Category: History
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Boeing P26 – Part One – Two Shameful Confessions
I have two painful confessions to make in regard to the Boeing P-26 peashooter fighter plane. The first was in 1961 when I was in the 9th grade. I formed a friendship with a kid in my grade at school who was also an enthusiastic model airplane builder. He introduced me to matte paints –…
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Is Unseen Unknown?
Welcome to Scale Model Philosophy 101. You may take notes but remember that there is no exam at the end. Instead we have a sponsored argument. When we see a scale model for the first time it can be an electrifying experience. – particularly the older 240 volt versions with the cloth wiring. You have…
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Play With Their Minds
If you visit museums, exhibitions, and toxic waste disposal sites you can have a lot of fun by playing with the minds of the people who run the places. The organisers, curators, and assistants are scholarly, dedicated individuals who deserve everything that happens to them. Try one of the following: a. Locate a German WW2…
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The Anorak And The Typo
One of the exhibitors on our stand at the recent WASMEX model show put out a series of delightful 1:48th scale fighter planes. They were RAAF and Luftwaffe types of the WW2. I cannot say who moulded the kits but by the time they had passed through the hands of the modeller, they were beautiful.…
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Douglas Boston MkIII – Part Five – On Ops
Just the one picture of Boston MkIII AL468 in the sunshine – because that was not the place for it. It was after dark when this RCAF intruder did its business under the guidance of Squadron Leader Burton-Giles. He shot down a Ju-88 and earned the swastika mark under the Canadian maple leaf on the…
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Zen Modelling – Part Two
We need to question two more servants about this zen business. Here’s WHEN to fill us in on the schedule: ” When do you seek zen enlightenment? When you don’t have it. When you feel all up and down and jangled and iffy and nothing seems to satisfy you. That’s the time to contemplate what…
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Ryan Spirit Of St. Louis – Part Two – Lonely
Well, he is lonely. But to give FROG/Novo their due, he is a pretty good representation of Lindberg dressed in period flying gear. He gets three slightly foggy windows to peer out of and a hard plastic seat, but then the real aircraft has a wicker seat in it that doesn’t look much better. The…
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Cessna UC-78A – Part One – A Cat Becomes A Bird
I’ve written before about the RCAF’s aircraft nomenclature and how it can be alternately logical and puzzling. I’m not sure if this is because it is an armed service or an armed service run by Ottawa… In any case, I leaped upon the KP model of the USAAF Cessna UC-78A Bobcat when it showed on…
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Stand And Deliver!
Yes, I’ll confess…I’ve always wanted to be in a self-employed business that involves a fast horse, a black mask, and a brace of pistols. The only thing that has prevented me starting one up is the need to decide upon a suitable name. I was toying with ” Captain Fatuous ” but the family disapproved……
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Someone, Somewhere…
There are statistics freaks all over the world – my weblog columns occasionally attract the attention of them when I mention some chart or set of tables. My email clogs for a week with mathematical proof of the existence of carrots. I am philosophical about it – it’s just email and somewhere somebody has to…
The Little World 