31 Cool Ideas for Building Your Own Metal Earth Collection

Everyone comes to the hobby of building metal models with different interests. For me, I had spent years building scale model aircraft, so the most natural thing was for me to begin there. My first Metal Earth model was a P-51 Mustang, and from there I began to build up a Metal Earth aircraft collection. But I was just getting starting. I’ve since branched out to lots of other subjects.

What Metal Earth collection would you like to build? There are so many options available for creating unique collections of Model Earth models. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. The range of licensed models are an obvious place to start, but you could build a collection based on just about any interest that you have.

Here are 31 cool ideas to kickstart your creative juices …

Metal Earth Licensed Collections

1. Star Wars. This was one of the first themed collections that Metal Earth released, and they have remained very popular because of the huge Star Wars fan base. These models may have brought more people to the hobby than any other. At the time I’m writing, there are around 40 Star Wars subjects offered by Metal Earth alone, not counting anything by other brands.
2. Star Trek. “Trekkies” make up another large fan crowd, so Metal Earth offer 4 of the most recognizable starships from the series.
3. Harry Potter. Harry has taken the world by storm, and that includes the metal world. In this collection you can build Hogwarts Castle, the Hogwarts Train (I love that kit!), even a Golden Snitch … and much more.
4. Marvel. Superheroes have had a huge revival over the last decade with the release of all new movies. The Marvel franchise is enjoying the peak of it’s popularity. Metal Earth offer half a dozen Marvel-themed models — including the hugely popular Ironman kit.
5. Batman. Also riding the superhero wave is DC Comics. Metal Earth offer about 7 models, focused mostly on different versions of the Batmobile, going right back to the campy 1960’s TV series starring Adam West. Are you a Batman fan? Build them all!
6. Transformers. These kits, and others like them, are hugely popular, and subjects are offered by Metal Earth and other brands around the world. They not only look great when built, they also offer a real challenge for metal model builders to showcase their skills.
7. Game of Thrones.  (NEW) These kits are about to be released to the Metal Earth catalog. We don’t know what will be included yet, but GOT fans are getting excited to be able to build a collection.
8. Freightliner. Trucks make great subjects for models, and the several kits that Metal Earth offer are really beautiful.
9. Boeing. You might think that this series of models would just be commercial airliners, but that’s not true at all. Boeing have been a central figure in every aspect of aviation for decades. The Metal Earth collection includes subjects ranging from World War 2 planes all the way through to space vehicles. (Of course you can certainly build a 747 as part of your collection.)
10. My Little Pony. Okay, here’s a collection for the girls / ladies. (I guess! But if you’re a guy and want to build them, knock yourself out. I’m not judging.) These are all 1 sheet kits that are very easy to build, so they’re also a good option for getting children interested.
11. Disney Parks. Now this is a fascinating Metal Earth collection, sold almost Exclusively at Disney theme parks. You can find just a few kits in their online store, and you may be able to pick up some on eBay (I recently managed to get their Indiana Jones’ Ark of the Covenant kit that way). But if you’re at one of their parks, look for Metal Earth kits of their castles, iconic attractions like Space Mountain, their monorail … even their Main Street trash cans! This would make a very cool collection for Disney fans.
12. Doctor Who. Want to build a Dalek or the Tardis? If you have no idea what those are, then you’re not a fan of the Doctor. But if you are, there are a few kits to choose from.
13. Legends and Looney Tunes. These look a little different than your typical Metal Earth models. They are stylized figures of mostly superheroes and cartoon characters. If you like caricatures, these might appeal to you, and they are really easy to build. A fun collection that would look great in your kids room.

Retired Licensed Collections

Metal Earth do “retire” models and whole collections from time to time. Here are several licensed series that are no longer in production, but you may still be able to find them on sites like eBay. (Get ’em while you can!) I guess the one plus to them being retired is that if you manage to build a whole collection, it will be that much more unique.

1. Mass Effect. Several spaceships were produced in this series.
2. Halo. Wow. These will be missed by the gamers. They were really nicely detailed kits too.
3. Cat. Caterpillar earthmovers, that is. I once worked for a company that sold earthmoving gear, so this is a licensed collection I’m quite sad to see no longer available. It included about 5 beautiful model kits.

