Archive February 2010

All of the articles archived for the month that you have specified are displayed below.

Stock Take Clearance Sale

We will be carrying out a full stock take at the end of March so we thought we would give you the opportunity to bag a bargain before we count the stock.


In addition, for the month of March, loyalty points at The Model Catalogue will be worth TWICE AS MUCH when they are redeemed for gift vouchers. In other words if you already have points, March is the time to spend them, but if you don't have points on your account, March is the time to earn them and turn them into a voucher.

For a reminder of how our loyalty points system works, click here.

And don't forget, this offer will only be running for the 31 days of March, so check if there is anything you need before someone else buys it and it goes out of stock!

"We would rather sell them, than count them"

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid and Pipette is a true revelation...

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid with Integrated PippetteI know we have recently posted an article about this product, which we recently added to the site, however I really couldn't help shouting from the rooftop what a brilliant addition this simple bottle is to my workbench. I have been painting most of today and I have used it constantly! If I am holding a model while detail painting it is so nice just to reach across the bench and grab a bottle and unscrew the dropper / lid with one hand, take it out of the bottle and drop just the right amount of thinner onto my palette to thin the paint. It has been a real timesaver and because I can screw the lid on again with one hand it means knocking it over won't cause a drama! If you want to try one out just click on the image.

Revell P-51 Mustang project nearing completion!

I have had a relatively PC-free weekend and I have taken full advantage of it by virtually completing the P-51 Mustang project, which I started many moons ago. I thought I would post the latest pics. I still have to finish off a few bits and bobs, such as the decals, but I am broadly happy with the outcome. A more detailed project report will be forthcoming in due course - warts and all! I have certainly learnt a fair amount from this project and that will be an opportunity for another post shortly!

Revell P-51 Mustang

Revell P-51 Mustang

Plastic kit skill level is now fully searchable!

Good news for our customers that need to search by skill level! We have just upgraded the database and product search facility to include searching by skill level. If you go to the Search page you will now find an option to search by Skill Level.

For example, let's say your 10 year old nephew has told you he would like a Spitfire kit for his birthday, and because you know he has only just started modelling, he will need a kit which will be fairly easy to build. What you need to do is type "Spitfire Easy" in the "With all of the words" textbox. See the screen shot image below for guidance. Then click the search button. This will bring up all the products with "Spitfire" in the Product Name field and "Easy" in the Skill Level field.



The Skill Level feature of many kits has also been included in the product listing page (see screen shot below) ...

... and the detail page (see second screen shot below) ...

So it is now also much easier to simply browse through the catalogue and visually identify the complexity of a kit before you buy it.

We have had a lot of requests for this feature recently and I am really happy that we have been able to make the change. It will make kit selection according to personal skill level, or the skill level of someone you might be buying for, much easier.

New Airfix 2010 Catalogue

We have just received in a delivery of the New Airfix 2010 Catalogue. It is full of new and exciting models and features. It's also a wonderful point of reference and reasonably priced at £4.29. Click here.
Airfix 2010 catalogue

We do however still have some of the 2008 (Click here)   and 2009 (Click here) Airfix Catalogues. Again, these are full of interesting models and you could pass many a happy hour or two browsing through them. There is also the point that in the future they would become somewhat collectors items so maybe they should be put away for posterity. We have discounted the price for the 2008 and 2009 catalogues to £1.99 each giving you a saving of £2.30 which only makes them more attractive.

New Product: a bottle with a difference!

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid with Integrated Pippette 100 ml (tmc00021)

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid with Integrated Pippette 100 ml (tmc00021)

This bottle is an excellent addition to anyone's workbench, being of suitable size at 100 ml, made of glass and with an absolutely watertight plastic and rubber lid. It is primarily intended for use as a convenient thinner solution dropper, but it can also be used for storing pre-mixed, pre-diluted paints particularly if destined for airbrushing.

One of the things about plastic kit painting that often niggles me is the need to add very small quantities of diluting solution to paint on a palette, particularly when a blend I have created dries too quickly or when I just need a tiny bit extra colour and don't want to blend a whole new batch of the colour again. All one needs in such situations is a few drops of thinners to get the paint moving around again!

This bottle screw top lid with an integrated pipette is my solution. I fill it 9/10s with my favorite paint thinners and whenever I need an emergency addition of thinner I simply unscrew it and drop just the right amount of thinner onto the paint, which I then mix in with a brush.

One of the great advantages is that the thinners stays pure and clean as only the pipette is used to dispense the thinner. My old method of dipping a paintbrush into a bottle of thinners obviously pollutes all the liquid with the paint, which quickly becomes too dirty.

While the amount of liquid that can be stored in the pipette is quite modest (and ideal for dropping small amounts of liquid), the size of the bottle at 100 ml means it is also a very useful storage vessel for pre-mixed paint blends (to desired colour or viscosity), especially if using an airbrush. Simply use the pipette to quickly replenish an airbrush reservoir in the middle of spraying.

Want to know how to save on your kit modelling costs?

Question 1: Do you own or edit a kit modelling related web site?
Question 2: Do you contribute to online modelling community discussions?
Question 3: Do you recommend kits, accessories and paints to fellow modellers?
Question 4: Do you publish a modelling related blog?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you may be extremely interested in the rest of this article. Here is why...

Anyone who has registered with us as a customer has the option of upgrading it to an affiliate account by following a very simple process taking no more than a couple of minutes.

There is hardly anything to do to set yourself up; it literally takes a few clicks and the completion of one brief form to upgrade your existing account into an affiliate account. Once this is done all you need to do to is place some relevant links in some well-chosen locations on blogs and discussion groups.

When a visitor clicks on the links you created they will be directed to a page at The Model Catalogue where they will may find something that they wish to purchase. If they end up buying something, we will reward you.

Read all of Want to know how to save on your kit modelling costs?

1/48 tamiya p-47 thunderbolt razorback





This model was built by Artur Karpinski using products and materials purchased from The Model Catalogue.