Biggles87

Well yesterday brought a surprise,I picked up Revell's 1/32 Spitfire MklX for a snip

on e-bay at £20 posted,it arrived yesterday in a suspiciously large box which only

contained the Technik version of the kit! I 've mailed the company explaining the 

fact they've sent me a kit they advertise at a £100 more and await a reply!

Well yesterday brought a surprise,I picked up Revell's 1/32 Spitfire MklX for a snip

on e-bay at £20 posted,it arrived yesterday in a suspiciously large box which only

contained the Technik version of the kit! I 've mailed the company explaining the 

fact they've sent me a kit they advertise at a £100 more and await a reply!

Ok. Erm.

A lot happened.

34,000 km.

Starvation. I went a bit bonkers;

129 continuous days alone.

I ended up on the ABC National news as the second news story at peak time on a Saturday at 7pm on the 7/11.

Any numerologists out there?

it was the first time that I had seen my wife in 7 Months.

Way before and during, @JOCKNEYliterally helped keep me alive as always has @AlexNand treated my very stressed and overwhelmed wife like the 15/16 Scottish Princess she is. I think that he may not be here; I was dreadfully torn as a friend that I care about a lot; a better friend, I assure you, a person like me could not imagine, had popped over onto another forum. I had and still have mental health issues. 
I am Compus Mentis. Not the hardwiring, the data.

Some stuff needs filing away or to be deleted; taking up too much space on the hard drive.
We must start talking about this fella me lads; the ladies are often better at it than us.

I tried to hide my weaknesses and pride led to a big fall.

Anyway, sadly I can’t promise anything apart from; give the forum masses of publicity as other media sources, on your island, well I don’t know yet.

However, Mike may not wish for that, it could create too many hits and we don’t want server meltdown.

Not blowing the trumpet here. I’m ashamed by the 2 and a half minute piece. I had been advised to make it about me, but I don’t like doing that; so I just really don’t like it.

Now 22 Million people know me as the bloke that arrived in a wheelchair, sounds like a Pom and laid in his own 💩  for three weeks 😔 .

Being recognised in public (and hospital) for this, is not fun.

I was 129 continuous days in agony, haemorrhaging, liver playing  an unfair game and starving in the end. Lost about 4 stones; 124 kg. I’m out a bit there because I’m still a bit out of it here, now back in Australia.

Modelling wise; I’m in need of the help of you people to help get me going again.

It’s thanks to @Mike that I am alive. That my stepkids have had a Stepdad and still do. That my wife was able to see the home of her ancestors.

You should have seen her smile. You must know how good it feels when you just know that the love of your life is happy? Really happy?

Model making, learning how to write again, use computers again, even commmunicate, take photos;,This forum honestly saved my life.

The fact that some rifts have happened whilst I was sick; it was awkward as the bloke in the other place; a whole load there saved my life too.

What an awful few years it has been for so many; and now Covid-19 has thrown everything, even my marriage, into touch.

Alone, in the bath, looking for my old mates; see if I can learn from you again to get on my Own Two Feet and get model making; give back.

I have missed my mates here. Very concerned that you’re all safe.

TonyTiger66

🐯 

I can email a link to @Mike of the video, phone going flat in the bath 🛀 too hot today 🥵 cold water 😃🤣.

Love and peace and all that xx

Well just confirmed by NHS I passed the covid positive test,well that's me stuck 

indoors till next week!

Well just confirmed by NHS I passed the covid positive test,well that's me stuck 

indoors till next week!

Today me and my wife will start the journey to build a house.

This is awesome, and scary!

Well the paint situation is now critical,two builds for the in the navy GB shelved and running on

fumes for a lot more projects,no sign of my LMS opening soon there's a DIY store I pass on the 

way to work has a humbrol tins stand but I hate the damned thing's!

Hello everyone,

It was tricky, but I made it. Back in the U.K.. Attended the infected blood hearings in October.
 