Other Non-licensed Metal Models You Can Build Into a Collection

1. Architectural. Love buildings? Metal Earth have produced kits of many famous and iconic buildings from around the world. You can build the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, The Golden Gate Bridge, the Arc de Triomph, and many many more. Because of these buildings are based on straight sides and right angles, they are surprisingly easy to build. And they’re easily recognizable, so this collection makes a great conversation piece in your home.
2. Bugs and butterflies. The Metal Earth colored butterflies are particularly beautiful. This would be a great theme for a collection if you love little critters.
3. Musical equipment. Are you a muso? You can build a Metal Earth collection of a whole band line-up, and then some. Available kits include electric guitar, bass guitar, drum set, grand piano, and bass fiddle. And they would look seriously cool in your home studio!
4. Tanks and guns. Military buffs will love all these kits, and there are a lot to choose from. Tank subjects in particular have now been picked up and produced by other 3D metal model manufacturers around the world, and the detail is amazing.
5. Aircraft. My own favorite. You can build an awesome Metal Earth collection starting from the Wright brothers first machine all the way to modern jets. Throw in some helicopters, a zeppelin and NASA space vehicles, and you have the whole history of flight in shiny metal on your display shelf.
6. Dinosaurs. What a cool collection this could be for kids (and BIG kids!) The Metal Earth kits are of the skeletons, like you’d see in a natural history museum. A T-Rex, a stegosaurus, a triceratops, etc.
7. Ships. From historic sailing ships to modern battleships and aircraft carriers. This is another category that is covered by Metal Earth, but also increasingly by other companies around the world. Some of the ship kits now available build up into BIG, beautifully detailed models.
8. Cars and vehicles. Car lovers are a massive and passionate audience, and they are catered for so wonderfully in metal models. You can build a collection that includes historic cars, sports cars, military vehicles and trucks.
9. Robots. Metal model robot kits are almost a hobby all on their own, and they’re becoming more and more elaborate. Definitely check out the Gundam subjects in the Metal Earth ICONX series, and that’s just the start. The Mu and Piececool brands from China have some great robots to build up a spectacular collection.
10. Sci Fi. As a more general collection, this could include kits from a number of other categories we’ve already mentioned. If you’re a science fiction aficionado, there is a huge range of metal model kits available to scratch your itch.
11. Figures. If you love figures, there are lot of Metal Earth kits to choose from, and you can build a great collection. Be warned these are probably some of the more difficult kits to build.
12. Animals and birds. One of the most beautiful Metal Earth model kits released recently is the colorful peacock in the ICONX series. Gorgeous! And that’s just the first of a number of subjects you can build of animals and birds. Build your own menagerie!
13. Mythical beasts. Dragons are very popular with metal modelers, and there are other mythical beasts coming out of the imaginations of designers. If this is your thing, you can build a shelf full of fantastic creatures that will be a fun challenge.
14. Larger models. Metal Earth model kits generally contain small sheets of parts, so the size of the models is reflective of that. But their ICONX series has produced some larger models. Now other companies are pushing the limits to create some bigger projects. This could be a great theme to specialize in … from Mega R2-D2 (very popular), to a larger version of the Eiffel Tower, to big battleships. There’s enough on offer now, with more on the way, to create an “oversize” metal model collection.
15. One of everything! And finally, here’s a challenge … maybe you’d like to set yourself the goal of building one of every kit that Metal Earth has ever released. If you choose to do that, you’ll obviously need to start by trying to source the ones that are no longer in production. The longer you wait, the more rare they will become. But what an amazing achievement this Metal Earth collection could be.

So, there we have it … 31 cool ideas for building your own Metal Earth collection.

[You might also like to check out my “Favorite Models” page. A list of the kits I’ve had the most fun building.]

I’m sure it could have been 131! Do you have another idea for a collection? tell us about it … leave a comment below.

(Special thanks for kind permission to use the cover image of Star Wars helmets. Check out MetalModelAddict on imgur.com)