Mr T

Very nicely built and displayed Starfighter. The Hasegawa kit is very nice and holds up well today. I thoroughly enjoyed my green Canadian Armed Forces one I built for a GB a little while back.

The white stuff that I think covers the tops of some of your mountains occasionally. It is getting rarer in Britain these days, some winters we havent had any this far north, even frosts seem to be less common. The Met Office had just issued a report looking at long term trends in the weather based on their recorded data, and there has been a change to hotter summers and wetter winters. Given that the Met Office has the longest continuous set of temperature records in the world (1659 to date), I am tempted to believe them.

It looks very good, although cost may limit how many I buy (definitely the NF30, and 36 if it appears, NFXV and B35, and finally my Matchbox kits can disappear). I am not to keen on the undercarriage and nacelles assembly, but I will wait until I get my hands on one.

The Intermediate Blue goes up to the fold lines on the kit. Was it really done to camouflage aircraft on a carrier deck?

Realised that the resin kit I was going to build is apparently still available at Hannants, though currently out of stock, and dates from 2000 anyway.

More work done on the Grebe. Cockpit detailed Fuselage halves added and the lower wing in place, with some fettling, and more to do. This build is going on the back burner for a while, as there may be some improved parts coming for this kit. To fill the gap, I have a couple more kits lined up. One has been sat in the stash for forty years, with a little bit of work done to it, but nowhere near the 25% mark. It was bought when I was still immortal and had the time to build everything, before reality came barging in. the other kit is a resin replacement for a vacform kit, on the grounds I am more likely to get around to building it. That was about twenty years ago.

Paint on the Corsair, photo shows it varnished for decalling, which has started but has come to a halt until the weather cools a bit, not the model or the decals just me.

My son and his friends loved this when they were early teens

As I recall, somewhat inappropriately used for an aftershave advert in the eighties, also in 'Only Fools and Horses' well. It was used appropriately in a documentary about the ad industry, if you look at the words.

A trip to Halifax, to pick up a pre ordered SBS Supermarine S4. Expensive, but a beautiful kit. Whilst there, I also picked up an Arma Curtiss Hawk A1/2. I wasn't going to buy one, as I was waiting for the A4/Mohawk IV, which is almost certain to follow. I built one of the few RAF Mohawk Is a few years back from the AZ kit, but not keen on it once finished. I quite like Mohawks/ Tomahawks, especially after seeing them fly at Duxford. Also through the post from a company in Harrogate, a new needle and nozzle for my Iwata Neo, to restore my spares stash.

Expanding the theme a little. Mrs T enjoys gardening and on a Thursday volunteers with a local group who tend plants in some of the public spaces of the village. Last Thursday it was very hot and while they working a lady stopped and gave them all some ice lollies.

Wasn't it the 'Day After Tomorrow', made by the same people, but without 2012s 'the neutrinos are mutating'. On the issue of the whole country grinding to a halt with three flakes of snow, I think in part it is down to the London dominated media. As 1) when they cars lorries etc caught in snow it is often in places where driving can be difficult anyway, eg on Sheffields steep hills, pictures from the top of Ecclesall Road, Crookes etc, make good TV 2)if there us an inch of snow in the SE, that will get a lot of airtime, because snow is relatively rare in that part of the country and so drivers lack experience. Useless fact, the City of Westminster has/has one gritter, apparently a dismountable unit that went on to the back of a flatbed Transit. 3) The nature of snow. If you have cold ground and snowfall, it is quite different to the conditions we get in Lowland Britain, where the snow will be wet and often slushy. 4) Yes, some local authorities are better at dealing with snow than others. Substantial sustained snowfalls in the UK and Western Europe are less common than they were.

Just to cheer myself in this hot weather, I watched Val Guest's film from 1961 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' with a young Edward Judd, Leo McKern, Janet Munro and an unkwon Michael Caine in a bit part. It was Xrated at the time, presumably because someone dies by falling down a lift shaft and also because you almost see Janet Munros boobs and she kisses in bed with Edward Judd (on different sides of the shhet though) Rerated as a 15 and now currently a 12. To keep the hot and dry theme watched the first hour and a bit of the 2021 'Dune', which I have been planning to watch for some time. I thought it caught the flavour of the novel quite well.

We would be happy to take some of that rain in Yorkshire, where a hosepipe ban has just come into force. Interesting facts Population of Yorkshire has risen by 500,000 since 2000 Last reservoir built in the Yorkshire Water area was in 1966 Water loss in Yorkshire Water area 21%. National average 19%

Thanks, I will PM you in the next couple of days re parts. The engine on my kit is in good shape and I think will be usable. Your build guide will be of great use I am sure.

Following this build with interest as I am building the Aeroclub Grebe, Although from the kit with some scratch building. I have found John's caramel plastic quite hard, and drilling for the rigging took some time, but only broke one drill bit, much to my surprise.

1/32nd, it was originally going to be Wing Nut Works kit, but WNW was closed down before it was released. I remember seeing at test shot at SMW, together with a HP/O400 that disappeared.

The Spitfires with the two stage Merlin fighters look right, especially with the pointy fin. For pre war service fighters, it has to be the Fury II with the wheel spats

QIn my case, my myopia is not getting a great deal worse, in fact my long distance vision is slightly better. My minimal focusing distance is now about five inches instead of four and a half it was about 20 years ago Going to be good for 1/72nd for a while yet.

Very good indeed. I have build planned for the Post War Twins GB. I am thinking of an eighties finished aircraft as that how I remember seeing them flying low over North Yorkshire when I started going out with Mrs T (romantic soul that I am)

Not my scale, but good to see this is progressing. The cynical part if my being suggests that there would be more excitement if it had swastikas on it. I have taken modeling fairly seriously for the last fifty or so years and it always seemed to me that anything Luftwaffe 1933-45, people got excited about it, but with the exceptions of V-bombers, TSR2 and Spey Phantoms, people's enthusiasm seemed more muted. It seems to have changed more recently, or I might just be getting old. Back to the Meteor, looking at the fuselage breaks, as well as the T.7, I would have thought the F.4 would be an easy one, both were exported and there are some good schemes. I hope it does well, it might prompt Revells newish owners to produce more kits.

@johndon Looks very nice, and I now have trestle envy. Are your buffers from Lanarkshire Model Supplies? Mine came from there together with some other stuff I ordered just before they closed down.

@Mjwomack thanks, there is a diagram and pics in vol2 of 'LMS Wagons' by RJ Essery that I have. I also came across a drawing and photo from a 1958 Model Railway Constructer of the BR version we which looks identical. It will be in the Inspiration gallery along with a couple of other things.

Just got back, and I have to say for a first effort it wasn't at all bad. Mainly IPMS branches and SIGs with a wide range of interesting models to look at, and a small and varied selection of traders. Limited my purchases to dome Hataka paint and a few bits like sanding sticks and masking tape. Space was at a premium and it was a bit crowded at times. Best thing was being a pensioner it was free! Good first effort.

Hi Pat, thanks for the comment. The white underside is Halfords white primer, probably not accurate, but it does cover well if sprayed in thin coats. The Intermediate Blue is some Xtracyrlic that has been sat around for years against the day when I built a Corsair and a Dauntless (I fancy one of the handful in FAA markings). Not sure about the Sea Blue. The Xtracyrlic version is the post war version, which I think is different from wartime version, which I think I have, just struggling to find it.