Category: Canadian aircraft
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Bristol Mk32 Superfreighter – Part One – The Prize Of the Weekend

Remember the Newcastle song; never let a chance go by. This was my big chance at the model stash sale. I knew the box instantly in the stack, and the price was very low. I’d the money out before anyone else had the chance to think, and I’m always wise about stash sales – I…
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RCN Swordfish – Part Four – HS 554

A real aircraft, really flying. Or, in my case, a model of one. The net contributed a wealth of images of this Swordfish flying as part of museum and airshow displays in Canada. The scheme is maritime patrol of the east coast and there were probably rocket or bomb rails fitted under the lower wing…
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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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RCN Swordfish – Part Two – The Escapee

Normally you escaped from the USSR – it rarely went the other way. In this case the mould for this FROG Swordfish did cross to the east when the British company closed their shop. The Soviets made a few printed additions to the box and instructions then just wiped its bum and sent it out…
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RCN Swordfish – Part One – The Opportunity

All you need is one – an opportunity, I mean. Then you can do the model you really want. This Novo re-pop of a FROG mould comes along a complex pathway from 1971 through to 1980. I suspect the kit has lain dormant since then – a true survivor of Ye Olden Dayes. As I…
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Grumman Tracker – Part Three – A Bonnie Aircraft

Bonnie, but not magnificent… The Idea Model Company Grumman S2F-1 model that came to me at a low price has proved to be an excellent bargain. It might not have the precision of a Hasegawa or Tamiya product, but it is here, now, and has built up to a good stand-off model. The Royal Canadian…
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Fairchild Argus – Part Five – Oh, The Relief…

Every scale model build has One Moment… This one came when the last of the painting was done, the decals were on and sealed. and the time had come to cement on the windscreen. It was missing. Clear parts are my bugbear. I have cracked them, stepped on them, fogged, and lost them. They’ve disappeared…
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Fairchild Argus – Part Four – Struttin’

An’ not wid no barbeque… I hope some readers are old enough to get that one. And I hope it gets past the social media censors. In any case, In any case the struts and braces on this Argus have come out splendidly. Not for lack of work, I might add – the wing braces…
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Fairchild Argus – Part Three – Outside

There are a lot more pictures of the exteriors of WW1 and WW2 aircraft because outside is where they kept the sunlight. The films were a lot less sensitive than modern day equivalents. At this stage of the build, KP have encouraged me greatly – the fuselage halves went together with no gaps whatsoever and…
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Fairchild Argus – Part Two – Inside

There are a number of sources of information for the completion of any cockpit: a. The instruction sheet. Good luck there… b. Internet images of service aircraft taken in the past, before colour film was widely available – good luck there again. c. Internet images of current aircraft in museums. Some photographers, like Inch High…
