Category: 1:72 scale
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Hillson Praga Air Baby – Part One – So Niche
Okay. Beats Me. Who in Prague has ever heard of Australia? Well, someone did. They sent out three of these little light planes before WW2 – probably because they had a manufacturing deal going with Manchester. The kit is on two sprue trees – one clear and one silvered. A tiny rime of flash but…
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The Valid Decision
If you want to drown in Official-Speak, go to Google and start looking up ” valid decision “. I often go and see what poking the bear will do before I write these things. In this case I have been preceded by academia, politics, and the sort of management that can close down a successful…
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Ruritania Poste – Part Five B – RT-AFR
Purists amongst the aviation game may wonder at the slight anhedral exhibited by RT-AFR …the new SM.79 that Ruritania Poste has added to the African mail route. The answer is simple. The Savoia Marchetti is depressed. Wartime service for the Italians and now having to fly over cannibals and savage lions of post-war Africa …and…
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Ruritania Poste – Part Five A – RT-ASA
Before I present the newest mail-planes of Ruritania Poste I must address the members of my model building club. Yes, gentlemen, I know we have a motto that extolls being true to scale and true to life. I am always encouraged by this when I see see the egg planes and cardboard police cars in…
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Ruritania Poste – Part Four – Sprayin’ Weather
I never used to take the slightest notice of Advice To Mariners. It could be blowing a gale round Beachy Head…or Bayswater for that matter…and I couldn’t have cared less. That was before I got an airbrush and a bad habit. The habit is spray painting model aircraft, so don’t be judgemental. The business of…
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Ruritania Post – Part Three – Aviation Réchaufee
No one can accuse the Ruritanian people of being wasteful – they are not profligate in any way. Nor can they be ignored as engineers and scientists – any nation that concocts brandy and aviation fuel from turnips must be accorded a good deal of respect. Thus it is not surprise to see that the…
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Ruritania Post – Part Two – Nothing Goes To Waste
The second classic Airfix kit I am engaged upon for the next few weeks is another of the SM.79 torpedo bombers the Italian air force used in the Mediterranean. One already exists in my collection in the Middle East colours of the Lebanese Air Force – it’s an Italeri kit and somewhat superior to this…
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Ruritania Post – Part One – Box O’ Doom
Every so often you encounter a model kit that is so old, warped, and manky that it could stand for election to the Sydney City Council…and win. This is the Airfix Heinkel He111 kit I have just opened. It is marginally older than Keith Richards but not in as good a condition. It dates from…
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North American F-100 – Part Four – When NATO Meant France As Well
And the French needed American aircraft to fulfil their own defence needs. A long time ago… Long enough to be before the Area Rule in aircraft design – allowing the designers of the Super Sabre a big fuselage space in the mid-rear for the engine. A contemporary of Soviet fighters and interceptors of similar bulk.…
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North American F-100 – Part Three – Dry Fit For The Win
I have taken to adding a new stage to my regular builds – I try to get a mock-up of the basic flying aircraft fitted dry before I reach for the cement bottle. This means taping parts together or even using the Micro Scale temporary adhesive. The benefit of doing it is I catch incipient…
The Little World 