Category: damage control
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Swedish NA-16 – Part One – The Beechnut Models Company

You’ll want to remember that name – in case you are ever faced with one of their kits. If so, you have choices: a. Buy it, spend days of your life coping with its awful nature, and eventually turn out a masterpiece. Then die. b. Save time. Fall to the floor grasping your chest. c.…
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The Freedom To Explore

Includes the opportunity to achieve great things. And to fall down holes. If you can do this cheaply you are all the better. I use the opportunity provided by donated model kits to try out fresh ideas. Being honest, some of them are thrust upon me by the nature of the kits – and they…
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Disciplined Expectation

A phrase I would recommend to many when they go to an exhibition. I have attended an annual show and taken my own advice. I gritted my teeth at the price of parking on the grounds and for the door ticket. I noted with dismay the closure of half of the space used for other…
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Ansaldo SVA 5 – Part Two – López De Media Cara

Or, in English, half-face Lopez. Because that is all this little 1:50th Spaniard has – his body is moulded well and he has a uniform, flying boots, and a helmet, but half his face is still in the mould. Just as well that he has been depicted facing to Port – the deformity is masked.…
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Selective Ordering

A recent Youtube post by a Canadian hobby shop owner pointed out the selective nature of the current tariff brouhaha. He gets supplies in from US distributors and recently had a shipment stopped by Canadian Customs, with a 25% tariff fee slapped on it. When he was notified of this he took his ordering invoices…
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The Rites Of Scale Model Passage

If you have not done these yet, you will… a. Cut yourself severely with your modelling knife. You will bleed profusely, and probably onto your decal sheet. The bit you cut will be the digit you use for most delicate and detailed work, and you will be bandaged for a month. If you manage to…
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How To Achieve Air Superiority

Without firing a shot. Easy…spread propaganda that you have a new plane that is many generations beyond what your rival has. Produce propaganda and animated simulations of the aircraft and make it do things that are frankly impossible while claiming that you have hundreds of them in secret underground bunkers. Make accurate scale models of…
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If A Model Is Priced Out Of Your Range

Quietly ask yourself a few questions: a. Is it beyond saving for? You may have some some change each week that can be put toward the kit, and many sellers will lay something buy on steady payments. b. Is it the only possible model of this prototype? Granted, you’ll not find many kits of Fandiddler…
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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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The Rises And The Falls

Someone mentioned a long-time model making firm was closing. Sad, but then lots of long-time firms have gone ( Aurora, Frog, Pyro, etc. ) and we are still building models every week. For the most part, the models we build are better than before. The closing of one firm means we turn to the opening…
