By the time the USN and the Marines sailed up to and flew over Okinawa, they had pretty much solved everything there was to be solved in terms of aviation in the Second World War. The Marianas, the Philippines… all that was behind them. By this point in the war, carriers carried fewer Dauntlesses and Helldivers because there were less ships to sink. Instead, they loaded the decks and hangars with Hellcats and Corsairs and hundreds of fully trained and battle-tested pilots ready to annihilate anything that moved. And then there was Okinawa. This was the final campaign of the Pacific War. But th ..read more

A few months ago, Stirlingkit gave me this 1/20 scale working jet engine and I had a blast building it. And the best part? It actually worked when I flipped the switch! Well now Stirlingkit has returned and we are partnering to give away one free kit of this working engine. The contest runs between April 5 and April 12, 2024 and the winner will be determined by random draw. To enter the draw you must do 3 things: Follow Stirlingkit’s page on Facebook; Join the Model Airplane Makers Facebook group; and Like and Comment on the ‘Giveaway’ post in the Model Airplane Maker Facebook group. If you ..read more

This was my third straight year since the show resumed in 2022. And I tell you, it just seems to get bigger and bigger. More vendors, more models, more space… All good things. It is also the first model show on the calendar and, well, maybe its me but I think the sun and warmer weather put some spring in everyone’s step. I spent a considerable amount of time catching up with my scale model-building buddies from across the province. And do you know something? The more I get to know all of these characters, the more I like them. Go figure. I caught up with my friends at the Scale Model Podcast w ..read more

The original scale modeling podcast, On the Bench or OTB, still creates excellent content with its classic lineup. I started listening to these guys on the first leg of an 11-hour drive to a scale model show in Dayton Ohio. Wow, that was some 6 years ago…. It almost seems like a different world and a different time. Those 11 hours melted away while I was listening to these guys discuss every aspect of this hobby of ours. Along with some hilarity peppered in now and then! Having recently used one of their discussions to illustrate an example in the previous blog post, the OTB boys kindly invite ..read more

Failure David over at DB Scale Model Studio wrote up a nice piece that nicely sums up an issue that has plagued some modelers at one point or another: the fear of failure. David goes on to describe a series of partially completed kits and the reasons why the builds stalled (spoiler alert: a fear of failure!) But most importantly, he comes to the right conclusion and rethinks the fear of failure. It is all about the journey and learning from these kits. All in all, it is well worth the read. I think the fear of failure can manifest itself in other ways aside from the accumulation of shelf que ..read more

I always figured the base was just a means to highlight the model. I never paid much attention to them. However, I’ve had a moment of clarity. You see, I’ve come to realize that, much like an oversized belt buckle on dark blue jeans, a pinky ring with a pinstriped suit, or a fist-sized medallion dangling within an open collar… a well-executed model base is the best way to complete the look of a model.  Oh, I’ve made basic bases before. The reason they were basic, you ask? Well, I was lazy and I didn’t want to spend hours super-detailing them. Not that I knew how. I also feared that such a bas ..read more

The holidays have been somewhat low-key this year. Just the way I like them. Oh sure, I like a big turkey dinner as much as the next guy. But I really enjoy life on the slow-speed setting for a few days. Of course, this gives me time to think. And this time of year I always think of what sort of kits I’d like to buy and build. I had a reasonable wish list last year. And you know something? A lot of them came true! There was a new tool F4U Corsair that Magic Factory brought us this past fall. I asked for Japanese twins and ICM delivered! I also asked for a late variant U-2 which Hobby Boss has ..read more

I’ve written about model bases a few times. In an early post, I discussed the various kinds of bases to place under airplane models. Later on, I had a thing for round bases and shared an experiment with a simple scenic base on a dollar store clock.  I’ve been to many model shows and contests. I’ve seen many displays, social media posts, and videos. And do you know what? I still believe models, including model airplanes, look better when displayed on some sort of base.  It is a delicate balance though. The base needs to complement but not overshadow the model. I like to think of them like a fra ..read more

At the beginning of 2023 I had a pretty clear idea of how the year was going to go. I had my resolutions. I had my spring and summer plans. I had by paddle plans and I had my hobby plans. Yup – plans plans plans. I was going to build at least 200 models, each would be world renowned for their beauty and creativity. Oh, and plenty of build videos would have been completed and uploaded too. One might have been nominated for a Palme D’Or. I tell you, I had 2023 planned to a tee! But then in February, an opportunity came along and I finally took it. On the one hand, we got to move into a nice plac ..read more

I have been asking for a new Corsair for some time now….I’ve been asking for a while…. over and over. I was always ignored. I threw another Hail Mary earlier this year, I figured why not. You don’t get what you don’t ask for, right? Well, guess what? Someone made me a brand new Corsair in 48th scale in 2023. And wouldn’t you know? I got my hands on one this week: To be honest, I have no experience with Magic Factory nor do I know whether their kits go together smoothly or if they have to be coaxed to completion. I have been building the Tamiya Corsair regularly since I got back into the hobby ..read more