Tag: design
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Renault R-35 – Part Three – Running Gear
There must have been as many designs of tank suspension as there were designers – so few seemed to quite agree with each other. Even when one tank was the norm – like the Sherman – there were a number of suspensions and wheel arrangements This Renault R-35 seems to make use of the squeeze-a-rubber…
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Soviet ZIS-5 – Part Two – The Truck Factory
Well, that’s what it feels like as you sit at your bench with a kit of this type. You are working in the factory. This same feeling was encountered years ago with a 1:24 scale kit of a Bedford fuel tanker made by Emhar. They obviously had an original vehicle to base the model upon,…
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AI And The Scale Modeller – Part One – Write It Down
The brouhaha about AI seems to be heating up, which is fine if you are in Australia in the middle of winter. Frankly, any warmth is welcome. For scale modellers it will make no less of a difference than it will for photographers, gossip column writers, or people who clean drains. We will explore the…
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Tupolev ANT-5 – Part Three – Afterthoughts
I pasted that title on because of the tail of this Soviet fighter plane. Sukhoi did a bang-up job of designing a fuselage for this one – the curved lines of he corrugated metal are superb. The fairings for the Rhone engine are massive, but give the front end a really sleek look. I cannot…
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Vultee Vanguard – Part Four – Mind The Gap
Fitting an eastern European model together is like opening Forrest Gump – you can never tell whether you have a soft centre or not. In the best kits the parts fit, and in the rest they nearly fit. You are fortunate if the gaps are symmetrical and the surfaces parallel. Plastic strip and sheet can…
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Triumph Herald – Part Two – Sending You To Coventry
In this case after the Luftwaffe have long gone. The Triumph Herald is coming along smartly, courtesy of a Covid isolation period. I am in no fear – this is what stashes are for, and like many wise modellers I keep a material and paint stash as well. The weather is cold but as far…
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JS-2 Tank – Part Three – Zvezda Economies
I am still making my mind up about the Zvezda kits. They seem curate’s eggs in many respects, but I have not built enough to be able to judge accurately. My first Russian kit was a MiG 15. It was chosen as the only kit of its type in that shop at that time –…
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Northrop Black Widow – Part Three – Swings And Roundabouts
Every airplane design has compromises and so does every kit. Some are adequately addressed and some are not – what you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts. In the case of the P-61, the twin tail booms made of two pieces each ( double the seams ) mean two chances to get…
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Scale Modelling And Interpretive Dance
Or ” It’s My Party, And I’ll Glue If I Want To. “ A. Are you a bold and original individual? Are you a trend setter? Have some of the trends you’ve set gone off in your face prematurely? Well join the Queens Own Scale Modellers and we’ll make it All Right. The first thing…
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Grigorovich IP-1 – Part Four – The Winter Coat
Part of the appeal of the Grigorovich is the seasonal one…the fact that it’s a winter fighter with skis for landing in the snow. I am not an Australian fan-boy for snow…I passed my childhood in Alberta and I got all the show I needed, thank you. The skis are a novelty, but so is…
The Little World 