Category: subassembly
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When The Wing Falls Off…
Or the tailplane, or the engine nacelle… The aging of a model – or of a collection – can be graceful and unremarkable, or not. You will not notice the first circumstance but the second one will call itself to your eye every now and then. Something will break off. When you stop and think…
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Big Pinch – Little Pinch
A gripping story… The best tool I ever purchased from Stanbridges was a set of clamps by Xacto. The buy was in 1974 when Stanbridges was Stanbridges and Xacto was Xacto… The clamps are made of metal, though I often wonder which one. I would have guessed aluminium but lately I’m not so sure. Originally…
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Israeli Bell 47 – Part Two – Production Lines For The Win
The idea of serial building is working out, but there is still a place for sub-assembly lines in the scale model factory Even with modern super-glues there is still time required for re-enforcement to set, and of course the drying and setting times of the various paint coats. So there is a real advantage to…
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Swiss Ju-52 – Part Two – The Inside Story
I have beetled on before about how I like Italeri kits. I particularly like their multi-engine jobs that have interior fittings. Whether they are civilian or military, the inclusion of inside bits always makes for a more satisfying build. Oh, I know the old argument about no-one seeing in there after you are done, but…
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De Havilland Beaver – Part Three – Beaver On A Stick
When you’re a Cub Scout in the Kootenays, you’ll eat anything… The De Havilland Beaver a’building is using three of my favourite things; Mr Color No. 208 duraluminium paint, 3M double sided foam tape, and plastic clamps from Bunnings. The Airfix kit is slotting together nicely, though you need your wits about you if you…
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De Havilland Beaver – Part Two – Let Me Clear Something Up…
A recent build of another Airfix Vintage Classic kit – a Westland Whirlwind helicopter – pointed out the perils of remoulding 1950’s models. The clear plastic on that one was appalling. This Vintage Classic is of a newer year – 1971 – and the clear parts have improved immensely. But they are still just the…
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Every Time You Bolt On A Main Spar
A Fairey gets its wings… The magic of scale model building is far greater than any mousey studio could dream up – we actually get to do things instead of just watch other people do them. One of the things we do is cement wings onto aircraft. We can do this neatly or not, but…
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Avia B-135 – Part Two – Pretty Darn Good
For a short-run Czech kit. The dry fit for the Avia has been a pleasure. Say what you will about the rudimentary nature of these kits, there is a wealth of engraved detail in the parts and the dry fit has been exemplary. Deep in the tiny cockpit are stick, seat, straps, dash with glazing…
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Shinden – Part Two – Future Fighter
I am immensely impressed by this 1:48 scale Hasegawa model. It seems to have everything you’d want in a different adventure. The plastic is Hasegawa – brittle – and that frightens you when you imagine the amount of sanding that will be required…but then the parts dry-snap into each other and there is really no…
The Little World 