Category: 1:72 scale
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Grumman Wildcat – Part One – Hello Yellow

My friend Warren once pulled up a Hobby Boss kit of the F4F Wildcat in early colours and it set me investigating. This plane turned up in one of the profiles out of a modelling magazine – I can’t tell you if the kit makers made theirs from the illustration or if the illustrator drew…
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Nothing Succeeds Like Excess

And isn’t that the motto of the times… Carrying on from yesterday, in the face of bad weather and with the desire to sit inside in the warm…I looked out all my old leftover cans of paint and texture material – the spare fences leftover from doll hoses and railway layouts – and the fake…
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The Shelf Life

I have a miniature air museum of model airplanes. And a motor museum of model cars. And an air field. And an airport. And very little space to actually live in – I need to move a Tupolev sideways to sit on the toilet. Reform is needed. I thought that this was possible with IKEA.…
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RCAF Avro Lancaster – Part Eight – The Why And Wherefore

Finishing the Avro Lancaster in RCAF rescue colours has called up a series of questions about it as a real aircraft. I’ve no idea whether my answers are correct, but here goes anyway… a. Why did the RCAF have Lancasters? Because they were part of Bomber Command in the UK in the second world war.…
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RCAF Lancaster – Part Seven – Hannants

This RCAF CX 104 Lancaster is the first time I have used the Xtradecals form the British firm of Hannants. I’ve often seen them advertised but hitherto the prices of the sets has always been somewhat of a barrier to their use – by the time we get them here they can be the same…
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RCAF Lancaster – Part Six – Wings And Tail

I decided to risk it with the Lanc – to attach the vertical stabilisers and rudders at the end of the painting process. This might sound dodgy but the precision with which the joins were moulded encouraged it. And it meant that the masking and painting of the flying surfaces was going to be a…
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RCAF Lancaster – Part Five – Subassembly

I think one of the nicest things about the new Airfix kits is the way that they have decided upon the subassembly moulding. In the case of the Lancaster they’ve done something that I have not seen before…but would like to see again. The point of assembly for many aircraft builds that makes me nervous…
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RCAF Lancaster – Part Four – Button Up

The interior detailing on the fuselage was finally done – here’s what it looks like with no additional parts or work: The map is a decal. Pretty neat for no photo-etch. The other thing I commend Airfix for is the strut and former construction that mean the wings are going to go on right. Of…
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RCAF Avro Lancaster – Part Three – It All Starts With Bits

I try to be thrilled with all parts of the kit building I do – from the shopping and acquisition through to the plans, cutting and fitting, painting , and final assembly. But it must be said that there are times when the stages are very small and you don’t seem to progress. The initial…
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RCAF Avro Lancaster – Part Two – Whole Lotta Plastic Goin’ On

I am never so inspired or terrified as when I open a new model box and look at the plastic sprue trees. In some cases there seem so many of them – in others so few. The Airfix Lancaster is in the first bracket. However, this is a new-mould kit and the parts look to…
