Rob G

Update: No parcel. Big H took 7 days to actually pack and send my order from when I placed it, which is most unlike them - every other order has taken no more than 2 days to despatch. Oh well, I'm not going to die, but I do wonder what's going on there. Hopefully it'll all arrive early next week. In the meantime, I've got lots more plastic to play with.

TeeELL, the bumps on my Gnat are no longer available for photomagraphic purposes, as they've gone to the great leveller, sandpaper. (Small classical joke there.) If you can look at your kit, they're on the underside, one just aft of the forward triangular antenna thing, and the other behind the underside UHF antenna. They're possibly strobes, but as I said, I can't see them in any photos (which may be my failing, not Airfix's).

'That truck' is going to be my subject. Bought the kit special 'n' all.

What ^ he said.

Looking at the posted builds so far, it's great to see that we're all getting into the spirit of the GB. Quick and easy, get it done before teatime and we can fly it around the front room after Dr Who! (the Job Pertwee episodes, natch.) The only thing that could make this better was if we could get hold of some Matchbox Starter sets. Looking forward to seeing how everyone copes without all the mod cons.

To quote that bald guy in the spaceship... "Make it so."

Looks like there'll be a pigeon pair of the new(ish) Airfix Vampire T.11s joining the build. I've just ordered 2, one each for my younger brother and I. At least, he said he'd join if he could do the Vampire, so hopefully he'll keep his word! And I'll do what I can, despite being way behind on my other GBs. They won't arrive until early next week I imagine, so I'll start a new post when they do.

The problem with using human eyes to compare colours is that we have bad colour memory, and colours surrounding the one we're trying to compare will influence what we think we see, both directly because it's in our line of sight, and indirectly because it (may) throw a colour cast across the area. It's a huge issue for photographers who are trying to get correct colours in their photos - the colours of the walls behind and around the monitor will affect the colours they see on-screen, or on prints. The example of the two Lightnings painted from the same tin, at the same time, by the same man with the same brush, shows us how bad we actually are with colours. (Thanks Iain.)

A thought occurs... For those who are visiting BM land specifically to take part in this GB, where are their build logs going to go? I'm assuming that their host (BM member/father/brother/neighbour/mother/whatever) will start one on their behalf (and possibly put the details into the title?), but I thought I'd ask.

What's the point, I say what's the point of having rules if theyre not allowed to be broken, eh? I guess that the imminent dawn of this GB means I'd better get my act together, finish something and dig in the stash for a starter set. I've got a few, but I might cheat and do another Airfix Spitfire Mk.1a, because I know it's a good'un!

I just visit the closest hardware or engineering supplies shop and buy Ryco branded fittings, as used in automotive workshops here. They seem to work. I've used them for years in the real world with never a failure, I'm sure they're just fine for my airbrush.

Thank'ee for offering to look at your notes, much appreciated. Gnat and Hawk.. you lucky, lucky person you.

I use glycerin to lubricate the seals in my Iwata, although they do have a lube, iirc. You can also use the oil from the side of your face in a pinch. Sounds ick, but it works very well.

TeeELL, that's an interesting tidbit. A thousand curses on whomever decided on that solution, making more work for me 'n' all. While I've got your ear, what purpose (if any) do the small half-round bumps under the fuselage of the model serve. Airfix have them moulded there, but I'm having trouble seeing them in photos of the real thing. Col, the UHFs as supplied weren't too bad, but the little triangular whatevers do indeed look better in thin brass.

I'll pass on Rammstein, but Hendrix and Zeppelin are the dogs b's. I'd add some other names, but you'll probably not know them. :metal:

I have a white beard, and I'm not quite 50 yet. In fact, one of the older guys at work commented on it last week. I called him a rude name.

