treker_ed
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Posts posted by treker_ed
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Regularly question my sanity, especially after spending nearly £900 on just 4 components upgrading my PC!
I appreciate prices have risen, but even those of us that are used to steep prices for PC hardware are shocked by just how much they have gone up in this generation of hardware.
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9 minutes ago, alt-92 said:
try living outside the UK right now with Royal Mail.
I could understand if that was the case, and the order was sent was sent via RM. However... Considering the last email I had stated that I would receive notice when the order was despatched, and for the item to be just dumped on my doorstep, without any knock on the door, that's what's annoyed me. It was also the fact there have been numerous parcel thefts in the area I live that has caused me concern that they did not knock on the door to let me know about the delivery. I, and my wife, were both in ALL day, so there was no excuse for what happened.
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On 1/27/2023 at 10:52 PM, treker_ed said:
Of late, that's the only bit of modelling paraphernalia that I've been able to buy... Most of what I've been buying lately has been computer components to get my main PC back into shape. New GPU (as already mentioned) but I've just had to fork out for a new CPU cooler as well! The other one I bought in early December 2022, developed a fault, so had to be sent back to the supplier. They agreed to replace it after testing, but that specific one is no longer available.
And it now seems that if you have a gaming PC, everything has to have RGB lighting on it... No Thank You! The cooler I had bought, was bought on the basis that it had none of that, and the suggested replacement... was an RGB garish nightmare! I told them to refund as the replacement was not suitable. Whilst waiting for the refund to come through, I managed to find another cooler that suited my needs (but at a much higher price sadly!)
And yet more PC bits rather than plastic bits.... Damn PC is really playing up at the moment. There is an annoying constant "ticking" noise coming from a tiny little fan on the motherboard, and sadly it's not a user replaceable item. In other words, for the sake of a few quid, the whole thing has got to be replaced. That wouldn't be too bad if the system was a few years old - it's not! I rebuilt my main gaming rig at the start of 2020, in fact I ordered these bits on 10th Jan 2020 🙁 so not overly happy that the motherboard fan has failed! I've done a lot of research over the last couple of weeks, and it would seem that this is a common fault with this particular type of motherboard fan across all makes, and no-one will send out a replacement to ordinary members of the public like me! I only found one story of a successful repair, and that was a You-Tube channel, and that was due, I guess, in part to the company concerned not wanting any bad publicity!!!!
So, all in all, new Motherboard, new CPU, new memory, and extra drive controller card on the way from various sources. A very expensive day - and I'm not overly happy about having to spend it either as I didn't want to spend it!
Asus ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming Wi-Fi Motherboard
AMD Ryzan 5 7600X CPU (with free game!)
32 GB (2 x 16) DDR5 Memory
2 port PCIe Sata Controller
At least I'll still be able to utilise the vast majority of my existing setup, so not a total wipe out on the money side of things!
(Despite prices for the new boards going up, the expansion capability has gone down! I could attach up to 8 Sata devices (HDD, SSD, Optical dives), and 2 NVME drives, to my old board, and 4 PCI expansion cards. New board - only 4 Sata devices, and 3 PCI cards - but 4 NVME drives. Hence the need for an additional SATA controller! Win some, lose some!)
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As you say everyone has their own view. Last year the club more than paid for itself for me. The club was £30 less 10% discount , over the year I bought most of Airfix 2022 releases direct, those that interested me, and which I would have bought anyway. Stashed flying hours meant that I was able to order a series 8 or 9 kit, I got the Anson, and cost me £3.95 postage. Taking all that into account and club discount, I saved over £70. Yes I still paid a lot of money out, but I would have paid that anyway. And in my view, better in the pocket of Airfix to develop new products. The only one I didn't buy was the 1/48 bucc, and that was from a small LHS in Carlisle. But bought for the equivalent of what I would have bought direct from Airfix, with discount.
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Might be better asking this in the paints sub-forum. Not really a WWII aviation question.
