I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year for 2022!

The past year and the year before it has been one of confusion, trials and tribulations and a world very much turned upside down. I hope 2022 will be better but we will see what it brings us all. By April I will have paid the price for my refusal to accept the jab but there are always consequences to making choices and I fully accept that. I have no idea what might transpire but I intend to have a better year ahead. Making history...perhaps? I have studied enough revolutions so who knows perhaps I will get to see one. If so, I will be Private Godfrey with a canvas bag of plasters and bandages. The first tranche of revolutionary leaders tend to come to a sticky end once the lawyers and other assorted pond life take over.  Talking of history inevitably leads me to models and what is my last build of 2021 and will be the first build of the new year, the Churchill tank.

I airbrushed a primer coat of black acrylic, then a patchy coat of a mid-dark green as seen above.

I then lightly airbrushed dark green acrylic on with a heavier covering in the crevices and shadowy areas so as to provide a contrast. The Churchill then had the tracks fitted after I had brush painted them with the chipping mixture. I have left it to dry and I will clear coat tomorrow before applying decals and  weathering. I have some figures to complete as well and this will go into a small diorama.

I have the next build lined up in the wings and the US tank crew arrived this morning to supplement the Sherman tank. I am focusing on Allied tanks for now as some time next year will be the huge build. I intend to have a clear out of the spare room, put up some new shelves there and in my build room so these can be displayed. The cats aren't allowed in the spare room and the downstairs shelves will have some protective plastic covers on them. This morning reminded us why cats are adorable but also furry little twats working to their own agenda.

Mindy attacked the Christmas tree this morning after finally deciding the last thirty days of seeing it standing there was enough. Not in itself a problem but in doing so she managed to damage a cable so no TV. Eventually clear pictures with no sound or fuzzy pictures with sound. No.1 son brought a new cable  home from work (It supplies DIY and the building trade) and all fixed this afternoon. As it was a mild day the cats have been out seeing the new year in but they are safe indoors as human twats decided to let off fireworks in the last hour! Doors and windows shut, curtains drawn and music playing to quieten the poor beasties down. Phone calls and texts exchanged with loved ones but a quiet evening in with a few drinks and possibly some music as I read a good book. For now I shall forget the bizarro world we currently inhabit and lose myself elsewhere.

TTFN.

 

            Hooray! Finally completed. BT-7, Russia circa Autumn 1941.

The first picture using the mobile phone flash and the second without a flash. I was going to place it on a diorama but I might opt for a plain base.There are a couple of tiny pieces still to attach and it requires a chain as well which I have somewhere. I will continue working on the Churchill tank but leave it until tomorrow as the cats are gathering and I am selfishly using their sleeping table!

The above is a gift from a patient although I had twice refused it they insisted I have it. I do like sailing ships but having researched the artist I now feel even more uncomfortable. If it is a print and not original artwork I will be comfortable with that but I am not sure if this is the original painting. If the latter, it is valuable and I will have to return the painting. Time for some research...

Worryingly, Sue is feeling unwell with a fast pulse and a general feeling of unwellness. Keeping an eye on her but she has not been right since her second jab.

TTFN.

Update: It is a print and not valuable in monetary terms but a lovely print and will grace a wall where I can glance at it when I am modelling. You know what this will lead to...even with all that rigging.

 I hope you have all recovered or are continuing to recover from your Christmas repast. A large meal and several glasses of Port plus watching Morecombe and Wise followed by an early night was my day. Presents opened early and phone calls and texts to relatives and yes, I snuck in an hours modelling as I listened to Carols from Kings! It's what Jesus would have wanted...

The BT-7 completed apart from some decals, washes, more weathering and a small diorama required. Amongst my presents was one model which I have long wanted to build. I managed to get some work done today until various soggy moggies wanted my attention.

A Churchill Mk. VII tank which will be modelled circa 1944 somewhere in France or Belgium. Very few Christmas cards sent apart from my Mum and immediate neighbours as t'internet does much of that and a donation to a local cats rescuer in lieu of cards. My 61st Christmas now over and a few days off before a return to work and then the New Year. It sounds quite sad when put like that but although I enjoy the days off, who wouldn't, I prefer to think of it all as a celebration of light amidst the darkness. There is currently a lot of darkness.

I had planned to go for a walk today but it has bucketed down and it is not the weather for a gentle stroll which is currently all I can manage with my dodgy knee. Hopefully I shall get a stroll in tomorrow.

