2020: The year we made models

I realize there was one monumental occurrence in 2020 that maintained the headlines for months and ultimately trickled down and affected pretty much everything we planned or looked forward to in 2020. These lock downs and other measures meant that (depending on location) we could not attend model shows, museums or the hobby shop. Vacations […]

Painting and Weathering Engine Exhausts – Now on YouTube

I’ve uploaded a video with a demonstration of how I paint and weather my propeller engine exhausts. I demonstrated using the supercharger on the 1/48 Tamiya P-38 Lightning. I did not invent this technique! I first read about using thin coats of brown paint to simulate rust in JM Villalba’s FAQ book. I added Tamiya […]

Bargain Adventures!

A natural offshoot of the hobby of building models is the hobby of collecting stashing models. If collecting railroad themed plates, beanie babies or used ‘8 bit’ game systems are considered legitimate hobbies, then I say that maintaining an impressive stash is just as legitimate. It really doesn’t take long for most of us to […]

Earning Your (Modeling) Stripes

When I got back into the hobby my initial goal was to incorporate some new technique, or tool, or anything “new” into each one of my builds. At first it was photoetch, then resin bits, then some basic scratch building. After I got the hang of pre and post shading, I turned my mind towards […]

Fool Me Once

Last year I wrote a post about the expensive kit myth where I compared prices of kits from over 30 years ago. The summary was that the comparison is very difficult because the kits from today are entirely different products from years ago. As a bit of an update, I came across a very interesting […]

Model Airplane Maker on the Plastic Model Mojo Podcast!

I wrote about subject of models and social media a short time ago. Never being one for having the latest tech, I found myself wondering how I was going to get through an 11+ hour drive to WrightCon in the spring of 2019. Then I remembered I had an iPod! I found plenty of podcasts […]

Next Level Builds

Here is where I am: Competent model building and painting and when the stars align, I might get a result worthy of the display case and a competitive contest entry. I can confidently say given enough time and interest in a subject; I can tame almost any kit. Which is a good thing because I […]

Are we builders or finishers?

I have to admit: this post has been one of the harder ones to write (and to find images for). The content is not controversial but I am trying to make a comparison which is difficult to support with data. That said, in no way is this post meant to be a declaration of a […]

Tips and Tricks for Modeling Aircraft Cockpits

Unless you are making a UAV, your model airplane will have a cockpit. After radial engines, cockpits are probably my favorite part of an aircraft build. Today’s kits typically come with excellent detail right out of the box that just need paint. Of course, there is always room for an aftermarket resin set or some […]

Box Art – An Artist’s Perspective

Does Box Art really sell kits? This seems to be one of those logical things we all believe. In my personal experience, I have only bought one kit because of the box art and that was a long time ago. I am much more likely to buy a kit based on the contents of the […]