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Hoothehell?
Or in polite terms, ” Who in their right mind…? “. It is a phrase that whispers to me every time I cruise the kit aisles of HobbyHell. The other part of the question is ” would ever buy this thing? “. The kits or parts or tools or toys in question are not forbidden…
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Polikarpov U-2 – Part Four – St. Ivan’s Ambulance Service
In the service of Soviet humanity… This is the second air ambulance I have constructed, and by far the most ambitious one. It was born of necessity and nurtured on the makeshift – just as well there was a solid foundation of simple airframe to support it. The use of air ambulance transport by definition…
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Polikarpov U-2 – Part Three – Time To Box Clever
When you are confronted with a complex model design – multiple wings or complex landing gear – it pays to stop and think. You need to get your sequence of painting and assembly right to avoid making hard work even harder. Or worse – to avoid the risk of spoiling vital parts. No-one likes to…
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Polikarpov U-2 – Part Two – Small Steppes
Well, they would be with a model from Ukraine, wouldn’t they… Boom Boom. The odd little slippers are not for feet – they are the over-wing gondolas that were apparently fitted to the Polikarpov U-2 to evacuate wounded Soviet soldiers. The instruction sheet shows a U-2 in winter camouflage with ski landing gear and these…
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Polikarpov U-2 – Part One – Washing Machine Charley
I’ll explain that later. In the meantime I need to start work on the ICM model of the Polikarpov U-2. This is not the U-2 that was shot down with Francis Gary Powers in it. Very similar but a different engine… In any case, the ICM kit was quite inexpensive in a hobby shop where…
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Craquelure
The word is from the art world and it describes a fine network of lines or cracks in the surface of an oil painting. This is observable in most famous paintings in galleries and is not considered a fault. However, when it invades our scale model workshop it is to be deplored. We may be…
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Bomber In A Box
No, it’s not a horrible new addition to home delivery of food and parcels. This bomber is in a box for a good reason. When you start a collection of scale models, you really need to start with the biggest darn one you’re ever going to build and work back from that. Then, when you…
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Isuzu TX-40 – Part Three – Now You Don’t
But the Isuzu is there in full glory. And the people at Hasegawa have been thoughtful enough to provide a hand trolley and two ground crewmen to push it, plus 5 fuel drums. This has been one of the best little mojo builds I’ve encountered in a long time. Every part went on it and…
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Isuzu TX-40 – Part Two – Now You See Him
Yoshi is a driver for the Imperial Japanese Army on Lakanuki Island. He is in charge of the refuelling truck. Always impeccable in his freshly-pressed uniform, he wheels the Isuzu TX-40 around the airfield servicing army and navy planes as they land and take off. Everyone else on the island is dressed in rags and…
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Isuzu TX-40 – Part One – Fuel For The Empire
You never think of the more humble vehicles in war – the dump trucks, re-fuelling trucks, and dustcarts. Yet they were manned by service personnel just as dedicated as the tankers and aircrew they served. I always leap on 1:76 service vehicles when I find them in the hobby shop. This Isuzu showed up at…
The Little World
Close focus on the world of scale models
The Little World 