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Does anybody have any experience with this?

Disadvantages I can think of include:

Metal pieces showing up on security scanner.
Baggage handlers.
Poor space vs. model ratio leading to large boxes.

I'll be flying to go live with my girlfriend in a few weeks and she wants to see some of my models in person. I won't be taking my full army, but I'd like to take a couple of my centerpieces.

i always bring them in my carry-on...
my Sabol Army Transport fits in the overhead, and it's a big case...
the most security has ever done is open the case and look inside...
no biggie...

anything going in the belly of the plane is at risk of getting crushed...
they pack the bags in like sardines down there...

best of luck...

cheers
jah

As someone who flies a lot with their army you want to carry it on with you. If you check your luggage this will happen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgDizh4DMno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGxXN8iI2TU

Also luggage gets lost so you want to make sure you have it with you. Since all you want to bring is a couple items I would do something like put them in a hard Tupperware container and put a lot of padding around them and put it in my carry on bag.

I have never been stopped or detained because of them. The reason why is that they do not set off any warnings when they are being scanned. The only time anyone has said anything is when I was going through the scanner at Phoenix airport a TSA agent asked me what army I played.

Never had a problem, I got some funny looks over the gun case look of my model cases, they soon got over it because the security guys had never seen the like. So I got to explain GW's Warhammer 40K, so there may be a couple of new players from a trip or two that I took.

Avoid large kits with hollow bodies like Rhinos etc that have been picked up second hand

you never know what somebody's left inside them, and if customs scanners think their is something 'organic' or a stray scalpel blade inside they may well crack them open to look

I don't have any second hand kits, I like building and painting too much to buy something from someone else.

Yeah, I've flown with models in the hold and with carry on - both work if you prepare. In the hold, I had a large solid plastic suitcase anyway, so no danger of crushing, and they were packed in with my clothes.

As carry on, I used by KR Backpack 2 - with two cases inside it's actually a little bigger than carry-on size but if it's a problem, just take a case out and call it your 'laptop-bag'!

I put some in my backpack when i came back to japan, they only asked at the scanner what those black blotches were on the scanner. I explained and they were ok with it.

I've had no problems flying with models.
Allegedly FW resin looks like plastic explosive in a scanner, so be aware of that, but I've flown with resin, plastic, and metal models with no problems.
I've even brought them into Saudi Arabia, where the models are technically illegal without any hassles.
Either put them in a hard case (KR do a good one) with lots of padding, or use carry on.
Since I mainly play small scale skirmish these days (Malifaux, Infinity, Urban War, etc) I use small cases about the size of a hardback book that hold about 20 models, they slip nicely into hand luggage.

I bought a 2000 pt sisters army on an international flight. Only thing was to open and get checked because all the metal shows up on screen. I used a pack 432 from battlefoam, which even fit in the overhead compartment of the smaller connecting flights. After all the effort paintng, I'd say bring it as carry on.

I once saw a guy had two wyverns in his carry on going through the security scanner.

I thought it was cool, and at the same time I could tell exactly what they were by the x-ray.

I was saddened by my nerdiness for a minute