Brian's Scale Modelling Page

and until I finally bought a compressor for my airbrush, it didn't even involve anything electical (unless you count the desk light in my dungeon, um, er, basement modelling area - please try to
resist the temptation to point out that I'm usually in the dark, anyway).

Modelling Dreams:

......... all to create (subjectively) visually pleasing blobs of
. . . . . plastic............

-- The Unknown Modeller (whose initials might just be S. H.)
(there's a chance he was suffering from plastic withdrawl at the time this was written -- at least I'm hoping that was the reason...)

Club Affiliations:

 In one sense, there is another `club' I belong to. I've gotten to know some of the best folks in the world of modelling via the Net - the world's biggest modelling club. I'm indebted to many of you for endless great ideas, help, and just plain great fun.

Useful Modelling Pages

• Tom Rea's Modelling Page. Tom is a great guy, fellow modeller, and a good friend to have, in spite of being stuck in the cold north of Ottawa. His pages have some really worthwhile things on them.
• Gavin Stratfords Aviation Page from the U.K. After recently surviving a wedding to a lady from Hamilton, we're working hard on stealing Gavin away from the U.K. to join us here. In any case, another great fellow modeller, and friend.
• Dan Johnson's Luft'46 pages - this being one of my longterm interests, to discover someone who has made many of these ideas come to life is more than facinating. Dan has also been of endless help to me in tracking down information for my ventures into scratchbuilding.
• FineScale Modeller FineScale is one of the best magazines available for modelers (at least from North America -- there are some great ones out of the U.K.), and one of the few that are for people who build models, not just sell finished ones -- they haven't forgotten to answer the question "how" or that not all modellers are absolute experts on everything.
• My personal favorite hobby shop in Toronto is North Star Hobbies. Sheldon, and the folks there, have always been willing to put up with my eccentric requests for items from around the world, all of which he has managed to get for me with a smile. ...There was that matter of Sheldon's suggestion for doing the He 162 I bought, in a Bavarian Beer hall colour scheme, however...

If you do see Darren lurking about the store, please pick on him for me - he really loves it! ;-)

Note: I have no involvement with N.S. other than as a VERY happy customer (or is that addict).

Modelling Sources

• For Canadians in particular, and anyone in general, North Star Hobbies can provide really good coverage of subjects, and without the hidden costs of the exchange rate, and any customs duties. Price wise, I know they are amongst the best in and around Toronto, so I'm sure that by mail order they are quite good.
• One of my favorite places to shop by mail is Meteor Productions who carry just about every kind of resin, vac-form, and photoetch accessories, and often kits, going, not to mention more decals than models exist.
• If you favorite hobby shop doesn't have the kits you want, Squadron Mail Order usually do. Their monthly specials can contain some real bargains, but for fellow Canadians, and other non-U.S. residents, remember to watch out for the exchange rate, and shipping costs -- these can quickly make what seems like a good deal equal the cost your hobby shop is charging.
• When all else fails, you can always turn to Hannants in the U.K. They carry most things, and have an online catalog that includes a truely scarey wealth of escoteric kits and aftermarket bits, not to mention mainstream items.

My Modelling Interests (almost exclusively flying things)

• Canadian aircraft, particularly from between 1955-1980, in 1/72 or 1/48 scale. If anyone ever hears of a Canadair Argus kit, let me know.

In the mean time, I plan to make my sacrifice to the modeling gods by stirring together a witches brew of an Airways Brittania Vac, a Heller DC-6, a Hassagawa P-2 Neptune, and a whole lot of putty (anyone know where I can get it by the kilo?) and try to come up with something bearing some resemblence to an Argus. Wish me luck -- I'm gonna need it!

• Nightfighters in 1/48- from any era or part of the globe. I prefer ones that carried radar, but if it was intended for nocturnal aerial combat, I'm interested.
• Early jets, and advanced piston a/c and in particular, various Luftwaffe `Projects' or as the current catch phrase goes, Luft'46 subjects, all in 1/48 scale. Also in this category is a particular interest in Flying Wing designs.

My interest is in the technology, with absolutly no tie to politics - this was a time when the science of aerodynamics was going through changes faster than it could keep up, and wonderful fresh ideas were abounding. Knowledge was advanced enough to see many interesting possibilities, but not far enough to know what would be the way to go.

These days, given the parameters of what a plane is supposed to do, one can almost deterimine 95% of its shape before anyone starts to design it.

So many weird and wonderful aircraft that fall into this category, that I never dreamed of seeing kits for, have shown up lately. It is indeed a good time to be a modeller!

To make matters even better (or worse, depending on your view), thanks to my friend Dave Askett, I've started venturing into the world of scratchbuilding for the ones that aren't out in kit form. No results yet, but I'm really looking forward to this!

Some modellers question why anyone would build models of something that didn't exist. Why not? It's not as if a model IS the real object. It's not even as if it portrays it exactly 100%, if it does represent something that did exist (unless they work in 1:1 scale, and even then I'll wager on them missing the boat somewhere). Models are what YOU want to build, and nowhere is there anyone who can justify saying they MUST be of something that existed to be valid.

