Category: Decals
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Vickers Viscount – Part Four – Smooth Success

My internet enquiries have failed to turn up a list of names given to the Vickers Viscount aircraft flown by Trans Canada Airlines and then by Air Canada – just a corporate change. However they were titled, they seem to have been quite a success on the Northern American routes – passengers noting the smooth…
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RWD 5bis – Part One – The Dollar Flier

I have no idea where the original owner of this kit obtained it. Like as not, it was sent to the UK during the Warsaw pact era as a foreign-currency earner and was probably sold quite cheaply. I obtained it for a dollar – rough cardboard box and all. I have had a number of…
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Norcanair DC-3 – Part One -The Ex-Dakota

A former Canadian airline, Norcanair, probably got their fleet of DC-3 aircraft from the RCAF – if the big side cargo door is anything to go by. This is wonderful – I need a distinct type for my Canadian airport and as this kitted so widely by Airfix and Italeri, I am spoilt for choice.…
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US Navy Phantom II – Part One – Airfix Series 3

This older Phantom came as a part of a legacy sale. It is a Series 3 Airfix kit – boxed, and from 1965. Even if the actual production of this box was in later years, that’s a long time, and the instructions, decals, and moulding are bound to have suffered. Since then, of course, many…
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Such A Simple Idea

So effective. The decal box was a gift from my friend John – he is a constant shopper on Temu and other Asian hobby sites. As a scale model builder himself, he is razor-sharp when looking for tools and paints. This was a real find. It is a plastic box, fitted with a fine-grain foam…
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Finnish Brewster Buffalo – Part One – The Herd Increases

As a child I once had an unbuilt balsa model of a Brewster Buffalo. It was well beyond my skills at the time but the design always intrigued me. Perhaps that is why I have built four of the beasts so far for my 1:72 collection. This one is the Hobby Boss version – a…
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Chance Vought Cutlass – Part Three – Bit By Slow Bit

And if you rush it, the demons leap on you out of the shadows… I have rushed it before – and I can show you the demon scars. Kits that started well and finished poorly – because I rushed a stage through. This Cutlass was not going to be one of the sad cases. The…
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The Double Decal

The idea of a commercial double decal is not new…but it might be just the answer for your home-made ones. Some decals come on Cartograf or other printer’s sheets as a two layer plan. I have made up French Air Force planes where not only the tail tricolor but the main roundels require two applications;…
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AVIA B.534 – Part One – A Newcastle Model Kit

Newcastle model? A Newcastle model is one you encounter unexpectedly and seize upon. It is a case of never letting a chance go by…refer to Bob Hudson’s song for further instructions. This old Czech KP kit is from the 1980’s. The box had seen service, but at least protected the sprue trees, decals and instructions.…
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Take It Off

Take it aaaaall off… If your mind replayed the music of Dave Rose – ” The Stripper ” – you are a reprobate. I am ashamed to be seen with you. This morning I have to strip paint from an old Airfix kit to get enough parts to complete a stash build. I have rejected…
