Category: 1:72 scale
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German General Service Truck – Part Two – Every Assembly

Every assembly on this little truck is a model in itself – and each one is a model of precision. The basic need is for a toy truck – so much of the painting is simplified. Dark iron, black, tyre black, etc. And a nod to the origins of the vehicle and the possible source…
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German General Service Truck – Part One – Leftover

I need ground vehicles for a new airfield I am contemplating. This one will be in eastern Europe post-war, so there are any number of vehicles possible. The first one will be a German general service V3000S two-axle type. It appears to have originated in the Ford factory – possibly in Köln. The kit itself…
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Do Not Start Too Small

I met a chap re-entering the hobby recently who was trying to choose his kits to build skill before he tackled the one he really fancied. I thought this was sensible thinking, but I suspect he made a bit of a problem for himself by selecting a 1:144 scale plane. It was charming, but too…
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Caproni C311 – Part Four – Fly RT-ITA To The Sun!

Who said Ruritanians are sour drunks living in a postage stamp kingdom? Well, everyone, actually, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to go South for a holiday. The sudden availability of used Italian bombers after 1943 was a gift to the Ruritanian royal airline. Prior to this the only passenger carriers were two-seat mail…
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Caproni C 311 – Part Three – Civilian Conversion

The conversion of old military aircraft to civilian mode was quite a thing back in the late 40’s and early 50’s. There were a great many spare aircraft left over from the conflict – despite the fact that so many were shot down and wrecked. Careful buying by Ruritanian agents in Europe brought a number…
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Caproni C-311 – Part Two – FINALLY!

Finally I figure out a way to stop being clumsy. I build a great many kits, and find that I like to keep busy in the various stages by doing sub assemblies and finishing them before they are added to the main airframe. It is much the same as was done with wartime factories and…
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Caproni C-311 – Part One – Tropical Splendour

Not that this aircraft is tropical in any way – it’s just that the kit has come from Singapore. A gift from a friend who took a holiday there. I always welcome Italeri Italian aircraft, because I know they do them well; it’s a matter of national pride. The parts fit, the moulding is free…
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It’s Not A Stash Sale

If you don’t buy something you don’t need. If you buy something that you don’t want, it ratchets up to a higher level. If it is overpriced, you are moving into the professional league. If you buy aftermarket for it, and build it, you have become a master in the art of Zen modelling. The…
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Boeing X-Plane – Part Four – Long Range Bird On Spindly Legs

I wonder what the US Navy might have nicknamed this Boeing fighter/bomber if it had ever proceeded into service? There had been few Boeing fighters before this – I can only think of the P26 ” Peashooter ” that the Army flew. Not a very prestigious name but fairly apt considering the tiny size of…
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Boeing X-Plane – Part Three – Big Donk

This is the biggest small piston engine in my collection – until I locate a 1/72 B-36… The four-row piston engine – 28 cylinders and I suppose 56 spark plugs – was a massive effort to put more power into the air. It was so powerful that it needed to be split between two contra-rotating…
