I reckon there are two reasons for making the Mach 2 Martin P6M-2, but in this case there were three. One reason is because the P6M was a fantastic looking aeroplane. The second is because making a Mach 2 kit is like mountain climbing – mountains are a challenge and climbing them is a test…

It seems that the Red Navy wanted desperately to have aircraft carriers in its fleet but had to be content, at first, with a compromise, the Kiev class medium sized carriers in which only the rear half of the ship was flight deck. This was, of course, not very useful for traditional naval aeroplanes. If…

The Interesting Modelling Company made me make this. There I was with not a care in the world (well, no more than usual) taking in the latest you tube of the Interesting Modelling Company while working away on one of those A.330 models that I’m going to finish one of these days, but feeling a…

There can’t be too many people who have not flown in a Boeing 747. I’ve flown in them halfway around the world and on the short Melbourne-Sydney hop during the peak holiday season. If you’ve ever had the experience of flying cattle car in one of these you’ll know it’s not great fun – especially…

Before we go any further you need to decide that you really want to do this. It’s not that the conversion is particularly difficult, it’s because you will have to acquire two kits to do the job, a Revell Boeing 747-100 and a Revell Boeing 747-400. Neither are available in your local hobby shop at…

A.340-300 (June 2003) The origins of the Airbus A.340 lie in the decision made in 1970 to form Airbus Industrie, a multinational European effort to design and construct a high capacity twin-jet transport in competition to United States manufacturers and to serve the route characteristics of many European airlines. The original A.300 laid the foundation…

I known why Zim makes little model tanks, they aren’t the great fuss that little model aeroplanes are. In my youth I built up quite a collection of little tank models and even more of those lovely Bandi 1/48 AFVs that started coming out in the mid 1970s but have now totally disappeared. However, I…

Douglas had been the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial airliners since the 1930s but had lost that lead to Boeing with its 707s, 727s, 737s and 747s. There was a gap in the potential airliner market for something between the long range 707 and the new 747 Jumbo Jet, that could carry over 300 passengers…

In 1933 the Boeing 247 revolutionized air transport. It is said to be the first modern airliner and it demonstrated what the future of air transport could be like. It immediately drew the attention of America’s airliners who wanted them, but the production of 247 was reserved for United Airlines, which was part of the…

The Char B1 was almost certainly the most capable tank in the inventory of any army at the beginning of World War II. However, the history of its development and the way in which it was deployed meant that capability had little effect on the outcome of the Battle of France in May and June…

One of the things I like about swap ‘n’ sells is that you never know what you are going to come away with. At one of the IPMS events we attended I thought I was buying a Hasegawa B-17 kit but found it came with additional resin parts for a PB-1W. This was alright with…

Boeing took a great risk with the 747. It had bid for the contract to build the very heavy freighter for the United States Air Force but that was won by Lockheed with what become the C-5. Even so, Boeing went ahead with the project, development costs exceeded $16 million and Boeing had to build…