Category: camouflage
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The Rough Finish

My modelling club has a number of senior members who seem to build model armour as their specialty. I don’t know if they are former members of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps or not, though from conversations a number certainly seem to be ex-servicemen. I am envious of their kits – the modern tanks in…
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Douglas A-20 Havoc – Part Seven – The Work Of Art

Masking tape is one of the few artistic mediums overlooked in the catalogues of the famous galleries. Yet it is the chosen vehicle of expression for so many of us. And it is such a transient thing – here one hour and stripped off and thrown in the trash the next. Truly a metaphor for…
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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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When to reach… – Part Two – The Cheap Option

I love being cheap. It looks so trendy and cool. And you can set up a camouflage of frugality for 29 days of the month that allows you to go out and spend like a maniac on the 30th… The cheapest way to paint a model – apart from dipping it in a bucket of…
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Eleven Shades Of Grey

Or is it gray? I can never be sure, and I’m sure I don’t care…but I do care about getting the right shade when I start to paint an aircraft. The colour I want right now is the paint that they sprayed on the underside of USAAF planes. The famous Neutral Grey. Creos GSI list it…
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Grumman Martlet Mk. IV – Part Five – The Problematical Star

The Martlet is done and I am very pleased with it. The folding wing feature is perfect for my Air World museum theme and this time the paint job looks good. And I am expecting a world of weird questions when people see the insignia on the plane. The official story is this: The invasion…
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Grumman Martlet Mk. IV – Part Four – The Sausages Win

The debate in this column, in the wider modelling world, and in my mind about the best way to paint British camouflage patterns in 1:72 scale has finally been resolved and need not be investigated further until next time I get bored… Recently I free-handed the A/B camo pattern on a Fairey Fulmar in this…
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Spitfire Mk IX – Part Four – Is This A Decal Or A Tarpaulin?

I spent one morning recently decalling airplanes – a simple but delightful exercise in cut and paste. The surfaces of the planes were a clear smooth gloss and the first two decal sets – from Hobby Boss – were all that you could want. They were not pretentious markings – just stars, numbers, and a…
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Blu, White, Or Yellow?

Tack, I mean. Which stickum do you prefer? I’ve been googling about BluTac just now and apparently the formula is non-toxic, rubber based, and secret. It is made by the original people and half a dozen imitators – two of which I’ve been experimenting with. Useful for tacking posters to dorm wall and kid’s drawings…
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Good Morning, Walter – Part Nine – The Mistake

Well, Walter I am going to let you into a secret – I make mistakes in my Little Workshop. This one’s not the first one I’ve made when building my Little World. I suspect it won’t be the last. The grey Spitfire model you see at the top of the page looks pretty well weathered…
