Posts by Leigh Edmonds
Additions to the Museum’s Collection – 61, February 2024
NEW IN THE READING ROOM Additions to Workbench Notes AMX-50B Heavy Tank in 1/35 by Amusing Hobby CAC CA-25 Winjeel in 1/72 by High Planes Fokker D.XXI in 1/72 b7 Black Sea toy (Fog/Novo) Lockheed SP-2H in 1/144 by Welsh Models Addition to Robin Johnson on the Airways Australian International Passenger Air Flights Before Jets…
Read MoreFokker D,XXI in 1/72 by Black Sea toy (Frog)
Also-Ran Fighter Department The Fokker D.XXI was a small single engine fighter designed in 1935 by Jewish German refugee, Dr Ir. Schatzki. The original requirement was for a fighter to serve in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. The aircraft was the first monoplane fighter manufactured by Fokker and one of the earliest monoplane designs…
Read MoreAustralian International Passenger Flights Before Jets
Australia first saw a foreign airliner in 1933, when Imperial Airways operated an Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta survey flight from Croydon through Asia to Darwin and following the inland route to Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Scheduled international service began in 1935, when Qantas used DH-86 biplanes between Brisbane and Singapore on a four-day multi-stop route,…
Read MoreCAC CA-25 Winjeel in 1/72 by High Planes
There are only a handful of reasons why you would even think about making a model from this High Planes kit. You are dead keen to make all the aircraft flown by the RAAF and this is one that saw a lot of service as a trainer, and then in other roles, so you can’t…
Read MoreLockheed SP-2H in 1/144 by Welsh Models
I like the kits that Welsh Models are making these days. They are relatively simple but accurate and honest resin kits of 1/144 aircraft that you won’t find in the catalogues of other kit makers. They are not cheap but they fill niches that nobody else is filling. And for good reason too, they are…
Read MoreThe State of the Workbench February 2024
Nothing much happens in Australia in January, we’re all off at the beach, watching the cricket, drinking to excess or doing other relaxing things. Thus, no update on bench activities for January and a little more creativity since we actually did some modelling during the holiday period. So here is what has been achieved recently.…
Read MoreAMX-50B Heavy Tank in 1/35 by Amusing Hobby
To tell the story of this tank, I really need to digress and tell a couple of other tales first. During the September 1945 Berlin Victory Parade, the Soviets presented their latest toy, The JS-3. This was the latest in the line of Stalin heavy tanks featuring a 122mm gun. Conventional history would tell us…
Read MoreThe Modelling Year 2023
Airbus A.330-200 The Airbus A.330 is the medium range version of the Airbus family of jet airliners. A longer range version, the A.330-200, began entering service in the late 1990s and was popular with airlines around the world. This model represents VH-EBA that inaugrated the Qantas ‘Cityflyer’ service in December 2002. Revell 1/144 kit with…
Read MoreCAC Boomerang in 1/72 by Airfix (Classic)
Everyone fondly regards the Boomerang as a plucky ground attacker renowned for its close air support at tree top level. Pity is that it wasn’t designed for that role. Ground attack is what you do with fighters that are too old or too useless to do their primary job, that is the destruction of enemy…
Read MoreAdditions to the Museum’s Collections – 60, December 2023
NEW IN THE READING ROOM Additions to Workbench Notes Bachem Ba349 Natter in 1/48 by Dragon Blohm und Voss Ha138B/MS in 1/72 by Mach 2 Bristol Bulldog II in 1/72 by Airfix Bucker Ba181 ‘Panzerbucker’ in 1/72 by AZmodel CAC Boomerang in 1/72 by Airfix Focke Wulf Fw190D turboprop in 1/72 converted from Academy Grumman…
Read MoreBristol Bulldog II in 1/72 by Airfix
For the whole of the 1920s Australia’s front line fighters were a handful of Sopwith Pups and SE5As that were given to it in 1919 by the British government. In 1929 the Australian government decided to upgrade the RAAF’s fighter force and ordered eight Bristol Bulldog fighters that arrived in 1930 and became the nation’s…
Read MoreThe Curator’s Choice 86 – Trimotors
Trimotors Ford 5-AT – Avro 618 Ten – Junkers Ju52/3m Aircraft with three engines usually come about for lager aircraft that need the power of three engines but are not big enough to need four. This was the case in the 1920s when aircraft designers began working on larger civil aircraft at a time when…
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