Edge

Please do!

Great news! I've a few of the old MPM kits which seem like too much hard work! Edge

She's looking fantastic Neil! Are you still considering making the resin pieces available at some point? Edge

Here (much belatedly) are a few RFI images of the 1 kit I completed in 2019. Full time work & a lack of mojo was mainly responsible for the meagre output. IMG_4466 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4467 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr Hope to complete more in 2020! Edge

The cannons look to be well faired in or possibly not fitted too. Or is that my poor eyesight? Edge

A real shame if they're not going to reach fruition. I'd looked forward to them since their announcement. Edge

Holy thread resurrection! Any news at all on the PR.3, PR.7 or TT.18 kits mentioned by S&M, AMP or Micro Mir? I did drop a quick email to Mel @ S&M but didn't receive a response. It would be a real pity if these versions were dropped. Edge

Lovely Lysandering PC. As the boys say, we've broken winter's back so it's a gentle slope to spring and the joys of warmth and sunshine.

To illustrate the point regarding poor parts fit, this is the 2 halves of the front undercarriage leg held together with white glue. The obvious gap may disappear if I fiddle with the locating pin but it's not something I'd expect with modern and quite frankly, expensive kit. Untitled by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr I think I'll pin the nose wheel to the leg so that I can paint everything neatly prior to assembly. It's something new for me to try so let's see how that goes! Edge

I did carry on despite my disappointment in the fit of some parts and my ham fistedness in removing the fuselage sections. I'll try posting some pics later. Looking now at the undercarriage (again some less than stellar fit) I'm wondering what colours to use. The images from the walk around on here appear to show silver bays with grey legs, the grey appearing darker than the lower fuselage colour & less blue than the upper camouflage grey. Does anyone have a better understanding? Edge

Having had a bit of time off over the holiday & then a bit of a tidy up generally, it's time I extracted the digit & got on with some modelling. I found a Cyberhobby Venom in the to do pile and whilst I know it's not terribly accurate, it will give me something quick and easy to build, or so I thought! Instructions aren't great & the build begins with having to glue wheel halves together. Not terribly onerous, but something I find a bit of a pain, especially as the neat tread pattern in the tyres will probably be lost when sanding the inevitable seam! Next was even more faffing getting the fuselage halves to align moderately well. I managed to remove some poorly moulded locating pins and sand the mating surfaces to get to this: IMG_4438 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4441 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr Not the worst around, although I'd hoped for something a little better fitting frankly. And worse is to come. The kit is moulded as a Sea Venom so the fuselage pod has to be hacked apart and new parts fitted to make a more accurate RAF version: IMG_4432 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4435 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr As the fuselage is a relatively small diameter I found this hard going, making a mess with a Tamiy panel line scriber before switching to a different approach with a fine razor saw for the other fuselage half: IMG_4443 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4450 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4451 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_4454 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr Time for a break now, before I fall completely out of love with the kit before I've so much as glued anything together! Maybe more this afternoon as I try to close the gaps and generally work on the fit of the replacement parts. Edge

Lovely, lovely builds General. Pleased to to hear you're working on some resin sets too. Looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labours! Edge

Sorry to hear you've had a visit from the black dog Edward. We have one of those, fortunately a four legged, furry version who keeps us entertained/busy/frustrated (delete as appropriate). Thankfully visits from the other, malevolent version are no longer happening - possibly I've just learned to accept life as I've gotten older (50 this year, gulp). I listened to a podcast recently (by David Millar, ex pro cyclist) which talked about us all needing a 'third space' in this ever busier world. He was referring to the importance of self, having some quality time just for you. The other spaces being work/career/school and family. This really resonated with me as I found time on the bike, usually riding alone, or running allowed me to put the rest of the world on hold and let my thoughts go wherever, without any concious steering. Now I'm not for one second suggesting we all take up exercise or whatever, merely that keeping some time aside for ourselves is essential. Maybe that's our modelling space? There'll be no monument to mark my passing. No great building or work of art that my family can look on to remember me by. Instead, my kids are my legacy and the times and adventures we share during their childhood is my memory. I grew up in a largely loveless household, with very little support or tenderness which has left its own mark on me & it's one I don't intend leaving on my kids. We try to have time together when we can (at least one meal per day) as well as holidays etc, but always allowing space for us to do our own thing (even if mum & dad are supervising). Keep your chin up chap and the happier times will return. Edge

Thanks for the info. I've sent Mike a short email in hope.

Nice wheels General. Don't suppose they're still available? Edge

Grand job Tony Edge

Great choice Bill. Hoping for a desk close to the front of class so that I can learn from the master. Edge

At £19.99 MRRP they're a snip! Edge

Top job all round, as always Tony! Edge

Fabulous words as always Edward. Having read several accounts of SOE's French operations, I am amazed they were allowed to continue throughout the war. Those sent to occupied Europe were truly brave.

Neat finish Tony Edge

Finally going to call this one finished. Lost my enthusiasm quite early on, so had to force myself to sit at the bench & soldier on. Just one of those things! Things I'm disappointed with include the undercarriage. I found it over complex and the fixing points were miniscule. I left off the 2 actuators as one broke removing it from the sprue & I'd almost binned the kit! I found it impossible to align the Eduard Brassin wheels on the undercarriage legs too, so much so that I took a guess with the flats on the tyres & guessed wrong! I should have removed the Brassin exhausts from their pouring block before painting. I didn't & chipped them in the process. On a good note, gently touching them in with some Alclad Burnt Exhaust with a fine brush added to the tonal variation! Bits I'm pleased with? Well the antenna looks cool. IMG_3227 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_3228 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_3229 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_3230 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr IMG_3232 by Gavin Edgerton, on Flickr Edge

Have to admit to feeling a little disappointed in the masks. They obscure the base colour meaning you can't see to judge any colour variation until you move it. I ended up with a poor marbling effect. I like your idea for using them during pre-shading - I'll pinch that for next time! Edge

Catalina build on hold awaiting a set! Plus us more in the stash pile that will need 'accurising'! Edge

What a lovely job. Great build and a flawless finish. Edge