Category: Colour Schemes
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” It’s Very Toy-Like “

Ever hear that said when someone is looking at a die-cast product in the shop? Or a plastic kit with only a few parts? Ever hear it when someone is looking at a painted scale model? And said with a sneer in the voice? Well if it is ever said to you, or of your models,…
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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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Spitfire Mk IX – Part One – Never Look A Gift Kit In The Box

I was at dinner with a group of friends in Sydney when one of them pulled out a couple of old 1:72 kits from a shopping bag. They were historic remainders from his teenage stash…and as he’s distanced from that somewhat, they are truly historic. One’s a Matchbox Spitfire and one’s an Airfix Buccaneer. I…
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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…
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Bell P 39 Airacobra – Part Four – The Northwest Staging Route

You might wonder a bit at the presence of a Bell P-39 Airacobra with red stars in a white circle appearing at an Alberta RCAF station in the 1940’s. The explanation is simple – the Northwest Staging Route flowed right through RCAF WET DOG as soon as Lend-lease was established and there were enough aircraft…
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Bell P-39 Airacobra – Part One – The Soviet Twins

For the first time ever I am doing a group build. Not an exercise where I’m going to be a member of a group of modellers, but one where I make a group of models. Related items, if you will, and all made at the same time. They are being made for a purpose –…
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Consolidated Liberator B. VI – Part Nine – The Roll-Out

Well, as Marty of Marty’s Matchbox Makeovers says, ” I’m happy with that… “. ( I highly recommend his YouTube videos on toy car restoration. ) The Airfix Liberator was never going to be better than its moulding would let it be – and there were issues in the fuselage fit and the decals for…
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Consolidated Liberator B VI – Part Seven – Olive Drab is The Colour of My True Love’s Heart

Or ” I love the smell of Olive Drab lacquer in the morning. It smells like victory “. Some colour schemes call to people like the sirens on the rocks – they lure modellers on to destruction. I would say this of French three-colour camouflage and commemorative airshow paint jobs. Even if half of the…
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Consolidated Liberator B. VI – Part Five – The Poor Sods

I may cluck with dismay at the inaccuracies and poor fit of some of the older Airfix offerings – the re-boxed 1960’s to 1990’s models – but I do have to complement the company for one thing; they do provide enough crew members to fly the misshapen beasts. Seams and awkward fit and soft plastic…