Persuaded SingaporeAir not to charge me £600 to bring a wheelchair over.

Managed to pick up the by now ancient Volvo 940 Estate, get it through the MOT, taxed, tested.

Insurance was a monumental faff.

One that matched the rather Nordic long story telling name of the company I used.

Now settled in a nice spot in Dunoon.

A little bird told me that @Scimitar may live here too. I’m not sure if there are any other Scot or adopted Scot  Britmodellers nearby?

Please get in touch if so.

It literally nearly had me pushing up the daisies, the relocation, but recovering now.

No tools, paints, brushes nothing.

My wife and family over in Oz for.  Christmas. Like many of us; I will most likely be alone and mainly bedbound.

The latter part may start to change in the new year; the Involuntary separation from my very loved wife; a challenge.

She did send a couple of nice little Dekno resin kits over. Modern, lovely quality Dekno.

I will need a razor saw, knife, cutting mat, all the essentials. So close to Christmas and after the vast expense of the move; a bit tricky.

However; I will have a look in the boxes and online and consider the most economical and rapid way to get modelling. It will help beat the “missing my wife and step kids at Christmas” blues.

Hello @TheBaron, @Beard, @Beardie

@CedB @Procopius @perdu @Nigel Heath @Pin @Romeo Alpha Yankee @thespadgent

Hello everyone,

It was tricky, but I made it. Back in the U.K.. Attended the infected blood hearings in October.
 

Persuaded SingaporeAir not to charge me £600 to bring a wheelchair over.

Managed to pick up the by now ancient Volvo 940 Estate, get it through the MOT, taxed, tested.

Insurance was a monumental faff.

One that matched the rather Nordic long story telling name of the company I used.

Now settled in a nice spot in Dunoon.

A little bird told me that @Scimitar may live here too. I’m not sure if there are any other Scot or adopted Scot  Britmodellers nearby?

Please get in touch if so.

It literally nearly had me pushing up the daisies, the relocation, but recovering now.

No tools, paints, brushes nothing.

My wife and family over in Oz for.  Christmas. Like many of us; I will most likely be alone and mainly bedbound.

The latter part may start to change in the new year; the Involuntary separation from my very loved wife; a challenge.

She did send a couple of nice little Dekno resin kits over. Modern, lovely quality Dekno.

I will need a razor saw, knife, cutting mat, all the essentials. So close to Christmas and after the vast expense of the move; a bit tricky.

However; I will have a look in the boxes and online and consider the most economical and rapid way to get modelling. It will help beat the “missing my wife and step kids at Christmas” blues.

Hello @TheBaron, @Beard, @Beardie

@CedB @Procopius @perdu @Nigel Heath @Pin @Romeo Alpha Yankee @thespadgent

Thank you for the kind messages back in August.

You’re a great bunch and BM is superb. Thank you Mike.

Absolutely the best community on the Internet.

Two months have flown by. Another short stay in hospital. Then my wife and stepdaughter did amazing work packing books for study, inspiration, to help my own writing, masses of medication.

Clearance letters for vast quantities of very valuable clotting medication arrived just 3 days prior to departure.

a380’s on the two Long hauls. 
Perhaps the civil aviation modellers and staff here can tell me why the older A380 was far more comfortable than the newer one?

Cheap seats on both, but utterly agonising on the second one. I have a fracture in my right elbow and Spinal work that cannot be effectively addressed in my remaining practical working lifespan (unless I win the lottery or crowdfunded *a lot*) in Australia, so in many ways, this was a civilian medevac.

These Osteo issues are regular NHS work here. 
I have never been so happy to hear British trains and be drenched by British rain, to breathe in the cool air, full of Carbon Monoxide or not.

Suit  and symbolic yellow tie provided for the hearings by the lovely people at Haemophilia ACT.
My first new nice pair of shoes in 13 years provided by careful saving.

