Mjwomack

Does your Shelf of doom have a shelf-life? @RC Boater Bill excellent Sopwith Camel with it's 10+ years gestation got me wondering how long people let things stay on the SoD? Likewise, I'm thrilled to see @Mig Eater Sherman minerollers are back with us for another year, and who knows @jean may yet beat me to the gallery, he's riding a mustang after all! On the other hand I remember one year someone ruthlessly declaring that any kits not finished during KUTA were headed for that great Shelf of Doom in the sky- a case of the beatings will continue until morale improves. For my part I think wear and tear is the determining factor; once I've lost a significant number of parts of key components then out it goes. A Welsh Models MD-11 went that way, but then I saw the eye watering price and poor reviews of the Eastern Express offering and regretted it. Or there was a Maquette repop of the Frog Herald that was so hopelessly warped in both wings and fuselage that I conceded that it was never going to make it into my aircraft of AirUK collection and went in the bin. Which in fairness is what the guy in the shop had told me in the first place and he'd been genuinely reluctant to sell it to me. I think that on balance more of my SoD collection get eased into the spares box rather than the bin.

More flak damage ahead? My only suggestion, which you probably know already is to take some of the 'stick' off the masking tape first by sticking it to the back of your hand first Meanwhile it looks like maximum effort on all fronts!

I've always been rather slow; when I started learning to swim it was 25 yards to get a certificate, by the time I'd got that far the goal posts (mixed metaphor alert) had moved out to 25 metres, which was a huge leap for a wee lad. By way of reward, my dad brought me the Airfix Hostpur. So, it's nostalgia time to revisit that kit. Given how much they go for on a certain website I feel that a tenner made this a bargain. However to make it more exciting, Im adding in the Atlantic Models P/E set with more detail than I can shake a stick at, let alone see. Talking of seeing lets have some piccies The boxes Yes, I know the Atlantic models 'box isn't too exciting, but see what you get... The P/E renders a lot of the Airfix parts redundant. That though will have to be balance with just how much of it I can handle. for sure It'll be the most P/E I've ever used in one model. Onto the instructions... There are literally pages of Peter's instructions and notes for the P/E so any mistakes will be all my own work. In the chat, I've mentioned the prospect of a container ship, needless to say some sprue fondling has taken place, but it's a whole different scale of operation! Here's the Columbo Express hull and P/E alongside Hotspur's hull And that's at 1/700 as opposed to Hotspur's 1/600; somehow I think we're all know it's going to happen, but one P/E set at a time eh?

hoping for @ArnoldAmbrose and others to guide me I'm starting with the ancient Arifix HMS Hostpur, but with photo-etch extras (as far as I can see them). If that goes well, then for a complete change there's box-boat in the form of the Revell Columbo Express waiting for the tide, but I brought all the photo-etch to go on that, plus it's a lot bigger so I'll be ignoring @Enzo the Magnificent and his 'build 'em all' siren voices, at least for now. Thing is, I love shipping containers, so there could be treacherous sea conditions ahead and I. may well plunge in with them both. Especially now that I've found a firm that does accurate paint matches for containers.

Clearly I apologise fully and unhesitatingly for any pain caused. Equally if any BMers do self-describe as 'grown-up' I'm happy for them and respect their lifestyle choice. Meanwhile, I'm in my playpen with the soft toys for a while.

You're a top man @Enzo the Magnificent now kuta is like the grown up GBs with it's own chat area 😁

It would be fun to have a KUTA chat thread

Yes, the -300 is about 1cm shorter for the avoidance of doubt, that's at 1:144😉 It is a lot of fun lining up various 737 and seeing how much its bulked out over the decades; clearly it started early from the -100 to 200 and just kept going. Really loving these builds.

