Category: Israeli aircraft
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IAI Kfir C-1 – Part Two – Grey Plastic Day
The first assembly day for any model can be a school in itself – the Czech and Polish kits in particular are often hard lessons. They challenge both the imagination ( Where the heck is the cockpit actually supposed to be fastened…? ) and the patience ( Is that an ejector pin or a part…
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IAI Kfir C-1 – Part One – The New Lion Cub
My success with the diorama shelves for my IKEA bookcases has inspired me to expand my aero museum theme. I have two shelves set out as Schmattarim Museum and am busy finding Israeli and related middle eastern aircraft to fill them. I suspect I’ll be able to add a couple more before the theme is…
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Consolidated Catalina – Part Five – 3402 At Last
I finally figured out what I liked about the Israeli 3401 Catalina that is displayed at Hatzerim – they have painted it a shade of blue that has always called to me. My first car, the late lamented Renault 10, was painted this blue-grey and it has set a lead that I’ve followed for many…
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Consolidated Catalina – Part Four – Tail Sitter
I take particular care with my scale models to ensure that the aircraft sit on their wheels properly. The tail-sitters like the Lancaster and Whitley, the B-17’s and B-18’s are no problem. Something can nearly always be done to beef up even the scaliest of landing gear to take the weight of plastic. The something…
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Consolidated Catalina – Part Three – A Gem In Full Sight
In full sight, but strangely hidden. The detail that has emerged with the undercoating of the Catalina is astounding. I normally do not effuse about rivet details or sunken and raised panel lines. I am a modeller of the Olde Schoole and as catholic as anyone of hebraic faith might be as far as admitting…
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Consolidated Catalina – Part Two – Stand Down Canso
The Academy model of the Catalina PBY-5A proved to be a delightful thing in the box. But the thinking that wanted to convert it to a Catalina I in RCAF markings was as flawed as hell. The kit is moulded in black plastic – and any attempt to throw it over to RCAF Coastal Command…
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Avia S-199 – Part Six – A Messer By Any Other Name
As soon as I saw the photographs of the Avia S-199 in Czechoslovakia and then later in Israel I knew someone was fooling with me. The propellor gave it away. It was a cartoon propellor from a Daffy Duck movie. I mean, who would put as big a prop on a plane like that…? Well…
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Avia S-199 – Part Five – ” Daddy, Why Is that Man Swearing? “
” He’s an aircraft modeller, Dear, and something has gone wrong. ” The something started out going right. I managed to print out a sheet of Magen David emblems on the epson on strips of masking tape. I then transferred the tape to a cutting board and carefully made the roundels and the stars as separate…
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Avia S-199 – Part Four – Ol’ Stripey Tail
I appear to have learned something from my past experiences with Israeli fighter planes. This time I did not attempt decals for the rudder, electing instead to paint the 101 Squadron stripes. They have been very successful, and tempt me further to try to paint the rest of the ID stripes and Magen Davids rather…
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Avia S-199 – Part Three – What Colour Is The Colour Of An Argument?
Answer: Whatever colour you ask about in a modeller’s paint forum. I went to my computer to google someone else’s opinion about the grey/green colour of an S-199 in Israeli service. I encountered scholarly works that deteriorated into name-calling and vulgarity. I did not see any profile pictures of the writers but I can pretty…
The Little World 