Category: 1:72 scale
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part Two – The Paper Work

Every kit I get has some form of paper work associated with it. Mainly instructions, painting sheet, and decals. The BP Defiant is a good example of current Airfix practice. The Instructions these days can be quite complex – if the makers are good communicators. This can depend upon whether they are a large firm…
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part One – At Last!

As a child in the 1950’s and a young man in the 60’s I was always frustrated. Not about school or friends or money or sex…these problems tended to sort themselves out. I was frustrated that I could never get an Airfix model of a Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72 scale. It was not that…
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The Little Kid Model

I was in the airplane kit aisle of my local – Hobbytech – one Sunday, and I encountered a charming scene. A young man – under 20, I should say – was introducing a friend to model kits and helping him to get some to start building. The sort of thing that encourages us all.…
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Whose Decals Are The Best?

And wouldn’t we all like to know. I have been building kits for a little over a year now – in my old age – and I am learning by experience. So far I’ve racked up: a. Revell Germany b. New Airfix c. Mach 2 d. Academy e. RS f. Special Hobby g. ICM h. Zvezda…
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The Wrong Shade Of Black

Resign yourself – you may have made a fabulous model of a P-61 or a Lancaster or a Mosquito and a great deal – or all – of the thing will be a very definite black colour. But as soon as you show it at any exhibition, someone will tell you you’ve used the wrong…
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The Nakajima Nate

Or Nakajima Ki-27 if you want to be technical. This one slipped through the studio without being photographed on the sprues – but that happens sometimes when you get distracted and are anxious to start doing something. It was a Sunday afternoon visit to an old hobby shop that started it – the shop is…
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The Museum Approach

Go to your local museum – it doesn’t matter what type you choose; art, science, technology, cars, planes, boats, dolls. If you’ve got an interest, go spark it at the museum. While you are oohing and ahhing at the exhibits, look about you at the facilities. The architecture of a museum can be as interesting…
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When The World Gives You Lemons

Make a lemon meringue pie. SImple. This meme business is getting tame… When the world gives you MDF board, Foamcore sheets, and old pieces of matt board you have more of a challenge. The thing to realise about it is that the ingredients essentially cost pennies and anything you do with them raises the value…
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Oh Sheet, It’s the Instructions…

I am fairly bright for a dim person. I can play Scrabble and do connect-the-dots puzzles. I have, on occasion, found Wally. But I struggle with the instruction sheets for the model airplane kits. It was not always thus…in the 1950’s and 60’s the instruction sheets for the kits seemed to be a lot easier…
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The Aftermarket Kit

Or how to spend money with both barrels. I have now started to take a scale modelling magazine each month at the local newsagency. This is great, because I was starting to lose faith in the publishing industry there for a while. I would run the racks and find nothing that could hold enough interest…
