Home and Welcome...

So...

Welcome to an on-line modelling home of Bruce Leyland-Jones.

Whilst working predominantly with aircraft, in both 1/72 and 1/144 scale, I also enjoy other areas of scale modelling.

Within each page of this site are links to galleries. Within these galleries are usually detailed build-ups, showing how I got from a box of bits, to a completed model.

I never get obsessive about my modelling standards and abhor the spectre of competition, lurking at the edge of what is, to me, a most relaxing and distracting hobby. All I do is meant to be copied and bettered. I hope to inspire, rather than intimidate. Anything I do, you can do better.

I'm always open to answering questions.

I will use the glorious aftermarket, but am well capable of scratching my own bits. (Ho ho).

The ethos of "Good Enough" is good enough for me. To facilitate this, I am a devout Bearer of the Hairy Stick and whilst I may occasionally deem to rattlecan usage, I will never airbrush. I do own such a tool, but having played with it for a wet weekend, I decided it was too much bother. Perhaps when I have fully mastered le baton hirsute.

I tend to model most days, so there is usually something new within the Modelling Man Cave Galleries.

With every model completed, this site should be updated. The Modelling Man Cave Galleries are my own personal blog, although a very small and select group of individuals have joined in and now have access to additional modelling resources as a consequence.

Being the Founder of the Classic British Kits SIG (IPMS-UK), I still have a very soft spot for those older British Kits, such as those from FROG, Airfix and Matchbox. That said, I also enjoy the relatively lesser-known brands, such as Pegasus and Aeroclub. One day, I might even venture in vacforms.

I do actually build kits, as opposed to simply stashing them away in a loft. All kits, no matter how rare, were designed to be built. My Acquired:Build ratio has long been in favour of the Build and my Stash is steadily reducing, as I build far more than I now acquire.

Now is a wonderful time to be a scale kit modeller. We who grew up with the hobby and enjoyed it immensely, are now old enough to spend our hard-earned monies on it and many now work to produce the treasures the rest of us enjoy.

Besides all of the old kits of our younger days becoming available through the internet, there are more new kits and new materials than ever before and the quality just keeps on getting better and better. One day, I may even see a series of injection moulded V-Bombers...in 1/144.*

I'll never build all that's out there...but I intend to have a good try.