Category: Model Airplane
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“I’m Doing This To Educate The Public”
Horse shit. You’re doing whatever you’re doing for yourself. To have fun, hopefully – but you are trying to justify the expense and the time by making it seem altruistic. Just come out and admit you’re doing it for you, and we’ll be happy – for you. I’ve encountered this porky in any number of…
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Polikarpov I-16 – Part Three – ¡Vistoso!
I am charmed with the way the Academy 1:48 model of the Polikarpov allows more space for decoration. Not a lot more – this is a small aircraft – but at least 1 .5 X the surface area to paint. The Spanish Republicans seem to have had a number of schemes – they were not…
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Polikarpov I-16 – Part Two – Dia uno
First club day working on the Academy Polikarpov and the job is flying along! There are fewer parts to this aircraft than the ICM 1:72 version but the contours are much the same. It is odd to find such a large scale ( for me ) with so little cockpit detail. But then again, so…
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Polikarpov I-16 – Part One – ¡Hola!
We are about to embark upon a Spanish adventure – and in an unfamiliar scale. I have already produced some aircraft in 1:72 from the period of the Spanish Civil War – an Antonov, a Potez, and a Dewoitine – all in Republican colours. I have also built a Polikarpov I-16 in 1:72 scale –…
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Sprue Goo For The Win
Call it what you like – the mixture of styrene chips and solvent is becoming the universal tool for my modelling. Not every kit fits well. Some barely meet where they touch. You can discover sinkholes, cracks, gaps and yawning gulfs. This is where the sprue goo comes in. The joy of it is it…
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Do Not Start Too Small
I met a chap re-entering the hobby recently who was trying to choose his kits to build skill before he tackled the one he really fancied. I thought this was sensible thinking, but I suspect he made a bit of a problem for himself by selecting a 1:144 scale plane. It was charming, but too…
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Never Too Late
Except if you dined at an Ethiopian restaurant the night before and feel you might need to seek a toilet. No matter how fast you are, you will never be fast enough. And there is no point in getting up and thinking you’re done. You might as well settle in for the day. In the…
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Caproni C311 – Part Four – Fly RT-ITA To The Sun!
Who said Ruritanians are sour drunks living in a postage stamp kingdom? Well, everyone, actually, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to go South for a holiday. The sudden availability of used Italian bombers after 1943 was a gift to the Ruritanian royal airline. Prior to this the only passenger carriers were two-seat mail…
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Caproni C 311 – Part Three – Civilian Conversion
The conversion of old military aircraft to civilian mode was quite a thing back in the late 40’s and early 50’s. There were a great many spare aircraft left over from the conflict – despite the fact that so many were shot down and wrecked. Careful buying by Ruritanian agents in Europe brought a number…
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Caproni C-311 – Part Two – FINALLY!
Finally I figure out a way to stop being clumsy. I build a great many kits, and find that I like to keep busy in the various stages by doing sub assemblies and finishing them before they are added to the main airframe. It is much the same as was done with wartime factories and…
The Little World 