Category: Model Airplane
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North American AT6 – Part Six – All Bombed Up
And ready for the party. I am not going to make invidious comparisons between the Academy Texan and that of Hobby Boss – I have enjoyed building each maker’s version. The faster build on the latter model is in part due to the simple construction, though this in turn is due to what must…
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North American AT6 – Part Five – One From Column A…
And one from Column B. That’s how you make an air force out of bits from the scrap heap. That’s how the Israelis did it in ’48. I’ve been reading of the formation of the IAF and the war of independence against the Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Syrians, and British. It would appear that the supply…
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North American AT6 – Part Four – Nailing The Colour
I have discovered many interesting things about colour since I returned to scale modelling – both upon the original subjects and on our models: a. The best colour reference is the actual article – untouched by time and not modified by any curators or experts. The fact that nothing is ever this perfect is beside…
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North American AT6 – Part Three – The Universal Airplane
What do you want from a model kit? A unique subject that was only ever built once, by one maker, for one flyer? A model that can never be made in an alternative form? Buy yourself a ” Spirit of St. Louis ” and a pot of silver paint, Charlie, and away you go. After…
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North American AT6 – Part Two – Building The Factory Build
I am aware that Hobby Boss airplane kits are viewed as little-kid stuff by many modellers. Easy assembly, few extra parts, defined edges to some mouldings. The up-and-down assembly of a fuselage and wing unit – sometimes with horizontal stabilizer attached – suggests an activity for the ungifted. Perhaps it is so, but you need…
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North American AT6 – Part One – The Kosher Texan
We often buy a set of decals to match a kit we have – but in this case I have reversed the procedure. I had a leftover set of Israeli Air Force markings for an Academy kit and I purchased a Hobby Boss substitute to use them up. The original Texan became an RCAF Harvard…
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” The Standard Of Modelling In This State…”
I must stop listening to people speaking. It leads to thought. And that leads to trouble. The recent model exhibition being a case in point. At the display hall I kept hearing people saying that they did not see as many models on display as last year and that the standard was lower… Then I…
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Mitsubishi A5M-2 – Part Two – A Nipponese Quickie
I’m not sure if I should leave money on the mantlepiece. I’ve just had my moment of pleasure and it’s all over. But I don’t regret it at all. Lets face it – building a Hobby Boss fighter plane is never going to be a case of long-term employment. Unless you pace yourself, you’ll find…
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Mitsubishi A5M-2 – Part One – CLAUDE
I often wondered about why the WWII Allied command code-named the Japanese aircraft in the way they did. So I analysed the names – ZEKE, RUFE, BABS, BETTY, TOJO, NATE, CLAUDE, etc. and here’s my conclusion, unsupported by any research… a. The names are short. They needed to be to be spoken or telegraphed quickly.…
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Scale Model Kit Building Is Craft Beer In Styrene
Here’s two parallel experiences; buying a plastic model kit in a hobby shop and buying a six-pack of craft beer at the local Dan Murphy’s. In both cases you are basically paying out for a pig in a poke. The externals are generally confusing…the plastic model kit has either great box art or horrible writing,…
The Little World 