Bonhoff

Stepkids got me a couple of acrylic shelves off an auction website, on account that I'm a year older and all that, to give me more space in my Ikea cabinets = room for more built models. Winner!

Mini M0ke in Madeira.

Special Hobby 22/24 sprues cover all the ancillary parts required for the Seafire 46/47 inc rudders with tail arrester hooks At least they do in my boxing. Might be worth asking in the wanted section. HTH

Tomatoes - I'm very reluctant to eat fresh toms in the UK no matter how ripe they look. Yet, when on holiday in sunnier climes I can't get enough of them. As for rocket and watercress, 1 bag of each is on the weekly shopping list yet rarely gets eaten - Mostly as it's reserved for Colin, our bearded dragon.

Wife found an Airfix HMS Victory for me in a charity shop for £1.50. When I opened the box at home there was A. One HMS Victory and B. 17 tins of Humbrol Paint required to do the kit. IanJ

Currently working my way through my holiday read, "Ghost Rider:Travels on the Healing Road," by Neil Peart - The drummer (and lyricist) in Rush, outlining a long motorcycle trip he undertook following the deaths of, firstly, his daughter and then his wife less than a year apart. Not always cheerful reading, but compelling nontheless. IanJ

Often wondered - Are they made of penguin?

Portugese AW101 practicing either SAR or dipping things in the water just off the coast of Madeira adjacent to our hotel

Windscreen portion differs but beyond that I'm not sure.

Thanks guys - not sure what to do about the canopy as mine has developed a brown tinge due to its age. And as Plan A - Use the canopy out of the SH box requires the Rareplanes one to be 1/72 too then I guess that I'm going to have to make a new one

Quite a productive day today, As suggested by Jockney, I've added some tabs to help locate the fuselage. Have also glued the seat to the cockpit floor and have worked through a number of pilots to find one that fits, have settled with one from the Airfix Typhoon - As you can't see much once the pilot's in place I'll not be spending too much effort in the cockpit. The interior has been painted black, the fuselage hasn't been closed up yet but I've started adding the wings. The fit isn't great! The wing is too thin compared with the root so requires some packing out to thicken it up as the following pictures show. I glued the wing halves separately to the roots of each fuselage half and packed them out as I went along. Enjoying this build as it's so different to anything I've tried before. IanJ

Quick question - FAA Seafire pilots post WW2... What colour overalls? Can only find bw pictures... IanJ

Spent a few lunchtimes to get to this state, won't be able to progress any further until I return from my hols starting next week. Seat harness made from coffee can foil is the only extra beyond what was in the box. Laters IanJ

Car Insurance! Now that really boils my urine. When my Stepdaughter passed her driving test I enquired how much it would cost to put her as a named driver on my car. They suggested a sum 10x what I was paying. Decided to get her her own car and I had to sell a kidney to pay the premium. I had to pay another eye watering sum when Stepson passed his test. But the thing that really, really gets my goat is not that the average premium for first timers has increased fourfold from when I first got a car despite the RPI only doubling in that time. No, it's the fact that their insurers will not give them the right to drive my vehicles, despite all of us being fully comprehensive covered, until they reach 25... Which means if any vehicle shunting about is required I have to do it. When I was their age it was only a couple of quid extra to go for an "Any Driver" policy which helped if your car was broken and you needed to borrow another one from your mate - can't do that now. Honestly - It's a wonder we aren't clamouring outside their offices with pitchforks and burning torches.

Home stretch - And the final insult.... Following on from the SCC15 paint, the running gear was then painted, just a bit tight in places but I think I covered everything. And on to decals, once again disappointment... Never noticed this before, decals "3" which are the serials for the option I'd chosen which was "Belvedere," are smudged. One of the decal "11s" is also smudged so there goes option 3 out of the window too, which leaves option 2 which is "Allakeeper," if you've been taking notes during this build the evidence on the internet points to "Allakeefek" but the bigger problem is that these pictures show a different skirt arrangement to what I've built so that one's out of the window as well. Oh well! That seam on the turret would, under normal circumstances, bug me, but I really have lost the will on this one, it'll go to the back of the cabinet and hopefully others will be forewarned that there are better 1/72nd Sherman's out there. Kind Regards IanJ