Category: Israeli aircraft
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Gloster Meteor F.8 – Part Two – IAF

And wasn’t that a clever idea, Great Britain? Selling Gloster Meteors to the Israelis and De Havilland Vampires to the Egyptians? Bit of export cash in the old exchequer, What? And a good leg in either bed, no matter who won, eh? Pip,Pip…! Looks like GB supplied Meteors to Egypt and Syria as well. Jordan…
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Gloster Meteor F.8 – Part One – Third One Out Of The Stable

Fate has dealt me three Gloster Meteor kits; a Cyberhobby F.3, an old Airfix III ( ? ) , and a new Airfix F.8. I have played the first two as best as could be – the first as an RAF plane in the 1945 conflict, the second as a corroded gate guard on a…
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Mirage III CJ – Part Five – The Cavalry

That was the phrase used to describe the Mirage IIIC in a recent YouTube story about the Yom Kippur war. Apparently two Israeli F4 Phantoms were engaging a vastly greater number of MiGs that were trying to destroy a desert airfield. The Mirages were touted as the cavalry coming to save the Phantoms, but I…
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Mirage III CJ – Part Four – Who’s Hiding?

And from whom? Where are they lurking? Is it all just nonsense these days? I have no idea – I presume the various air forces have worked out how to hide in the air with grey paint and rubber knobs on every sharp point of an aircraft. The business of greying out national insignia to…
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Mirage III CJ – Part One – The Very Thing

I set myself the task of building Israeli aircraft for a desert museum airfield – this kit was sitting on the shelves of a specialist dealer when I went to look for decals. How could I resist? It shows a horrible modification of a beautiful aircraft on the box top…but the sides promise the original…
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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 Two – One A Week In Bull Creek

The Auster is going well. The build is not taxing, as sight of the sprue trees probably suggested. It is going well enough, indeed, to suggest that it might be a good return build for another form. One doesn’t get a great deal of detail, but then I don’t think Auster or Taylorcraft put a…
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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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Tasman Airspeed Oxford Mk I – Part Seven – G-AMFJ

Or 2813 of 141 Sqn. This aircraft is counted as an Airspeed Consul – the civilian version of an armed Oxford. It was acquired in 1951 and flown by the 141 Sqn. The type was used as a VIP aircraft, multi-engine training, navigation and radio training, and as a light transport. It lasted only until…
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Tasman Airspeed Oxford Mk I – Part Six – French Silver Grey

The Mr Color pot of French silver grey may have started life as a grey – or a silver… I can’t remember which. Over several years it has been topped up with a dash of whichever sliver I have in the airbrush pot as a left-over – and equally be whatever light grey is swirling…
