Category: frugality
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Bristol Mk32 Superfreighter – Part One – The Prize Of the Weekend
Remember the Newcastle song; never let a chance go by. This was my big chance at the model stash sale. I knew the box instantly in the stack, and the price was very low. I’d the money out before anyone else had the chance to think, and I’m always wise about stash sales – I…
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Hurricane Night Fighter – Part One – The Leftover Matchbox
Orphaned on the club’s Shelf Of Neglect. Donated to yours truly, and eagerly seized upon. The kit was minus a canopy, but I have an extensive spares box. So this Hawker came to life. The Matchbox kits are sometimes criticised for having pronounced panel lines. As this was to be a semi-matt coal black finish…
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VVS Tupolev SB2 – Part One – The Soviet Volunteer
May not be worth ten pressed men, but I am not fussy… This Novo model of a Tupolev SB-2 is the second one I’ve essayed to build – the first was a gift from my daughter – found at Leonardo’s secondhand model shop in Tokyo just before Covid hit. I built it as a Spanish…
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” How Can You Waste Your Time On That Kit? “
This one? This kit? This vintage classic old Airfix retro sagger of a kit? How can I waste my time on it? You misjudge. You mistake the meaning of the word ” waste “. You imagine that anything not conforming to the current latest magazine or YouTube trend is a waste. Oh, My Dear… This…
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MiG-29 Fulcrum – Part One – Not 1959
I can’t understand why Airfix did not make a 50¢ model of a MiG-29 in 1959 when I was a kid. But, better late than never. The second kit in the Fifty Cent Fighter series is as neatly moulded as the Su-22 – and contains just as many traps for the unwary. I am delighted…
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RCN Swordfish – Part One – The Opportunity
All you need is one – an opportunity, I mean. Then you can do the model you really want. This Novo re-pop of a FROG mould comes along a complex pathway from 1971 through to 1980. I suspect the kit has lain dormant since then – a true survivor of Ye Olden Dayes. As I…
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Well, The Maths Works Out
Dang it… As a kid in 1965 I could buy a 1:25th scale AMT car kit of a standard North American convertible for $2.50 from any drug store or hobby shop. A 3-In-1 kit with some custom parts and a fancy decal sheet. Today I saw a retro AMT kit looking precisely the same for…
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I’m From Missouri
Show me. If you recognise that phrase, you’ll know it embodies the scepticism and practicality of the Missourian. It must be hard to sell used cars in Kansas City… But the miniature builder can satisfy even the hardest prairie mind – because the miniature builder need not be restricted to where they are or when…
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Airfix Auster – Part Three – 13 Aleph Ready For The Sun
This started as an iced Antarctic confection, but the Auster has turned out a baked desert dessert. At least it will be – there is a real 13-Aleph in the Hatzerim Air Force Museum under cover, but this 13 will be sitting out all day in the sun. Hence the staff have dropped a tarp…
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Airfix Auster – Part One – Vintage Classic Day
My vigil at the hobby shop was rewarded – the re-issue of the Vintage Classic Airfix kit came in. And went out again, under my arm. I did not know in what form it would finally be assembled, but since I had such success with the similar Airfix Beaver, I was confident. The kit is…
The Little World 