Category: American aircraft
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Douglas A-20 Havoc – Part Four – I’m Starting To Like…
Well, I am starting to like the Havoc. And not just the plane itself, but the new materials and techniques I’m using on it: a. The plane itself is interesting – the pronounced dihedral and the cant of the tailplanes looked to be daunting when seen in plans, but the makers of the kit have…
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Douglas A-20 Havoc – Part One – Search The Sprue
I’m starting to know how to play the game – at least recognising some of the new rules. It’s changed since the 1960’s… Back then, plastic model kits gave you only a very few choices – the AMT 3-in-1 cars had extra parts that you could glue onto them to make racing cars or customs.…
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The Airfix of Old Is Dead
And from the corpse has risen a new and shining phoenix. I, for one, am delighted. When I commenced a new Airfix bomber kit – one of last year’s releases – I was blown away in just one day of assembly – the level of detail moulded into the parts was outstanding and the sensible…
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North American Mitchell – Part Six – Lead Ship
The B25 Mitchell is complete – the lead ship of my Northwest Staging Route air convoy. It’s not in Soviet colours – this one will be based in Alaska for defence of the Aleutians. The USAAF basic scheme is really very simple – Olive Drab on the top and Neutral Grey on the bottom, with…
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North American Mitchell – Part Five – Nothing Is Uglier…
Nothing is uglier than a handsome or beautiful person before they are ready to be seen. Dressing-room portraits are invariably a strained thing and the more of them you don’t see, the better you feel. The B-25 Mitchell bomber is no exception – The heading image may be excused for showing the prima donna with…
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I Don’t Think I’m Working Hard Enough At Being Lazy
I mean, procrastination starts with ” pro ” and you’ve gotta be dedicated for that, right? I’m typing this because there is a backlog in the Little Workshop – but it is a deliberate thing. I’ve been working on the A-20 Havoc, several P-39’s and a B-25 Mitchell. They’ve all got to the undercoat stage…
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North American Mitchell – Part Four – The Tail Gunner
Every good bomber needs a tail gunner – the chap who sits at the back and is the first one to get killed. And every model airplane build needs a tail gunner as well – but for a better reason. Unfortunately the model of the B-25 I am making is one with no rear gun……
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North American Mitchell – Part Three – Cementing A Friendship
The world seems to be divided into two camps – those who don’t care about Brexit, and those who don’t care about Justin Trudeau. There are a few of us who have sought to bridge the gap and heal the rift by not caring about both subjects at the same time. Given a cup of…
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North American Mitchell – Part Two – Sparring For My Attention
The Airfix company are pursuing a theme with their latest moulds of multi-engine aircraft. They are giving us far more detail than ever before and the walls of the fuselages and the wings are becoming thinner. When we see the edge of a window or an opening it is far more in-scale than the old…
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North American Mitchell – Part One – The Lead Ship
The purchase of the Airfix B25 Mitchell was a bit of a coup – a local shop supplied it and I saved the cost of postage from the eastern states. But I did not realise until I opened it that it was a trap*. Oh, I knew the model itself was good – I do…
The Little World 