The Veron story is inseparable from that of its chief designer, Phil Smith. Phil was first and foremost an aeromodeller, and his Impala 52 slope-soaring glider design, selling to the tune of 140000 kits, probably introduced more people to the delights of this form of flying than any other, including me. However, it is his…
The West Coast of Scotland steam puffer has long been a favourite subject for modellers, with a number of kits and freelance examples appearing in the marketplace. Since the history and development of this somewhat unique type – which has a well-deserved place in Scottish folklore – has been well documented previously, only a brief…
This was not so much a kit conversion as a complete rebuild on a commercial hull. For several years I was a Police Inspector in Hong Kong and spent some time with the Marine Police Department. Legendary in police lore were the two post war ‘cruising launches’ Police One and Police Two, which were actually…
John Parker delves into the archives Compressed air engines, from a 1928 catalogue. Alternative energy in the form of air, rubber and clockwork motors for model boats are today only a curiosity, but in the 1930’s when other options were more limited or expensive, they were looked upon as a viable alternative, even for serious…
Dave Wooley with his Worldwide Review of Warships and Warship Modelling The Polish guided missile frigate ORP General Tadeusz Kolciuszko entering the River Mersey for the Battle of the Atlantic Commemoration in 2013. Welcome once again to our regular sortie into the world of fighting ships and in this issue we have Part One of…
Alvaston Pirates Model Phil Button reports from their fourth annual regatta This took place on Sunday 25th June 2017 at their usual lake in Alvaston Park, Derby. The day dawned dull, grey and overcast, with virtually no swell on the lake and a very light breeze, but there was the threat of…
Richard Simpson’s series on model steam plants The softwood could actually be pre-bent to shape to suit the curve of the hull so all that was left once the glue was applied was to persuade it to sit on the sheer neatly. With the major parts now finished, there remains only a few bits and…
Mersey River Festival & Armed Forces Day Dave Wooley reports from Liverpool The constant stream of visitors were amazed at the models on display in the Liner Terminal Hall. Held over the last weekend of June 2017, the Mersey River Festival is a well established annual event attracting many thousands of visitors…
Bill Burtwell’s latest model Bill’s Halvorsen Seaplane Tender has a good turn of speed. This model is from the John Parker Model Boats plan that was featured in our 2012 Winter Special Edition. The hull was built pretty much exactly as recommended in John’s article, but Bill used styrene for the upperworks. Weight came in…
Chris Drage explains how to build these miniatures Operation Halberd 1942 featured the British cruisers Sheffield, Edinburgh and Kenya. These are 1:700 scale models and show what can be achieved just by working on a kitchen table. The one big advantage of depicting ships in a harbour is that you can include a great deal of…
