Category: French aircraft
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Workshop – Never Throw Nuthin’ Away
In fact, if they have special on nuthin in Bunnings, buy two extra packets. For my overseas readers, Bunnings is an Australian DIY store. It sells everything that the average man or woman needs to get themselves in big trouble in the home workshop. You can buy poisons, sharp knives, and the sort of machinery…
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Dewoitine D.510 – Part Four – Spanish Star
I am delighted to say that the Dewoitine D.510 has made it to the photographic flying field and it is a sunny day. The silvery colour is French silver-grey – a custom mix that has just received a boost from the dregs of a Mr Color bottle. It has changed yet again, which is the…
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Dewoitine D.510 – Part Three – The Jig
My pleasure at a Christmas present continues to grow. You’ve read my notes about the Slovakian plastic model jigs I received as a present this last Christmas. They are in daily use in the production of the 1:72 aircraft kits and I am learning to manage them better. I”m still not sure if the 5-minute…
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Dewoitine D- 510 – Part Two – I Underestimated Them
I should not have been so cynical about the KP moulders. The wings of the Dewoitine D-510 looked a little unsure at the start – the tabs seemed vestigial. The fitting surfaces minimal. I foresaw structural re-enforcement needed. I was wrong. The kit fits. The cockpit goes into the fuselage without trimming – the fuselage…
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Dewoitine D. 510 – Part One – Ole!
I am a sucker for inter-war French fighter planes, though I should have been terrified to have had to fly and fight in one. Flying might have been easy enough, but the designs give no hint of any fighting prowess. This one is packaged as used by the Spanish Republicans – one of my favourite…
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Nieuport 17C – Part Five – Silver Beauty
I intended this build as a little stop-gap project to fill the time until Matchbox March. It has proved to be a rewarding gem. The Revell kit was unprepossessing enough – indeed most of the tiny WW1 planes from this firm are old kits and you find yourself prejudiced because of it. Of course, if…
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Nieuport 17C – Part Four – Lumière Frères
The Revell box art for the Nieuport 17C does not match the colour call-out. Which is correct? M. Google, please step forward… And he advances magnificently. On the Wikipedia site, the entry for the Nieuport 17 shows a premier image of a 17 sitting quietly in a field. There are no other aircraft seen, and…
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Nieuport 17C – Part Two – Old But Good
This very old mould still can teach the new firms several lessons. The first one is that you need not engineer gaps into your parts. They can, indeed, be made to meet all along their surfaces. Unless your firm derives the bulk of its income from plastic putty and sandpaper sticks, providing close-fitting parts is…
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Nieuport 17C – Part One – 1957 Again
1957 was a big year for me. My dad’s firm failed and we had to move to Quebec for him to continue in the heavy construction business. I had to learn school French – fast. And I got to see a whole new world of scale model kits that never made it out to Western…
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Caudron C-445 – Part Five – Personal Transport
And in this case, away from the scene of battle. This is a 1940 colour scheme… No regrets. The Mr. Color Super Stainless over an adequately prepared surface is a very rewarding metallic finish. It’s best shot with Levelling Thinner, and in thin coats, but patience wins out in the end and you do not…
The Little World 