Category: Uncategorized
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TKS Tankette – Part Two – A Perfect Companion

Imagine my joy when I looked more closely at my $ 1.00 tankette and discovered it was and up-gunned variant of the previous model. The hull parts are commendably well-fitting, though the suspension and side members are a little fiddly to assemble. I am new to 1:35 armour and I am starting to suspect that…
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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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Polish Tankette – Part Three – Tankietka

I am starting to be impressed with the IBG company’s approach to scale modelling. The first club day saw a little of the inside compartment started; the engine block and radiator shell. The parts separated cleanly from the sprue trees and dry fitted perfectly. the plastic is very slightly soft – eminently cuttable. Think a…
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Polish Tankette – Part Two – Better Than Nostalgia

Remember that great nostalgia we got before the war – it always fried up crispy and you could go from here to Sydney on it for 17 shillings… Well, I never went to Sydney for 17 shillings, but I did go to Don’s Hobby Shop in Calgary on Saturday mornings and spent my pennies on…
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Polish Tankette – Part One – A Gem Off The Shelf

This kit is the second venture I’m making in 1/35 scale – and this is a deliberate choice, rather than a chance purchase. The little Polish armoured car kit that I bought for a dollar proved to be so much fun to build that I determined to add more to the Stein’s Military World museum.…
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Is A Miniature Builder Bound To Drive A Small Car?

Or live in a small house? Or wear tight shoes? Well, no, but there is probably some connection here somewhere, if only we could avoid it. What correlation is there for the model builder with the real size of the world? Now we all know about scales – from universal ones, to maverick ones, to…
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Systematic Modelling

A fine concept. Except most of what I do is Système D. In case you are unclear about the classifications, let me explain: a. Système A – By the book. Follow the correct pathway to do anything, and expect that the correct outcome will eventuate. b. Système B – By the current fashion – even…
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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…