• Modern (military) aircraft in 1/144 scale.

I got into building these when I was still in an appartment, and had no place to put my finished models. With 1/144th scale kits, I could have an entire squadron sitting at the edge of my modelling desk and still not take up any space.

These days, I mainly use these as a break between the more serious projects (unlike some folks, I don't try to do full instruents, and seatbelts in these - my eyes can barely do that in 1/48th!

• Anything else that happens to catch my eye... Yep, you guessed it - an official cop-out category! ;-)

I have sort of an unofficial category here, of those WWII aircraft I find aestheically pleasing. In this case I could care less whether the thing flew like a dog - it's only my own opinion of what looks neat that counts! Again, these are only in 1/48 scale (my eyes aren't what they used to be, and the fingers have trouble with anything much smaller than a keybord key...

On the Workbench

• Monogram 1/48 CF-101 Voodoo, with the excellent Leading Edge markings for it. My Canadian kits are usually a pretty all out effort (or as close as these clumsy paws can muster).
• Accurate Miniatures Mustang IA, in Flightpath (?) Dazzle markings.

This is for a club pseueo-contest where we are doing the Mustang of our choice, OOTB (3rd party decals are allowed).  I can't stand bubbletop 'stangs, but I do like razorback ones, especially with the Malcolm hood (yeah, so this isn't 100% accurate, with the decals - PROVE to me it didn't happen! ... then see if I care! ;-} ).

• Focke-Wulf 1000x1000x1000 Projekt B jet.

This is my first venture into scratchbuilding, and so far, I'm enjoying it throughly. I'm still working on the masters (actually just cutting out and shaping the templates, but the more I do, the more I'm looking forward to it. I've been facinated with this particular a/c design since I was in my early teens, and saw an artist's rendering of it. I figure I'll never see a 1/48 kit of it, so I'll darn well make my own! :-)

Wanted...

So, if you're wondering who it is that the model companies have been catering to while ignoring your life long desire for a kit, I'm that person!!!! And I LOVE IT!!!!

I'm not sure how I wound up being this lucky, but from my perspective, these are definitely the halcyon years of modelling!

Still, I do have a number of items that I'm hoping for, some of which are available, but not in a form I can justify, and others that I `know' will never be kitted until the day one can simply feed plans into a computer, push a button, and have a kit pop out the other end... so here's my wanted list (and given the nature of how things have been going, this is a VERY moving target!):

Canadian (either 1/72 or 1/48):

• Canadair Argus (though I'm planning on converting the Airways Britainia vac-form to get one). Since this is my list, and I can be greedy, I'd like both a Mk.I and a Mk.II, but if I have to choose, I'll go for a Mk.I - if you're going ugly, you might as well go for broke!
• Canadair CL-84 Tiltrotor (Preferably 1/48, but I'd take 1/72. The expensive resin kit that appeared recently is out of my reach. There was an injection kit out many many years ago - I had it as a kid - but I don't know who made it, or what scale it was).
• de Havilland Comet Mk.I (in 1/72 or even 1/48. To be done in RCAF colours, of course - my first flight was on one of these ... at age 2).

WWII German (1/48 only):

• Just about any Luftwaffe project / Luft'46 a/c. If things work out, I may not wait for these, but instead, I'll scratch build them myself! (Some people are just never satisfied! ;-}).
• Heinkel He 280 (I've heard rumours aboud Eduard, but nothing certain

WWII/Post-war British (1/48 only):

• Bristol Blenheim Mk I (to be a NF, though I like the looks of the Mk.IV with the real cockpit)
• Bristol Brigand (Okay, so it's not actually a nightfighter, but it `was' used for training for the role, and it's close enough for me - besides, it's a neat plane)
• de Havilland Hornet (or a decent Sea Hornet would do) . Again to be a nightfighter.
• Fairy Firefly Mk.1. Again to be a nightfighter - can you see a pattern? (I'm not brave enough to follow in Dave Askett's footsteps, nor do I expect results like he got!)
• Gloster E.28/39 (Whittle) . No, not a nightfighter, this time! I can hear the collective sigh of relief. :-)
• Gloster Meteor 10,11,12,14 nightfighter(s). Any or all. ;-)

French (1/48 only):

• Vautour IIN (yes, a officially a nightfighter)

WWII U.S.A. (1/48 only):

• Bell P-59 Airacomet (nope, the Collect Aire resin kit is too pricey for me)
• Curtis XP-55 Ascender
• Douglas F3D Skyknight (ditto as for the Airacomet)
• Northrop F-89 Scorpion (various versions were captioned as nightfighters, as well as `all-weather' interceptors)

WWII Japanese (1/48 only):

• Kawasaki Ki-45 Toru (to be a nightfighter- here we go again)
• Kokosuka P1Y1 Ginga (yep, noctural again)
• Kokosuka P1Y1 Ginga (Fraances) (also, to be a nightfighter)
• Nakajima Kikka (this is the Me 262 look almost alike) - daytime flyer this time - just to throw you off track.

Miscellaneous:

HAPPY MODELLING, and remember, what counts is having a good time!