Category: Decals
-
North American Mitchell – Part One – The Lead Ship
The purchase of the Airfix B25 Mitchell was a bit of a coup – a local shop supplied it and I saved the cost of postage from the eastern states. But I did not realise until I opened it that it was a trap*. Oh, I knew the model itself was good – I do…
-
McDonnell Banshee – Part Four – Ready For The Canadian Hall, Eh?
The decals have gone on the RCN Banshee and it is ready for the display hall of Canadian service aircraft. The suspect upper grey is still on it and sealed in with varnish. I am actually delighted with the thing – and it is rather a massive fighter compared with some of the Korean War…
-
Douglas Devastator – Part Three – Did I Get My Money’s Worth?
That’s always a pertinent question as far as my hobbies go. Indeed it also applies to clothing purchases, dinners at restaurants, and holiday trips. Sometimes the answer is no – for instance when they bring a tiny dinner out on a vast white plate and then hover like a Sikorski asking whether it is to…
-
Douglas Devastator – Part One – I Was Devastated
Well, not actually devastated…which apparently means ruined with overwhelming shock and grief. More like surprised and delighted, in a geeky way. Someone was selling old dead plastic model kits for tiny prices. It was not even the swap-meet portion of the Victorian plastic model show – just a few table-holders who decided to get in…
-
Canadair Sabre – Part Four – A Delicate Matter
I am going to broach a delicate subject in a sensitive manner – surely a new thing for me. I normally try to make a point in an argument with a 17 pounder round. I am going to criticize someone for a product I have tried – in the full knowledge that I may be…
-
Canadair Sabre – Part One – The Bargain Table
It’s always good to set limits for yourself – to make a set of rules about what you’re going to do, Then when you do just the opposite you can wallow in guilt. I wasn’t going to spend money at the 2019 WASMEX exhibition because I was going to save it all for Melbourne’s show.…
-
Grumman Martlet Mk. IV – Part Five – The Problematical Star
The Martlet is done and I am very pleased with it. The folding wing feature is perfect for my Air World museum theme and this time the paint job looks good. And I am expecting a world of weird questions when people see the insignia on the plane. The official story is this: The invasion…
-
” It’s Very Toy-Like “
Ever hear that said when someone is looking at a die-cast product in the shop? Or a plastic kit with only a few parts? Ever hear it when someone is looking at a painted scale model? And said with a sneer in the voice? Well if it is ever said to you, or of your models,…
-
Spitfire Mk IX – Part Four – Is This A Decal Or A Tarpaulin?
I spent one morning recently decalling airplanes – a simple but delightful exercise in cut and paste. The surfaces of the planes were a clear smooth gloss and the first two decal sets – from Hobby Boss – were all that you could want. They were not pretentious markings – just stars, numbers, and a…
-
Spitfire Mk IX – Part One – Never Look A Gift Kit In The Box
I was at dinner with a group of friends in Sydney when one of them pulled out a couple of old 1:72 kits from a shopping bag. They were historic remainders from his teenage stash…and as he’s distanced from that somewhat, they are truly historic. One’s a Matchbox Spitfire and one’s an Airfix Buccaneer. I…
The Little World 