Category: 1:72 scale
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Catalina Mk 1 – Part Four – Flat Out

Not so much like a lizard drinking- just flat out like thin paint. The two colours of the Coastal Command upperwoirks are now down on the Cat – both courtesy of the fine set of paints gifted to me. The experiment of using Rapid and Regular Gunze lacquer thinners on the Model Master paints seems…
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Catalina Mk 1 – Part Three – See What I Did There?

Lost three marks along with the wheels. My RCAF Catalina has now reverted to the first mark acquired – a patrol aircraft used off the maritime provinces. I’ve a profile book on it and it is a shame to waste such specific research and drawing. The colour scheme is very British with a little less…
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Catalina Mk IV B – Part Two – Major Surgery

In the case of this aircraft, it is going to go from an amphibian to a flying boat. The wheels are to be removed. The landing gear boxes for the PBY 5 are cemented on all sides, but fortunately the ones on this kit had escaped some of the glue. A few strokes of the…
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Catalina Mk IVB – Part One – The Legacy Sale

The thought of buying legacy models is somewhat bittersweet. It always means that someone’s dreams were not fulfilled. It can also be rendered more awkward if those dreams were started, rather than just in anticipation. I mean, of course, the kit that has been started. Fate’s led to its abandonment and if you take it…
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The Scale Model Show – Part Two

What do you show of yourself when you make a tabletop display for the big local scale model exhibition? I don’t mean what model do you show – that’ll either be something you’ve slaved on for the last year or something you made aeons ago. I mean what are you selling when you are not…
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Sprue Goo For The Win

Call it what you like – the mixture of styrene chips and solvent is becoming the universal tool for my modelling. Not every kit fits well. Some barely meet where they touch. You can discover sinkholes, cracks, gaps and yawning gulfs. This is where the sprue goo comes in. The joy of it is it…
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German General Service Truck – Part Three – Ruritanian Trucking Service

Yes, this ex-Wehrmacht vehicle is heading for Strelsau and a private owner. The final fit of the cab was a little fraught, but if you can accept the overhang above the clear windscreen – and I can – it is a perfectly good medium truck. There is likely to be an alternative cab version in…
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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…