Like nobody has ever thought that before!😂

A week by my calculations before it goes live, but perhaps the ever generous @Enzo the Magnificent will give us an early Christmas present Plus, not that he has the slightest self,-interest, it'll save doing it on Christmas Eve 😁😉🥂

Yep, that be they! Glad to say I'm going about it the right way, though it would be rather late to 'changer tack' now. Certainly going to effect over historical accuracy. My sister will settle for a good impression that doesn't look like a toy. Just have to hope nobody buys her one of these books you mention- though I think that's very unlikely. Thanks for the help and encouragement

My sister's sake?! It's me you should worry about. Actually, unusually uniquely for me, I'm on schedule with this one. Though the Vickers Viking catch-up is on hold, but that's partly it's own fault! Ratlines on before the weekend is out and set fair for the rising tide to Gallery Freeport methinks. So, if you built this as a youngster, I've only another half a lifetime to go before I have a chance of being anywhere near as good as you😀. I've been wondering about the whole business of writing instructions and how hard it actually is. When you built this, can you remember how the rigging was detailed? Was it lots of pictures or plain text (which would have been a nightmare) I'm certain though they could be clearer than in the current booklet.

He does not, or maybe she's tucked away below deck away from the lustful eyes of the Motley Crue. I hadn't thought of the dynastic problems that would cause, so much as the union endorsed staffing ratio of 5 crew to 1 passenger In other news, sorry to hear about the bad stuff in Australia recently.

It does - pre watershed 😁

She's had a fair wind these past couple of days and now the sails are fixed on Six sails sown on a sailing ship securely (other tongue twisters are available) Ratlines going on next, and then some actually rigging on the sails to 'busy it up' and she's well on course. Even started recruiting Captain Pugwash and the Motley Crue, as well as a solitary pilgrim father

I was going to ask if you would take requests but see you've already granted one of them with the Stuart lining up. Surely the B17 variant is mandatory 🫣. Some fascinating ships in that list Btw I don't have a shelf of shame so much as a whole hobby room where I stumble across unfinished business all over the show. Can't see l ever catalogue them as thoroughly as you

Excellent! Been a lack of afv entries so far. It'll help balance out the B17 stgb preview 😁 I do think light tanks have a certain cuteness to them; perhaps I need some therapy for that

Can a plane go backwards? This one is! After a lot of flicking through the instructions and wondering when the engine exhausts went on I realised that the engine nacelles were upside down; there's a lot to be said in favour of keyed locating lugs. Or with this kit any locating lugs at all 🫣 I can imagine that one would not be amused

It's for those of us who have more good ideas than we should! Always a fascinating place because the builds are so diverse and even more supportive than the usual GB because we all have the same problem at heart Though @RC Boater BillI don't believe you've any unfinished builds because you're work is very thorough; is this where you burst my bubble?

Just don't get muddled up as to what goes with what 🫣🤷🫢🍷

Congratulations and maximum respect for being first to the gallery- proof to the rest of us that it can be done. I always feel the pressure (a bit like an England penalty taker (too soon?)) when someone gets into the KUTA gallery. for along time, my nearest former B17 base was Horham which had been home to the 95th BG which was proud to be the first to Berlin in daylight, but first to the KUTA gallery has really got to be worth a citation!!!

Disappointingly nothing to show on this. A boring amount of filling and sanding. Alongside a lot of head scratching about how the engine intakes are meant to go. The instructions make no sense at all, so I hacked at the mountings a bit to get the nacelles on, and now I can't see how the intakes can possibly sit right, so they're next for the sharp knife of persuasion. It would probably help if I actually knew something of the aircraft, though the more images I google, the more I decide it was a moderately ugly offering! Too squat by half, well at least a quarter too short Maybe progress with posting soon.

@vppelt68@Snafu35 are probably good for 17 flying fortress each. Put me down to cover 0, 707😉

so was @TonyOD, build 'em all!

So am I! Sorry to be so vague and unhelpful. I think it was a grey primer to start with and then as @PeterB suggests a BR stock cream lightly over the top.