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I am the father of 20-year-old triplets and a retired Licensed Professional Geologist. My favorite subjects are Spitfires, Seafires, Allison-powered Mustangs, Harriers, and Zippers (F-104s) but I have been known to tackle esoteric.subject (such as the P-66 and CW-21B) at times. My first model was the old Monogram F-105 which ejected the pilot and dropped a bomb. After the Thud there was no stopping me until I discovered girls and cars. Living here in central Florida I am in driving distance of three aviation museums and I enjoy the sound of Packard Merlins from "Stallion 51" ( a P-51 school) and round motors from a variety of aircraft based at the Kissimmee Airport every day.

The Airfix Spitfire Vb

Hi Al! There are volumes and volumes written on the Supermarine Spitfire. So I will leave the history to be written by those who know more than I. The subject of this post is the Airfix Spitfire VB in 1/72nd scale. It was first released in [...]

A Novo (Frog) Canberra

Hi All! We all have a shelf of doom. How long has the oldest member of your shelf of doom been there? Well, this Novo re-pop of a Frog Canberra B(I).8 sat on mine for at least 23 years ( you need to “age” kits for a while!). Frustrated [...]

Frog Buccaneer

Hi All! The Blackburn Buccaneer was designed to a Royal Navy specification for an all-weather strike aircraft. First fitted with Rolls-Royce Gyron Junior engines, the Buccaneer was soon found to be underpowered. Refitted with Rolls-Royce [...]

Frog Hunter FGA.10

Hi All! The Hawker Hunter has been well represented in 1/72nd scale, from Frog's F.1 from 1955 to Revell's F.6 from 2008. This posting is about Frog's FGA.9 from 1974. The kit is a product of its time, with a sparse cockpit, no wheel [...]

Matchbox Mirage IIIB

Hi All! Matchbox. Most modelers think of overly simple, basic kits that lack detailing and often have “trenches” for panel lines. But to judge Matchbox kits, one must remember why they were made. I remember reading an interview by the [...]

Airfix Desert Storm Harrier

Hi All! Whatever the reason, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and I am sure he did not expect the results of his actions. President Bush assembled an international coalition to force Iraq out of Kuwait. The operation was “Desert Storm”. [...]

Falkland Islands Conflict Harrier GR.3

Hi All! In the early 1980s, the Argentine Junta looked for a way to divert the populace's attention from the economic woes and the secret war against the population. The Junta focused on the Falklands and South Georgia Island. It was [...]

Royal Thai Navy Harrier

Hi All! My fascination with the Harrier began when I saw a Marine Corps AV-8A at the annual Memorial Day Airshow at Lakehurst NAS in Lakehurst, NJ. It rose vertically, flew backward, spun around, and then climbed away at a steep angle. [...]

Part 3 of the Hasegawa Harrier Trilogy

Hi All! At the 2024 Modelpalooza Show here in Orlando, FL. I managed to acquire several Hasegawa Gen 2 Harriers, two AV-8B+ and an AV-8B. This build is of one of the AV-8B+ Harriers. I decided on an Italian AV-8B+, as I have built the [...]

Hasegawa Harriers-Part 2 Spanish Navy EAV-8B

Hi All! Here is the latest chapter of my fight with Hasegawa Harriers. This time it is an AV-8B built as an EAV-8B Matador of the Spanish Navy. At the 2024 Modelpalooza Show here in Orlando, FL., I acquired several Hasegawa Gen 2 aircraft, [...]