Entire flight paid for myself by extremely mindfully collecting 90,000 Virgin Velocity points over an 8 year period and $85 in cash.

Quite proud of my tenacity there !
 

Currently in London recovering from the long haul.

Off to the hearings on Monday. Fleetwood house. I’ll be the portly chap in charcoal suit, tan Oxford style Hush puppies 👞 and a yellow toe, in a wheelchair sometimes, walking stick other times.

We had to concentrate on books and medication (30Kg of books). 

Thetefore, sadly, not *one* single kit, paintbrush, knife, pot of paint here with me 😢.

I tried to bring some vintage Shuco clockwork cars to refurbish, but they have apparently been posted back to Australia, in the same box as my old computers. ‘Too many batteries’ apparently. All dead as dodos; I just wanted to keep the moulded shells to try and re-cell. If anyone has any ancient PowerBook 500 series batteries, please let me know. I need to get data off of those machines. Only place my Masters degree and one old book I started in 1991 (transferred from Amiga) exist.

Oxford  next to meet a valued good friend, then the midlands to pick up the trusty Volvo 920 Estate.

The AA wouldn’t insure it as they say it’s too old and a ‘Classic’. A classic car company rep almost died Laughing when I tried to insure my life beloved brick through them

as a classic. Still don’t know where to go to get it insured. Got to get it done very fast.

Flew through its test after years of inactivity. Winscteen wipers, a battery, handbrake adjustment. Job done.

They don’t make them

like that anymore (stop sniggering you at the back, it may be ugly but I love it).

Im off North of the border to live near Dunoon for a bit after the hearings. Would love to hear from nearby Britmodellers. Any advice on good local GP’s most welcome.

I’ll be mainly reading and writing and having my body repaired bit by bit, but a Britmodeller is a Britmodeller.

Nothing. To. Build. Alone, A bit skint 😔 
 

If anyone has anything unwanted in 1/72, let me know. I will buy or send swaps. I mainly like aircraft pre 1970. Above all 1930’s to 1960’s.  I like submarines and WWII Arctic Convoy ship is too.

Vac form, resin, plastic, any old thing. Unwanted paints, brushes, scalpels etc also welcome.

I’ll be as skint as a skint thing until late November, so all unwanted/second hand stuff welcome and will be lovingly built.

Look after yourselves. Keep muddling.  Can’t wait to get to Dunoon 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⛰.

All the best

TonyT

Hello friends 👋 

It has been some time. I hope that you are all well, or at the very least getting along fairly tolerably well.

I have missed you all.

I think maybe most of my followers/friends here know that my recent almost annual attempts to get back into modelling, into regular posts, have not worked. 

Short spell of normality: silence.

The Internet is a place where one’s data and words are harvested and used in the strangest and most mystical ways, therefore I was previously reluctant to explain a lot.

However, now a person involved in what is being referred to as the largest scandal in NHS history, I have waived my rights to privacy via my lawyers, for the class action. This was my choice. I’m no spring chicken any more, there aren’t that many of us old bleeders left (I’m not swearing here), so I feel fine writing about it here.

Around 40 years ago, along with around 2500 or so other Haemophiliacs, other recipients of blood based products; I copped for a couple of very nasty infections. Ones that can kill and have killed many.

I’m one of the U.K. ‘survivors’.

I have been sort of ‘stuck’ in Australia. Following what was intended to be a far shorter trip; my health, related to my Haemophilia and liver infection declined and I ended up stuck here.

There are far worse places to be stuck. I have been very kindly looked after, especially following my move to the lovely and friendly, very civilised city of Canberra. The capital city.

A couple of years ago the U.K. government finally opened an inquiry into the way so many became infected by blood products. Shortly after that I asked a U.K. lawyer to represent me in the class action currently underway.

