Category: 1:72 scale
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Chinese Flying Animal – Part Four – FIAT
Fix it again, Tang… The ICM model of the Polikarpov I-16 is done, and not quite ready to fly. Aircraftsman Tang is due on the scene shortly to bolt the engine covers back on. Until then, they are up out of the mud, resting on the wings, We must praise A/C Tang for his efforts…
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Chinese Flying Animal – Part Three – Inside Out
This time the I-16 will be built to show off the exquisite engine inside The Soviet version had the side panels on and all the work was invisible. To facilitate this the sub-assemblies can be largely built up before they have to go inside the fuselage – a very welcome design feature. It is never…
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Chinese Flying Animal – Part Two – Ukrainian Jewel
I cannot praise the ICM model makers enough for this little gem. An aircraft this small could be a temptation to cut corners – to mould haphazardly and make just a few large parts. The ICM firm in Ukraine have gone the other way – they have finely engraved, precisely designed, and cleanly moulded. As…
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Chinese Flying Animal – Part One – The Dollar Army
I need to find a Chinese airplane enthusiast who can tell me whether the Polikarpov I-16 in Nationalist Chinese service in the 1930’s and 40’s carried an animal’s name. When the Soviets used them they were the Ishak – mule. When the Spanish Nationalists flew them they were the Rata – rat. And the Spanish…
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OPPs Beat Apps
We older Australians are often thought to be past it. Or more accurately, past IT. Yet every day we confound the young with our imaginative use of the computer and the winsome way that we reset the modem. They never know what is coming. In my case I do not play much with telephones and…
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Sprue Spray?
It was decades before I figured it out. In fact, Airfix and Revell knew it long before me. But it finally took Phil Flory to wise me up. The 5 ” P’s “: Paint Piddly Parts on the Plastic Prior to Parting them. Oh Gosh – I counted wrong. That’s 6 ” P’s “. Of…
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Polikarpov I-3 – Part Four – Lightning
Like my luck, it never seems to strike twice in the same place… Fortunately, this AGA kit has proved to be good luck and has come out far better than might have been expected upon opening the sad old box. The assembly of the wings was easier than many biplanes have been – I made…
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Polikarpov I-3 – Part Three – The Ability To Judge A Clue
I think the most important thing in building a scale model is to learn how to judge between a good thing and a bad one. This might be the case in a lot of other aspects of life as well – but here we need to know what we are dealing with, what we can…
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Polikarpov I-3 – Part Two – Simple Pimple
In a flurry of experimentation i decide to take a compact camera to my hobby club to document the start of the Polikarpov project. It was largely successful, as I was able to take pictures of a lot of other member’s workplaces as well. These will be used to blackmail them in the future. As…
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Polikarpov I-3 – Part One – Fillin’ In The Numbers
I did not realise how many Polikarpov aircraft I have in the collection until I reviewed it to see if this was new. It is – This will slot between the monoplane I-1 and the biplane I-15. A totally new ( but probably defunct ) Polish model making firm, too. In any case this stash…
The Little World 