Category: Ukrainian models
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Tupolev TB-3 – Part Five – An Ephemeral Chinese Bomber

Ephemeral? Well look at the guns, antennae and landing gear of this Soviet design. This model will be lucky to make it to my display shelf without these breaking off. The pictures you see in this post may be the last complete images of this ICM product ever shown. I am not unhappy with the…
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Tupolev TB-3 – Part Four – The Inevitables

” The Inevitables ” is a cartoon band of super-heroes that you eventually watch, even if you don’t want to… The inevitables in a complex kit from Eastern Europe are the things that don’t fit and the things that are too complex. The first was illustrated when I found gaps in the structure – yawning…
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Tupolev TB-3 – Part Three – Ministry Of The Interior

I am in several minds about detailing the insides of 1/72 scale aircraft. On one hand it is a pain, but on the other it means an additional glance into the design – even if I am the only person who will ever see it. In the case of this Tupolev bomber, the open cockpit…
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Tupolev TB-3 – Part Two – More Pegs Than A Dublin Phone Book

And every one of them working… The next time you hear someone blithely tell you that they ” winged it “…and make out that it was all so easy…refer them to me. I have winged the Tupolev TB-3 and I know what the abyss looks like. The basic bracing inside was actually very precise –…
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Tupolev TB-3 – Part One – The Flying Shed

Say what you like about Soviet bomber designers of the 1930’s, few could match them for the ability to hope. Hope that their designs would be accepted, Hope that they would fly. Hope that they would not be imprisoned or liquidated. This assembly of sheet metal and hubris seems to have made it through the…
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Charles Schultz Said Happiness Was A Warm Puppy

Charles Addams agreed, but recommended gravy with it. So it is with the scale model building hobby. We are offered many kits of things that are essentially the same, but with a different twist. Take the example of the Japanese battleship YAMATO. I have seen it in commercial form in every scale from 1:3000 to…
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Heinkel He-111c – Part Four – What’s Pink And Sticky?

Your answer will depend upon your character and level of maturity. In my case both are low, but I still think of ” sprue goo ” in answer to this question. I make it for pennies from discarded plastic sheet and lacquer thinner, and am starting to make it in three distinct consistencies. It may…
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Heinkel He-111c – Part Three – Touch-Fit

And only where it touches, I might add. The Roden curse is starting to take effect. The ambitions of the moulders will need to be matched with equal bravery by the builder. The fit of many of the parts is approximate. This is surprising considering the more delicate parts like the landing gear struts seem…
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Heinkel He-111C – Part One – Notabomber

I once made a safari in the wilds of the northern suburbs to buy a supply of models – I was fearful that a shop was closing and wanted to scour the shelves. It would seem I was misinformed – the shop will probably carry right on for aeons. I doubt they will repair their…
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Curtiss H16 – Part Six – Long Yellow Wings

And a remarkable scale model. The history of the Curtiss H16, as well as the British-built Felixstowe types, is available on the net. They were patrol birds in the WW1 period and undoubtedly endured very hard service over the waters. It is not surprising that so few have survived to become museum exhibits. This Roden…
