Category: frugality
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Okay, Ben….Now What?

Poor Richard Saunders, aka Ben Franklin, kept telling us that time is money and we should do today rather than putting off until tomorrow. Sound advice, and then we go and take it and rack up another $ 50 debt with Bunnings for overpriced wood. This goes directly against Ben’s other constant song of frugality…
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Airfix Vintage Val – Part Two – So Far, So Good

The last couple of plague days were very productive – and the Airfix Aichi Val was coming along splendidly. Fuselage seams needed progressive assembly but in the end little filler would be needed – so little that it would probably be only thickened undercoat. So far a victory over the Fujimi product. Wings needed no…
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Fourteen Little People

I approach the exercise of painting figures with trepidation. There are so many better painters that I feel I am a fraud. Yet I need pilots for my aircraft and spectators for my air museum. So it is either paint the inexpensive figures or pay for the ready-mades…and these are very often at a price…
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Ess Bend Engineering – Part One – We’re Not Made Of Money, Eh?

Go easy on the toilet paper, willya? The cheapest repair shop in Alberta is located round the Ess Bend. Wayne and Gordie specialise in fixing things that other people won’t touch and if you’re smart, you won’t touch the stuff afterwards, either. They are the favourite shop for the less prestigious museums and collections as…
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I’m Bypassing My Second Childhood

And I’m heading straight for my second adolescence. More money to spend, I get to stay up later, and there’ll be girls. Well, girls for later. For now I get to spend some of my allowance on better model kits. And there’ll be increased privileges and responsibilities. I am going to be allowed to have…
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Bomber In A Box

No, it’s not a horrible new addition to home delivery of food and parcels. This bomber is in a box for a good reason. When you start a collection of scale models, you really need to start with the biggest darn one you’re ever going to build and work back from that. Then, when you…
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The Big Local Scale Model Exhibition – Part Two – More Visitors

Well, that was better. Sunday, the hall was full of visitors, and we even had more to the build-a-kit section. This meant the people nearest the table needed to help with the youngsters – under the supervision of their parents. Sprue cutters were lent out; sandpaper sticks as well. Most of the really young ones…
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Yuron – Yurown Design Bureau

This is the new decal printing company that I have started to use now that every other specialist firm has decided to pack it in. I can look at Scalemates all day and see what once was printed, but as far as being able to actually get the sheets…? I might as well be asking…
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Do You Budget?

No, that wasn’t a typo. And yes, I know I’m writing to scale modellers. But do you? Is your hobby under control? Can you say that it does not take the bread out of your children’s mouths? Or out of your own? Or does the bank have a jug of red ink with your name…
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Nieuport 28 – Part One – The French Connection

The discovery of yet another neglected old Revell WW1 kit for a very small price led to the the determination to build ’em all. That led to the internet search to find out how many of them there were…and Revell was very prolific in the 70’s with these little models. I have a couple more…