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Syhart decals (French decal company) are quoting FS 26293 as an equivalent for this. The actual colour is Air Superiority Grey (modern) Satin. I struggled to find an actual match for this in Tamiya but found the matt version in Mig-Ammo paints.
https://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/products/ammo-mig-jimenez-acrylic-17ml-paint-fs-36293
(This being a matt finish rather than satin - but of course you can always finish with a satin varnish)
I do use an Android based colour matching app - Hobby Colour Converter - and that gives a 98% match to XF-87 (IJN Gray - Maizuru Arsenal).
I'm no expert and I'm sure others will be along shortly who are, but that's what I came up with during my short googling checks!
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10 hours ago, Nigel Bunker said:
Ever question one's sanity? Regularly, especially when trying to deal with people on the telephone. "Press one for..........."
Agreed... And even more so when you don't get numbered options, but instead the system asks "Please state your query..."
Not too bad if one has a pure, cut glass English accent. I don't! Mine is an amalgam of accents having lived all over the UK. Born in the North West, had speech therapy due to problems as a child, lived in the south west, Scotland, and now living in the south. And also having served in the RAF. Those systems cannot understand my accent, and I get utterly frustrated as they constantly misunderstand my requests.
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This years Airfix club kit materialised on my doorstep today!
And what a smashing little kit it is. The box is certainly packed full with bits, and looking at the instructions, for a 1/72 kit, there are over 80 build steps! Not including the decals and stencilling stages!
My club renewal was due today, so decided to get it sorted a couple of days ago whilst I had the money to do so. Whilst it's nice that it has arrived, what is not so nice, is that I received no notification that it had been despatched, nor had I received any notice that it was out for delivery today! I was on the way out of the house at about 16:45, when the parcel literally fell in through the open door!!!! It had been dumped, leaning against the door, with no knock or anything, to let me know it had been delivered. Mind you, compared to most Evri/Hermes deliveries in my area, at least they managed to find the right house, on the right street
Goodness knows how long it had been sat there, and in full view of all and sundry - surprised no-one had tried to nick it (which also happens a fair bit round here as well!)
Of late, that's the only bit of modelling paraphernalia that I've been able to buy... Most of what I've been buying lately has been computer components to get my main PC back into shape. New GPU (as already mentioned) but I've just had to fork out for a new CPU cooler as well! The other one I bought in early December 2022, developed a fault, so had to be sent back to the supplier. They agreed to replace it after testing, but that specific one is no longer available.
And it now seems that if you have a gaming PC, everything has to have RGB lighting on it... No Thank You! The cooler I had bought, was bought on the basis that it had none of that, and the suggested replacement... was an RGB garish nightmare! I told them to refund as the replacement was not suitable. Whilst waiting for the refund to come through, I managed to find another cooler that suited my needs (but at a much higher price sadly!)
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There is a slight problem with that PE set - it's been designed for that boxing and is limited in supply (see below)
The only sets that Eduard do for the Revell 1/72 Tornado are the following:
https://www.eduard.com/Eduard/Tornado-IDS-GR-Mk-1-1-72-1.html?listtype=search&searchparam=tornado
https://www.eduard.com/Eduard/Tornado-IDS-GR-Mk-1-1-72-1-2.html?listtype=search&searchparam=tornado
(also available from Hannants)
https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED72297?result-token=KhKAU
https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/EDSS103?result-token=KhKAU
@BigJohn hope this helps.
(I have noticed that the PE set above is available direct from Eduard on their website, however, it does not appear to be for sale from anywhere else other than direct from Eduard)
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2 hours ago, gtveloce65 said:
Yes I know - there are plenty of Cartograph decals where the roundels are printed as one item - but we're not talking Frog or Matchbox decals from the 1970s. So what's the point of this approach by Revell??
Your complaint was initially about Cartograph being responsible for the manner in which these have been designed and printed. Whilst they may have printed them, only Revell will be able to tell you why they decide that they think this is the best approach for them. May I suggest that instead of posting on here (and incidentally being your first post....) you redirect your query to Revell directly.
