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LeO 45 – Part Four – Art Deco Bomber

People who google images of this French early-war bomber may see something stuck underneath it. There is a dust-bin turret that drops down from a position just aft of the cockpit to allow an unfortunate crew member to fire a single short machine gun at attackers under the plane. It is included in the kit,…
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LeO 45 – Part Three – The Unseen Hand

Ooh. Sounds like the title of a Sax Rohmer novel, doesn’t it? Well no, but don’t let me stop you from suspecting villains lurking in the dark. Some of them were responsible for this kit. The idea of masking off the canopy and nose area with the clear plastic parts that would eventually be cemented…
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LeO 45 – Part Two – This Is Fine…

The initial burst of admiration for this Heller kit has been tempered by building it. The wings are on, and at a reasonable dihedral – set by the internal tab on each wing sliding all the way across to the opposite side of the fuselage and locking itself in place. This is admirable. Less so…
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LeO 45 – Part One – The French Fish

This title is prompted by the shape of the Liore et Olivier 45 bomber – the last time you will see the entire name in this report. It is a fish – a codfish or salmon, by the look of it – attached to two streamlined wings, two streamlined nacelles, and two inverted rudders. This…
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Annual?

Should modelling exhibitions be annual things? Or should they be run twice a year…or once every two years? I have seen all these alternatives put into practice in various hobby divisions, as well as the idea of interstate championships for display or operation. There is something to be said for each alternative: a. If you…
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Build What You Know

Not what you don’t. This doesn’t mean you have to restrict your building to domestic objects or your own trade. Scale models of insurance policies are probably exquisite but few people bother to read them in 1:72 scale. You can do anything you like, of course, but you’ll be happier doing something that you understand…
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Forbidden Modelling

What an odd concept. Who can forbid scale modelling? Well, quite a few official bodies, as it happens. Try to fly a model airplane, run an R/C car or boat, or scramble about the local oval with your model tank and see what a squawk it raises. These restrictions multiply when there are clubs and…
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De Havilland 60 G – Part Two – Dry Lander

I’m afraid the idea of an amphibian Moth just didn’t make it – particularly when I saw some internet images of the real thing. There is a 60 flying right now from British fields as a private plane with the same colour scheme and nearly the same registration. And I have ambitions for a British…
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De Havilland 60 G – Part One – Too Long On The Shelf

Actually, too long on several shelves… This model was purchased at my favourite local hobby shop to rescue it from obscurity on the back shelf. It had lain there – along with a number of obscure Soviet experimental and propaganda ships – for as long as I had been going to the place. Finally they…
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North Of The River

Comes south of the river…once a year. I live south of the water…in fact of several waters…and find myself going north at least once a week to participate with the Scale Model Club of Western Australia. We’ve got a wonderful set of club rooms set in a northern recreation park, and every convenience to hand.…
