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I'm a science educator, a Brit from London living in Queensland, Australia, with my wife and 2 sons. Dad taught me about WW2. He was 13 at the start of the war in Europe and made it into the Merchant Navy in '43. My uncle Artie was on HMS Ark Royal for the hunting of The Bismarck and when she was torpedoed herself in '41. Both outlasted the war. I built models with my dad in the mid-70s and early 80s. I finally made it back to the hobby in 2016. My 5-year-old has just built his first model - a Red Arrows Hawk. The cycle continues!

Pacific Airshow, Gold Coast, Australia 2024

Last Weekend the Pacific Airshow came to my hometown. A mix of warbirds, aerobatics and the latest tech. No descriptions - you'll know what these are I'm sure. Except maybe the Yak 110 - two Yak 55s joined together with a GE J-85 Jet [...]

Invasion Stripes: Commemorating D-Day with 'Flight 19'

With the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy landings and the campaign that followed upon us, a small group of iModelers who now stay in regular contact outside of the site set up a group build to depict ‘Invasion Stripes’. This pays [...]

Invasion Stripes: Airspeed AS.51 Horsa, Bronco Models 1/35 – 'Churchill's Reply', Operation Mallard, Normandy 1944.

Historically Hengist and Horsa were Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their supposed invasion of Britain in the 5th century. In 1944 the ‘first boots on the ground’ on D-Day at 00:11 were carried by [...]

Invasion Stripes: Williams Villian, Mustang P-51D 352nd Fighter Group, Tamiya 1/48

It is always fairly difficult to find operations and tasking for individual aircraft. It is fair to say that The Blue Nosed ‘Basterds’ of Bodney were huge players over Normandy in 1944 and then beyond. June 1st to 5th The 352nd Fighter [...]

Review: Kotare Models 1/32 Spitfire Mk1a Mid productionFirst look

This lovely looking thing arrived from NZ in the week. I’m not going to say too much. I’m impressed by the quality. The instructions are exactly the same as a WNW booklet but then again that company probably produced the best [...]

Review: Arrival from Ukraineproper plane props and hubs 1/32

About a year ago I ordered some carved wooden propellers from Proper Plane, AKA Alexey Belov, who is based in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. I expected nothing in return for my order and told Alexey so. He is however a man true to his craft [...]

Doodlebug! Takom 1/35 V1 Flying Bomb

In 1939 the families of London were given the option of sending their children to the country to avoid predicted raids by Luftwaffe bombers. Many returned before the Blitz when 'the phoney war' played out as a hiatus before the conflict [...]

On This Day: Battle of Midway 80th Anniversary, SBD-2 Dauntless, Academy 1/48

On this day, 80 years ago World War 2 turned thanks to the bravery of the aviators of the Pacific Fleet. 80 years ago today The Battle of Midway, which would reverse the fortunes of those at Pearl Harbor, began. The SBD-2 dive bomber [...]

Seafire Mk III, Special Hobby, 1/48: last dogfight of the World War 2 'First and Last' Project.

This is my third build on the theme of 'First and Last'. This ‘First and Last’ build features the last day of the second world war, the 15 of August 1945, and the last recorded dogfight in the Pacific theatre. It is an oft told story, [...]

Matilda Tank 'Red Army' Tamiya 1/35 'First and Last' Project

In June 1941, as all on here will know, Germany declared war on Russia commencing its invasion under the codename 'Operation Barbarossa'. According to encyclopaedia Britannica: "The invasion of the Soviet Union was originally given [...]