Category: Decals
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Nieuport 17C – Part Four – Lumière Frères

The Revell box art for the Nieuport 17C does not match the colour call-out. Which is correct? M. Google, please step forward… And he advances magnificently. On the Wikipedia site, the entry for the Nieuport 17 shows a premier image of a 17 sitting quietly in a field. There are no other aircraft seen, and…
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” I Want To Return This Kit “

And I want a full refund for it. a. It is the wrong kit. I wanted the right kit. Okay, I brought it from the shelf to the till myself and paid for it, but it was the wrong kit when I got it home and the wife found out how much it cost. b.…
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Airspeed Envoy – Part Three – The Governor’s Plane

And not a British governor, either. The Airspeed Envoys that went to China were for the use of Chinese provincial governors. Presumably not of the poor provinces, either. Careful observers will see that a rocker-cover fairing on the starboard engine has been dented. This was in the days before bird strikes could get past the…
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Swiss F-5E – Part Three – Live Fire Day

I was fortunate to discover a net image of one of the exact Tiger II’s on the colour call-out and decal sheet from italeri. It was a large, clear image of the plane taxiing out to participate in some form of range day. The tanks and missiles of the kit were close enough to the…
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The Rise Of The Decal

Once upon a 1950’s time, when all good boys deserved models, there were large airplanes with small sheets of decals. Then times changed and the proportions reversed. As a 1:72 builder I am dealing with the small end of the market…small as to individual size but large as an overall genre. It is ideal for…
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General Dynamics F-16 – Part Three – Surprisingly Handsome

I view some modern NATO aircraft with trepidation – there are so many variants that every time I glue on a bomb or a tank, I’m sure it’s in the wrong place. But what can you do in the absence of a concrete example parked at the local air museum? Well, you can start down…
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General Dynamics F-16 – Part Two – Having A Grey Fit

Like a pink fit, but more gentlemanly. You can clip a Hobby Boss kit together at nearly any stage of the build. I’d painted the wheel wells on the F-16 prior to trying the ordnance onto it and was curious to see whether there would be much filling and sanding needed. None at all if…
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Austin Armoured Car – Part Three – Ready For Duty

The commander of Uszhitmi Aerodrome can rest easy – the Austin armoured car is now fit for deployment on the perimeter of the field. Whether this will deter intruders from getting in or defectors from getting out is a matter of conjecture. In any case the car is adorned with a patriotic slogan so whoever…
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Caudron C-445 – Part Five – Personal Transport

And in this case, away from the scene of battle. This is a 1940 colour scheme… No regrets. The Mr. Color Super Stainless over an adequately prepared surface is a very rewarding metallic finish. It’s best shot with Levelling Thinner, and in thin coats, but patience wins out in the end and you do not…
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The No-Stick Decal

A close cousin to the folding decal and distantly related to the ones that explode when they contact water. They are not meant to decorate our scale models – they are a practical joke that the kit makers like to amuse themselves with. They sit there in the factory with a bag of these and…
