Category: American aircraft
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Boeing X-Plane – Part Two – Mind The Gap…

I was greatly encouraged while during open stage of fuselage construction by the fact that the two halves fitted together almost perfectly. And the big, sturdy wing halves did the same – even the wing tips had minimal ledging. This can be a real problem for some kits as there is little to fill or…
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Boeing X-Plane – Part One – The Nearly-Rans

I am no great fan of ” what-if ” modelling. Much of it is speculative and not a little disturbing. I see attitudes in the builders that are not supportable in real life. But I will admit aircraft and other items that were actually built to try to win government contracts. Even if they did…
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AI And The Scale Modeller – Part Two – The Electro-Boss

Let us imagine for a moment that the model making firm of Plasti-Prag decides to download a computer program for AI to help out the staff. In it goes to the works Mac or PC, settling in amongst the porn and unpaid invoices, and the design section tries to use it to draw up box…
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Another Bronco – Part Four – Red Hot Mama

Don’t be puzzled – the name was given to the Bronco as it is a CFS fire spotter and the model was donated by a famous exotic dancer here in Perth. I love my life. The Bronco seems to be a superb choice as a working fire aircraft – twin engines, plenty of power, sturdy…
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Another Bronco – Part Three – The Failed Decals Redeem Themselves

You will have read the science experiment that resulted in determining the best decal coating solution. Here it is in action. Supercheap Auto clear acrylic diluted with Mr Color Rapid Thinner and sprayed in three thin coats. Releases in good time, and can be floated down over Mr Mark Setter and positioned accurately. No panic…
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Another Bronco – Part two – Dry Fit For The Win

You can get a pretty good idea early on with a scale model kit – whether it is going to be kind to you or slash your face. The OV-10 is one of the former. Here is the thing after one afternoon in the library cutting and painting. The wing has been cemented together, as…
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Another Bronco – Part One – This One Love You Slow Time

Readers can look at a previous post of the North American OV-10A kit I built and compare it to this one – that was just one page – this will hopefully be written on many more. The other plane was a fast build for a purpose – this one uses the same Academy kit but…
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A7 Corsair II – Part Six – Library Build Champ

This is the first aircraft that I’ve built in the Cambridge Library – not in the UK, but in Floreat, Western Australia. The venue has allowed a small group of plastic modellers to have a facilities room on alternate Saturday afternoons for a model-building meeting. We share the space with slightly bemused students who effect…
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A7 Corsair II – Part Five – On Her Feet

When next you see a charity tin marked ” Italeri “, stop and put a dollar in. They are good people. In particular, they have respect and kindness for builders of their 1:72 aircraft – they always provide decent landing gear and attachment points for gear legs in the engine nacelles, wings, or fuselages. If…
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A7 Corsair II – Part Four – Two-Tone

I puzzled about the white horizontal stabiliser and trailing wing surfaces on this Corsair II when I saw the colour call-out. Of course I was bound to follow the diagram, and as it was the same for most of the variants I knew it was deliberate. Then it struck me – if you did not…