I hope you have all enjoyed Christmas and continue to enjoy the rest of this holiday.

TTFN.

 Christmas Eve and it is grey, overcast and wet here and I am mightily glad to stay indoors and no further need for shopping. It is just the two days and seeing people buy enough to feed and sate the thirsts of a Mongol horde crammed into trolleys never fails to amaze me. An expected delivery just arrived and I am indeed a very happy bunny...

Yes, the 1/16th scale Sturmgeschutz has arrived and it is a big kit. A scale I have never tried before and despite the scale it does look like a straight forward build. Maisie showed an interest and tried to clamber all over it.

This will be a major build and I will consider when I can crack on with this. I have some time off in February and can plan the major part of assembly for then if I can hang on until then. Another delivery from yesterday is another Me 262 from Frog this time and judging by the contents this kit is over forty years old. I have plans for a diorama with these three kits as well as a comparison of the various kits. 

In other news it has been confirmed I have until February 3rd to accept the fauxcine so I have some serious thinking to do. I am invited to meet with various managers to hear the 'real facts' about it all and to dispel any concerns I might have. I hate having to even consider this, that the job I love and enjoy necessitates this acceptance. Pros are that I will be 'protected', I can continue working and earning, I can travel, go to social activities, receive a collective pat on my head, no longer be a pariah. Cons are serious health side effects including death. I don't blame the managers as they are powerless in this although if they all refused to comply, what could the government do? I am saying nothing further about this subject as there is more than enough nonsense in social and mainstream media and to be frank, I am focusing on the better things in life.

We are ready for tomorrow and it will be a quiet family only Christmas at home and phone calls to the extended family. So I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and safe one. Spend with your loved ones if you can and enjoy!

TTFN.

 I finally got to work on the tracks and although I am not happy with the outcome, it will do. I have brush painted a first coat of the chipping mixture on the tracks and leaving it to dry thoroughly. I will then add a light black wash with metallic grey highlights to the links. Then the fun part of building up layers of mud, dust and dirt.

The figures are there as a possible diorama idea but I am not sure yet what the final work will look like. I was tempted to buy some aftermarket tracks and a couple of Russian tanker figures but will use figures I already have in storage. The aftermarket tracks cost more than the model tank so I ruled that out.

A cheap kit and a tank I have long wanted to build and I will see this one as a practice build but I will do my best for it.

Now for some Christmas cheer and a Christmas Carol marathon as I intend to watch three versions; 1951 (the best). 1935 and 1984. God bless us all!

TTFN.

 A picture of Maisie who is recovering from that nasty wound on her chest which turned out to be a cat bite. I suspect Blue Collar did the damage as he had been hanging around last week. We weren't sure what was ailing her but booked her in for a check up and then I saw the wound prior to her vet visit. Wound cleaned up, antibiotics and vaccinations administered and she will return in two weeks for her second bout of injections. She is the reason why I got very little modelling done today as she sprawled across the desk for a couple of hours of Maisie time. Both she and me were very chilled and for a cat who rarely purrs she sounded like a little outboard motor. A very happy cat.

Not a lot to say as I have decided to avoid that which must be unspoken and work remains very busy. A short post as we are preparing for Christmas and for the expected lock down in the new year.

TTFN.

 Up early this morning and further progress on the BT 7 with  patchwork of white paint lightly airbrushed on the panels where there would be some fading from sunlight and the black primer provides shadowy areas. Once that was dry I lightly airbrushed a Tamiya acrylic dark 'Japanese Navy'? green paint. A light coat to allow the contrasting light and dark to show through and bring the model to life. Russian green paint schemes for armoured vehicles varies enormously hence there is no definitive tank green colour.

Some parts refuse to stay glued so I shall leave it well alone until tomorrow when I shall start on the tracks and do a summer dust weathering for a model from the summer of 1941.

No 1 son has ordered me a model for Christmas and I look forward to that as I believe it is a tank I have long wanted to build. I am looking forward to Christmas day and earlier I was listening to a reading of 'A Christmas Carol' on you tube. I generally watch the films but it occurred to me I have never read the book and there is a channel where Victorian and Edwardian stories are read out by an actor. This is amongst them and I am thoroughly enjoying it particularly since we woke up to a frosty winters morning. 