Writing a witness statement spanning almost 40 years has been a harrowing and demanding task. At over 10,000 words, thanks to the help of my kind and supportive wife, to the help and support of some members of Britmodeller past and present, to a wonderful team of lawyers and a wonderful team of Haemophilia and liver nurses, doctors, support workers, counsellors and a superb GP, the support and help of my home MP in Argyll in Scotland and more; I am almost there. Also with many thanks to the support and kind words of an old academic friend of mine; Prof. Danny Dorling, currently of Oxford University.

Reading thought provoking books by Danny and others, researching all kinds of things, from conflict history to geopolitics and social geography (I’m a geographer by the way, it probably shows 😉), Audiobooks, encouraging emails and text messages have kept me (fairly 😉 ) sane and determined.

I went on a kind of targeted chemo/anti viral medication last November and that appeared to be the point at which my get up and go for model making, for most leisure pursuits, got up and went.

However, it appears to be working 😊.

Moreover, I saved enough Virgin Velocity points (92,000) make the journey to the U.K. in a few weeks time, at the end of October.

This will be in time to attend a few days of Inquiry hearings in London, ponder whatever the B word throws at us on Haloween and to enjoy Guy Fawkes night too.

In model making terms, I appear to have branched out into restoring old die cast and tin plate toys; trains, aeroplanes, automobiles, motorcycles and so on. My plastic modelling interests have really narrowed down to ‘Golden Age’ aviation and most things from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.

I also appear to have acquired a piano, another guitar and number of classic cars in need of a little love and attention; all British or European, although my Australian built 1973 Ford Cortina Mk III with a 200 cubic inch engine and three speed manual gearbox doesn’t quite fit the classifications. The others are Audi, Rover, Mercedes. SAAB, Volvo, Peugeot, Simca and so on.

I will need a few quite large shipping containers and an old barn to move this lot to the U.K., hopefully Scotland, and keep them

safe, protected from the elements.

Should anyone wish to meet up for a chat, cup of tea and so on; I will be in London the last week of October, Oxford the first week

of November, then Birmingham, then Glasgow and Argyll.

Please send a message if interested, it would be lovely to meet up with anyone.

I hope to more carefully heed the advice of a friend from my last attempt, and slowly ease myself back into some model making and sharing of experiences; rejoining the good people on this great forum again.

Have a great weekend

TonyT

Sunday tickets to Fairford booked for the kids and I, their first proper air show!

Rob

turns out we just need noodles, who knew

I’m in Duxford! 😃

I feel the need to tell you all I actually built something today, in fact that’s not accurate! Somethings!

they are nothing special but I got them buttoned up... not my finest work but fun!

I’m back in the game!!

Hello everyone,

Just a quickie.

After my quick toe back in the water here on Britmodeller a few weeks ago, I unfortunately went AWOL again.

As life, the universe and everything would have it; just a few days later I was put on what should be a very long term course of chemotherapy.

I didn’t know that chemo could be administered by tablet, but it can.

My late first wife had it administered by drip (many drips) evey two weeks or so.

I know that there are many here on Britmodeller on chemo, and many that will know a lot more about these ‘targeted chemo’ pills than I do.

One thing that I do now know is; by crikey they’re powerful.

Theyve absolutely knocked me for six; I have an even more profound respect for those here (everywhere) that have been on these for years.

Imagine the worst, mist diabolical hangover you’ve ever had, multiply it a few times, add a bit of a feeling of rampant glandular fever and a smattering of galloping hepatitis into it and that just about sums up the mornings.

Anyway, enough whinging. Suffice to say, I’m starting to get used to it now. A big shock after it really kicked in after day 14 or so, but now the shock value is diminishing.

Righto. It’s already 2019 here in Canberra.

Mrs. Tiger had to fly to Auckland four days ago as her mum, my mother-in-law, was found in the kitchen. She has had a stoke.

I’m pleased to report that this 93 year old lady is currently really very strong and stable. Trying to get out of bed and denying that she’s had a stroke. They don’t make them like this anymore. Scottish ancestry 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍.

