Category: camouflage
-
Mitsubishi Babs – Part Three – An Observant Aircraft
It goes to temple every weekend… The Mitsubishi Ki-15 was possibly very useful to the Imperial Japanese Army – depending upon where it was sent and what was going on down on the ground. The aerial observation of enemy movements – whether that was Chinese or Soviet – could have guided the high command to…
-
Mitsubishi Babs – Part Two – Just When You Thought…
Just when you thought modelling could not become uglier…I had a good idea. The camouflage patterns for many aircraft are wavy, blobby things. You can spray them freehand or mask them, but in most cases of 1:72 planes, masking is better. I’ve tried many different ways of doing it, but settled upon the putty worms…
-
Mitsubishi Babs – Part One – The Name
I have heard it put forward that the designations we give to our land, sea and air models should conform to the original languages of the makers. Thus, this Mitsubishi product should be known as a Ki-15-I Karigane or Army Type 97 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft. Or alternately, the Wild Goose. All of which will bewilder,…
-
Dornier Do 27 – Part Four – Dror
Hebrew word for ” freedom ” or ” sparrow “. I favour the latter meaning when applied to this little Dornier observation aircraft. They were active in the IDF between 1964 and 1981 – a very active period. The internet says they were initially attached to the delightfully-named ” flying camel ” squadron. Observation, liaison,…
-
McDonnell Douglas F-15 – Part Two – Where Are The Spooks?
I thought McDonnell always named their fighters after some form of apparition, ghost, or ghoul – did Douglas make them pull their head in? Well, whatever – the 1/144 Academy kit has turned out well. And I have been sharply rapped on the nose for indulging in presumption… The basic assembly of these little kits…
-
McDonnell Douglas F-15 – Part One – Big Little
I was amazed to see the size of the F-15 when I built it in 1/72 – and this little scale is equally interesting – it bulks over the other models on the shelf. I guess this is because of he engines and the amount of flying an air superiority fighter needs to do; shoot…
-
Junkers Ju-86 – Part Three – Lady Anne Barnard
Of course you name a German bomber after a Scottish lady of the Georgian period who walked up Table Mountain. Perfectly normal, what? And so they did – this Junkers-86 K passing from the South African airline to the South African Air Force when war commenced and the South Africans decided which side they wanted…
-
Junkers Ju-86 – Part Two – The Four-Part Scheme
You have no idea how hard it was to resist writing ” Four-play “… The horror I experienced painting my first four-part camouflage scheme still exists in my display cabinet – wrapped around a Morane-Saulnier fighter of the French air force in early WW2. I was relying upon a back-of-packet colour call-out and masking fluid.…
-
General Dynamics F111 – Part Three – The Masked Bandit
Every model you build teaches you something – this little one showed me how to conquer the tri-tone scheme. Normally I hate ’em – the Armée de l’Air or USG or Italian three-colour camouflage that looks so cool and takes so much masking and spraying time. I have been known to chicken out more times…
-
General Dynamics F-1 – Part Two – Viper!
Well, I have decided to go with the Air Force crews and call this the Viper. I am also less than impressed with a company the calls itself by such a generic name; General Dynamics. Sounds as if they could be making light switches or selling time-share weeks. I think they should change the name…
The Little World 