And again, all the other decal sheets where the roundels are complete, their customers will have given them designs to that effect, and will have asked them to print them that way. Cartograph will not simply decide to change a design for the hell of it.
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On 1/20/2023 at 10:36 AM, Mark Harmsworth said:
Are you sure you need camouflage masks? A Lancaster normally has a fairly straightforward scheme - black undersurfaces and dark green / dark earth top. There are several ways to do your own masking - unless you have a different scheme in mind?
Mark
Some of us struggle with the simple task of translating a 2d image from a page into a 3d model. The way in which our brains cannot process the visual cues necessary to do what others can in translating, what can be a complex series of camouflage patterns simply does not flow correctly. And yet, we can follow a series of instructions advising which pieces of a masking set go where, and in what order. Making our lives a lot easier.
It may be a "straightforward" scheme but not from our point of view. So yes, sometimes a camouflage masking set is needed. For myself, this is just one aspect of ASD I have had to find alternate ways of working round.
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Yep - Bought it in Tesco yesterday.
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Cartograph only print as per the customers requests, Revell will have asked for them to be printed that way.
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Computers can be the bane of our existence and yet we rely on them so much. We only realise how much, when something like this happens! Thankfully, all my important documents are backed up, and not on my main PC drives or laptop, so if it did happen to go bang, nothing would be lost (except my gaming saves.....😅)
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And it is the Chinese new year this coming weekend. If I remember correctly, it's a time of massive holiday and celebration. So they may actually be on holiday at this precise moment. The Chinese calender is based on a lunar cycle so their new year celebrations vary accordingly each year. I am only guessing that this could be the reason for their delay.
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The reason for pointing you towards the original instructions is not for the painting of the external areas, but for the description of the colours on the inside. They use the correct naming for the colours as used in the actual aircraft, and in the areas those colours would have been used. This then would have given you a help in identifying the paints you could then use.
For example - Interior Green as stated in the Monogram instruction, Casey has already pointed out that this was the correct name, Humbrol do this in their range 226, Mr Color no longer have a similar color, its now in the Mr Hobby Color range, H58. Zinc Chromate, was a primer, also used in areas to protect and prevent corrosion, Mr Color C27, Tamiya XF-4 (near enough), Humbrol 81 would be a good equivalent. I understand that the instructions on Scalemates may not be the same as the one that you are building, and that was not the point. It was intended to be a guide to help identify the areas that you were having problems with and get the correct names for the colours. From that you could then do a google (or other) search to find appropriate model paints available to you without having to mix batches and getting consistent colours and shades across the batches.
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This was the subject of Warplane Workshop on Channel 4 in the UK. Broadcast in December 2022. Maybe available online to watch.
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@Steve147 In this case, the Revell instructions could be your worst enemy....
This particular kit originated with Monogram way back in the mists of time (well 1976 to be precise), and has been issued several times over the years. At some point Monogram & Revell joined forces and Revell started to issue Monograms Kits with their own instructions. However, Monograms instructions would give slightly better information on the build process, for example, telling you the name of the part your painting, the and the name of the colour - "Instrument panel - Interior Green, Flat black instruments". A lot of the instructions are still available on www.scalemates.com
(follow this link)
I used to use Revell as they were readily available in the area I live, but got fed up with constantly having to mix colours, running out and remixing - and not quite getting the same shades! Nowadays I predominantly use Tamiya, with some Humbrol, Xtracrylix, & Vallejo with K-Color for metallic paints.
(Don't get too worried about the fact that other paints don't look the same as Revell's colours - a lot of the suggested mixes do seem dubious at best. I long ago learnt not to trust them, which is one of the reasons I stopped using them, along with those above)
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4 hours ago, alt-92 said:
Oops. Which one did you get, one of the 40x series? I've seen some reviews on GN that make my eyebrows go up (I'll stick with the 3070 I have, thanks).
