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The Star-Rangers Ride Again

Or is the Cosmic Commandos? I stopped reading science fiction along about the time I thought about Wernher von Braun bombarding Kent and then working for NASA…and never took it up again. I was content to watch the real space rockets take off on television and just hope that none of his were headed my…
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Inspiration

A wise person takes inspiration from others. Thus, some politicians keep the works of Jesse James, Attila, and Torquemada handy for quick reference. Scale modellers, too, can benefit from contemplating the work of others. This is one of the chief benefits of a scale model show – as well as access to sausages on a…
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The Daily Drivers

At the recent WASMEX scale modelling exhibition there were plenty of fighter planes, battleships, and Grand Prix racers. Even some trains, if you count railway guns and Harry Potter locomotives. And they were all well done and attracted considerable attention. But the ones that really bored into the consciousness were not the exotic wartime subjects…
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I Go To The Show

The annual scale model show got cancelled flat last year and very nearly so again this year. Fortunately we lucked it and got to hold the two-day event in the normal venue. The only restrictions were compulsory mask wearing and keeping a safe distance from each other. And no touching the models. I entered a…
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The Newbie – Part Three – There Is No Such Thing

There is no such thing as: a. A completely accurate model. Do it never so well, there will always be a detractor who will pull up an MAP plan from 1959 to prove that you’ve made a mistake. Don’t try to argue the case as their criticism is not intended to make the model look…
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The Newbie – Part Two – All The Choices!

Discovering a new hobby shop makes you feel like Christopher Columbus. Every aisle is a new land to discover. There are wonders to see. And savage natives. Just kidding – when you have money to spend, the proprietors of the hobby shops are far from savage. They may seem grumpy but if you make the…
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The Newbie – Part One – What Do You Want?

The question of what you want is one that bedevils us all at some stage of the modelling game. It can be as simple as thinking what sort of model – boat, train, car, figure, etc you are attracted to. It can become as complex as a major research project into some specific mark of…
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Douglas Boston MkIII – Part Five – On Ops

Just the one picture of Boston MkIII AL468 in the sunshine – because that was not the place for it. It was after dark when this RCAF intruder did its business under the guidance of Squadron Leader Burton-Giles. He shot down a Ju-88 and earned the swastika mark under the Canadian maple leaf on the…
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Douglas Boston MkIII – Part Four – AK Air

I am hoarding my bottles of AK Air colours for the most important of my Allied builds. This is a foolish mentality, as the paints are still sold by the larger hobby shops in the eastern states…however I am being frugal these days and rationing myself. The business of covering a black-based model is, in…
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Douglas Boston MkIII – Part Three – Black Bottom Baby

And not only black bottomed, but black based as well. I decided that I would be thorough with the Boston. Black basing for the upper structure – though the under surface would be night black and would cancel out any basing. And AK Air real colours for the upper. They spray so well. The black…
