Alan R

Is that in the latest Book of Boba Fett episode?

I have the Samba-bus and I thought that the engine area was a bit suspect. I thought about trying to replicate the engine and rear frame from the Tamiya VW Beetle? Not sure yet. I am fascinated as to how you might address this one... Cheers, Alan.

Hi Jeroen, I'll be looking in on this one for sure. It might even inspire me to get my Revell Samba Bus out of the stash... Cheers, Alan.

I often struggle with the lack of zeal for my hobby. So many things in life get in the way! It is after all a hobby for most of us, and it is only a pleasure when you feel in the right mood for it. (The cold weather doesn't help a lot. My workshop is in the un-heated conservatory!) Glad to see you getting started on this again. Cheers, Alan.

Have you tried brake fluid? DOT 4, I think.

Decals look good!

I love that! Looks real, if a fantasy ship can be real Cheers, Alan.

IIRC this is an expensive kit, like their special edition Toyota 2000GT. Looks lovely though.

I have just recently (about two weeks ago) applied the decals on my Tamiya XJR-9 Apart from the fact that as they were so old, they were somewhat fragile, some serious touching up required in places, they showed the same 'graininess' (?) as yours. I used Micro-set and Micro-sol to get them to lay down. I don't know if this helps, but I had been watching some you-tuber using a hair-dryer to accelerate the decal softening and setting. I tried it and it does seem to work. Certainly speeds up decal application... Cheers, Alan

Have to agree. David Gilmour has that knack if making it look simple, even though it isn't. Eric Clapton can do the same. BTW. My favourite DG solo is the one in 'Money'. Gets me every time!

I watched episodes 2 & 3 this Sunday evening. Well worth the time spent. Looking forward to the next episode.

My dad was a very good amateur carpenter and general builder. His daytime job was builders-merchant manager. He basically ran the site! He built several things in the house, including two fitted bedrooms and fitted kitchen, all from scratch. He built his own shed, again from scratch, including the foundations and last but not least, he built the extension to the house. He just loved making things, I think. In later years, when he retired, he took up wood-turning as a hobby and turned out some very finely turned wooden objects. When I was small, I did try to help and I did pick up some skills on the way. If I had the time, I would love to do some wood-working. Ah well, maybe when I finally retire ... sigh! He very rarely had tradesmen in to do jobs, except for heating and electrical... I think that he came from a generation who grew up during the war, and learned how to do things for himself. My generation were spared the war, but maybe missed out on the handiwork things. Sorry, went off topic a bit (lot?). Cheers, Alan.

The only Fords I owned were: Mk1 Escort 1100 estate (1971) - Flat as a pancake, no power to speak of, but got me around Mk2 Fiesta XR2 (1986) - Flying roller-skate. Loved it! Ford Focus 1.6 TDi estate (2012 vintage) - Utilitarian, economical (~50 MPG), quite fun to drive. Cheers, Alan

You must be a tad older than me. The car of choice for driving schools when I learnt to drive (Very early 70s) was either a Mk1 Escort or the HB Viva. I passed my test in an HC Viva (Jan '73). I also built this (The HA Viva) back in the day. Oh those lovely little plastic baggies! You could actually see all the bits. Those were the days. Cheers, Alan,

My experience with rattle cans is variable. I used to use Halfords' grey primer an awful lot in the past. Lovely stuff. Goes on really smooth and really durable. Just don't overload the paint, runs will be inevitable. When working models, if I have a small area to re-cover in primer, I'll use a can of Citadel Grey primer. Seems to work really well. Personally, I wouldn't hand-brush the red paint on such a large model (I have one in my stash, started but stalled...). Find a suitable red in a can and use that. Cheers, Alan.