@alt-92 Nope - went with a 3070. As they have only just launched the 4070TI (rebadged / relaunched 4080) the prices are still way too ridiculous to be entertained at the moment. Even the 3070 was more than I would have liked to pay, but seriously a lot less than this time last year! I could have waited a little longer, but didn't want to take the risk of my old card burning out and doing more damage to the rest of my system. I've run a few short tests with a couple of heavy GPU intensive programs and the temps are way lower. GPU temp was around the 70c mark, and the hotspot temp was only 10c hotter instead of being around the 81/82c with hotspot at 102/104c mark.
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A polite and gentle pointer to look at the red writing at the head of the section - Once you've looked at the FAQ forum, post here if you still need help. NOT for modelling related issues.
Also - you do not have 100 posts yet and so do not have the required numbers for posting wanted requests
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1 hour ago, Dogtail2 said:
They even used to be able to mine Bitcoin, until the difficulty level increased to the point that an ASIC is now generally required.
Quite right. However, since the cryptocurrency crash towards the end of last year, and the change over with Ethereum, many no longer need GPUs to mine. There's a glut of second hand cards starting to flood the market. Thankfully, it would seem many are switched on enough not to touch them with a barge pole! I certainly haven't and went with one from my preferred hardware supplier, Scan. Prices have come down a lot from the beginning of 2021/2022 but still too high for most I think.
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9 hours ago, treker_ed said:
So my other interest is in the realm of PC Gaming - to that end a couple of years ago I built quite a decent main rig and filled it out with fairly decent kit including (at that time) a pretty decent display card (GPU)
Made me chuckle when the forum software automatically highlighted the letters G P U and gives the definition of the abbreviation as Ground Power Unit! I wouldn't want to be sticking that inside a PC tower case... (although with the amount of power required on the current batch of cards, may have to
). In computing terms (for the less PC orientated out there) its Graphics Processing Unit, and these days they are very powerful little devices, which do more than just put text/graphics on the screen.
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40 minutes ago, AntPhillips said:
Well that was quick:
Mines due for renewal at the end of Jan, which is when I'll sort it. Looking forward to this year's kit!
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How long did you leave the varnish to cure before applying the weathering wash?
If it was not fully cured, then it could affect the varnish, and underlying paint. I've had this happen to me on some previous models as I was a bit too impatient. I've learnt the hard way that I have to leave any varnish at least 24 hours before applying any washes, anything less and it came out looking as it the airframe had not been cleaned for the entirety of its operational life!
Ever question ones sanity
in Chat
Posted
Nope... Motherboard, CPU, RAM - and an extra PCIe SATA controller. That's all!
Motherboard £375
RAM £119
CPU £379
SATA £37
(Ooops actually just over £800 actually - but even so - on just 4 items!!!!!)
Prices for next gen have shot through the roof. Supply issues are pretty much none existent now, there seems to be plenty of supply around. Manufacturers have got it in to their collective heads that we are all now more than willing to pay through the nose for our kit! Before buying I spent hours researching prices, availability, hardware reviews etc, and even most tech sites are of the opinion that everything is overpriced by an exceptional margin! I'm just glad that most of the kit out of the system was able to be re-used. Been looking at the possibility of upgrading the case I have, and the one I currently have will have to suffice for a long time! All full tower cases now do not come with any 5.25inch external drive bays as they have decided that optical drives are obsolete, and no-one uses them anymore. I don't think so! They are still sold, they are still used, and I have 2 of them in my PC! I still have a back catalogue of DVD based games that I still like to boot up now and again that I don't have available as downloads. On top of that, we buy music CD's still - prefer to physically own a cd instead of streaming my music. Luddite maybe, but if anything happened to the streaming service, or signal etc. then how do you gain access to the music? At least having the physical CD I still have them available. I do rip them, and have several hundred GB worth stored on an external NAS system on my home network!
Sometimes I think the whole world has lost their collective sanity trying to be "always connected!" Doesn't always work, and there are still people who do not want to be always on line, or people who cannot be online.