The Last Post

News may have already reached you, but it is with considerable sadness that I must announce on here the death of my beloved husband Philip Goodier.

He had been ill for some time, having been diagnosed with a very unusual cancer in 2010.  Treatment had held it at bay, and Phil was not one to moan - he preferred to get on with the building, and the painting, and the living of life.

This year he began to deteriorate a little, but more nuclear therapy seemed to help.  But by Easter it was clear he was losing the battle.  The last two weeks of his life were something no-one should have to experience.  He died on the morning of Sunday, May 18th in the arms of his family, and we are relieved that he is at peace now.

There is outstanding work, which will be sorted in due course.  In the meantime, all we have is memories, and the pieces of work he left behind here at home and in other homes and museums all over the world.  He will never be forgotten.

Kim Goodier

Busman's Holiday?

I'm currently building a few large and complex projects.

The Javelin from Airfix is without doubt a terrific kit.  The detail of the parts is excellent and it's a model that many builders have been keenly awaiting.   I'm also well on with a 1/24 Airfix Mosquito, which has  been one step forward and two back, and now needs a new undercarriage in metal to support it.

 Getting both of these to the stage you see in the photos has taken plenty of time.   In between, to keep me going, I like to relax with something a little faster-moving.  Enter.....another Airfix kit.  They're doing well these days aren't they?  This little Vampire is quite toothsome - nice detail, good fit, lovely decals, started and finished in under a week.

Now I'm ready to move the bigger builds along.  Metal Mosquito legs have arrived, Javelin is almost complete.  There's a lot to be said for the busman's holiday.

1/72 Scale Re-discovered

For years I always thought of 1/72 scale as something other builders modelled in - I couldn't see what it had to offer me.  I prize accuracy and authenticity and felt the little models couldn't give me what I sought.

Lately though I've had good reason to reverse my views.  Tempted by a very attractive kit, I built an Italeri Wessex helicopter.  The quality of the mouldings and the detail were amazing and quite unexpected.  Since then I've got carried away and built Italeri's Whirlwind helicopter and their Kamov Ka 52 attack helicopter and  their Flying Banana.  There was no stopping me now.  From there I built Revell's Me 1099, Hasegawa's B-25J attack bomber and Revell's F-89 Scorpion.  All superb kits from which I obtained frankly thrilling results.  A lesson learned which just goes to prove that modellers can always expand their repertoire and reach new levels of enjoyment by keeping an open mind.

I'm still a big fan of 1/32 and 1/48 scale kits, but it seems that size is not, after all, everything.

Dedicated to our friends, Alan and Penny Haworth.