Category: 1:72 scale
-
F-16A – Part Three – In Every State Except…

In every state of the Union and nearly every country of the world, the heading image would raise little interest; it’s a toy airplane with a lead weight glued in the nose. In California, I suspect, it would cause sirens to wail and lawyers to leap from their kennels. Lead! A known carcinogen! A dangerous…
-
F-16A – Part Two – The Staged Build

I am constructing this aircraft model on the Fortnight System. It is opened and worked upon at the Cambridge Public Library during a meeting of the Historic Modelling Friends – a rather informal group of retirees who have been granted permission to use the library’s function room of a Saturday afternoon. As the room contains…
-
Was Lacquer Thinner Good For Covid?

I had no idea, but one week I tested it out. I went down in iso with a positive RAT and a number of kits in the stash that needed paint. They had gone through the preliminary stages and were ready for primer and paint. And I did not intend to let a spare week…
-
Are You Proud Of Your Work?

That sounds like one of those passive/aggressive questions that bullies invent to make people feel bad. But bear with me – it is legitimate. Are you proud of the models you make? I am, and I display them at my studio in IKEA cabinets. I take pictures of them and post them on the internet.…
-
Convair Atlas D – Part Three – The Beast

The advantage of building to a common scale is the insight it provides you into the relative size of things. Prior to this build I had no idea these first-generation ICBMs were so large. My mind saw the toys of my childhood – the Cape Canaveral set gave totally false impressions. But then I went…
-
Convair Atlas D – Part Two – Cement Day

This is no finger-tangler of a model. A day or two of cementing and sanding and the air compressor can be turned on. The assembly is no mean feat, however, as the tolerances with which this kit are moulded are anything but generous. Each of the location pins has had to be shaved to get…
-
Convair Atlas D – Part One – Old Home To New Home

I used to live where these things were deployed. I now live where the scale model is made. This kit from Horizon Models was advertised for some time in the Australian scale model magazine – but I did not see it at the time. Then it got to Phil Flory and I sat up and…
-
SNCAN Martinet – Part Four – Swedish Spy

That might seem a bit harsh, but the decal on the side of the fuselage and the Wikipedia entry both identify this post-war aircraft as part of the cartographic services if the Swedish government. They may have flown over Sweden mapping, but they could also have been taking vertical pictures elsewhere. There are several internet…


