Category: Model Airplane
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Yakovlev 6 – Part Three – The Beauty Within

The crude nature of some kits is so overwhelming that many people just cannot bring themselves to build them. This is the result of the continuing development of the hobby over the last 70 Years. We in the west have benefited tremendously from the initial efforts of the British, American, and French firms that took…
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Yakovlev 6 – Part Two – The Amphibious Twins

Pavel and Sergei – the crew of the Encore Models Yak 6. I recognised them – they used to work for FROG in the 60’s, and flew nearly everything that company produced. It was hard work – the long hours wore them down so much that their faces fell off. I suspect that the two…
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Yakovlev 6 – Part One -The Orphan

I discovered this Yak 6 model sitting forlornly under a pile of junk in the storage room of the model club. There are any number of derelict kits in there – some abandoned half-built, and some just unwanted. The simple ones could be turned into basic trainers for young modellers, but the dreadful short run…
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The Non-Brush Brush-Off

There is a name for brushes; hairy sticks. Because that is what they are. And they do very basic hairy things… There is a current phrase – ” hairy stick ” – used to describe paint brushes – that is both humorous and accurate. Because that’s what the wretched things really are. Oh, there are…
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How To Make A Small Fortune At The Big Local Model Exhibition

Start with a large fortune and go there to sell model goods. Well, you knew that punchline was coming when you started reading. You should have stopped then. Too late, you have to finish reading this article now. Going to the Big Local Model Exhibition at Cannington Central with goods to sell is a sure-fire…
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Do Kit Designers Hang Upside-Down In Caves?

I ask this because I have noted some of the priorities they assign to their kit designs. In the case of the beer, pretzel, and borscht bureaux, the decisions they make about the level of photo-etch to include in a cockpit area vs the basic fit of the thing into the fuselage hints at it.…
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RCAF Privateer – Part Five – The Rockcliff Transport

Until now I have been having immense difficulties reporting the completion of this model. If you are reading this I have succeeded… The Rockcliff Privateer probably had a different name attached to it, but I am pleased that the Matchbox decal sheet was replaced by a Revell one that eliminated the nose graphics – they…
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RCAF Privateer – Part Four – When To Commit Yourself…

Or alternately…when to have yourself committed… You have to make a decision eventually – whether to cement every blessed little part on the model and then try to paint and decal around them, or to break it down into stages and make your errors in a more orderly fashion. One road leads to madness and…
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RCAF Privateer – Part Three – I Hate Windows

Not just the computer operating system – windows in general. Particularly when they are all down the side of a model airplane but only on the inside. If I want them to be open I have to carefully cut them out myself. That’s one of the horrors of the multi-purpose kit. I thought this sort…
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RCAF Privateer – Part Two – Rebox Heaven

I don’t really understand the actual process of re-boxing kits. Whether they are pre-made kits that are packaged up or whether they are re-moulded sprue trees taken from old moulds is still unclear. I think we might be seeing both processes in action sometimes. In any case, I am delighted to report that it works.…
