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I have been modelling since 'Before Plastic' when balsa was the popular material. Thank heavens for modern technology!
My interest is aircraft; preferably 1/48 & 1/32 scale & mostly WWII ,1950's & '60's. I like a challenge & while a perfect kit is always welcome, some are just plain scary with all the intricately engineered parts' provided. It's a relief to get hold of something that requires some ingenuity but is cheap enough so that a mistake is unlikely to cause a financial disaster.

Grumman F9F-8 Cougar.

It's been a very slow start to my modelling year. My own fault as I rarely give in when confronted with a difficult model. My Cougar falls into this category: one of my favourite aircraft, but not the easiest build as far as I am [...]

Special Hobby's Whirlwind in 1/32nd.

I've always had a soft spot for the Westland Whirlwind: whether it's because of the unusual design with its high set tail, or just reading about it in various aircraft recognition books, I don't know. My modelling experience with the type [...]

Hawker Sea Hurricane, in 1/48, by Airfix.

An enjoyable build (for the most part) and one which I will be happy to do again, as I have the standard Hurricane in my stash. Commendable fit except for the interior cockpit framing interfering with the fuselage/ wing joint. Solved by [...]

RAAF Kittyhawk P-40E.

The role of the RAAF Kittyhawks in the defence of Milne Bay in 1942 has been well documented elsewhere & this particular aircraft was in the thick of it with 75 Squadron. Apparently flown for the most part by Flying Officer Geoffrey [...]

Dassault Rafale.

Another pretty French aircraft in my opinion. This is the Hobby Boss 1/48 scale kit, which is labelled as the 'C' model. After studying dozens (hundreds?) of photos on the web I concluded that it was probably one of the early ones as [...]

RAAF Spitfire Vc. 452 Sqn. Northern Territory, Australia, 1943

Having made what seems to be a career out of Spitfires & particularly Vc versions of late, I'm happy to have finished my first Eduard 1/48 Vc kit. All my other efforts for this mark have been mostly kit bashed, with the exception of [...]

Mustang IV. 19 Sqn. RAF. Late 1944.

Being a birthday present, this kit just had to be made carefully & not rushed. Well that certainly was the case here, as it's been on the bench for over twelve months, while I did extensive research. I was put off by the need to do a [...]

de Havilland Venom FB.1 from Classic Airframes.

Classic Airframes' range of 1/48 scale models will be well known to those of us who have a few years "seniority" under their belts. and that includes me... I bought this kit around 20 years ago for the huge sum (then) of $77.95 [...]

Hawker Tempest Mk.V Srs.2 by Eduard.

Having built Special Hobby's big 1/32 Tempest, I thought I'd build its little brother from Eduard in the more manageable 1/48 size. This is the weekend edition & I've chosen the markings for W2oX from 80 Squadron, RAF, 2nd TAF, mainly [...]

RAAF Spitfire Mk.Vc, 54 Squadron, Darwin, Australia.

Special Hobby's 1/48 kit was the only one of this mark available until very recently, when Eduard announced their forthcoming kit. I had already ordered the SH one & since all my previous efforts at a Vc had been kitbashed by various [...]