Aaalllll rightyyy then! We're back, we're bad, you're black, I'm mad! (Name the movies! No google cheating!) Updates here have been lacking, due in no small part to 7 days of pulling on chain blocks and having a bit of a resultant muscle tremor every night last week. Not conducive to 72th models. I did get some bits done before the hard work started, here's proof: First up though, the temporary-home-away-from-home work area. Noice, innit? Now we have 'the bits inside the fuselage' progress as it stands. And a close-up of the bit what the pilot looks at when he's driving. Nicely detailed, even with no decal. Paint it white, dry brush it black, bingo. Even if you suck at dry brushing, like me. And a look up the fox's tail. Nice detail in there, ditto the front end, but you can't see that, coz it's buried. Tonight, in between playing around with a Gnat canopy, I intend to make a big start on the chairs, pilot's in particular, and get all that stuck in place &c. Tomorrow, God and life willing, I'll join the fuselage halves and potter along with sundry other bits. More anon.

My own breakfast cocktail looks similar, if not quite as filling (yet). Doc's got me on 4 different blood pressure meds. Plus one for helping my kidneys deal with with me being alive (a legacy of some serious blood clottery a decade ago). And summat else, can't recall what it's for (maybe it's to help the memory??) I hate them all. Old age, who'd have it, eh? (And I'm not even old.)

Ah yeah... 9 days away at work and I came home to have a look at this little thing, with the intention of giving it a quick cutting back and a top coat of silver, then making it pretty with the orange. Yeah, right. Distance provides perspective, they say, so upon the hero's return, he looked at the silver Gnat and said "Cor blimey, that looks a bit naff. Funny, it looked awesomely good before I went away, all shiny 'n' stuff." And so it was. But, Mr Humbrol #11 and Mr Dust are apparently best friends, with a mutual attraction that rivals Fred and Ginger, Biggles and Algy or even Holmes and Watson. So, it was with a heavy heart that I decided some serious dust removing scrapery was in order - 4000 grit MicroMesh to the rescue! I ended up with a more-grey-than-silver Gnat (I won't bore you with the photo), but at least the dust bunnies were gone. In the process of dust removal, I managed to break off one of the 2 spine aerials, and bent the other sufficiently that it self-detached in due course... <sigh> Back to the brass sheet to make a couple of new ones, and I then recalled that I'd forgotten to replace the small triangular antenna above the nose, and it was now lost, so while I was at it I might as well make up 3 of them, and replace the ones under the fuselage as well. Photo etch frame to the rescue! (Never, ever, ever throw anything away.) A bit of filing, cut a few slots on the centreline, add a dab of old-fashioned cyanoacrylate and Robert's your mother's brother (as they say in the posh places.) And de fun ain't done! While I was washing off the accumulated grot from the silver and dust removal operations and the small amount from cleaning up the new antennae, I managed to dislodge the canopy. No big deal, it was crooked anyway. Clean up the glue, dip the whole thing into some Windex to remove the Klear and paint, let it dry, re-Klear and let it dry, then mask up and fit. No worries mate! Except that the whole shebang looked a bit dodgy, so off with the masking and back into the Windex for a long soak and a right proper scrubbing. Tonight, it will get (another) final polish and then Klear, and (hopefully) tomorrow sometime I'll be able to re-re-mask it, re-re-attach it and get on with the job at hand, instead of going backwards! Teddy Petter didn't have this much drama with the real thing! More anon.

Unfinished symphonies? The mind, as they say, boggles. Do tell.

I've been tempted by this kit, because my Airfix Bentley needs some company in the stash. It's great to see people going ahead with their big builds. Looking good so far, and I agree that the black will be nice. Just don't go all modern and make it utra-shiny, that'll look wrong.

Mr C, it's not 'art', it's 'Art'. A small but important distinction imo. As for Pocher... I'd consider joining the club, but given my slow progress on even comparitively easy models, I know I'd never finish a Pocher. I have a 1/12 Tamiya Caterham in the stash, and even that excellent kit will be a challenge to complete, I imagine. I don't want to contemplate the issues involved in doing the Airfix Bentley...

Thanks Mike, photo-resist is the term I was looking for. Long time since I thought about it...

Purists? Let 'em scoff, say I. They don't know nuffin'. This sir, is Art, nothing less. It's not a subject dear to me, but watching what you're doing with it... awe-inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

It looks a lot like the photo-protective covering one finds on older printed circuit boards. I'd initially try a coat of primer on the frame and see how it holds up. It it sticks, well and good, if not, a soak in acetone and a gentle scrub with a toothbrush (use an old one...) might bring it back to bare brass.