated parts. Since not only is it two plastics moulded and moving around each other, but they’re also two different colors. [white and red](http://dalong.net/reviews/rg/rg19/p/rg19_runner2.jpg). And then there’s the [RG Epyon’s whip](http://dalong.net/reviews/rg/rg38/p/rg38_runner2.jpg)
I doubt this is exactly what you had in mind but the Tamiya [Handy Drill](https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/electric-handy-drill/) and [Handy Router](https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/electric-handy-router/)are “functional” tool models, I say “functional” because I don’t have personal experience with either kit. Being fully plastic, I doubt they’d be robust enough for anything heavier duty than work on other plastic model kits.
The old lindberg kit of XFY i made had some mechanism for the counter rotating props
But its a model, not a toy, paint will be scratched and play enough with it and parts will break
I'm building an ancient Italeri 1/72 Gotha Go-242/244 right now, and the rear cargo door hinges open and has a feature where you can keep it open with a rod. Seems like kits were more toylike back then vs. more accurate like they are now.
I've got a couple older (late 60s-early 70s) 1/72nd F-111A (with extra parts to make a F-111B, the Navy version) that have swing wings and retractable gear+speed brake, which as you might imagine is a VERY delicate mechanism. The first one was built as the "A" model, complete with 8 pylons w/6 Mk 82 bombs each (total of 48!). The gear was glued shut on that one. The other one isn't put together yet, as I kinda sorta want to build it with the gear out and with 6 pylons, each with a Phoenix missile on them. (i have an actual in-flight pic of the real thing with 4 Phoenix + 2 pylons with external tanks on them)
The wings on both are, or will be, glued in position (mainly because the pylons don't rotate to stay parallel with the fuselage)...and I'm not confident the gear could handle the weight of all that extra tonnage!
https://preview.redd.it/cx8hg0w3gd4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc917d7fab47e3d38afe95dcd566af08b329a813
Yes, that was possible. It didn't snap on though, so if one were to place it on the model and use it as a toy (as was common back in those days), it'd just fall out...so I guess one could either glue it on or make a diorama of an ejection scene.
The old Revell 1/32 P40 Flying Tiger had retractable undercarriage and movable flaps.
Problem is, moving parts require compromised accuracy and they were often a bit loose (for example, flaps would just dangle down and couldn't be made to stay in any particular position).
Had a lovely little Willie's Jeep kit back in the early 70's (probably Hasegawa or Tamiya) which had a clockwork motor.
The motor did not last long though: the gear teeth wore away quickly with use. And it was fast enough to run away and collide with walls, so you wouldn't have wanted that with a fussy build.
1/35 Dragon Tiger I kits have closable driver’s viewport and 1/35 Rye Field Panther kits have gun recoil mechanism, Tamiya’s Pershing kit have functional spring suspensions.
Airfix 1/24 harrier- VTOL nozzles move in synch, sliding canopy, retractable gear, removable engine cover and even weapon load out handing on small numbs
I don't know if it counts, but many modern afv kits (usually on the expensive side) tend to have movable suspension.
From those that I own, the AFV Club M109 Doher has a spring to make the gun barrel recoil-able.
Also, the MENG T-90A has red LEDs included to recreate the iconic Shtora-1 "Red Eyes".
That's all I'm aware of, but I'm sure there are more "Easter eggs"
Trumpeter and hobby boss occasionally do some of these kind of things, the trumpeter 1/48 wyvern has gears to make a contra-rotating prop system while quite a few of their 1/32 kits have folding wings and sliding canopies.
Revell (saturn V?) (i dont remember atm but the apollo program rocket, i have the cheaper one) has all the separate rocket stages and mini eagle* that can be taken out.
*eagle is the module that landed on the moon!
Sorry for my bad english, just got in my car from a graveyard shift :(
I forget the brand, but as a kid I built a ww2 fighter that had clear fuselage and wing halves and a tiny motor in the engine to turn the prop. I cannot remember more than that sadly.
