Tag: frugality
-
I’m Not Fussy
Really I’m not. You would be convinced of this if you saw some of the clothes I wear and some of the people I pal around with. There is a lot of slack there, and most of it is me. And I am getting a lot looser with what I build as a scale modeller.…
-
Shoot Low, Boys.
They’re riding shetlands. The magazines that are published monthly, and bought yearly, all seem to praise extraordinary efforts put into scale kit building. It often involves extraordinary expense as well as inordinate time. The model engineer hobby is the prime example of this; years spent making a workshop – to spend more years making specialized…
-
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 –…
-
Fokker Eindecker – Part One – $ 2.00 special
Those of you who have accused me of being a cheapskate are wrong – dead wrong. I’ll have you know I spent $ 2.00 for this kit and I did not even cry out in pain as I paid. I winced, but it was silent. The box was in a parcel left for sale at…
-
Workshop – Never Throw Nuthin’ Away
In fact, if they have special on nuthin in Bunnings, buy two extra packets. For my overseas readers, Bunnings is an Australian DIY store. It sells everything that the average man or woman needs to get themselves in big trouble in the home workshop. You can buy poisons, sharp knives, and the sort of machinery…
-
S.P. – Part Six – A Dollar
I have never spent my money better. Even if it was only a single coin. The Mirage company may be big or little, but whichever, they make a good product. This unexpected purchase has proved to be successful, and will form the basis of an entire museum. The model is not without flaw. Anyone trying…
-
Samochód Pancerny – Part One – And Now For Something Entirely Different
One day I met a man at a fair and he was selling magic beans… Okay. I confess. I’m bean stalking you. It wasn’t at the fair, it was at the model club. And he wasn’t selling magic beans – he was selling unwanted kits from Poland. A big cardboard box of what may have…
-
Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello – Part One – The RRAAF’s New Poster Plane
Readers of this column who follow the history of the Royal Ruritanian Army Air Force will be long familiar with the history of the service. The training facilities in Alberta, the variegated equipment roster, the bad decisions and worse outcomes…all have been documented. But here is a new chapter of the saga – brought to…
-
Nieuport 17C – Part Three – The Stick
I used to look upon the humble cocktail stick with disdain. No more. I am an eco-friendly convert. I believe the sticks – also known as satay sticks – are made of bamboo. This is an eminently sustainable crop and can be used with no eco-guilt at all. And they are cheap – I do…
-
All These Sprue Trees…
Of which i am collecting more and more each week… What the devil do I do with them? I’ve been in the habit of throwing them into the trash after I finish a build – minus the spare parts, of course. In some instances chopped up as I progress through the box, but in some…
The Little World 