Category: My Collection

Adding Extra Shelves to a Detolf Cabinet

10/11/2022

I have been lucky to mainly be able to source display cabinets from ex-retail stock, however in the new setup there is a single Detolf Ikea display cabinet present. The Detolfs, from Ikea, are a cheap and attractive option but also have serious limitations for displaying model aircraft, however it seems there are cheap options to dramatically increase their usefulness.

1 Comment

A Quick Jumbo Repair Job

19/6/2022

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BigBird and Aeroclassics 747s are hard to come by so picking up a UTA 747 at Waffle's Scratch & Dent section for under $20 was an unexpected and lucky discovery. The only drawback was the nosegear was broken. Replacement nosegears for 747s are not common either and my repair skills are limited but I think this came out ok.

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Attempting Some Gear Repairs

21/3/2022

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Anyone with a decent sized collection is bound to have a few broken models - some you've broken accidentally and some you've acquired in a broken state. Even though I just translocated my collection across the world the number of breakages was very small and fortunately all easily fixable, however I have had a couple of other models in need of repair so I thought I'd give it a go and try to fix them up.

3 Comments

A New Hangar @ The Tree Tops

21/1/2022

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Apologies for the lack of material over the past few weeks, as many of you know I've been moving back to the UK from New Zealand with my family after 16 good years in Aotearoa. The internet was connected yesterday at the new house and so I am officially back on line and ready for 2022. Of course a big part of this will be the arrival of the model collection and the creation of a new hangar space.

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Landor Concordes in 400 Scale

6/8/2021

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Concorde was of course a special achievement, which cast off its failure to gain an aura of greatness as the years went by. In 400 scale Concorde releases have been rather sporadic and even though there have been 24 British Airways releases the Landor scheme is very poorly represented among them. I consider myself lucky therefore to have recently received one of those as a gift from a friend.

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Creating a Runway Diorama

2/7/2021

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I am by no means a master model maker and I don't get as much time as I'd like to muck around in the hangar anyway, however I've built my share of model airports ever since I was a kid. Rarely have they included runways, but recently I decided I'd create a separate runway diorama to liven up some of my model photography.

4 Comments

It's Just Like Watching Peru

27/5/2021

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Latin classics always appear in high demand and until recently it has only been Aeroclassics that made them at all regularly. Now El Aviador is on the scene in 400 scale we can look forward to hopefully a lot more. Just recently there have been a selection of Peruvian releases and they have all sold like hot cakes. In fact, while people have zeroed in on that Gemini Delta CRJ I'd say it has been a lot harder to find a Faucett DC-8!

2 Comments

Auckland Hobbies Fair Comes Good

15/4/2021

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In my experience New Zealanders on the whole are not big aviation fans, certainly their love for cars and trains eclipses aircraft. There are fairly regular hobby fairs in my home city of Auckland but historically there hasn't been much of anything in 400 scale present and what there has is usually horrifically overpriced. This last fair however proved an exception.

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When You Have A Room Full of Models & Drink Too Much!

12/3/2021

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As many of you know I have a decent sized collection of 400 scale models, which are stored in my 3 car garage or hangar as I like to call it. It's a great entertaining space complete with pool table and table football, which means it also gets used for drinking and eating. I had managed to acquire a few airplane related beermats but in the end it just proved easier to make my own.

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New Arrival: The Only SMA 747

20/2/2021

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I don't usually write blogposts about models I receive, aside from the detailed reviews, but occasionally I get a new model, which has that something special about it. A few days back I managed to pickup a United 747-123 in the Battleship Grey colours and this model is a little unique as it is the only 747 that was ever made by Seattle Model Aircraft Co (SMA).

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2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 1

3/1/2021

1 Comment

With 2020 behind us I thought I’d take a look back at the year in 400 scale that was and pick out some salient points for discussion. Obviously for most it was a year best forgotten but in 400 scale it was actually a superb year. In general, the scale seems vibrant and healthy with some excellent innovation and models being made. In part 1 I take a look at 3 of the major brands.

1 Comment

In Praise of Dragon Wings DC-10s

18/11/2020

2 Comments

Dragon Wings get a lot of flak nowadays, especially from younger collectors. Some of this is warranted but a lot of it isn’t. For their time they were excellent models and many of their production remain really nice and more than capable of holding their own in any collection. I admit I have been gradually replacing old Dragon models as replacements become available but Waffle’s last collection sale gave me the opportunity to reassess my opinion of the Dragon DC-10 as there were four, I just couldn’t resist.

2 Comments

Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

18/9/2020

5 Comments

Given the number of models I own I really ought not to be starting new areas of the collection, but the post-deregulation period in developing nations has always been of real interest to me and Indonesia in particular is super interesting. In recent years there has been a nice selection of relatively obscure releases made, often in partnership with retailers, and even though I know I shouldn't have recently I started an Indonesian fleet too.

5 Comments

The Final Hangar Addition

3/9/2020

3 Comments

It has been clear for sometime that my 400 scale collecting has gotten well out of hand and of course with lots of models you need lots of box storage and lots of display cabinets. Just this past week or two I have slotted in what is potentially the final piece in the hangar display system and which has finally allowed me to retire my first cabinet. Read on for a tour of the changes to the US part of the fleet.

3 Comments

New Collection Additions: April/May 2020

17/6/2020

4 Comments

I am very happy to say that New Zealand is out the other side of its lockdown, and now we are level 1 almost everything is back to normal. Things that aren't are international travel and postage so it has taken some time for models to reach me. Nonetheless 14 models did make it through in the past two months, many of which have already received detailed reviews.

4 Comments

<<Previous

Adding Extra Shelves to a Detolf Cabinet

A Quick Jumbo Repair Job

Attempting Some Gear Repairs

A New Hangar @ The Tree Tops

Landor Concordes in 400 Scale

Creating a Runway Diorama

It's Just Like Watching Peru

Auckland Hobbies Fair Comes Good

When You Have A Room Full of Models & Drink Too Much!

New Arrival: The Only SMA 747

2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 1

In Praise of Dragon Wings DC-10s

Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

The Final Hangar Addition

New Collection Additions: April/May 2020

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