Category: Miniature Philosophy
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The Blood Sacrifice
The medieval costume club I once belonged to held regular workshop days in which they made swords, armour, and all the various accessories of historical life. They were brilliant blacksmiths, metalworkers, tailors, potters, etc. and they all suffered for it. There was a phrase that was used to describe the phenomenon – ” The Blood…
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Lockheed F80C Shooting Star – Part Two – The Smooth Bullfrog
No, it’s not a Frog model – it’s still the bargain Airfix kit. But the more I look at the basic shape of the Lockheed F80C in the grey primer, the more I’m reminded of an amphibian. You have to admire Clarence Kelly and his designers for making such a sleek thing using an engine…
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Seriously Old Decals
By a serious old modeller. I seem to be turning into the olde cheape modeller these days…and loving it. The number of older kits that have fallen into my hands lately suggests that I am either dumpster diving for my hobby or other people are not recognising the value of their own possessions before they…
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Good Morning, Walter – Part 15 – Aluminium Overcast
Walter, the term ” Aluminium Overcast ” has been laughingly applied to a number of large aircraft in the past. But I think the only true claimant is the Convair B-36 ” Peacemaker ” bomber of the 1950’s. The heading image is of a Revell model of the 1955-57 period. The scale is anyone’s guess…
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Resin – Do I Love It Or Hate It?
My return to scale aircraft modelling these last few years has brought me into contact with one of the most interesting materials on the market – polyurethane resin. It is not the first time that I’ve dealt with building plastic – I worked with acrylic polymers and monomers as a dentist for 40 years and…
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When To Decal
When to pause from your day’s task of cutting, cementing, painting, and cursing to apply your model’s decals? Is there a right time? Is there a wrong time? Don’t just depend on the maker’s instruction sheet – they have their own priorities and one of them might be to sell more sheets of decals. It’s…
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Green Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Cockpit…
And it would appear that I must needs have many loves. I have two pots of paint in the Little Workshop stocks at present – both green – that I use to paint USAAF aircraft of the WW2 period’s insides. One is a custom mix zinc chromate and the other a Testor’s cockpit green. Neither…
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The Airfix of Old Is Dead
And from the corpse has risen a new and shining phoenix. I, for one, am delighted. When I commenced a new Airfix bomber kit – one of last year’s releases – I was blown away in just one day of assembly – the level of detail moulded into the parts was outstanding and the sensible…
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” The Mk IV Is Different From The C Model…”
” But only in the under-flange. This is 13mm longer than the 1943 modification. Few modellers realise this.” Not surprising, Chief. 13mm in 1/72nd scale is .18 of a millimetre and very few modellers can see that small – or care that much. We are struggling to get parts off a sprue without digging holes…
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Blackburn Buccaneer – Part Five – The Exhibit
You may wonder how Stein’s Air World museum can afford to get all these wonderful airplanes for display. The answer is simple; they are gifts given in charity. The new Blackburn Buccaneer Mk 1 seen here is just such a one. It was donated by the Gentleman of the Cloth. Of course, it’s not all…
