Category: Scale Models
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Northrop Black Widow – Part One – ‘Tis A Gift…
And ’tis the only thing gifted about me – the ability to attract free model aircraft. This one is from a lady in payment for some Christmas family pictures. Again, it is a case of telling the client the scale I model in and letting them go and pick out something they fancy. So far…
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North American Bronco – A Quick Build
This North American OV-10 model has a rather chequered history – it was sold twice and gifted three times before it was built. It is just this report on my column because it was a quick build. It started life in Korea as an Academy model, made its way to Japan into someone’s stash, and…
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Mitsubishi A6M – Part One – Not Gone Mad
Nor senile. Gone clever. The Mitsubishi A6M seen in the heading image is a Tamiya 1:72 kit. I built it in two days flat and am very pleased with the result – but you may have noted that the propellor boss is bare of blades. And there are no landing gear legs evident. All deliberate.…
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Revell Sopwith Camel – Part Four – A Terrible Death
But a nice finish…Old vaudeville joke. Laugh now. Please. The Revell kit was never going to be a show-winner, but then that was never going to be me anyway. And I am happy to say that it has turned out rather pleasingly. I’ve compared it to the Academy kit of a Camel built last year…
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Revell Sopwith Camel – Part Three – Putt Putt Putty
If you are averse to the plastic arts you would do well never to panel-beat a motor car, plaster a wall, or build an old Revell kit. Because at some stage of the game you are going to be sitting there with a bricklayer’s towel and half a hundredweight of plaster, bog, or Mr White…
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Revell Sopwith Camel – Part Two – Those Were Apparently The Days
And I was just the right age -14 – to fail to appreciate just how awful the Revell kits were at the time. I had built Revell planes and ships since the 1950’s and they were a sort of base standard upon which other maker’s efforts were judged. Aurora was worse, Monogram was better, Eaglewall…
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Revell Sopwith Camel – Part One – Not My First Rodeo
Nor my first Camel, either. This example is from Friend Paul. The previous one was from Friend Warren. You can become my friend by presenting me with a model airplane, too. The first camel was an Academy model, and I think I should have built this one first, as an old Revell vs a new…
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SAAB Tunnen – Part Four – Neutral Corner Fighter
Just how neutral is Sweden – really? I know they are always telling us that they defend only themselves, and it is damned difficult to get them to go on exercises with other countries – though this has changed lately. But in the world wars they were shipping arms and raw materials to both sides…somewhat…
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SAAB Tunnen – Part Three – Not Scot Free
As you can see in the heading image, the SAAB Tunnen has not gone scot-free from the need for filler. The culprit is the optional piece for the underside of the nose – it is either a cannon-armed fighter like this or the photo-recon version with camera windows. You are faced with a curved seam…
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SAAB Tunnen – Part Two – Spacious Swede
Nearly all tricycle-gear planes need some sort of nose weight to prevent them sitting on their tails. In some cases it can be a geometric nightmare trying to find enough space at the front of the fuselage to accommodate that weight. You are asking for trouble if you try to do it with lumps of…
The Little World 