Mrs. T arrived home just a few hours ago. The delayed flight touched down at 11.59pm, last year.

🤔🕛 

We had coffee in a Thermos (expertly made by yours truly) to see in the new year, in a very deserted airport.

Quite fun really. 

Safely home, we will hopefully now sleep for the next day and a half. I’m sure that this will be the hope of many a new year reveller, albeit based in needs for recuperation stemming from altogether more traditional forms of annual celebration 🥴 🍻🍾 🍺👍.

I just wanted to wish all Britmodellers a very happy new year 🥳 🎈🎉!!

I do hope to make an appearance or two, perhaps a bit of the old ‘modelling in bed with a tray’. The latter having nothing to do with anything related to Marianne Faithful or interesting Swedish ‘art house’ movies; but more along the lines of a thirty pence Revell Brewster Buffalo, tube glue and a pot of Airfix Silver Fox G8.

Happy modelling Britmodeller folks, have a lovely 2019, thanks for being you, thanks to Mike et al for this great forum 🥂 .

TonyT

Introducing the latest member of the Biggles87 family.

This is Blanche who we adopted about 10 days ago, when her previous owner had to move to an apartment and so did not have a garden for her. She's eight years old, is very affectionate and is getting on well with our other two girls, although she's not sure about the horses and thinks they should be barked at regularly. 

John

Just can't seem to get enthusiastic about any build's since the hol's,needa mojo restorer!

I can't get over the incredible value of the IWM's oral history recordings of Battle of Britain pilots, all freely available online. There's not really anything like it here in the USA. 

Just a few:

Tom Neil in 2004

Geoffrey Wellum in 2004 

Jeffrey Quill in 1989

Brian Kingcome in 1988

Christopher Foxley-Norris in 1988

"Tony" Bartley in 1990

Al Deere in 1988

"Grumpy" Unwin in 1990

Douglas Bader in 1982

Roland Beamont in 1988

John Willoughby De Broke in 1981

Hello chaps and ladies.

Thank you for many very kind messages. 

I'll reply to all, really lovely messages, very soon.

We're fortunate to have such a dignified and kind forum. 

Mike's ethos 👍.

All the best (OB)

TT

Unexpectedly home. 

Had a bad day yesterday, everything hurt like hell and couldn’t walk far, and I was pretty depressed. I woke up in the middle of the night and realised that things felt better, then the doc came this morning and said I could go home if the physio was satisfied that I could manage OK., so here I am in the bosom of my family again ( well the dogs were pleased to see me anyway ). Now what can I do to keep myself occupied?

John

Learning to walk again.

I had my partial bionic knee fitted on Tuesday, and after a short hobble yesterday we got onto the serious stuff today.  They have to be sure that I can manage stairs before I can leave, so we went to the nearest stairwell ( about 25m ) and went down a short flight of eight steps and return. When we got back to the top I was absolutely knackered and light headed so they took pity on me and wheeled me back in a chair, how pathetic is that?

When everything is sorted I should be able to leap small buildings with a bit of a run-up.

John

Learning to walk again.

I had my partial bionic knee fitted on Tuesday, and after a short hobble yesterday we got onto the serious stuff today.  They have to be sure that I can manage stairs before I can leave, so we went to the nearest stairwell ( about 25m ) and went down a short flight of eight steps and return. When we got back to the top I was absolutely knackered and light headed so they took pity on me and wheeled me back in a chair, how pathetic is that?

When everything is sorted I should be able to leap small buildings with a bit of a run-up.

John

The Pz.IV STGB now has enough modellers signed up for it to go ahead next year. Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far. It will run from Sat 15 Dec 2018 to Sun 17 Mar 2019.

There is a line of huge storms passing about 10-15km west of us. I've just been outside listening to the thunder and it's continuous, I imagine it must be like listening to bombing or an artillery barrage. The power of nature is awesome.