Category: research
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Brewster Burmuda – Part Five – The Germ Of An Idea

Or ” Having A Gas Of A Time In Alberta “. I found out what the Bermuda was doing in Suffield. It was airframe number FF 568 from the Brewster factory and it was one of three that were flown up to Canada. One apparently crashed at Dorval in Quebec, but FF 568 got out…
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Brewster Bermuda – Part Four – Well, Why Not

Having decided to convert a perfectly inoffensive Brewster Buccaneer with no purpose in life into a perfectly inoffensive Brewster Bermuda with even less purpose, I am now left with a kit that silently screams for something to call attention to itself Never mind that it has a dual rear machine gun with an armoured shield…that’ll…
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Brewster Buccaneer – Part Three – A Small Change Of Plans, Eh?

I keep telling myself I will not do this, and I keep ignoring myself. The Buccaneer for Special Hobby is about to change hands…into the care of the RCAF at Suffield, Alberta for “special duties “. While my meagre internet resources do not yet say what these duties are, I can guess: Beer runs. Large…
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Brewster Buccaneer – Part One – ” On The Sides Of Our Buccin’ Heads…”

The classic answer to the question of where are our Buccaneers… Now that we have that out of the way decorum can return. The Special Hobby 1:72 Brewster Buccaneer was the result of doing what I told myself I would not do; go to the Post -Christmas sales. To be fair, the sales came to…
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Douglas B-18 Bolo – Part One – The First Idea Was The Right One

Readers of this column will have seen my report on the Special Hobby 1:72 Douglas Digby Mk I – the RCAF version of the USAAC B-18 bomber. I was thrilled to find that kit and quite enjoyed the building experience – even though some parts of it went down the silly rabbit holes of too…
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Douglas Digby Mk I – Part Three – The Name…

I am puzzled. The name doesn’t seem to fit. When US airplanes got a name – as opposed to a model number – they generally got one that tied in with an established pattern – as a for instance, take the Boeing series of bombers – from B 17 to B-52 in four steps –…
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If All Your Pigs Are Dark Green…

Suppose you are a person who makes scale models of pigs…in the internationally standard scale of 1:26.8. And suppose you are a stickler for accuracy; you subscribe to International Pig Modeller Monthly, you regularly submit your models for scrutiny on the Masochistic Modellers Forum, and you have won Pig Modeller Of The Year at the…
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Bring Me More Chemicals, Igor!

If you want to be nervous but don’t like dark houses or cobwebs, try a walk down the paint aisle of your local hobby shop. You’ll find enough there to fuel all your anxieties. I did recently and encountered racks filled with products from nine different chemical manufacturers – eleven if I counted the off-market…
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Hawker Sea Fury – Part One – A New Maker

I’m a bigger sucker for novelty than I readily admit – I make noises like all the old goods and methods are the best and the new ones are rubbish, and you’d think I have not advanced since the 1950’s. But in truth l’m always buying something new from the shops just to try it…

