Category: Decals
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Northrop P-61 Black Widow – Part Five – The Ghost Decal

I was a bit puzzled when I opened the box for the Hobby Boss Northrop P-61 Black Widow and saw that there were two sheets of decals; a big one and a little one. The big one had all the usual insignia, tail codes, and wing lines ( BTW, I hate wing lines as they…
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Spatial Ambition

Or ” The Kit Designer Is Laughing At You “. I’m drawn to this conclusion upon seeing some of the decal sheets that ask you to reproduce a complex paint job with a two dimensional sheet of plastic film. The painters and decorators that the Air Force and Navy get in from time to time…
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IAI Kfir C-1 – Part One – The New Lion Cub

My success with the diorama shelves for my IKEA bookcases has inspired me to expand my aero museum theme. I have two shelves set out as Schmattarim Museum and am busy finding Israeli and related middle eastern aircraft to fill them. I suspect I’ll be able to add a couple more before the theme is…
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Douglas Dauntless – Part Four – Old No. 18

Well, the Dountless is done. And a nicer kit I could not have asked for. As the firm that kitted it also makes an Avenger and several other planes, I shall return to the shop where I bought it, chloroform the lone staff member, and run away with them. It’s handy having a source of…
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The Home-Made Decals – Part Two

It is the Ancient Modeller who stoppeth one of three ” Take heed, Sirrah, to what I say Or suffer along with me…” The experiment went ahead as planned with the porous paper, the Golden Syrup ( Australian version of Karo ) and the warm oven: a. Syrup brushed on paper. Soaked right in. Paper…
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The Home-Made Decals…Part One

Get more home-made every day. We are in the midst of a drought of decal paper in Perth. It may have escaped the attention of the major news channels, but I assure you the effects are being felt in the model airplane world. Particularly in my own little one, as I have discovered the joys…
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Brewster Buccaneer – Part Three – A Small Change Of Plans, Eh?

I keep telling myself I will not do this, and I keep ignoring myself. The Buccaneer for Special Hobby is about to change hands…into the care of the RCAF at Suffield, Alberta for “special duties “. While my meagre internet resources do not yet say what these duties are, I can guess: Beer runs. Large…
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US Army Ambulance – Part Two – The Bug Bear

Everyone has a sort of a bugbear in their modelling. One person will have no luck with paints. Another will continually mess up clear parts. In my case it is vehicles – I never complete one without some basic flaw. In many cases it is the basic structure that foxes me. 1:72 and 1:76 vehicle…
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Douglas B-18 Bolo – Part Three – The Museum Ship

Is there any reason the US Army referred to their aircraft as ” ships “? I wondered at that – the US Navy referred to them as aircraft, and that’s not surprising as they would also have had to use the word ” ship ” in other ways…dealing with sea-going vessels. Why did they both…
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Douglas B-18 Bolo – Part One – The First Idea Was The Right One

Readers of this column will have seen my report on the Special Hobby 1:72 Douglas Digby Mk I – the RCAF version of the USAAC B-18 bomber. I was thrilled to find that kit and quite enjoyed the building experience – even though some parts of it went down the silly rabbit holes of too…
