-
Catalina Mk IVB – Part One – The Legacy Sale
The thought of buying legacy models is somewhat bittersweet. It always means that someone’s dreams were not fulfilled. It can also be rendered more awkward if those dreams were started, rather than just in anticipation. I mean, of course, the kit that has been started. Fate’s led to its abandonment and if you take it…
-
The Scale Model Show – Part Two
What do you show of yourself when you make a tabletop display for the big local scale model exhibition? I don’t mean what model do you show – that’ll either be something you’ve slaved on for the last year or something you made aeons ago. I mean what are you selling when you are not…
-
It’s Showtime, Folks! – Part One
I can never free myself from the image of Michael Keaton in ” Beetlejuice ” delivering that line. I use it whenever something is about to start – whether it is a big local scale modelling exhibition or a simple autopsy. Hand me the saw and stand back. This year’s BLSME in Perth was announced…
-
“I’m Doing This To Educate The Public”
Horse shit. You’re doing whatever you’re doing for yourself. To have fun, hopefully – but you are trying to justify the expense and the time by making it seem altruistic. Just come out and admit you’re doing it for you, and we’ll be happy – for you. I’ve encountered this porky in any number of…
-
Polikarpov I-16 – Part Three – ¡Vistoso!
I am charmed with the way the Academy 1:48 model of the Polikarpov allows more space for decoration. Not a lot more – this is a small aircraft – but at least 1 .5 X the surface area to paint. The Spanish Republicans seem to have had a number of schemes – they were not…
-
Polikarpov I-16 – Part Two – Dia uno
First club day working on the Academy Polikarpov and the job is flying along! There are fewer parts to this aircraft than the ICM 1:72 version but the contours are much the same. It is odd to find such a large scale ( for me ) with so little cockpit detail. But then again, so…
-
Polikarpov I-16 – Part One – ¡Hola!
We are about to embark upon a Spanish adventure – and in an unfamiliar scale. I have already produced some aircraft in 1:72 from the period of the Spanish Civil War – an Antonov, a Potez, and a Dewoitine – all in Republican colours. I have also built a Polikarpov I-16 in 1:72 scale –…
-
Sprue Goo For The Win
Call it what you like – the mixture of styrene chips and solvent is becoming the universal tool for my modelling. Not every kit fits well. Some barely meet where they touch. You can discover sinkholes, cracks, gaps and yawning gulfs. This is where the sprue goo comes in. The joy of it is it…
-
The Dead Ghost Of Habit
How many of the daily routines that fence your life are done out of necessity? How many out of enthusiasm? And how many are pure habit? All the way from eating and sleeping through cleanliness and exercise, we can have good habits or bad ones. In many cases we cannot tell the one from the…
-
German General Service Truck – Part Three – Ruritanian Trucking Service
Yes, this ex-Wehrmacht vehicle is heading for Strelsau and a private owner. The final fit of the cab was a little fraught, but if you can accept the overhang above the clear windscreen – and I can – it is a perfectly good medium truck. There is likely to be an alternative cab version in…
The Little World
Close focus on the world of scale models
The Little World 