Category: British aircraft
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North American Mustang I – Part Three – The Unholy Mess

Well, I gave it the old college try – or in this case the old Dental School try. I used red baseplate wax to mask off the Mustang I. It was old home week for a while there as I set up the bunsen burner and got the wax warmed up. If I was doing…
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North American Mustang I – Part One – Genius Or Moron

I cannot decide which of the two I am…and you will kindly not write in and tell me, thank you. In this case the debate will rage around a new experiment I wish to make in painting. And I need a suitable subject to try it out on. With most of my experiments and trials…
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Boulton Paul P82 – One Special Day

One special day in 1938 the Boulton Paul P82 – the turret fighter that was to become the Defiant – was rolled out onto a field for the men from the Air Ministry to look at. They had seen it without its turret nine months earlier, but this time it had teeth. It was still…
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Well Sir,…

The business of looking for scale models to build in a particular size is one thing. Finding aircraft to suit a particular air force is another. And getting a particular period of time… I always look for 1:72 RCAF WW2 through to 1966. To the great credit of the model kit companies, I can sometimes…
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It’s Back…In Black

You can’t write this stuff, Folks. I finished my coverage of the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I yesterday with the final pictures of the day fighter version sitting on a deserted airfield. Then I put it into Steins Air World museum to await use as a photo prop. I pottered about all day in the…
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part Three – We Appear To Have A Winner

I am always surprised by the end of a build – it seems to come so suddenly. Of course, this is because I have been beavering away in the background doing sub-assemblies while waiting for paint layers to set, and the final clapping on of these portions is quite a quick thing. One moment it…
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part Two – The Paper Work

Every kit I get has some form of paper work associated with it. Mainly instructions, painting sheet, and decals. The BP Defiant is a good example of current Airfix practice. The Instructions these days can be quite complex – if the makers are good communicators. This can depend upon whether they are a large firm…
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part One – At Last!

As a child in the 1950’s and a young man in the 60’s I was always frustrated. Not about school or friends or money or sex…these problems tended to sort themselves out. I was frustrated that I could never get an Airfix model of a Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72 scale. It was not that…
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The Museum Approach

Go to your local museum – it doesn’t matter what type you choose; art, science, technology, cars, planes, boats, dolls. If you’ve got an interest, go spark it at the museum. While you are oohing and ahhing at the exhibits, look about you at the facilities. The architecture of a museum can be as interesting…
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX – Part Three – A Spiffing Spitty

There really should not be any basic problem with an Airfix kit – even the historic ones with their rivets and misshapen crew members are moulded to eventually yield a representation of whatever is on the front of the box. If you are diligent you can end up with just this. It may have some…
