The Expensive Model Kit Myth

One of the repeating things you hear in hobby circles is that the price of models today is out of line with the prices of years ago. There are several variations of this theme: Today’s manufacturers are pricing themselves out of the hobby Kits are too expensive for kids Models cost a lot more today […]

The Parrot is not a Rivet Counter.

Way back in my university days I played sports with a guy who considered himself very smart. His was a mind chock full of trivia and he could recall all of it at any time. When asked an obscure fact about some pop culture item, he could reply instantly. Sports? He knew that stuff cold. Entertainment, Pop-History, […]

The Torcan 2019 Show Report

Held on May 25, 2019 at the Century Gardens Recreation Centre in Brampton Ontario, Torcan is the annual scale model show and contest hosted by the Peel Scale Modelers. And I finally made it to a Torcan. I say that because for the longest time there was no Torcan. I am not sure why it […]

Stall Warning

The dreaded shelf queen. I’ve written about what to do with models that end up half built on a shelf. I’m now thinking about what causes the stall. I have some thoughts about that. But let’s start with my biggest stall yet: The HK B-17G. It started out great – the model was big and […]

Back to Base-ics

I have written previously about model bases for aircraft. I am still toying with the idea about designing and building bases that include graphics and information but in the meantime I decided to experiment with some round bases with some basic ground cover. There are a few options for round bases. One is a milled […]

1/48 Fine Molds Ki-15 Kamikaze (Babs)

I have always liked the look of golden age aircraft. The more streamlined the better. Something about polished metal, wheel pants and big engine cowlings. Aviation technology was changing so rapidly between the wars and it seemed as though every new model broke some sort of record. First flying in May of 1936, the […]

A Visit to the United States Airforce Museum

If Dayton isn’t the birthplace of aviation, it is certainly the nursery. The Wright brothers developed their 1903 flyer in Dayton and continued flying in Dayton between 1904 and 1910. The US Army also conducted its own early flying at nearby McCook Field during and after World War I. Its fitting that the USAF chose […]

2019 WrightCon Show

Dayton Ohio: Birthplace of aviation; home of the USAF museum and on the weekend of April 5-6 2019, the location of WrightCon, an IPMS Region IV show. Yes, Dayton is a bit of a hike for me, but given the fact that the USAF Museum is was on my bucket list, I had some annual […]

Whether to Weather?

Tough question. If there is a trend in the hobby related to finishing models, I’d say we are definitely in the weathering era. We are way past basic drybrushing, oil pin washes and pastel powders on our models. There has never been a time when so many purpose designed weathering products have been available. Moreover and […]

1/48 Tamiya G4M1 Betty – A Rescue Build

Ever take over a model and rescue it? I bought this one started from a friend who lost track of how he acquired it. My guess is that it was part of a collection of models he picked up as an IPMS club president. I generally shy away from these projects because there is usually […]