Category: Modelling materials
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We Need A Gluement

We have cements that bind together two similar substances by chemically melting one into another – and we have glues that bind by surface tension or bonding or magick incantations to dissimilar surfaces and set as a sticky interface – but we really need something that will do both. The cements are fine, but the…
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Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part Three – Trench Warfare

The fit of the parts on the Revell Curtiss Hawk was very good – square, plumb, and true, but the top surfaces of the wings stood clear of the fuselage fairing by a good millimeter on both sides. If this part was subject to no stress nor expected to flex in any way, it could…
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Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Four – A Detour

I have an ongoing problem with model kit building – one that is exacerbated by the fact that I build my kits in three locations. This involves hauling kit boxes and part-made structures around with me. The problem is that parts can go missing. I have tried to prevent this by adhering to the practice…
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When To Close The Doors Of The Hobby Shop

A. Never. Hobbies can occupy 25 hours per day and enthusiasts need things ASAP. This means selling paint at 3:00AM. Use cheap staff and chain them to the till. b. At the end of the day. 5:00 is the accepted end of the day unless you want to go to 6:00 in case there might…
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De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Two – The Split Heron

As far as the approach to this vintage Airfix De Havilland Heron kit goes, I am – as Kinky Friedman would have put it – out past where the buses run. I am in new mental territory. It started when I did the part count and some dry fitting – I noted the provision of…
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Stand And Deliver!

Yes, I’ll confess…I’ve always wanted to be in a self-employed business that involves a fast horse, a black mask, and a brace of pistols. The only thing that has prevented me starting one up is the need to decide upon a suitable name. I was toying with ” Captain Fatuous ” but the family disapproved……
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Hawker Tempest – Part Two – It Might Just As Well…

It might just as well be a Buster…and it might just as well be a Hobby Boss kit rather than an Academy product. The building experience has been just as rapid. I washed the sprue trees for this Tempest at about 12:30 – the basic airframe enclosing a painted cockpit was ready for the photo…
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Beechcraft Model 18 – Part Three – A Pleasant Surprise

Remember I was worried about the plastic surface of the PM Models Beechcraft Model 18…worried that it was too rough to take a good coat of paint? Well, my worries were laid to rest over the last two days. GSI Creos to the rescue yet again. I employ their paints and finishes whenever I can…
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Every Shop’s A Hobby Shop

And so are a good many unattended rubbish piles as well…wherever a modeller casts an eye there are modelling materials in abundance. Unless you work exclusively in Argyle diamonds and platinum bars, you can find what you need frugally. Note: This does not apply to modelling fairs or specialty shops. The price of the aftermarket…
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Don’t Tell Anyone…

In my other three weblog columns I used the lockdown earlier in the year to write about the business of social distancing, working from home, getting supplies, and being brave and stouthearted. I didn’t give it a tinkle here in the Little World – and it wasn’t until I watched the Flory Vlog that I…
