Category: Model Airplane
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Piasecki Flying Banana – Part Two – My Ambition Acheived
I have nursed an ambition for some while – ever since I saw pictures of a number of western helicopters that had red troop seats. The seat backs seemed to be made of red nylon webbing and hung loosely over solid fabric bottoms. I suspect they were a dual purpose thing – the solid cloth…
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Piasecki Flying Banana – Part One – You Had Me At…
They had me at the name – ” Flying Banana ” is not something that you can pass by in a neutral fashion. You either love it or hate it. I have fond memories of these helicopters as Revell kits in the 1950’s. This one is Italeri – itself a recommendation – and when I turned…
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A Different Rhythm At The Workbench
What strange creatures we are. When working for a living there were times when I could not get away from my work station fast enough at the end of the day. Now that I’m retired, I can’t wait to get to it. And there are weeks when I seem to work at it as if…
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Yes, They Really Did Think It Was A Good Idea
And I, at 7, agreed with them. This was in 1955 – just after the suspension of the Korean War, and just at the start of the Cold War – at least the start in our local area. In truth, it had been going on since 1945 but the locals did not realise it. The…
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Aim For Perfection – Strive For Excellence
Accept Good Results. If this was a social media site instead of a column I could post those memes for days along with kitten and sunset pictures. Of course I’d get trolled something fierce, but the statistics would probably improve. As it is I have adjusted my sights down to strive for excellence and accept…
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Grumman Duck – Part Three – A Riveting Build
I mentioned in the first column of this build that I was not going to notice the raised rivets of this older Airfix kit – I have to say now that I have not adhered to this blasé attitude. In truth, I do notice them. And I love them. The choice of clear silver lacquer…
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Grumman Duck – Part Two – Ungainly Is As Ungainly Does
Like most seaplanes – the Rufe, the Spitfire on floats, the Seamew – the Grumman Duck looks vaguely like a practical joke the designers played on the factory that leaked out past the drafting table, and they were too embarrased to admit it was all in fun. Yet the planes worked and were very useful…
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Grumman Duck – Part One – The Civil Mould
I have a suspicion that the Airfix Grumman Duck in 1:72 scale is an older mould – the raised rivet lines. Perhaps a Matchbox kit re-issued. I also find that as I am an older modeller – it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. That is the fine legacy of being able to build the…
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The Costs Of A Decal
Well, that can’t be very much, can it? Try making your own and see… The idea of using the inkjet printer I already own to make custom decals was very attractive. I’m a dab hand with Photoshop Elements and as long as a design is reasonably simple, I can duplicate it. Even if it is…
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North American Mustang I – Part Five – A Dappled Horse
Well, the Mustang is on charge and will be conveyed to RCAF Wet Dog in a day or so. It is as fresh as many coats of paint and varnish can make it – the decision to begin weathering the models has been postponed for a few months. The final result of this experimental build…
The Little World 