SCALE MODEL NEWS

HERE'S A CHANCE to have a quick look at the Norfolk and Suffolk Air Museum, at Flixton, near Bungay, Suffolk, UK. Outside, there are plenty of preserved aircraft to look at, but for scale fans, it's the indoor displays that hold the real treasures. Huge variety marks the models on display at Flixton, and they are distributed inside the main hangar and the other enclosures. These pictures contain a selection from one small part. Enjoy. More to come from Flixton in the near future.

Part Two of our visit to Flixton's Air Museum, deep in the heart of Suffolk, UK. Above, shades of the early Airfix kit, a Bristol Bloodhound missile stands aimed at the sky, looking ready for its original task, knocking Soviet bombers out of the air. David Jefferis: Here's a wrap-up set of pix from Flixton, starting with these ace magazines from the 1960s, the science-fiction lookalike art on the Practical Mechanics cover, a typically upbeat take on yesterday's world of the future. There are scale models aplenty, and even an elderly manual typewriter on display, much like the one I started out using. Can't say I miss it though - I'll stick to a state-of-the-art MacBook Pro, thanks! On the grass outside, there's a range of hardware that will make any air buff drool. Below, top to bottom: French Dassault Mystere IVa, entrance to the Museum, Gloster Javelin interceptor, tail view of the same Mystere IVa. Gloster Javelin kit here. Dassault combat kits here.

HERE'S A LOOK at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum - aka ‘Flixton’ to locals. The place is a rare gem: it's far from the biggest air collection, but has rarities to match even the biggest museums out there. David Jefferis: Tucked behind Flixton’s useful shop is a treasure-trove of a find - behind protective glass lies a beautiful recreation of a 1950s-1960s model maker’s den, just packed with gear that represents that era. If you have a molecule of nostalgia in you, then this den will put on your rose-tinted spectacles and bring back memories of happy modelling moments. I’ll let the pictures tell the story, but the display does underline two things strongly - that modellers today are really spoiled for choice, and that what we are offered is mostly of excellent quality - the manufacturers have been trying hard over the years, and continue to do so. Enjoy the pix, and if East Anglia is in your sights for a 2014 visit, then put Flixton on your must-visit list . There are s...

Here’s a great place to go if you like the magic combo of old aircraft, nostalgia and memorabilia, with some fascinating models included in the mix. The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum (NSAM) is in the village of Flixton, near Bungay, in Suffolk, UK. There’s a collection of aircraft parked on the grass, ranging from an ex-Royal Navy de Havilland Sea Vixen twin-boom jet to an FMA Pucara ground-attack machine that dates from the 1982 Falklands War. There’s also a group of slowly decomposing engine and propeller components, which are gradually gnarling and delaminating with age, revealing a range of textures that fascinated my sculptress friend Bo. Hangars and Nissen huts provide dry storage and display space for plenty more items, and there are lots of models and miniatures to inspect. Among these was a display of hand-carved wooden models, necessarily lacking the fine detailing of a plastic kit, but showing off the talented skills of a pure craft approach to model making. The RAF Ai...