Paul Wagner

Anyone know where I might find one? I know its a few years OOP, but I'd have thought there'd still be a few around in the back of various shops, but my extensive internet searches have come up empty... Paul

I'm after the Indonesian decals from the AZ Mig 17PF (1/72) kit. I've got lots of migs and don't want to buy a whole extra kit, so I'm hoping someone has this edition, and hasn't or won't use the Indonesian AF ones...??? Paul

I have used both spray-on and paint-on decal film, and its worked well. Spray is obviously easier. But you need to cut closely around the decals afterwards, as it turns it into one big sheet. If the decals are yellowed from age, a good trick is to put them in a clear plastic bag and tape them to a window, and let the sun bleach the yellow away. Takes a week or so (depending on how sunny it is where you live) but again works excellently. Paul

Very inspirational

That could do, yes if I can find one. Looks like I'm stalking ebay until either that, or the Aurora kit, appears then....! Paul

Really? I did not know that. Pretty industrial looking whaler (!) - I was hoping for something with sails! Paul

Yes but nothing approaching the right scale - all too little.... Paul

All very nice - but doesn't help me, I need a kit (I'm also planning on including a whale!)

I have a hankering to do a whaling scene, but being vaguely fussy about scale I'd like it to be somewhere up around OO/HO and 1/72 (that way I can get lots of little figures involved). But what kit would be appropriate? Someone suggested an Aurora "Wandering Whaler" but I can't find one... Any suggestions? Paul

Non acetone nail polish remover. Cheap as chips at chemists. Mind you, I don't soak entire kits in the stuff, I strip it off manually, but it's great for touch up jobs.... Paul

I tracked down a Sulaco and a Drop Ship many years ago, before the money got really silly, but keep an eye on the auction and second hand sites, you never know your luck! There is also a couple of resin 1/72 APC's designed to go with the Drop Ship that are fun and still in production... Paul

I've come across a 1/72 Columbia kit from what (I guess) is a Polish company - usefully called "Hobby Model". I can only assume it's some kind of rebox of either the Monogram or Revell ones. Does anyone know anything about it? If it is in any way decent it's certainly good value! Paul

Yes, but with no way of getting a New Style Rondel I had to make do with a modified Old One, and it was the only way to get it to fit. But in Whiffworld there are any number of plausible explanations Paul

So, about a month ago I’m looking at my Gerry Anderson shelf, particularly at the conspicuously bare spot I had reserved for something to make the collection complete – the White Falcon from New Captain Scarlet. In a fit of madness, I put aside my ongoing battle with the Airfix Harrier squadron and decided to scratch-build a White Falcon. I had some reasonable plans from the internet, which I blew up to a good 1/72 scale, plus a little Corgi diecast Falcon to aid in constructing it. I considered many kits for the basis around which to build it – Rafale, Grippen, Typhoon, even thought seriously of cutting up a super-rare Monogram F-19, which seemed to have the right kind of intakes. In the end, however, I sacrificed an F-16XL kit. To start with, I had to slit the rear fuselage, cut out some darts, and crush it in a vice to get the back half of the plane flat. This was fine for the upper fuselage, but the crushing of the lower fuselage pulled the lower half of the wings in, so they didn’t fit the upper wings, to I had to split them from the body, spread them out again, and putty up the gap, and…well, you can tell I didn’t really have a plan as such! It’s Art, not Science I’ve included some photos of it pre-painting, to give you an idea of what a dogs-breakfast of putty, spare bits and plastic card it really is! IMG_0904 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0905 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0908 by puddingisacat, on Flickr The canopy is from a Typhoon, the distinctive hump-back from some carefully moulded droptanks. The hardest bit was the nose, which is a very unique shape and was assembled out of a strange little droptank, part of a Mirage nose, and lots of putty and sanding. Then I sprayed it with Mr Surfacer (and sanded it, and sprayed it with Mr Surfacer, and sanded it, etc, etc) then sprayed it black….. IMG_0913 by puddingisacat, on Flickr ….then white…. IMG_0914 by puddingisacat, on Flickr …and – TA DA! Here is the result! I don’t usually do shiny planes – much prefer dullcote – but the gloss just looked right here: IMG_0940 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0955 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0949 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0946 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0943 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0942 by puddingisacat, on Flickr IMG_0941 by puddingisacat, on Flickr So how did I do? Thus completes a major work! If you would like to see the full collection in my little pan-Gerry-Anderson-Universe backstory, it is here: http://galloglaigh.blogspot.com.au/ Paul

So I'm making an Airfix GR5/7, and one of the stores is not in my instructions. It looks kinda like 2 gun pods stuck together with extra fins. It definitely fits under the fuselage where the guns go. What the hell is it? photo-1 by puddingisacat, on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/34860818@N06/12529375814/ Paul