Category: airliner
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Lockheed Electra Junior – Part Two – A Surprising Amount Of Fit

Experience with Czech short-run kits can be mixed. Fit issues, over-complex construction, and unclear instructions all loom every time you pop the box top or open the side door. However, the first stages of the Electra Junior have been pleasant. The cockpit is a resin casting. though nowhere near as complex as it might have…
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Lockheed Electra Junior – Part One – Dutch Surprise

The third purchase on a happy visit to a distant hobby shop was a Special Hobby kit. These are always more expensive than the big maker’s offerings but can be had for subjects that would never be kitted otherwise. I am always surprised at the things I see in this class of model. Measuring the…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Five – Whew

Well, the colour coats are done – the trim stripe is done – the decals are on. The various pieces are being cemented and snapped in. The air crash did not destroy the bird. Every speculative colour scheme that you think up – every set of decals you print yourself – every artistic decision you…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Four – Air Crash

Every build has a mistake – a flaw – a piece of bad judgement. In the case of the Airfix DH Heron Mk II it has come in a rush. I was shifting photographic backdrops in the workshop this morning and inadvertently hit the wing of the Heron. It slid off the building stand and…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Three – The Suitcase Closes

Always that moment when you have packed up your clothing at the end of a holiday and are gingerly trying to get the suitcase closed – against the pressure of dirty laundry and souvenirs. Will it creak shut…? Before I could latch the Heron together I tested the balance – Airfix said 15 gms of…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Two – The Split Heron

As far as the approach to this vintage Airfix De Havilland Heron kit goes, I am – as Kinky Friedman would have put it – out past where the buses run. I am in new mental territory. It started when I did the part count and some dry fitting – I noted the provision of…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part One – Raised Expectations

And raised rivets, too. I had a happy childhood, and a great many of the happy occasions revolved around model kits. This included a number of the 1950’s and 60’s Airfix products. Merit, Monogram, Aurora, and Revell as well. So it’s with great delight that I see Airfix re-issue classic models from the era. I…
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Beechcraft Model 18 – Part Four – Spirit Of Lodgepole

CF-ACL is ready for service. The Spirit of Lodgepole is named after a small town in the Pembina that serves the oil industry and was once the main service town for the Brazeau Dam project. It had an RCMP post, a hotel, a school, and a general store, as well as repair shops for the…
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Beechcraft Model 18 – Part Three – A Pleasant Surprise

Remember I was worried about the plastic surface of the PM Models Beechcraft Model 18…worried that it was too rough to take a good coat of paint? Well, my worries were laid to rest over the last two days. GSI Creos to the rescue yet again. I employ their paints and finishes whenever I can…

