Category: Miniature Philosophy
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Why No 1:64 Planes, Then?
If you were a kid in North America in the 50’s you basically had a choice of three scales for electric trains: 1:48 Lionel, 1:64 American Flyer, and 1:87 HO made by Varney, Athearn, and lots of smaller firms. The 1:87 HO has stayed with us – just as 1:76 has stayed with the British…
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The Box-Scale Kit
We’ve all seen them and we’ve all built them. And at one stage of the game they were the norm. The box-scale kit that was accurately drawn from official government plans and moulded in 1/60 or 1/94 or 1/287… We were captivated by the box art…or the fact that it cost $1.49 and we had…
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There Is No Time Like The Present
And there never was. That is the nature of time…it moves forward. Pity some of the plastic model moulding firms are so stuck in the past. This is particularly ironic when you consider that these firms want to make a profit in the future by moulding models of things that vanished a century ago…and they…
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” Complete Your Collection “
I saw this line in an advertisement for commemorative coins. The only thing I could think was: Oh, Dear God, don’t! Don’t ever complete your collection of anything. If there is a finite number of things that make it up – even if these are only thoughts or other vague dreams – do not get…
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You Can Be Sensible But No Good Will Come Of It
Not if you build scale models, it won’t. Sensible buys only the best kits at the cheapest prices and only ever builds one example of any prototype. Indeed sensible people do not build scale models at all – reserving their time for money making and hiding their sins. For the rest of us…drifting down the…
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Scale Judging – A Modest Proposal
The task of judging models at a scale model contest is far more difficult than similar events for model trains or R/C aircraft. With these, the criteria for success are so much more evident. In the case of the former exhibition all an exhibitor has to do for a medal is keep the layout going…
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The 1/35th Scale Holy Grail
Or ” No glue-sniffing in church…”. I have recently joined a Facebook group associated with 1/35 scale model tanks. It’s a large group and many people send in wonderful pictures of their kits and builds. It has several members besides myself here in Perth. I sent in three posts this last week revolving around amour…
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Patience is A Virtue
Or so we are told – by people who want to get in front of us in line at the petrol station. It is also preached for the scale modeller – by makers who give you tank tracks made up of 6 plastic parts per link or sheets of infinitesimally small brass etched parts. Their…
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The Big Election
Well, I’ve always wanted to have one… This last weekend our hobby club held its annual general meeting. Most of the officials and a considerable number of the members were present – the treasurer had not decamped with the funds, and there was a barbecue lunch. What was not to like? Our constitution has a…
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Anorak – Part Two – The Antidote
I am surprised that Aurora Models did not make a Famous Monsters kit of a scale modelling anorak. It could have been quite a colourful figure, leaning over a workbench pointing out some flaw. I think the sticking point with the kit designers was when they could not agree which precise colour grey to mould…
The Little World 