Category: 1:72 scale
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Packaging Part Two – The Quality Of The Box
I’ve been buying model kits since Eisenhower was President and Louis St. Laurent was Prime Minister and I think I’ve seen them offered in every form of packaging save a lard barrel; cardboard boxes, plastic packets, plastic bags, sleeves, and even one memorable lot in paper envelopes. As I sit at my desk typing I…
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Packaging Part One – The Gallery Of The Shelf
I go to art galleries in the various capital cities I visit on a regular basis. Some, like the NGV in Melbourne or the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney get a visit whenever I’m in town. Others, like the various modern art galleries or smaller dealer’s galleries might get a hit every two or…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Six – Ready For the Squadron
I am currently completing the Air Ministry paperwork preparatory to handing over the Handley Page Hampden to the RCAF. It is destined to be in a torpedo-bombing squadron in British Columbia. They have tried Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers but cannot make them work. The RCAF requested a light sky grey underside as they do not…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Five – The Dots Of Doom
My current build – the Airfix Handley Page Hampden – is an older kit. Not quite as old as the series 1 baggies, but it does date back to the 60’s. I daresay it has been re-boxed several times and the decals have probably been upgraded, but the basic plastic airplane is an earlier style…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Four – Either Up Or Down! Make Up Your Darned Mind!
I am currently looking with disfavour at the Airfix Handley Page Hampden model. It is upside down on the building jig with its legs in the air and it is not a pretty sight. This is not a Vargas pin-up girl… This is the first occasion in a long while that I’ve encountered a scale…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Three – Success Masquerading As Failure
Having overcome Part Two – the warp factor – I set myself the task of assembling the Hampden, and was pleasantly surprised by how well it cobbled together. The wing tabs were tight, but a little sanding loosened them and a little more sanding snugged the wing roots in close enough to the fuselage to…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Two – Yes, I Have…
I knew this was going to happen. When I saw the dented box I knew it was a sign… The HP Hampden – destined to become the star of RCAF Doukh Inlet – turns out to be a 1960’s kit. No shame in that – I built kits in the 1960’s and I still turned…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part One – Have I Bought A Dud?
Normally, I am a pretty careful shopper. Whether it is in the car lot or the supermarket, you can find me squeezing, sniffing, and licking. The only time it seems to cause a problem is in the striptease nightclub. But I have a feeling I should have been a little more circumspect in the hobby shop when…
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Stand Up! Sit Down! Rah Rah Rah!
What was the most common thing about plastic model kits in the 1950’s? The size? The subjects? The colour of the plastic? No. The most common thing was that every model had a stand of some sort. From the grey plastic trapezoids that went under the Revell USS MISSOURI to the two-peg block that underpinned…
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To Break, Or Not To Break
That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to cement the landing gear in while you can still get access to the nacelles and housings or wait until the paint job is finished. Which choice brings a better or worse chance of breaking the things off prematurely? And must we use Shakespearean language after the fact?…
The Little World 