There are some facts that may have been solid and widely acknowledged for most of my lifetime, but, for whatever reason, have become forgotten or less believed over time. Off the top of my head we have: Pluto (as a planet), the moon landings, and the earth being spherical in shape. Coupled with those apparently... Continue Reading →
I Can’t Group Build
I think I am missing a muscle....maybe a gene? See, I finish every model I start. Ok, maybe I have to dial that one back a little. I swear I finish well over 90% of the models that I start. I only have a couple shelf queens. And yeah, a couple of them have been... Continue Reading →
Pencils…. who knew?
The first model I made when I came back to the hobby was, of course, the 48th scale Tamiya F4U-1A in the tri-colour finish. And I was all about experimenting with that one. I did exhaust staining, oil staining, fuel staining.... And I tried adding chipping. I think I read somewhere that people added chipping... Continue Reading →
A Simple Way To Paint Bare Metal Airplanes
Can there be such a thing?? Well, yes.... kinda. I mean, you'll never get away from having to carefully prepare your painting surface. And yes, that takes time and patience. However, many strategies for painting bare metal involve the use of delicate and, dare I say flimsy paint. As well as a process that requires... Continue Reading →
1/48 Testors F-19: The Game Changer
"STEALTH!" was one of those things that captured the collective imagination. I certainly can't think of another time when esoteric aircraft technology was part of the culture. Maybe when Lindberg crossed the Atlantic? Maybe the advent of the jet engine? I don't know, I wasn't around then. But I was around when 'Stealth' became a... Continue Reading →
Easy Perfect Wheels
There are exactly 32 ways to paint airplane wheels. But they generally fall into broad 2 categories: Mask and Spray; or Eyeballing it with a brush. I mask when the situation calls for it but I get perfect results with this method of painting by hand. You only need 3 things: Acrylic paints such as... Continue Reading →
1/48 Arma Hobby P-39 Airacobra: The fighter that fell from the ugly tree
TL;DR: A challenging build but it paints up well and I had fun weathering it; build video link When it comes to popular model subjects for airplanes, you have the Spitfires, the Mustangs, the Zeroes and the 109s. On the other end of the spectrum you'll find things like, oh I don't know, Cessna 150s,... Continue Reading →
What happened to the Wowee?
How often have you seen any of these: A modeler with a parking lot of abandoned half-built kits on the shelf; A modeler who is always shifting gears and often buys armfuls of kits in a different category, or scale, or, a completely different scale modeling subject; or A modeler who constantly buys every new-fangled... Continue Reading →
Top 5 Desired Model Kits for 2025
Wow did 2024 ever pass by in a hurry. I swear I was writing one of these not so long ago. They say time flies when you are busy and this year I certainly was. Not so much on the hobby front, mind you. No, it was various home projects, work, courses, and that so-called... Continue Reading →
A Working Radial Engine
I may have started out building jets, and occasionally I still do. But I like my big honkin' radial-engined airplanes. Because making these engines pop is my favorite part of the build. So, when Enginekitor approached me with their all metal 5 Cylinder working engine, I just had to say YES! And I am glad... Continue Reading →
