Category: American aircraft
-
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…
-
A7 Corsair II – Part Three – A Grey Eminence
I am always a little daunted when I see a paint call-out that calls for different shades of grey…I am never certain whether they should be gray. The only thing about which I can be certain is that I will pick the wrong one. No, I’m wrong – the second thing I am certain of…
-
A7 Corsair II – Part Two – Library Day
Somewhat of a novelty – an afternoon spent scale modelling at the Cambridge Library in Floreat Forum. It was as a member of a Saturday club that hitherto has met at one chap’s home. This was an experiment in connecting with his local library – a place where we also display a cabinet of our…
-
A7 Corsair II – Part One – A Childhood Dream
I always admired the Ling-Temco-Vought Corsair II when I was a boy and dreamed of flying it. Had I dreamed up some way to see without glasses I might have saved myself some heartache., This childhood infatuation eventually petered out when I discovered girls, but it is somewhat surprising that I never built a model…
-
Vultee Vanguard – Part Five – Hint of Wings To Come.
Look closely at some lines on this Vultee fighter and mentally add a bent wing and bigger engine. Yep. It would have been interesting to see what might have been if the later Corsair was available for China in the early 40’s. lad-based aviation would have been less critical in landing than naval service and…
-
Vultee Vanguard – Part One – Stash Sale Star
The acquisition of a Vultee Vanguard was one of those serendipitous moments – a stash was being thinned, the sales day was ending, the owner was marking things down, and I had $ 15 left. Now the painful part – the decision whether to assign this one to the USAAF, the RCAF, or the Nationalist…
-
Who Decided My Childhood?
No, I don’t mean my parents or the school teachers or the rock and roll industry – I mean who decided which prototypes to make into the plastic models that I built? Bear in mind it was a childhood in a part of North America that was under both American and British influence. Airfix, FROG,…
-
Courage, Mon Brave!
When it is right – defend it. When it is wrong – admit it. And when it looks like hell, strip it off and start again. There are times when our reach exceeds our grasp. I have just printed a set of decals with the inkjet that would cover most of an air tanker. They…
-
Northrop Gamma – Part Three – Texaco Sky Chief
From the layout of the wing and tail – the position of the cockpit – and the size of the engine, this must have been a hot, sweet, ship to fly. And the same specs must have made it right pig to land. I was thrilled with the appearance of the model as it was…
-
Northrop Gamma – Part Two – A Silver Ghost
The instructions to paint an aircraft ” silver ” or “aluminium ” are often all you get from a maker in their colour call-out. I did not expect much more from the Williams company for this kit. But which silver – and which aluminium? I count four different Mr Hobby, 7 different Mr. Color, and…
The Little World 