Category: Decals
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SE5A – Part Three – The Roundels Wearing An Airplane

The basic structure of the little ESCI kit for the SE5A was rewarding – things fit and lined up. But that did not make the 30-year old decals any better. I tried, folks. I honestly tried. John France saw me trying and lent me some Micro Sol to try and get the things to lay…
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Yakovlev 15 – Stalin’s Stopgap

Don’t panic and start to look for previous posts about this Soviet fighter – this is the one and only mention it’ll get. The PM models Yak 15 was cheap enough by any standards – even in Perth. It cannot be said to occupy many minds nor cause much lust, no matter who kits it.…
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Squadron Leader Blimp

Ah Haw, Ah Haw, Ah Haw…what? I am not sure if he is a Squadron Leader, Wing Commander, or Air Marshall…but Blimp is alive and well. He has lost the walrus moustache and rarely reeks of gin, but he’s still haunting the clubs. It is cruel to bait him…but fun nevertheless. And so tempting –…
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Polikarpov I-16 – Part One – ¡Hola!

We are about to embark upon a Spanish adventure – and in an unfamiliar scale. I have already produced some aircraft in 1:72 from the period of the Spanish Civil War – an Antonov, a Potez, and a Dewoitine – all in Republican colours. I have also built a Polikarpov I-16 in 1:72 scale –…
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German General Service Truck – Part One – Leftover

I need ground vehicles for a new airfield I am contemplating. This one will be in eastern Europe post-war, so there are any number of vehicles possible. The first one will be a German general service V3000S two-axle type. It appears to have originated in the Ford factory – possibly in Köln. The kit itself…
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Caproni C-311 – Part One – Tropical Splendour

Not that this aircraft is tropical in any way – it’s just that the kit has come from Singapore. A gift from a friend who took a holiday there. I always welcome Italeri Italian aircraft, because I know they do them well; it’s a matter of national pride. The parts fit, the moulding is free…
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MiG 21R – Part One – Who Condor?

Who, indeed. When I encountered this model of a Mig 21R at Hobbytech I wondered at it. It was a slow day and I wanted a new kit and I was prepared to buy anything cheap…without really knowing what I’d do with it. Turns out Condor is a Ukrainian maker who specialises in agricultural-grade models…
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Nieuport-Delage 622 – Part Three – On A Wing And A Half

If you don’t have enough materials to make a complete lower wing, just shrink it a bit and no-one will notice… The sesqui-wing is a much-maligned design. I count several in my collection and they are nearly all sleek things. They lower wing is functional to some extent – much like the small wing that…
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Sherman Tank – Part Five – Aberdeen

And not the one in Scotland, either. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Harford County, Maryland. The US Army testing facility. There’s another one at Dugway in Utah, but you don’t want to stand downwind of it… The Zvezda kit provided decals for the Aberdeen tank, so it got the nod. That meant that it could be very…
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Another Bronco – Part Four – Red Hot Mama

Don’t be puzzled – the name was given to the Bronco as it is a CFS fire spotter and the model was donated by a famous exotic dancer here in Perth. I love my life. The Bronco seems to be a superb choice as a working fire aircraft – twin engines, plenty of power, sturdy…
