Category: Uncategorized
-
Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Four – A Detour
I have an ongoing problem with model kit building – one that is exacerbated by the fact that I build my kits in three locations. This involves hauling kit boxes and part-made structures around with me. The problem is that parts can go missing. I have tried to prevent this by adhering to the practice…
-
If You Don’t Build It, Who Will?
The topic of the most expensive kit…or the rarest kit…or the best bargain kit…has been raised on the Flory forum recently and the team assessed their experiences with these categories. They have had access to far more than any of us, yet they speak about kits that seem somewhat pedestrian. It is most noticeable when…
-
Messerschmitt Me 109 E – Part Three – Never Mind If You Don’t Read German
Get up in that airplane, Pilot, and fly it. Ignore the instruments on the dashboard. You’ll be fine. Okay, it’s a small cockpit and you’re very tall. We can fix this. The fitters will unscrew the canopy and take it off. Wear a flying helmet. Or a wooly cap. You’ll be fine. Yes, I know…
-
Big Shiny Silver Planes
I admire the model builders wo make aircraft that have complex camouflage schemes – the ones that tackle the german or italian schemes of the WW2 period – or any of the WW1 schemes – earn my respect and praise. yet i very often do not follow them. It is not for want of trying…
-
When To Close The Doors Of The Hobby Shop
A. Never. Hobbies can occupy 25 hours per day and enthusiasts need things ASAP. This means selling paint at 3:00AM. Use cheap staff and chain them to the till. b. At the end of the day. 5:00 is the accepted end of the day unless you want to go to 6:00 in case there might…
-
De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Six – Boarding Now On The Tarmac
No smoking, please. The De Havilland Heron Mk II has just been rolled out onto the tarmac at Wet Dog Regional – ready to inaugurate the first Wet Dog – Quesnel – Salmon Arm – Milk River service. The company anticipates a steady flow of passengers over this vital route. They are counting on it,…
-
De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Four – Air Crash
Every build has a mistake – a flaw – a piece of bad judgement. In the case of the Airfix DH Heron Mk II it has come in a rush. I was shifting photographic backdrops in the workshop this morning and inadvertently hit the wing of the Heron. It slid off the building stand and…
-
De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part Three – The Suitcase Closes
Always that moment when you have packed up your clothing at the end of a holiday and are gingerly trying to get the suitcase closed – against the pressure of dirty laundry and souvenirs. Will it creak shut…? Before I could latch the Heron together I tested the balance – Airfix said 15 gms of…
-
De Havilland Heron Mk II – Part One – Raised Expectations
And raised rivets, too. I had a happy childhood, and a great many of the happy occasions revolved around model kits. This included a number of the 1950’s and 60’s Airfix products. Merit, Monogram, Aurora, and Revell as well. So it’s with great delight that I see Airfix re-issue classic models from the era. I…
-
Avro Tutor – Part Three – Aptly Named
The Avro Tutor may have taught hundreds of British and Commonwealth pilots to fly. The AZ kit of this has certainly taught me something: never buy another Czech biplane kit. It is a bloody nightmare. A variation on the bad dream that was the Avro Anson ( is it Avro…? ). In this case the…
The Little World 