Tag: British
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Short Stirling Mk IV – Part Two – The Experiment
Suggested by an illustration. The WW2 bomber in standard British night bomber colour scheme is a three-coloured beast – coal black undersides and green/brown upper surfaces. But as seen on the Stirling, the black extends a long way up slab sides – and the Stirling has lots of slab to it. The top bit is…
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SE5A – Part Three – The Roundels Wearing An Airplane
The basic structure of the little ESCI kit for the SE5A was rewarding – things fit and lined up. But that did not make the 30-year old decals any better. I tried, folks. I honestly tried. John France saw me trying and lent me some Micro Sol to try and get the things to lay…
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SE5A – Part Two – Plain As A Pikestaff
As admirable as I may find the WW1 British designs for their aircraft – and I do like the SE5A – my admiration doesn’t extend to the War Office and their parsimonious attitude to paint. In short – their aircraft schemes are dull. I have seen some colonial examples that looked sharp, but apparently were…
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RAF BE2c – Part Three – Sky Rocket
Ten of them, to be precise. And probably as likely to set the BE2c alight as to down an enemy zeppelin. I have a weakness for sky rockets on aircraft ever since my Aurora 1:48 scale Nieuport 11 model back in 1957. They seemed such dramatic weapons. I have yet to read an authentic account…
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1932 Chrysler – Part Three – Fenders Or Wings?
Depends which side of the Atlantic or Pacific you are when you’re motoring. I call ’em fenders and British people call them wings – both are just as valid. What gets to be confusing, though, is when the English people start speaking about near-side and off-side wings. Right and left are also good English terms…
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Westland Wallace – Part Three – A Life Of Their Own
Plastic models seem to take on a life of their own. And it may not be what the maker intended. I blame the restless nature of the modeller and the ready availability of the internet to supply pictures and histories. You start out with a bog-standard box designed to do nothing more than attract money…
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Fairey Fulmar – Part Four – Sub-Lt. Chondomley-Smythe
” Sir? ” ” Yes, Sub-Lt.? ” ” Sir, why to the Yanks call us chinless wonders? ” ” Jealousy, Chondomley-Smythe…pure jealousy. They look upon our Fairey Fulmars with a horrible envy while they are forced to fly their F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs. Now glue your oxygen mask on with this surgical plaster and…
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Fairey Fulmar Mk I – Part One – The Easter Airplane
I have no idea why the tradition started in our family, but every Easter I got a model airplane kit. Of course there were chocolate bunnies and candy eggs and the fun of dying hard-boiled real eggs, but the big surprise was to hunt around the living room to see what plane was there. This…
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Boulton Paul Defiant – Part Three – We Appear To Have A Winner
I am always surprised by the end of a build – it seems to come so suddenly. Of course, this is because I have been beavering away in the background doing sub-assemblies while waiting for paint layers to set, and the final clapping on of these portions is quite a quick thing. One moment it…
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX – Part One – So Why This One?
For that matter, why any of them? What’s the factor that impels us to choose one particular plastic model over all the others there in the hobby shop – impels us strongly enough to get us to spend money buying it, and time researching and building it? I think it can be many things: a.…
The Little World 