Category: design
-
Polikarpov I-16 – Part One – ¡Hola!
We are about to embark upon a Spanish adventure – and in an unfamiliar scale. I have already produced some aircraft in 1:72 from the period of the Spanish Civil War – an Antonov, a Potez, and a Dewoitine – all in Republican colours. I have also built a Polikarpov I-16 in 1:72 scale –…
-
Do Not Start Too Small
I met a chap re-entering the hobby recently who was trying to choose his kits to build skill before he tackled the one he really fancied. I thought this was sensible thinking, but I suspect he made a bit of a problem for himself by selecting a 1:144 scale plane. It was charming, but too…
-
Simplistic Modelling For Complex People
Have you ever wanted to have a perfectly-detailled scale model of a walnut? Or a woodpecker? I cannot vouch for the first but I remember that there were plastic kits of birds that my friend Trevor built in the late 50’s. The kits came with matt paints and brushes and he was reasonably good at…
-
Caproni C 311 – Part Three – Civilian Conversion
The conversion of old military aircraft to civilian mode was quite a thing back in the late 40’s and early 50’s. There were a great many spare aircraft left over from the conflict – despite the fact that so many were shot down and wrecked. Careful buying by Ruritanian agents in Europe brought a number…
-
Caproni C-311 – Part One – Tropical Splendour
Not that this aircraft is tropical in any way – it’s just that the kit has come from Singapore. A gift from a friend who took a holiday there. I always welcome Italeri Italian aircraft, because I know they do them well; it’s a matter of national pride. The parts fit, the moulding is free…
-
Boeing X-Plane – Part Four – Long Range Bird On Spindly Legs
I wonder what the US Navy might have nicknamed this Boeing fighter/bomber if it had ever proceeded into service? There had been few Boeing fighters before this – I can only think of the P26 ” Peashooter ” that the Army flew. Not a very prestigious name but fairly apt considering the tiny size of…
-
Boeing X-Plane – Part Three – Big Donk
This is the biggest small piston engine in my collection – until I locate a 1/72 B-36… The four-row piston engine – 28 cylinders and I suppose 56 spark plugs – was a massive effort to put more power into the air. It was so powerful that it needed to be split between two contra-rotating…
-
Boeing X-Plane – Part Two – Mind The Gap…
I was greatly encouraged while during open stage of fuselage construction by the fact that the two halves fitted together almost perfectly. And the big, sturdy wing halves did the same – even the wing tips had minimal ledging. This can be a real problem for some kits as there is little to fill or…
-
There’s No Such Thing As A Biggest Model
There’s only the biggest model…yet. For everyone, whether they be manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, or builder, there is never an end point in the progression of the scale model kit. The factory may start out making 1:144 scale models of Piper Cubs, but if these sell they will be onto the next larger prototype for the…
The Little World 