Faust

That's so awesome! I love the Orao, and I love that people build weird stuff like that. Great job on it too. I do wish they'd do a 1/72 two-seater! Now THAT'S a sexy plane! Great work, and you should be proud!

When it comes to the Cold War, there’s little more iconic, at least in Europe, than the Avro Vulcan bomber. With an advanced design and powerful engines, the Vulcan was the bomber that looked like a space ship and handled like a fighter. I remember seeing it when I was very young at the London (Ontario, Canada) International Airshow. It was amazing then, and it’s still amazing now, even though XH558 is no longer flying. Of course, this symbol of British achievement makes a natural subject for a toy from a top British maker. Dinky thought so too, and thus undertook to develop and se

It's a shame the whole show wasn't animated like the intro! Still, it's a good-looking show, and more entertaining that Votoms or Layzner, both of which have cool mech designs but disappointed in character and story, in my view. I never did get the bigger kits; they were good, eh?

For me, building models is an equal part of artistic expression and attention to detail. It all depends on the kit itself, and how I’m feeling at the time. When it comes to Gundams, though, it’s a toss-up, in most cases, as to whether I’ll build it box-stock or customize it. One thing I do love to do, though, is make non-canonical MSs fit into their respective (although usually it’s the UC) universe! As if reading my mind, Bandai’s excellent “Build Fighters” series kits walk the perfect line between canon and fanciful, and there are many great designs that improve on their origina

An old adage is “If it looks right, it flies right”. This implies that a well-designed, well-flying plane is one that is aerodynamically sound, and that this translates, on some subconscious level, to a perception of beauty. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but by and large it is pretty true. (I think the A-10 is hot, so don’t bring that as a counterexample!) Of course, beautiful planes are one thing, but just like how I like loser cars, I have a thing for making pretty airplanes ugly. I absolutely love it when a plane gets all kinds of lumps and bulges, be it for EW purpos

The BRAT keeps on rolling! Well, not physically, since I haven’t done the wheels and tires yet, but it’s metaphorically well on its way! One part of cars I really like is the interior, and while it’s simple, the old AMT Brat has some nice detailing. The texture of the carpet and the detail on the door panels and seats is great; it’s a bit too bad it isn’t going to be more visible! Still, I’ve had a good time building it, and I’m glad that I cut the bucket separate from the bed. Best move ever. I’ve also got the paint on, and that meant it was time to look at the decals.

The Battle of the BRAT rages on! I’ve been hacking away at the original AMT BRAT for a while now, and am making good progress. Thankfully, the body seems to have the highest number of flaws, since I was able to get the chassis and engine done without major issue. Of course, that doesn’t mean AMT still didn’t find ways to disappoint; that would be unthinkable! From poor location to just plain old forgetting to finish the job, the BRAT has some interesting quicks in its lower half. You can check out the chassis and engine at the link below, and if you’ve got a

If you know me, then you know my thing is weird cars, the everyday and what I call “loser cars”. One of the most recognized, reviled and joked about loser cars of the Automotive Dark Ages was the Ford Pinto. With a reputation for blowing up like a stick of Looney Tunes dynamite and a design that was a weird mix of practical and impractically underpowered and underbuilt, the Pinto has long epitomized how low things could go. It’s no surprise then that I was beside myself with excitement when Round 2 anounced they were going to give us our SECOND Pinto reissue. First, there was the P

Is it funny, or sad? Or is it funny, because it's so sad!? :)

There’s not much more fun than a road trip, unless it’s a road trip that also includes going to Hobby Shops along the way! A couple of weeks ago, my brother and I ended up doing some “hobby shopping” in Michigan, and it was not without considerable success! We managed to find all kinds of old, interesting and (of course!) sad car kits that begged to become part of the stash. Being kind-hearted, we of course took them in! Check out this weird mix of everything from MPC Annuals to JoHan promo-kits at the link below! Don’t forget to vote for your favourite, either!