In other news this article  makes for interesting reading and I continue to keep abreast of the latest information and updates. I have had some colleagues say this week they do not want to lose me and the knowledge that two of my cats now will need substantial veterinary work in the next couple of months is a sobering thought. I know the bill for Sherlock's teeth is likely to come to seven hundred plus quid and I can't put him on an insurance scheme until this work is completed. Maisie is eating , sleeping a lot but livelier today and purring when she came to me for a fuss. Let me rephrase that, she indicates I may approach and fuss her! I have a busy day at work on Monday doing the clinics as a colleague is on leave so Sue will bring her into the vet. Most people are having the jabs so they can travel, go out socially and some because they believe they will be protected. Ironically, I might now have it for the sake of my cats! Ho hum, we shall see...It does look increasingly likely that another lockdown is on its way prior to Christmas. Time for some carols and some pleasant thoughts.

TTFN.

 The latest model update...

Not a lot as this has been an extremely busy week at work but a primer coat of Nato black airbrushed on. Ten minutes of spraying, thirty minutes of breaking down the airbrush three times to clean. prepare and clean again. But with this done I can clear coat later today to seal it, airbrush a light colour for the light and shade preparatory for the 'Russian Green'* paint going on. I am taking my time and enjoying the work. Alongside this we have another poorly cat with Maisie possibly suffering from arthritis and we will book her in to the vet next week. I suspect it could be vet bills that prompt me into grudgingly accepting the fauxine as they are all rescue cats and as they age, the underlying problems show up. If I want to care for them properly I will need to be employed. Also, for some reason Sue has been looking at properties on line in Cumbria with a lovely large bungalow with land near Penrith messaged to me yesterday. 

I shan't say much about work other than another serious incident, a lot of mental health legal work this week with times scales to meet and the pressure around the fauxine has increased from senior managers. Work is incredibly busy and will continue to grow whilst another lot of restrictions brought in by Clown world adds a piquancy to the stew. One thought has been uppermost in my mind as the fauxine passports provide a convenient gateway for social credit systems and it is an early identifier of those who won't comply. 

Plans this afternoon include returning a parcel delivered to us but not for us. Do posties actually check the postcode? Also some dreaded Christmas shopping but just for a couple of presents.

TTFN.

* Pick a shade of green and that will cover it!

 I'll be honest, I have had the laziest of weekends and apart from the modelling I have watched some videos and listened to music. Whatever this bug is, it has knocked the stuffing out of me and I want to be well for work on Monday as I have a busy week ahead of me. I have spent this morning looking at the forecast for my state pension which I can collect in just over five years time. I jokingly told Sue I have to ensure I live to collect it or avoid being carted off to to a camp for covid heretics. What did shock me was the realisation I had paid 44 years of National Insurance contributions so far from 1976 onwards! I have had jobs since I was ten years old when I delivered taxi advert cards to peoples houses for the companies my Mum worked for. Then working part time in local shops and newspaper boy during my teens. We had very little money and with hindsight I can see we were poor, so any money we brought in helped out. I worked full time on a fruit and veg stall near to St Paul's Cathedral during the summer of 1977 although I 'quit' that job during the weekend when the death of Elvis Presley was reported. I developed my Cockney patter to draw the punters in, particularly the tourists.

Work so far on the latest build and I managed an hour this morning but this has been a challenging build so far. Vague pictorial instructions and I have now learned I must examine the line drawings carefully and a few written instructions in Cyrillic. I spent a year teaching myself Russian when I was seventeen but didn't get far and I have forgotten everything in the forty plus years since. Several mistakes made and since rectified, a few more parts to add and I intend to airbrush a black primer, some shading and then the main green colour. The figures will be altered although I am tempted to buy some cheap tank crew figures if I can find them. No.1 son returned from Sweden yesterday evening so we'll catch up on his news.

                                  Russian BT 7 Light Tank.

TTFN.

 Hooray! Day off and I wake up with a sore throat and earache although yesterday I had an inkling this was coming. I did a Lateral Flow Test and the result is a negative reading so it is not covid. An excuse for a couple of medicinal whiskies tonight.

After some consideration I opted for a tank for the next build and it is going together very quickly. A cheap kit from Russia and the instructions are basic and as I discovered also wrong in places! I have made an Eastern Express kit before so I was expecting to encounter 'challenges' and I haven't been disappointed so far. I have a couple of figures to add to the build and I am considering a small diorama. I had planned to tackle the garden but this cold and tiredness will see how much tidying up I can do. Just a quick update as I keep nodding off.

TTFN.

Addendum: I drove Sue down to our GP for her meds and we visited a proper Chippy. We bought some Haddock, chips and mushy peas to takeaway. Delicious. Cures all known ills!