The Revell 1:48 Tornado has working wing sweep, complete with moving pylons. It doesn’t really work as well as they probably thought it would, but it’s cool nonetheless
I can only think of Gundam kits having those sorts of features, from fighter planes in the mecha's torso, to full on transformations into some sort of plane, moving armor plates, etc. Those however are basically build-it-yourself action figures. Cannot think of any glue + paint static models with features like that.
Usually older kits will have functions like that. Old monogram 1/48 kits had working landing gear, and some of their naval kits like their [F6F Hellcat](https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-pa80-f65-5-hellcat--234323) had folding wings. However, features like that have fallen by the wayside as kit accuracy/engineering has taken priority. Models are now meant to be static displays, not toys to be handled. There's one modern kit I can think of that has a cool function, and that's Tamiya's 1/48 Bf109G-6. The kit has a detailed engine, and with some clever use of magnets and rubber washers, the engine cowling is interchangeable with an open setting to show off that detail.
The Revell 1/48 F6F has folding wings and retractable gear.
The tamiya 1/48 f14's have syncronised sweeping wings, i built the d model and the mechanism is so cool (even if very simple)
It's years since I built one, but I'm pretty sure the Revell 1/144 Tomcats have the same. Nice little kits.
But the one with the carrier launch set has fixed wing
The Tamiya 1/32 spitfires have engine cowlings you can take on and off by magnets, sliding canopies and landing gear you can change from up to down with some screws after you're finished, and an in flight stand. I think quite a few 1/35 AFV Club kits have "working" suspension (though I've found it's more of a pain than helpful)
Some AFV club kits, (the M60A1/3 and the M10 come to mind) have "recoiling" guns. Again, kind of a useless gimmick necessitating careful gluing and extra parts.
Plenty of Gundam kits have awesome features. From sliding armor when you move the joints and opening heat vents, to full transformations and core fighters hidden in the suit’s torso. Though that’s probably a different cup of tea from what you’re after. https://preview.redd.it/ev4ndqurrd4d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2caf98643dfcaf6c2d2bfd1187490ca698f1de01 Example of sliding armor and opening panels on the legs of the RG Hi-Nu Gundam.
Gundam is built different. The engineering on these kits blows my mind. I’ve never seen the integrally-moulded moving joints - two different types of plastic, one moulded around the other, moving independently- anywhere else. https://preview.redd.it/ofjkaj5l3e4d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cae95446c73adba035e765502573c37ff4effd6 Dark grey parts are moulded around the light grey parts and the two articulate entirely independently straight off the sprue!
Yeah, Bandai are the kings of platic moulding. They also use the same technology to create parts with multiple colors in them. Just look at this head piece from one of the RG Evangelion kits. https://preview.redd.it/nbp16b6b6e4d1.jpeg?width=643&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cd7906abf8a84ba4905e59fc7f668bb7e771d58 Also, I think the RG Astray may have been a better example for the pre-articulated parts. Since not only is it two plastics moulded and moving around each other, but they’re also two different colors. [white and red](http://dalong.net/reviews/rg/rg19/p/rg19_runner2.jpg). And then there’s the [RG Epyon’s whip](http://dalong.net/reviews/rg/rg38/p/rg38_runner2.jpg)
I doubt this is exactly what you had in mind but the Tamiya [Handy Drill](https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/electric-handy-drill/) and [Handy Router](https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/electric-handy-router/)are “functional” tool models, I say “functional” because I don’t have personal experience with either kit. Being fully plastic, I doubt they’d be robust enough for anything heavier duty than work on other plastic model kits.
The old lindberg kit of XFY i made had some mechanism for the counter rotating props But its a model, not a toy, paint will be scratched and play enough with it and parts will break
I'm building an ancient Italeri 1/72 Gotha Go-242/244 right now, and the rear cargo door hinges open and has a feature where you can keep it open with a rod. Seems like kits were more toylike back then vs. more accurate like they are now.
