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Mirage 2000C – Part One – Birthday Present No. 1
First box off the new stash shelf. A wonderful sensation. The box art for the new Italeri 2000C fighter is all about the first Gulf War of 1990-91 – all browns and sand colours. The call-out on the back plus the decal sheet promise Armée de l’Air and UAE Air Force of the period. Possibly,…
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Stupid Science Theatre 3 – The Proof Of the Pudding
In our case the pudding tastes like old paper and turpentine. Like cooking with the stuff I find in our pantry… The problems in order: a. Yellowing of the decal and surrounds. This one is easy to cure: tape the sheet to a window that gets sun most of the day. Let it sit for…
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Stupid Science Theatre 2 – Into The Laboratory
If your name is Stein, you always run the risk amongst the vulgar of being called Frankenstein. I have accepted it, and make the most of it for comedic effect. But I mark down the worst offenders and send my assistant, Igor, to visit them on dark and stormy nights. I must show you the…
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Stupid Science Theatre – Dead Decals
The intrepid SST team attempted to raise the dead…and apply the resultant zombies to scale models. We have all had the disheartening experience of buying a bargain kit at a stash sale…only to discover that the decals have died long before the rest of the kit. They are yellowed, cracked, and possibly covered with the…
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A Kit Too Far
If you are observant at stash sales you can tell which models will be coming onto the table at a good price. Not initially, perhaps – we have all seen the ambitious price tag on a scale box. Sometimes it is high enough to over-run new kits currently available in the shops. This can be…
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The Unmarked Car
People who model detective’s cars have it easy – they are always supposed to be unmarked and that means you do not have to worry about the decal sheet having deteriorated in time. I do not have the luxury of insouciance when it comes to 1:72 aircraft. From the daggiest little trainer at the local…
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Pilatus PC-21 – Part Five – RAAF Roulette
The Pilatus PC-21 were ready to fly – the next batch of pilot trainees due to make their solos. One of them was the son of my niece. I have a short reel of him flying that first solo taken by a squadron mate. It is detailed enough to make out the number of the…
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Pilatus PC-21 – Part Four – Decal Phobia
Fear of water-slide transfers, if you wish to be pedantic… It strikes us all at one time or another. We see a commemoration scheme on the box lid and are lured into getting a kit with complex curved surfaces. The real-life plane or vehicle is painted by professionals with masks, spray guns, and a lot…
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Pilatus PC-21 – Part Three – The Double Mask
The look of this Swiss trainer in RAAF service is a bit daunting – all that colour and complex markings. Yet, like every paint job in the world, it yields to careful study of individual parts. You just have to mentally look past the complex decals to the basic colours – red, blue and white.…
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Pilatus PC-21 – Part Two – My Faith Rewarded
Remember I said I was confident in the new Swiss kit? Well, it is getting better. A dry-fit stage is not a perfect thing – you can miss slightly less obvious gaps and misalignment…only to have them show up and bite at cement time. However this time it looks as if the cockpit tub fits…
The Little World
Close focus on the world of scale models
The Little World 