Category: Scale Models
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Polish Tankette – Part Five – Not Gone Mad Yet
In fact, I’m having the time of my life. The IBG model tank is fitting together like a watch. A Polish watch, mind, but Warsaw is in the same time zone as Lucerne… The fit of the hull parts is exemplary. So much so, that I can dry-fit the hatches for painting with the view…
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Polish Tankette – Part Four – The Painting Starts
So – what are Hataka paints like anyway? The four bottles of Hataka acrylic paint are the first of their brand I’ve ever encountered. I noted a year or so ago that they were all the rage on the Flory internet model show, but have seen little of them there recently. There was some talk…
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Northrop Black Widow – Part Five – Yellow Widow
Well, I like it. It has flaws, but then so do most of the things I love. The prototype for this build was apparently bought by Ranchers, Inc. in Boise Idaho in 1963 and converted to a water bomber – or fire tanker in the North American parlance. It did not last long, stacking it…
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Northrop Black Widow – Part Four – White Widow
Before you think this has gotten political or I’ve lost my mind, let me assure you that there is a very good reason for painting the P-61 Black Widow white. Before I go into that, notice how smooth the basic structure ( despite the rivets ) is. There was surprisingly little putty needed – or…
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Northrop Black Widow – Part Three – Swings And Roundabouts
Every airplane design has compromises and so does every kit. Some are adequately addressed and some are not – what you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts. In the case of the P-61, the twin tail booms made of two pieces each ( double the seams ) mean two chances to get…
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Northrop Black Widow – Part Two – Hot Weather Modelling
I’ve grumbled before about the limitations of scale plastic modelling in very hot weather – and a fat lot of good it has done me. So, rather than sit and moan, I have decided to sit and cut plastic. Inside – in the A/C at my Saturday afternoon group. I can’t paint but I can…
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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…
The Little World 