Category: camouflage
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RAAF Spitfire Mk Vc – Part Five – Dawn
Australian historians of the RAAF, of WW2, of the Spitfire, and of No. 79 Sqn should have a field day with this Italeri model. They can spend hours finding faults in it and listing them, from the failure to have the exact wing to the lack of seatbelts to the inclusion of the Maytag washing…
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Curtiss Model 75 A-4 – Part Four – Ugly Duckling
The painting stage for some models can be a beautiful and uplifting experience. Car modellers may experience this as they apply colourful and glossy finishes. Railway modellers also have bright colours in the liveries. In the case of this Curtiss 75 the chosen palette seems to contain nothing but expired motor oil and dirt. Of…
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Well, It’s Official
You saw it here first. Ruritania, Liechtenstein, and Andorra have entered into a triple military alliance. This agreement – known as The Pact Of Zinc – should ensure mutual defence for the three nations and secure them from enemies in the east. Vaduz, Strelsau, and Andorra la Vella were bedecked with national flags entwined as…
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You Can Be Colour Deaf As Well As Blind
Some unfortunates cannot see certain colours. This must be a challenge for them when they undertake scale modelling, though the provision of reference material that makes use of standard paint numbers might see them through. As long as the kit makers and paint makers tell the truth to the builder ( and each other )…
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Hurricane Night Fighter – Part Three – Dirty Black
Or clean black, as in this case. I have not had the courage to spray the characteristic iridescent exhaust plume patterns on the side of this fighter -perhaps when the wing lights are ready… The shiny gloss coat over the black and the three days in the window for the old Matchbox decals worked well…
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VVS Tupolev SB2 – Part Four-Red 3
Boy, you have to hand it to the Soviets – they kept their squadron codes close to their chests. Unlike the other air forces that might display this information plus the individual position in a formation, airframe number, and unit number on their fuselages – or the training squadrons that had buzz numbers under the…
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VVS Tupolev SB2 – Part Three – Freehand
Not a choice I frequently make – I am a mask and spray person. In this case the photos of an SB2 in the Winter War were pretty thin on the ground ( and that was covered in snow,…) and the delineation of the two areas of colour in the monochrome pictures is poor. Not…
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RCN Swordfish – Part Three – Careful Observation
Does not necessarily mean sensible painting. The camouflage patterns painted on British aircraft were pretty standardised in WW2. You’ll all have seen the A and B patterns for fighters, bombers, and such and the basic designs were similar. Paint crews were issued with instructions and often masking mats to enable them to put on the…
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Do You Dine Clean Or Dirty?
Old British officers will know the difference. For scale modellers the question may be posed differently; do you build clean or dirty? Are your models fully weathered, tinted, oiled, and matted, or are they factory-fresh. It can be a great topic if you want to get tempers up – the two groups striving to justify…
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When You See A Better Model
Do not be envious. Don’t resent the other person for their success. Regard it as a chance for a free gift from them; one they will probably be delighted to give you. Study the model carefully. Ask about it, and in particular the bits of it that are better than you can do. Nearly everyone…
The Little World 