Category: British aircraft
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How Accurate Were They Back In The Day?

Depends on who they were and when the day was… I well remember seeing an Aurora Famous Fighter kit sold in Canadian hobby shops that purported to be a Soviet plane – variously touted as a Yak 25 or a MiG 19, that was nothing like either aircraft. It may have been drawn up and…
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Handley Page Heyford – Part Four – HP Sauce

I did not even make it to March – the Handley Page Heyford that was to have been the crowning glory of Matchbox March was completed on the evening of February 28. And it was the last Matchbox kit in the stash. I shall do my research to see what other kits Matchbox made in…
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Handley Page Heyford – Part Three – All The Appeal..

Of a hairless cat… The period between the wars was a time of increased streamlined elegance in the design world. Cars, locomotives, buildings…they all got sleeker and more aerodynamic. How ironic that the HP Heyford – designed to fly through the air – should do so looking like a washing machine. I attached the upper…
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Handley Page Heyford – Part One – Come On March

I rarely urge the calendar to advance – I am at an age when I appreciate every day – indeed, being retired, I frequently mistake one for another. As long as I can remember scale model club morning and garbage night, the rest of the week can dissolve. But a special month was coming; Matchbox…
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Airspeed Envoy – Part Two – Squeezy

Say what you will about the British being a stuffy and stand-offish nation, when they make a small airliner they make sure that everyone is chummy on the flight. Either that or the moulds for these seats are a little wide. You can get in the door and possibly into the back three seats, but…
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Airspeed Envoy – Part One – The IKEA Airplane

And it’s not Swedish at all. The reason I refer to this RS Models kit of the Airspeed Envoy by the shop name is that – like most of the goods that IKEA sell – it is very nearly what I want, but not quite…I could make do with it, and change it around, and…
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Tornado GR.1 – Part Four – Ms. Emily

I keep my promises. I said I would name this aircraft after he lady who gave me the kit, and so I have; Ms. Emily. She is a lovely dance entertainer here in Perth. The Desert Storm Pink is not a regular pot colour from Gunze. It’s made up of a tan with some red…
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Tornado GR.1 – Part Three – Jet Jiggery

And the occasional jet pokery, too. In fact poking plays a great part in a lot of my builds – I need to poke myself to get enough enthusiasm to even start. The Vertigo jet jig has the marvellous feature of a two-part clamp on the front to secure the nose of an aircraft from…
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Tornado GR.1 – Part Two – Play Value

I am never one to decry play value. Whether it is a model railway layout or a burlesque dancer, getting pleasure out of fiddling around is what it’s all about. Above all, we want things to move… This was the case with the dear old Monogram airplane kits of my childhood. Things that moved sold…
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Tornado GR.1 – Part One – A Gift From The Goddesses

And you never look a gift Tornado in the mouth. For that matter it’s not wise to peer into goddesses mouths, either… The occasion for this Italeri Tornado was a job of shooting a belly dance show. The entertainment was worth any expense but the addition of a free plastic kit – the choice of…
