Category: design
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Renault R 35 – Part One – The Little Frog

I bought this Tamiya tank kit on a whim – and a case of mistaken identity, too. But I am not disheartened. Because I went to another shop and purchased the one I was originally thinking about later. Yet this Renault light tank is the one I’ll be building first. The kit is pure Tamiya…
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No Lincoln

But you can get a model of a Leomontichvskyovic Lemon 8 from Moldovistan at your local Hobbyhell. I cannot decide whether this is because Airfix are not game to invest in a new mould that is not a Spitstangschmitt or whether the name ” Lincoln ” is seen to be too American for the British…
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Safety Instructions

Please read the following safety instructions carefully and keep them for future reference. a. Your kit is made by people who are underpaid. This means they are hungry, tired, and unhappy. Inspect the box carefully to ensure than no-one has sabotaged it with poison needles or razor blades. b. The kit is made of plastic…
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Academy SPAD XIII – Part Four – Buongiorno!

Issa nice-a day for-a the flying! And a nice SPAD serving the Italian air force in WW1. I strayed from the box markings deliberately. The Lafayette Escadrille Indian head will have to wait until another time, as will the native American swastika. I did some research for SPADs with that combination and only found one…
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Academy SPAD XIII – Part Two – Ick…

Perhaps I am getting too fussy – or watching too many YouTube speakers complaining about sink holes and ejector pin marks. I am starting to see them more and more. Of course some kits make them more obvious than others – the Academy SPAD XIII being one of them. Note the pink spots of sprue-goo…
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Don’t Do Anything With Your Hobby…

That isn’t fun. Because then it will not be a hobby – it will be a task – and a burdensome one, at that. Once it becomes work, you become a worker, and then you have to beware of the boss: a. a shop owner who employs you as a salesperson or repairman. Perhaps as…
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The Colour Of Your Model Is Wrong

But it’s not the fault of the paint – or of you. It’s the result of history. Cast your mind back to when you were a kid during the Boer war. When you could still get that crispy bacon. Remember what the photographs taken at the Battle of Bloemfontein looked like? The videos taken by…
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Italeri F/A 18 Hornet – Part Three – Perkkele!

Not really – I have nothing to complain about. Stay where you are. The finish on this Finnish aircraft is courtesy of the paints that were gifted to me by Warren Jones – I am getting to grips with the business of enamels with lacquer thinners and in many respects they seem to be easier…
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Italeri F/A 18 Hornet – Part Two – The Mock-up That Doesn’t Mock

I’ve given up a lot of things in my old age: marathon running, ballet, and regular bathing. But I have not given up dry-fitting models. As a kid it was a major part of a build, with gradual dry assembly taking weeks before any cementation. I’m faster these days ( no school homework ), and…
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Italeri F/A 18 Hornet – Part One – Who Actually Makes This Thing?

I was nearly going to write ” McDonnell Douglas ” in the title until I saw it was claimed to be a licensed product from Boeing. Whether this means Boeing have bought out McDonnell Douglas, or just the company that makes the cardboard box, is unsure. The kit comes from Italeri, so I’ll go with…
