Testing…

Hooray! It works. I have had issues with my google account and unable to add pictures to my blog but today, success! Interestingly, since the outbreak of interesting times in Persia I haven’t had any spam emails. That is the 1/24 scale Airfix Stuka with the first camo colour airbrushed on and also on the exterior of the masked canopies. The internal canopies also masked and ready for airbrushing and the build now masked for the schwarz grün paint camo to be airbrushed on. Once that is done I will move to clear coats, decals and possibly masking to airbrush insignia on, a first for me. I started this build back in December last year and I am pleased with the work so far. This has included time away from modelling and building a few other kits.

The Nieuport 17 biplane in 1/32 scale now has the wheels attached since the above picture and I have drilled out holes for the rigging and measured up the thread for this.

The Vosper MTB in 1/72 scale is now built and awaiting more paint, rigging and weathering. Both kits a joy to build so far despite the MTB being an old kit with fit issues. Hopefully these will all be completed in the next two weeks and I will consider my next build then. The MTB is for a group build and I have an aircraft set aside for another group build which is ongoing until September. 

Despite being very windy, cold and the usual rain the last two days have also been bright. The clocks spring forward tomorrow and fingers crossed the last of wintry weather will be behind us. Realistically, I can’t do too much in the garden as my back and legs for the past week have been very troublesome. Bending over and carrying anything heavy is strictly a no-no these days. I can attend to the raised bed and plant in the pots and happily I can take my time doing any jobs in the garden.  My model building is likely to slow down with the arrival of better weather. We have already seen butterflies and bees, lots of birdsong and the two Freds are loving the garden, chasing every flying object including leaves! Winnie also savaged a chunk of moss to death for an hour the other day. My horizons have diminished over the past year because of poor mobility and retirement but thankfully a good imagination and hobbies keep me happy and distracts me from the external current madness of politics by other means. I hope all is well with the few readers of this blog and you are all anticipating the better spring weather.

TTFN.

 Hooray! Bright sunshine and very mild out so we are getting further into spring with butterflies which has the Freds very excited. Sadly, Wilf has already caught one Tortoiseshell. Apart from some brief modelling this morning I shall sit out in the garden this afternoon and contemplate the grass growing.

The Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang and the Spitfire Mk.V both finally weathered and just requiring an aerial for the Boomerang. The Stuka remains an ongoing project as Winnie finally got her paws on it but surprisingly little damage done. I have started a new kit for a group build with a model group I joined late last year. The criteria is an Airfix starter set or an Airfix Classic kit from yesteryear. I chose the Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat in 1/72 scale, a re-release from 1971.

I made a start on it on Monday and it’s a kit I have longed to build but…expectations have crashed headlong into reality.

It is a mould from 1971 and good for that time but age and modelling advances since then shows the many issues with this kit. I expected it to have issues with flash and to be a basic kit but fit has been a problem from the start. The cabin superstructure and gun are dry fitted as I have to sand and then prime the boat with Mr Surfacer to ensure a good surface and fit before adding the other parts and painting.

Progress so far and I will leave it until tomorrow. It will be an out of the box build as I just want a fun although challenging build and it will be my second ever boat build. I have little interest in large ships but I do like the smaller boats like the MTB and the E boat. The group is running four group builds this year and I have a kit for another one, ‘The Phantom Menace’ which can either be a Star Wars build or any ‘Phantom’ kit. I did look at a Rolls Royce Phantom but instead I opted for an early jet aircraft, the original Phantom from the late 1940’s.

Now for the sunshine! I hope the weather is good where you are but seeing Scott’s blog from a couple of days ago, that looks cold.

TTFN.

 

I’m currently working on a smaller build which is fighting me all the way. So far I have glued in three separate joysticks two of which were scratch built but all of them are stuck inside the model! It’s one of the garage kits I bought last year from New Zealand and it’s a ‘practice’ build to improve my modelling skills. I bought some new varnishes as I do need satin and Matt finishes for many of the builds rather than just the floor polish I have been using. I have also ordered some new tools to aid me with filling seams as that has been an issue for me.

The Stuka is awaiting more paint but I need a couple of hours free of cats and a mild day where I can leave the door / window open for airbrushing such a large kit. We are letting Winnie out for short periods and she has so far returned home each time. With better weather now that Spring is possibly coming in I can spend time in the garden and Winnie can spend more time out where I can keep an eye on her. Talking of which…

This is ‘Black Tom’, an intact male cat that calls most days, literally calling loudly and he is friendly but hopefully he has a home as he looks well fed. He is the cat who brought Winnie home when she got lost the first time and she does like him but, she likes every cat she meets. Today was a beautiful day but the next few days promise to be cooler. However, it really does feel like Spring is cracking through the shell and emerging into the weak sunlight. 

TTFN.