Category: damage control
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Our Years Of Confinement

We all served a year of confinement in 2020-2021…even if we were guilty of no crime. Disease is an unfair judge. Most of us are as free to travel now as before, if you factor in the extra costs, the current wars and dangers, and the deterioration to our welcome as tourists. Even those of…
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Potez 63-11 – Part Three – The Problem

Solved. Until the next one crops up. The fuselage, wings, and tail of the Potez observation aircraft are together and the amount of filler is absolutely minimal. I have undercoated and smoothed it, and could not be happier. In the intervals of waiting for things to set or dry I tackled the engines, wheels, landing…
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Consolidated B-24 D – Part Three – Take That, Ya Basket!

A new selection of things to add to my least-favourite kit experiences. Don’t get me wrong – after smoothing the lumpy exterior of this old Revell casting, the parts have gone together pretty well. I used the progressive cementation method and the workshop clamps coped with the complex forces needed – the fuselage and wings…
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Consolidated B-24 D – Part Two – The Toxic Rivet

Or should that be noxious? Whatever, the exaggerated rivet detail on this old Revell kit is probably what causes it to be rejected by the modern builders. Yet, under the spotty exterior is a pattern of decent engraved panel lines. I researched other’s efforts and found one ambitious chap who sanded the rivets off entirely.…
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Morning Sickness In The Model Workshop

You’ll know you have it when the smell of fresh thinner makes you ill. It will probably not be pregnancy, particularly if you are a member of the local Men’s Shed. Few of the chaps over 60 in my club fall pregnant in the course of a year. It may be one of a number…
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No Is As Good An Answer As Yes

As long as you are asking the question of yourself. One of my hobby clubs has opened a new sales cabinet at our rooms in which shops and individuals can put kits they wish to sell. The shops are wise if they put otherwise unsalable stock in at a hefty discount – the private sellers…
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Discover the Joy Of…

A recent advertisement on FACEBOOK* told us to discover the joys of building a ship model. Fair enough. There are people in our club who do just that – build wooden and plastic vessels – and it has been a joy to see them at work. Watching them search the grey concrete floor for a…
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LeO 45 – Part Two – This Is Fine…

The initial burst of admiration for this Heller kit has been tempered by building it. The wings are on, and at a reasonable dihedral – set by the internal tab on each wing sliding all the way across to the opposite side of the fuselage and locking itself in place. This is admirable. Less so…
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Forbidden Modelling

What an odd concept. Who can forbid scale modelling? Well, quite a few official bodies, as it happens. Try to fly a model airplane, run an R/C car or boat, or scramble about the local oval with your model tank and see what a squawk it raises. These restrictions multiply when there are clubs and…

