Category: Miniature Philosophy
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The Detail Is In the Devil
And I am starting to believe that is where it should stay. I stand in awe of the fine detail that can be achieved by some modellers working in 1:32nd and 1:35th scale. When they commence work on tank tracks with 5 or 6 pieces per link…and a couple hundred links…I know it is time…
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A Pad Of Paper And Box Of Pencils
And the world is yours. Put on your pyjamas, get a hot drink, settle down at the table, and draw up the Universe. It is not blasphemous – Someone Famous did it a long time ago… Don’t draw a layout – that would be too committed – a table upon which you can move the…
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Birthday Boatyard
Bob’s Boatyard, to be precise. Bob is my brother-n-law and a scale model builder as well. Rather than concentrate on plastic models, he devotes part of his retirement time to constructing wooden ship and boat models. It is rarely kit work – Bob builds from plans using wood that he cuts and shapes for himself.…
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Once You’ve Done The Worst Of The Kit
You need not fear the rest of the kit. My club-mate Michael Marchant showed me the tank tracks he was working on – they were from one of those Czech productions that have multiple parts per link, and multiple links per track, and no fun anywhere. I sympathised with him but left before any of…
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The Little World Sometimes Runs Along The Ground
And sometimes you can run alongside it… I have a spare table at the studio, and a spare ground cloth. And some old Kato HO track that once rimmed my RCAF WET DOG display. And some spare houses and buildings… What would be more natural than to lay an oval of HO toy train track…
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What Was It About Toys That You Loved?
I mean when you were a child; before you became a kewl and contemptuous teenager. Novelty? Colour? Cuteness? Action? Or the fact that they brought the large world down to your size? All of these factors were a real thing then. Have you ever thought why they are not the same now? You are past…
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The Trains Now Arriving…
In my local hobby shop are wonderful. They have digital control, digital sound, and completely realistic motion. Their couplers are tiny and there are a full complement of passengers and crew. The wagons and carriages are lined and decaled and the only thing that deters me from sweeping up an armful of them is the…
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Could You Deliberately Retro-Build?
I’ve been looking at a website that refers to itself as Dem Brudders; it deals with reproduction and re-issued kits. A number of small makers have ended up with moulds from major American firms; Revell, AMT, Aurora, Monogram, etc. The smaller speciality moulders have re-issued some of the classics that were favourites during the 50’s…
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Location, Location, Location
I visit at a number of hobby shops here in the Perth metro area and generally drop a little money in each one. I note, however, that some of them are struggling against the fact of their location, as much as the prices and supply chain. No names, no pack drill, but here are my…
The Little World 