Tag: Airfix
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part One – At Last!
As a child in the 1950’s and a young man in the 60’s I was always frustrated. Not about school or friends or money or sex…these problems tended to sort themselves out. I was frustrated that I could never get an Airfix model of a Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72 scale. It was not that…
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX – Part Three – A Spiffing Spitty
There really should not be any basic problem with an Airfix kit – even the historic ones with their rivets and misshapen crew members are moulded to eventually yield a representation of whatever is on the front of the box. If you are diligent you can end up with just this. It may have some…
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The Speed Build – Good Or Bad?
As a kid I was always trying for more models to build. But as a kid I was money-limited – so what I could afford had to fill in the long dry stretches between Christmas, birthday, or other gift-giving occasions. If a relative tuned nasty and presented me with socks…or a card with their best…
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Bristol/Fairchild Bolingbroke – Part One – Mark Another One Up
I knew this was going to happen, but I didn’t know it was going to be so soon. I am repeating a build. No. I am repeating a build to a certain extent. I am doing what the prototype manufacturers and the air forces did – making the aircraft that developed from an earlier mark. In…
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Packaging Part One – The Gallery Of The Shelf
I go to art galleries in the various capital cities I visit on a regular basis. Some, like the NGV in Melbourne or the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney get a visit whenever I’m in town. Others, like the various modern art galleries or smaller dealer’s galleries might get a hit every two or…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part Two – Yes, I Have…
I knew this was going to happen. When I saw the dented box I knew it was a sign… The HP Hampden – destined to become the star of RCAF Doukh Inlet – turns out to be a 1960’s kit. No shame in that – I built kits in the 1960’s and I still turned…
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Handley Page Hampden – Part One – Have I Bought A Dud?
Normally, I am a pretty careful shopper. Whether it is in the car lot or the supermarket, you can find me squeezing, sniffing, and licking. The only time it seems to cause a problem is in the striptease nightclub. But I have a feeling I should have been a little more circumspect in the hobby shop when…
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Stand Up! Sit Down! Rah Rah Rah!
What was the most common thing about plastic model kits in the 1950’s? The size? The subjects? The colour of the plastic? No. The most common thing was that every model had a stand of some sort. From the grey plastic trapezoids that went under the Revell USS MISSOURI to the two-peg block that underpinned…
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Nakajima ‘ Kate ‘ – Part Seven – One From Column A And One from Column B…
I’m never completely prepared for the end of a build. Whether it is a 1:18th scale post office or the newest of the 1:72nd scale aircraft, the final touches seem to sneak up on me. I just put down the brush or the knife and then…realise that I should not pick it up again. I’ve…
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Nakajima ‘ Kate ‘ – Part Three – The Sub-Assembly
I once wrote that there are always some areas of model building that are a chore – something we approach with a groan and leave with a cheer. And it’s different for each modeller. Well, the same applies to certain stages that are a real pleasure. Oddly enough, for me it is completing sub-assemblies. It’s…
The Little World 