Category: American aircraft
-
Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part Three – Trench Warfare

The fit of the parts on the Revell Curtiss Hawk was very good – square, plumb, and true, but the top surfaces of the wings stood clear of the fuselage fairing by a good millimeter on both sides. If this part was subject to no stress nor expected to flex in any way, it could…
-
Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part Two – Scowling At The Cowling

No spinach is ever entirely free of sand and no model kit is entirely free of flaws. The Tamiya ones get close, but you can still get picky. In the case of the Revell Curtiss Hawk, the stumbling blocks are – so far – minor. a. Look at the way the top half of the…
-
Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part One – Good Fortune

I am blessed with good fortune; a loving family, a comfortable retirement, a mind that still feels enthusiasm. I am also blessed in friendships. One of these friends read my post about trading scale model cars to make space for scale model airplanes and stepped in to make the situation ever so much worse… In…
-
Beech AT-11 – Part Three – Never Ever

Never ever throw away the extra parts that accumulate as you build your kits. Save them, separate them, and catalogue them if you have time. At least have a good look in the boxes occasionally to remind yourself what you have. Remember modellers have a seventh sense that other people do not have – the…
-
Beech AT-11 – Part Two – Silver Wings

I was always impressed with the US Army Air Force when they decided to strip the olive drab and neutral grey off their ships and just polish the aluminum* skins and send them over Germany and Japan like that. The period reports cite a 5 knot increase in speed occasioned by a smoother outer surface…
-
Beech AT-11 – Part One – Johnny Ran Away To The Army

When I saw the advertisement for the PM models from Metro Hobbies in Melbourne I was struck by the low price and the unusual subject. At $ 19 each I could afford two, so I got the Beech 18 and the AT-11. The 18 is serving in a civilian role for Alberta Central Airways but…
-
A Modest Proposal

Kit makers are always trying for another use of a previous model. The tricks of new decal sheet and box art plus a hike in price mean that even if you have not invested any money in a new cash cow, you can milk the old one again. The problem is there are only so…
-
Boeing KB-29A – Part Nine – Flying Gas Station

I must apologise to the readers for not being able to show the standard five views of a new aircraft in this report. The KB-29A in 1:72 scale is just too big for my standard photo table to accommodate in 3:2 or 16:9. I’ve had to resort to a 16mm lens and 1:1 format to…
-
Boeing KB-29A – Part Eight – Corporate Image

When someone says ” uniform corporate image ” to you in an effort to make you paint the delivery van beige or paste the logo on the toilet rolls, look them steadily in the eye and then punch it. They are full of shit and you need not do what they say. The United States…
-
Boeing KB29A – Part Seven – Multiple Models

No, this isn’t about those kits that promise you two, three or more finished models from the kit. I admire them but will not pay the price they cost. Plus I fear getting bored with the process when finishing the third variant out of a pack of eight. I write of making multiple models in…