I do love a good mech, and I have a particular fondness for mech shows and designs from the ‘80s. Even though I didn’t grow up with a lot of mech shows, there’s something about the animes from this time frame that others just don’t have. One thing that was nice is that there weren’t ‘rules’ yet for how a Gundam, or even a non-Gundam should “look”. Before EVA’s “Stringbean Chic” approach, mecha could be chunky and still look cool. A perfect example are the mecha from Metal Armour Dragonar. While they have some Gundam in them, they are just as much equal parts Layzner and there’s a h

Well, it’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally managed to make some headway on the BRAT. I was very excited to get one, since I had turned one down (stupidly) years ago. I think it was a good thing, though, since I’ve built up my skills at cars in the meantime. And let me tell you… boy, do you need to be ready to leverage some skill against this thing! After a lot of work, modifying the body and interior pans, adding, reshaping and scribing parts, the body is pretty much ready for paint! However, it was a long haul. Given that the reissue is due out in a month or so, you can get a p

I have that CRX kit too, I think. The Ballade Sports CR-X1.5, right? What colour was your car? You can't be Hondas for durability, but their high resale after that many miles never ceases to amaze me!

Ooh... I didn't scroll down far enough. Mods: is there any way you can move this for me? I really didn't mean to step on anybody's toes! Thanks!

Thanks, Whiskey. Sorry about putting it here. However, I don't know where it should go. I went to go to the "others" forum, but it was closed, and apparently all the stuff was scattered where it belonged. Problem is, I can't figure out WHERE this thing DOES belong! If anyone knows and can move it, I'm certainly glad for the help!

Anyone who knows me knows I love loser cars. There’s a lot of things that can make a car a loser, though. We know that Pintos explode, and Vegas melt down, Citations fall apart and anything that’s a mid-to-late-70s Ford can slip a gear and run you over in your own driveway. However, there’s more to loserness than just that. For me, a lot of loserness just comes from being no fun. I am someone who likes to drive, and likes to drive cars that are interesting. I have no love of “Soulless personal transport modules” that blandly do little more than move you from point to point. For tha

It’s not just loser cars that I like. I also like loser airplanes. For all the great aircraft that have served the US Navy over the course of its lifetime, there have also been a few… well… flops. The word “flop” really seems appropriate when you consider the Brewster F2A Buffalo. Sure, it was the first USN monoplane, so you have to cut it some slack… but still. I have several 1/72 Buffalos, like the Farpro Japan and ancient Revell. However, it will come as no surprise if you’ve ever visited my site, that I’ve always wanted the Matchbox. It’s been hard to find, and the first time I

One kind of modelling that has always been near and dear to my heart is “What If” stuff. I love project aircraft (particularly Luft ’46, but others too) and weapons of all sorts. Of course, What If can encompass a whole range of things, from Nazi UFOs to simply applying some different markings to a particular vehicle to represent it in an alternative service or capacity in which it was never found. The one kind of What If that’s pretty hard to come by, though, is a “real” What If. In other words, hardware that was developed, but only barely made it into prototype or limited product

I never think I'll leave empty handed, and I don't think I ever will! There's always something interesting there; books, kits, tools... too hard to pass up some of the deals! :)

Wow! Those are some impressive Scammels! See what I mean about the Dinky being a bit short on detail, but definitely good on heft?! I'm shocked there are so many who know the vehicle, actually!

Heck yeah! I'd say half my stash is from vendor rooms. Better than any hobby shop, since they'be usually got the full width and breadth of subjects and ages! Still one of my favourite places!

Man, that's some cruddy paint work! My dad's '76 Torino had to be repainted at least once or twice, I remember. Rusted like it was parked underwater. "Good old days" indeed! Sheesh...

Oh, was that one of the 80-81 T-birds? you know, the weird square ones? I know they weren't very popular for a number of reasons! Even though I'm not a huge truck guy, I do like the old '80s Broncos. Do you remember the colour of the interior on that one?

There’s nothing like a good Model Show vendor’s area to separate my money from my wallet! Last weekend (March 23) was the HeritageCon 13 in Hamilton, Ontario’s Warplane Heritage Museum. This is a great show, and there were lots of vendors there plying their wares. Of course, I managed to find the real treasures! Matchboxes and Snap Fit ‘80s trucks among others were filling my trunk on the way home. Check out my weekend’s take below, and try not to be too jealous! There’s a poll, to as to which one is your favourite. I might review the winner sooner than the others, so

Nice! You sure did a lot of work on it! That kinda scares me, but hey.... what can you expect from an Mbox!? Congrats to making it to the end! :)