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Do Not Tidy Up

Or do tidy up. Choose whichever piece of gratuitous advice you like – the price is the same. There is a danger to the business of tidying up a hobby workshop – you may succeed. Then you have a tidy workshop and nothing actually doing. This is a very sad situation. I’m sitting here on…
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Good Morning Walter – Part 13 – Mellow Yellow

Good Morning, Walter, and welcome to the wonderful world of crazy old Australians with yellow cars. This might not seem to be unusual, but the cars you’ll see here in this report are from the Western Australian Hot Rod Show that we have every year. They are real, but how real and how old can…
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Heavier Than You Need To Make It

And lighter than you can lift… Have a look at the tools in your workshop – whatever your shop produces. It doesn’t matter whether it is turning out toy airplanes or plate armour ( and I know workshops that do just that…), there are tools there that are built like a rolling mill in Henry…
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Canadair Sabre – Part Five – Better Than I Expected

An up and down experience, the Canadair Sabre. As are many aircraft…that’s why they have elevators and engines. The Airfix kit was delightful – the Mr Color paint was not what I wanted…but that was my fault. The clear coatings went very well. The decals were an experience. But the ensemble has come together better…
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Canadair Sabre – Part Four – A Delicate Matter

I am going to broach a delicate subject in a sensitive manner – surely a new thing for me. I normally try to make a point in an argument with a 17 pounder round. I am going to criticize someone for a product I have tried – in the full knowledge that I may be…
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Canadair Sabre – Part Three – Read The Label On The Jar, Dummy…

Observe the heading image. Four pots of Mr. Color lacquer paint. All of them say ” silver ” somewhere on the label. One, however, also says ” trouble “. The saga started when I painted the Airfix Brewster Buffalo earlier in the year. I had two pots of Mr Color Super Silver – No. 159…
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Canadair Sabre – Part Two – Basic Airframe

Well, I will tip my hat to Airfix – this is one lovely build. I am almost going to get away with no putty, and if the Mr. Surfacer can be coaxed to thicken up by letting it evaporate a little, I can paste it on instead. There was only one little bit of fettling…
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Good Morning Walter – Part 12 – Watch The Birdie…

You’re lucky, Walter. You’re young, with good eyes, and small and healthy and can bend down without any of your joints hurting. Us old guys are not so fortunate. When we lean over a lot, it sometimes takes two other people to unfold us. I mention this because I’ve been photographing the scale models in…
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The Modelling Station

I am in constant state of admiration when I see the modelling stations of truly professional scale builders. The green cutting mats, the neat rows of paint bottles, and the tools lined up in order of size and/or political opinion. It just thrills me and makes me want to put on a pair of heavy…

