Tag: Airfix
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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…
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Nakajima ‘ Kate ‘ – Part Two – Realistic Manufacture
The new Airfix model kit is sitting drying in the warm workshop as I write. I’ve done the washing of the parts, scanned the decal sheet and instructions, and done a preliminary check of the parts. I’m delighted with what I’ve found. Or not found…no polyurethane blocks with miniscule parts to be sawn free and…
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Too Much Of A Good Thing
Waterslide decals were the wonder of my childhood. I only encountered them in the model kits I built, and since these were kits in the 1950’s, they weren’t all that good. They were yellowed, cracked, thick, lumpy, and inaccurate. They had margins that looked like stranded jellyfish. They took about a half hour to soak…
The Little World 