Category: frugality
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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…
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Backed Away From The Airbrush

And no-one got hurt… My daughter – a net-savvy person – heard me chortling about the idea of using cheap vodka for airbrush working. She did some searching and found an Amazon product that could arrive at the door for 1.3¢ per ml. I had no words. She ordered a bottle, and I prepared the…
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The Standard Can Of Soup

You may never experience three-star Michelin fine dining in your life. But you can certainly get a good bowl of soup – just look for the Heinz or Campbell label. It will not have the wonderful ingredients and spices of the restaurant’s speciality…but you will be able to depend upon it. So it is with…
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The Commander Of Leftover Air Base

The home of the 103rd Tactical Kit Boxes. Our motto: ” What The Heck Is This? “ It is a heavy responsibility to be the grate at the bottom of the scale modelling drain. To be the hobbyist that follows the parade of kits with a broom and a shovel. To be the person under…
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What Does A Free Model Teach You?

If chance brings a free model kit to your bench, what should you do? a. Thank the donor profusely. b. Bear it away unopened and when alone, look inside. c. Whatever the state of the contents, do not panic. There might be gold or iron pyrites in there, and you may have to actually build…
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Grumman Tracker – Part Three – A Bonnie Aircraft

Bonnie, but not magnificent… The Idea Model Company Grumman S2F-1 model that came to me at a low price has proved to be an excellent bargain. It might not have the precision of a Hasegawa or Tamiya product, but it is here, now, and has built up to a good stand-off model. The Royal Canadian…
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Grumman Tracker – Part Two – Do You Goo?

Yes, I do – particularly when I am making Idea Model, Minicraft, Mistercraft, or Novo kits. It is a natural reaction to the sight of gaping crevasses. I should be a quivering mess in Antarctica. At my workbench I am just barely controlled. It was not always thus. As a child builder I would have…
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What Do You Do With The Leftovers?

If they are corned beef or meatloaf I embark on a glorious week of sandwiches. If they are scale model kits or model paints there are other procedures. Check me out against your own workshop. a. The parts of a kit that are not used – the extra canopies, wheels, snow skis, or armament –…

