Tales from the North pole

Well of course it isn't really the North Pole, it just feels like it. But the Arctic conditions on the outside have not interfered with the Christmas cheer on the inside. And I have enjoyed not just seasonal jollifications but also those of the plastic variety.

To illustrate this, here are some views of the North Pole (our street and back garden)

And here are some views of the inside fun. This is the recently completed A-7E Corsair in 1/32 scale.


An ongoing project is this 1/48 A6M7 Reppu 'Sam' from Fine Molds, currently drying after its coat of primer. More on this one later too.



Right now though, there are parts of me I must press against a warm radiator.

Taking Shape: the A-7E in 1/32

One of the things I enjoy about working in this scale is its relaxed nature. With so many parts and options, the builder can slow down and gradually build the model up.

I still have the copy of SAMI magazine (Vol 12 Issue 7) in which builder David Francis illustrates a bang up job of the kit. He added resin parts but I don't think it's necessary. This build is straight out of the box - always a good test of the build when you don't feel you need after- market parts to make a lovely job. These days especially, new toolings are so well-detailed, it seems a shame to discard them.

All went smoothly. The only real difficulty I had was jockeying the fuselage halves together around the cockpit and the intake trunking. You have to get all the little tabs in all the right slots for a good line up.


The trunking has a large tab that slots into the nose cone. I did this last and used a little cyano.
Getting it all together was tricky, needing at least three hands. Once in position the fuselage fitted together very well, needing only a little filler. I added weight to the fuselage to ensure a three point sit. The wing section fits 'saddle' fashion and wanted a bit of maneuvering to achieve a flush fit. With that section fitted that was the main assembly sorted. Apart from some odds and ends, the build is now ready for undercoat.

The kit is no Tamiya, but it's by no means a poor relative. There are no real hitches, just challenges - the heart of the hobby. To paraphrase Bones McCoy, I'm a modeller not a kit assembler!

Size isn't everything Pt 2

People say that until they actually see the size. Not that the Vought A-7 is a huge aircraft, even in 1/32 scale such as this one. But it certainly has a presence. Trumpeter issued the Vought A-7E Corsair back in 2005. Although it was a confirmed favourite of mine, I had not had a chance to build it until now.

When the box arrived ( a BIG box) it wasn't the scale of the parts I enjoyed so much as the sheer number of them. And the ordnance! It comprises a pair of fuel tanks, 2 GBU-8, 2 GBU-10, 2 AGM-6, 12 Mk 82 retarded, 12 MK 82 slicks, 6 M117 and a pair of side winders. Oh yes, and a FLIR pod. Here's a photo of the entire haul in case I missed anything.


It's gone very well so far. I've spent around ten hours to achieve what you see here. The painting process is about to begin. Of course, there'll be more photos of this through to its conclusion.