Category: History
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What Would I Do With An Inventory Of Russian Products Right Now?
If I was a retailer with shelves full of Russian products right now, I would be worried. There is a war on in Europe between Russia and Ukraine and both sides are killing each other daily. People in the rest of the world are taking sides ( And isn’t it interesting which countries have decided…
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Sukhoi Su-2 – Part One – This Model Building Suk’s
And how better to start than with a Sukhoi? In this case an Su-2. It was on the shelf in the shop for months before I suddenly realised that I needed it. For library display, I hasten to add. The modeller’s mind had filed the information about it being there and all that was needed…
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Short Sunderland – Part Five – A Great Save!
And it isn’t even Hockey Night In Canada, Brought To You By B/A ( Canadian joke… ). This is, however an RCAF Sunderland that operated out of Northern Ireland in WW2. It was kept on Lough Erne along with other flying boats like Catalinas and sortied through the Donegal Corridor out to the North Atlantic…
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Short Sunderland – Part One – Hello 1961
Another snap back to the past – in this case provided by a good friend. The Airfix Sunderland III. This is a later issue box than my original, but the parts are quite the same. This one is an 80’s version. I am hoping the decals have survived the decades, though to be sure they…
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Fairey Swordfish Mk I – Part Two – Quo Vadis?
Redirect your mind from the old religious movie – this is serious. What version of this plane do I make? There are always a number of questions about any new build. What are my criteria for choosing a kit and then choosing a scheme? a. It is a kit. I have enough money to buy…
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SPAD XIII – Part Four – Rickenbacker’s Ride
The historic enthusiasts of WW1 can make of Eddy Rickenbacker what they will. His 22 aerial victories and 4 balloons downed are not the numbers that rival other aces, but he survived till the 1970’s and that was a definite win for him. The SPAD appears from other accounts not to have had quite the…
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FOMO OR FOGS?
You hear a great deal amongst the young ( those whose knees move in the same way every time ) about FOMO; Fear Of Missing Out. It apparently motivates them all the time and causes them to go off on backpacking trips to Guatemala. Or at least it did until 2020. It may have been…
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Curtiss SBC-4 – Part Three – The Bad Bargains
The French paid through the nose for the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldivers. They were compelled to pay in gold bullion hauled to the USA by the aircraft carrier BÉARN, then forced to load them in Nova Scotia after they were towed over the international border, then forced to abandon them in the West Indies when metropolitan…
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Curtiss SBC-4 – Part One – The Old Photo In The National Geographic
I used to pore over wartime copies of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. I found a trove of them in a school library in the 1960’s and read all I could. I wasn’t after pictures of native girls with bare chests – I wanted colour photos of fighter planes. NG had access to the US Navy and Kodachrome…
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Where Does The Money Trail Go To?
When we buy a model kit, or a pot of paint, or a roll of masking tape, where does the money we pay go? I shop at a local dealer who has a good stock – I occasionally go to rival firms if they have special goods. In all the shops, I pay my money…
The Little World 