Lest We Forget
Day 185
Since Thursday I have been experimenting with masking canopies.
I have even been experimenting with a paper punch for the Hurricane windshield.
Just punch through a piece of masking tape stuck on a piece of plastic sheet.
Creativity is the most enjoyable part of my forgotten hobby as well as getting around mistakes we make. We all make those don’t we?
There’s nothing that can’t be fixed.
Lest We Forget
Day 184
What to do with all my aviation magazines…?
I have decided to keep them all for now.
Getting back to my PBY Catalina, this is the Wednesday afternoon shot…
I had decided to work on the Tempest and the Hurricane canopy.
First the Tempest.
On Thursday morning I added a second coat of Vallejo sky blue with a paintbrush.
A third coat will be needed but it can wait.
There’s something more needing my attention right now…
My brother’s B-25 had a hard landing!
Whoops!
I told him it was safe to display it on a wall and he trusted me… Luckily there was little damage done.
I told my brother to pick up the small pieces and I will fix it the next time we meet in September or October.
Lest We Forget
Day 183
What shall I do with all I have collected through the years… That has been in the back of my mind as you might have figured out by now.
Air Combat is another small incomplete collection I have had since the late 60s.
First there was the original Air Combat. I also had three Kookaburra Technical Publications magazines.
Challenge Publications bought the rights of Air Combat as explained by the publisher in this first issue.
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the first flight of AIR COMBAT, new series. That you are holding the magazine proves you are interested in aircraft, particularly military aircraft. AIR COMBAT is a publication, unique in the aviation literary field, catered to your tastes. But let us digress for a moment.
In the late 1960s, Paul Vercammen began publishing a small magazine called AIR COMBAT. Mr. Vercammen had the express idea of producing a magazine that dealt strictly with military aviation during World War Two. Over the years the magazine grew, in physical size, number of pages, more photos including color, and improved quality. Historians and modelers alike looked forward to each issue for more information on WW II aircraft. Many copies of the magazine became high priced collectors item.
However, in 1972 Mr. Vercammen closed up shop and went on to other ventures. The enthusiasts that had been purchasing his magazine felt a distinct loss as there was not another publication to replace AIR COMBAT. During 1973 Challenge Publications began negotiations with Mr. Vercammen that resulted in the purchase of all rights to AIR COMBAT.
Upon detailed examination we decided that the magazine was due for a complete overhaul. It went into our shop and our writers and photographers went to work. The resulting format was designed to include all phases of aerial combat, everything from World War One to Vietnam. We feel that this format will give a wider historical scope to the subject of military aviation with increased benefits of pleasure and information passed on to you the reader.
We have a magazine that will record the efforts of men and machines in the many conflicts that have taken place since that day at Kittyhawk in 1903. We will be featuring unusual articles, rare color photos, detailed drawings. and excerpts from original military manuals that will blend action and information.
It’s time to strap in, tighten the harness, clear the chocks, boost the throttle, and roar into the world of… AIR COMBAT.
I wonder how much I would get if I put my first Air Combat magazines on eBay.
Some single issues of Air Classics are sold on the Internet for a lot of money which is hard to believe. Would you believe $149.99?
Getting back to the PBY Catalina…
I have added Vallejo black primer with a paintbrush.
I will see if adding sky blue with a paintbrush will work.
Canopy frames have received the same treatment.
Part of the fun with my forgotten hobby is how I am always finding a way around problems I have encountered while building my model kits.
I have never dumped any project in the recycling bin yet…
Lest We Forget
Day 179
Yes I also have those, but not the complete collection. I am curious to find out when I started collecting them and when I stopped.
I wish someone had stopped me buying magazines…
Getting back to the PBY Catalina…
Saturday morning shot…
I have tried using Tamiya tapes for curves on the fuselage.
It didn’t work that well as you can see from the photos I took, so I am reverting to Operation Blue Tack for the fuselage.
I don’t intend to mask the wings right away nor to paint them at the same time as the fuselage. Both are too hard to handle in the same airbrushing session and since I am now getting use to clean my airbrush after each session I don’t really mind.
Since I will never be building another PBY Catalina, I will take all the time I need to complete this one.
My Forgotten Hobby V 