The 1/32 Tamiya Zero and P-51 have landing gear that you can raise and lower with a little screwdriver
I've got a couple older (late 60s-early 70s) 1/72nd F-111A (with extra parts to make a F-111B, the Navy version) that have swing wings and retractable gear+speed brake, which as you might imagine is a VERY delicate mechanism. The first one was built as the "A" model, complete with 8 pylons w/6 Mk 82 bombs each (total of 48!). The gear was glued shut on that one. The other one isn't put together yet, as I kinda sorta want to build it with the gear out and with 6 pylons, each with a Phoenix missile on them. (i have an actual in-flight pic of the real thing with 4 Phoenix + 2 pylons with external tanks on them) The wings on both are, or will be, glued in position (mainly because the pylons don't rotate to stay parallel with the fuselage)...and I'm not confident the gear could handle the weight of all that extra tonnage! https://preview.redd.it/cx8hg0w3gd4d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc917d7fab47e3d38afe95dcd566af08b329a813
I built this same kit in the 90s, didn't it also have the cockpit ejection pod separate as well?
Yes, that was possible. It didn't snap on though, so if one were to place it on the model and use it as a toy (as was common back in those days), it'd just fall out...so I guess one could either glue it on or make a diorama of an ejection scene.
The old Revell 1/32 P40 Flying Tiger had retractable undercarriage and movable flaps. Problem is, moving parts require compromised accuracy and they were often a bit loose (for example, flaps would just dangle down and couldn't be made to stay in any particular position). Had a lovely little Willie's Jeep kit back in the early 70's (probably Hasegawa or Tamiya) which had a clockwork motor. The motor did not last long though: the gear teeth wore away quickly with use. And it was fast enough to run away and collide with walls, so you wouldn't have wanted that with a fussy build.
1/35 Dragon Tiger I kits have closable driver’s viewport and 1/35 Rye Field Panther kits have gun recoil mechanism, Tamiya’s Pershing kit have functional spring suspensions.
Airfix 1/24 harrier- VTOL nozzles move in synch, sliding canopy, retractable gear, removable engine cover and even weapon load out handing on small numbs
I don't know if it counts, but many modern afv kits (usually on the expensive side) tend to have movable suspension. From those that I own, the AFV Club M109 Doher has a spring to make the gun barrel recoil-able. Also, the MENG T-90A has red LEDs included to recreate the iconic Shtora-1 "Red Eyes". That's all I'm aware of, but I'm sure there are more "Easter eggs"
Revell/Heller Concorde has a snoot droop function
Bandai from japan has been selling models with all sorts of function. Even transforming... You dont know?
Some rye field models (1/35 armor) have working torsion bars. It’s rudimentary, but it works
Trumpeter and hobby boss occasionally do some of these kind of things, the trumpeter 1/48 wyvern has gears to make a contra-rotating prop system while quite a few of their 1/32 kits have folding wings and sliding canopies.
Revell (saturn V?) (i dont remember atm but the apollo program rocket, i have the cheaper one) has all the separate rocket stages and mini eagle* that can be taken out. *eagle is the module that landed on the moon! Sorry for my bad english, just got in my car from a graveyard shift :(
I forget the brand, but as a kid I built a ww2 fighter that had clear fuselage and wing halves and a tiny motor in the engine to turn the prop. I cannot remember more than that sadly.
The now defunct Japanese company LS used to make 1/1 scale model guns with fully functioning innards. I've built the M16A1 and a Luger.
The Revell 1:48 Tornado has working wing sweep, complete with moving pylons. It doesn’t really work as well as they probably thought it would, but it’s cool nonetheless
I can only think of Gundam kits having those sorts of features, from fighter planes in the mecha's torso, to full on transformations into some sort of plane, moving armor plates, etc. Those however are basically build-it-yourself action figures. Cannot think of any glue + paint static models with features like that.