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Fairey Barracuda Mk II – Part Five – The Whistler
The Fairey Barracuda that I built bears a nose name of ” Hell’s Bells “. Even the FAA has a sense of humour, as well as a considerable mess bill. I call it The Whistler – because of the number of aerials, masts, racks, and protrusions that dot the fuselage and wing. I’m sure they…
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Fairey Barracuda Mk II – Part Four – Dark Slate Grey
The Fleet Air Arm and Coastal Command aircraft in WWII were painted in many cases with Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey on top – and either Sky or White underneath. I find it a particularly attractive combination but have struggled heretofore – the EDSG is easily got in bottles but the Dark…
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Fairey Barracuda Mk II – Part Three – The Skylight
The canopy of the Fairey Barracuda sits over the top of the three crew members as a sort of an afterthought. The design places the two riders so deeply within the fuselage that their chief view of the world is through picture windows set in the side. The vast wing above them shelters the from…
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Fairey Barracuda Mk II – Part Two – Aha, Now I See
I’m starting to appreciate scale model kits more and more these days – particularly the ones where someone makes an effort to put an interior into the makeup. I don’t want a Telford winner cockpit that takes me six months to glue and paint, but the fact that they give me the basics means I…
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Fairey Barracuda Mk II – Part One – The Ugly Duckling
I’m being unfair. I should have written in the plural. Because the British Fleet Air Arm for a long time seems to have been somewhat of a duck farm. Flocks of ’em; Fairey Fulmar and Barracuda, Blackburn Skua and Roc. The Swordfish and Walrus and Stranraer. All were perfectly flyable and in some cases quite…
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The Carpet Monster
My friend Warren refers to the ever-present danger of losing small parts as the attack of the carpet monster. He should know what he’s talking about – he has carpet in his hobby room that has swallowed many a bit. I have a concrete floor in my workshop and a lino one in my computer…
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The Admiration Of Our Peers
There is no greater joy than receiving the genuine admiration of peers – no bitterer gall than perceiving their contempt. And you should be worried about yourself for realising how true this is. I know I’m ashamed of me. I hasten to add that I am speaking only of the scale modelling world. A pastime.…
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To Err Is Human
To sand it flat, re-prime it, and go again is …well, not divine…but better human. Human modeller…specifically one who has matured past the point of throwing the model at the wall and swearing at the family. Not that they don’t deserve it… Your errors need not be those of judgement or malice. You can just…
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Dornier Do.17 E – Part Five – Flying Over Westmünster
The Dornier Do.17 E has been formally taken on charge for the RRAAF. It is out of the paint shop, the log book has been issued, and the first flight over Westmünster has been a success. Peasants stopped in the turnip fields and cheered. The acquisition of this fine bomber was made possible by the…
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Dornier Do.17 E – Part Four – The Special Paint Again
The Dornier Do.17 E was been prepared for the colour coats and I decided to try the pre-shading trick with the black lacquer again. This time I used a gloss paint in much the same way that matt black was used on the Mitsubishi Peggy. I cannot say that the gloss is better than the…
The Little World
Close focus on the world of scale models
The Little World 