Internet Modeler Aviation Index

Aviation
Index

Editor:
Chris Bucholtz

All things in moderation, said Thoreau. And while I suspect that ol’ Hank would probably look upon our hobby with a jaundiced eye, his words apply to what we do only too well.

One example is the project I’m working on now, a twin-engine attack plane from World War II. I detailed the interior of this aircraft from the formers and stringers to the ammunition boxes to the observer’s "sanitary bottle" (yes, there is a relief tube in there!), but when I joined the fuselage halves, almost none of this was visible! Had I used some moderation, I could have been much farther along in my efforts.

Another example is in weathering. One popular technique is to airbrush panel lines with a darker shade of the base color, either before or after the base coat. Tom Cleaver and I have discussed this at length; he absolutely hates the technique, while I’ll admit to being too lazy to employ it! When this is done with subtly, the effect can be stunning, but when its overstated, the model ends up looking like a crazy quilt.

Another weathering technique that can be vastly exaggerated is paint chipping; a little looks good, but if you overdo it, the model look like it’s flown through a hailstorm.

The key is realizing the point when you should stop. As Shep Paine has said, when you think the model needs a little more, stop. Realizing when that point is, however, is the tricky part, a skill that can come only with experience.

So, if you’re overdoing it—or under-doing it—for your tastes, just keep building. It isn’t the hand of the artist that paints the picture, it’s the eye and the brain. The more you model, the more you train your brain as to what you want to accomplish.

We have a nice selection of aircraft articles in this issue, and I hope they inspire you to go to you model bench and spend a few enjoyable hours "training your brain."

--Chris Bucholtz

Feature Articles
Revell's 1/32 AH-1G Cobra By Steve Filak, Sr.
Flak Bait: A B-26 in 1/48 By Michael A. Wolf	Dynavector's 1/48 D.H. Hornet By Drewe Manton
A Civilian Fouga Magister By Caz Dalton	Nieuport Fighters in 1/48 By Tom Cleaver
Making a Canadair Sabre Mk. V By John P. McElwain	Ferocious Felines: Tamiya's Wildcat By Tom Cleaver

New Releases and First Looks

New Releases

First Looks
Academy's OV-10 and T-6G; Blue Max's Roland C.II and SE5a; Classic Airframes MS406; HR Model's Breguet 14; ICM's Il'ya Muromets; JMGT's MD450; Replicast's Bf109V-1; Revell's Hurricane IIb and P-51B Mustang; Tamiya's F-4J and Meteor/V-1 Combo; Toko's Comic Strutter; Zlinek's Petlyakov Pe-2 & Pe3.