DMC

Hi Mike, Have a look on Station Road Baseboard and see what you think. I bought many sheets of A4 in various thicknesses over a few years and always received prompt service at a fair price. Nice bloke also. Cheers, Dennis

Sorry, Rob, fat finger wrong button poor eyesight.

BFF

But forgot to mention that her taste buds seem to be affected. Tea in particular has taken on a curious metallic taste.

Madam’s first AZ jab this AM by over enthusiastic volunteer. JAB!. Headache and fever in evening. Stayed in bed Friday with pounding headache, fever and sore arm. Better today.

I suppose. Rached only told me about the Chinese method today. At least when I had a swab i only had to make sure the trainee nurse got the sequence correct: mouth first, nostril second. (Funny comments on here) Dennis

Picture this : I am in my second day in a HDU at the QMC. There are six of us in the ward, all old guys with old guy ailments. Mine was pretty serious and I expect to be here recovering for a few days. One of my biggest concerns before the op was, of course, the virus. Hospitals are where sick people are and if you’ve got Covid you are really sick. But no choice in my case so I’ve had the op, happy to have survived it. The nurses are wonderful. Can’t do enough for you and always quick time and with a smile. I love them all. Early in the morning I hear the ward nurse talking to, call him “D”, in a low voice, something about him being moved because he has been in contact with a patient with Covid. I am now fully awake. What the hell is this about? We are now all sitting up and the nurse has been to each one with the awful news that we have all been in contact with this patient. Sweet Jesus, how did that happen? I had to shield for two weeks and have a negative swab test just to get through the front door. Soon we know who the unfortunate person is. The gent in the corner bay near the widow. But how did he slip through the net? The curtains are whipped around his bay, Nurse is in and out, furtive whispering and the tearing of paper can be heard. I am about ready to make a run for it but my nerve holds, and because Nurse has said I’ll be ok, does she know that at 80 I’ve had the first jab?, I stay put. Soon two heavy lifters enter the bay and wheel bed and dreadful looking bloke to who knows where. We all wave as he passes. He waves back with a “sorry about all this” look on his face. A few minutes later a hazmat team comes in , strips the curtains from the rails and gives the bay a thorough going over. Nurse is busy on the phone with names and soon on. The rest of us just sit there dumbfounded wondering if it all really happened. Two on the Covid side left the next day. D on my right right was wheeled off to theatre for an op and D on my left and I were given private rooms and swab tests (2 each) while the entire ward was given a deep cleaning. I am home now under the care of Nurse Rached wondering if we all dodged a bullet and if our Covid ward mate will survive. I never did find out who he was or how he managed to end up in the ward. Life goes on....hopefully for a little while longer. Don’t pass up those jabs. Dennis

Then there are other ways. Have a look at this YouTube video.

Hi Jinx, Nice to see another Shuttle in the works. Good luck with those tiles. I thought about them for a bit but opted for decals instead. Cheers Dennis

Apparently, someone from Leland, Lancs tried to hack into my account with no success. (Thank you mods!) To what advantage I wonder? Single use password. Dennis

A text to notify me that 2nd jab at the QMC will be a week earlier. Not a lot but very welcome.. Dennis

Mr Socks in a box and his buddy Buster Buster could use use a bigger box. Dennis

At the QMC, I was given this sticker and a wallet card as proof. Card had batch number, date and space for 2nd jab (April 24th). Roll on the Jab. Dennis

A little quicker than that we hope, John. Dennis

Just back from the QMC. Over 80s Covid jab. Very quick and efficient. In and out in 15/20 min. one more to go. Dennis

I have. When you restarted your’s I had a look to see where I’d left off. Why I put it aside I can’t remember but I do it all the time. I need to get the big Boeing painted but the weather has been so rubbish lately I’m holding off until it improves a bit. Too big to paint inside so I need a nice dry day. Meanwhile, I’m getting into Real Space a little and working on a Revell Shuttle. Pretty close to completion so maybe I can break my modelling duck. Cheers, Rob, stay safe. Dennis

Wow! You’re on fire, Rob, won’t be long now. Dennis

Well, so far so good. A little more fettling and I think this one will do okay. For the glass I’ll vac one out of PETG, trim it down and insert from inside. Best bet will be to cut down the cabin bulkhead, paint everything and install the bay doors after the “glass”. Pleased with this. Thanks thanks for looking in. Dennis

Because I’d not given the windscreen much thought I cemented the clear piece in figuring the decals would suffice for the framework. Wrong! Decided to add styrene strips for the framework But shaping and priming them turned into a major problem and I messed up the clear insert. So, back to the drawing board. I then decided to remove the “Beanie cap?” entirely and vac a replacement. I fashioned a mould out of clay, baked and shaped it and pulled a replacement cap. Left it too long in the oven and ended up with a bit of webbing. But felt I was on the right track. Second pull turned out okay but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for so I modified the mould to define the windscreen a little and tried again. This one looks much better and I think I might be able to get the result I’m looking for. Thanks to @starseeker I’ve got excellent renditions of the Shuttle windscreen framework to go by. We’ll see how it goes. Thanks for dropping in. Dennis Dennis

Coming right along, Matt, it will look just great. Dennis

All good stuff, Rob. Roll on! Dennis

Close enough for my needs and with these latest links can’t imagine needing anything else. The mods are coming along okay but instead of radiused corners they’ll have to be ,well, corners as the frame is a bit small. I believe the windscreen to be the most difficult mod to correct on these old kits. However, I have an idea or two that might prove a better solution to the problem. Thanks for the links, most useful info. Dennis

Thanks, Eric, I’ve been thinking about the Haynes book and I will look into getting a copy. I don’t have that many books, only four, but they have some pretty good pictures which are helpful when modelling. The Squadron Signal book is good for detail stuff, but you probably know that. Wish I started modelling the Shuttle sooner. I’ve been looking out for a reasonably priced Airfix kit but the vendors seem to think they are selling “vintage” kits and price them accordingly. My Shuttle claim to fame is seeing Columbia on the SCA returning to Kennedy after its maiden flight. Really low and rather awe inspiring. In Florida of course, at the time and a complete surprise. Just happened to look up and there it was. Cheers Dennis

Thank you, Eric, all very interesting. I know the story of the models but it does cause me to wonder what sort of access Revell, etc., had in order to get such reasonable accuracy. I am currently about half way through Into the Black—Rolland White. A very readable account of events leading up to STS-1, and near disaster, from the very earliest days of the Space Program. Recommended. Cheers Dennis

Well now, sir, these will come in handy as I have the “Atlantis” shuttle up, I hope, next. Did a search for something similar but had no luck. Many thanks, much appreciated. Dennis