davecov

If you count the rest of the troops supporting "Dora", there should be 5,000 personnel. Unfortunately, HobbyBoss don't include a single figure! Looks like I'll have to go hunting for a couple of dozen at least. Dave

Thanks Cliff. 👍 The B-47 is a mere baby. It is another build that was occupying my modelling bench that had to be moved. It is the HobbyBoss 1/72 German 80cm K(E) Railway Gun 'Dora' (82911), a 1,760 part monster: This is quite an old picture, earlier on in it's construction, but it gives you an idea of it's size. Overall, it is 1.1 metres long and weighs a lot! Dave

My thanks to @CliffB and @Enzo the Magnificent for hosting this GB. I am a bit late starting but that is because I have only just cleared a big enough space on my modelling bench for this, the Hasegawa 1/72 Boeing B-47E Stratojet '380th Bomb Wing' (00683): Opening the box reveals 165 parts moulded in grey plastic, plus 1 transparency. There is a fair bit of flash, seams and ejector pin marks to clean up: The A3 cutting mat gives a good idea of the fuselage length: Lots of bomb halves but I won't be using them. Many of the parts have flash, especially the crew figures: The undercarriage legs will not be used as I have white metal replacements: Wing halves. I really do not have space to display this kit so I might have to dry-fit the wings so that I can store it more easily: Drop tanks have a fair bit of flash: These parts had fallen off the runners but most of them will not be used: Cockpit transparency is clear but rather thick but I may be replacing it with a Falcon job: The decal sheet has options for two machines. The first is for 0-32415, 380th Bomb Wing, SAC, 'City of Plattsburg II' and 12240, 321st Bomb Wing, SAC, Pine Castle AFB. I also have some Super Scale decals (see further down this post) but at the moment, I am not sure which to use: Instructions are spread over two large pages, each sub-divided into A4 sections. Front of Instruction Sheet page has a potted history of the B-47E: Reverse of Instruction Sheet - Part List and Assembly Sections 1 to 6: Reverse of Instruction Sheet - Assembly Sections 7 to 9: Front of Instruction Sheet - Assembly Sections 10 to 16: There is also a separate Painting & Decal Placement Profile sheet: The reverse of that sheet has the list of paints to be used, along with some modelling tips: Some Aftermarket Bits & Bobs: Pavla B-47 Engine Upgrade (U72-141): New Ware Masks B-47E Stratojet Cockpit and Wheel Masks (NWAM0362): Scale Aircraft Conversions B-47 White Metal Undercarriage Legs (72068): Instruction Sheet for Super Scale B47-E Decals (72-561): Although Super Scale's instructions portrays four B-47Es, I only have a complete set for for 2609, the 1,000th B-47 built. I am not sure whether to use this option: One of my favourite aircraft books is the Osprey Air Combat Boeing B-47 Stratojet book by Lindsay Peacock: Also keeping me company during this build will be the film "Strategic Air Command", with James Stewart. Lots of lovely shots of Boeing B-47s and Convair B-36s. One B-36 take-off always makes me smile. That is all for now Dave

Sorry to hear of your troubles. @One 48 I had my upper endoscopy on Wednesday and it seemed to be over before it had started, thanks to being sedated this time. It was discovered that I have a bit of irritation on my stomach lining. It was explained as possibly being caused by my Naproxen Rheumatoid Arthritis medication. A biopsy was taken as well so that a test can be carried out for Helicobacter pylori. I have never heard of it, but apparently it can be a cause of indigestion or stomach ulcers. I don't show outward signs of either problems but ulcers can also be caused by certain medications so hopefully the biopsy will help find the answer. I have to phone my GP next week to get the biopsy results. I have also been given a date for my second colonoscopy - oh joy! It is on the 25th March. It will be a more thorough procedure this time so I will be opting for sedation for that too. Aileen will have to take me to hospital and bring me home as I won't be able to drive myself after the procedure. My Rheumatoid Arthritis is really bad today and I am unable to do any modelling as a result. That was thanks to Aileen and I being out a lot in cold temperatures yesterday, with the threat of snow showers hanging over us. We spent hours wandering around garden centres and travelling to various villages in the Borders. That was followed by some gardening and the assembly of a garden bench. Whilst knocking ten bells out of wooden dowels with a mallet was therapeutic in one way, it has caused big problem with my hands. I should be okay tomorrow though, if previous experience is anything to go by. Thankfully, with my medication routine well established, my RA flare-ups have become more of an irritant than the complete incapacitation of the past. Hopefully, by the end of this month I will have all of the answers as to what is going on inside and the reasons for my anaemia is revealed. Dave

Dave Jones (John D Jones) was doing the Airfix box artwork around this time. He also did the TSR2, Nimrod and RNLI Lifeboat amongst others. Dave

Ouch! The number of staples in your back outnumber mine by about 9 or 10 but mine were down at the L3 to L5 vertebrae. I looked as if somebody had put a razor blade in my toilet roll! Unfortunately, I have been told that I need a similar operation to yours on my neck, with rods etc. Thankfully, my neck is bearable right now. I guess with everything else I have had to worry about recently, I forgot all about it. I only get reminders when I have to look over my shoulder when parking my car. Dave

I found that the covers would not fit snugly with the engine fitted which caused a bit of a problem when painting the snake over them. However, it was possible to slide the covers over to the side where photos were being taken: Not satisfactory but better than nothing. Engine was fully built: Dave

Just been to see my GP and it is not all good news. My diabetes is now in remission and I am managing my Rheumatoid Arthritis quite well, with the number of flare-ups reducing markedly. My Rheumatologist has agreed with my request to hold off taking Sulphasalazine until such time as it is absolutely necessary to take it. There is also good news about my kidneys and they are normal with no need to worry about them. That was the good news. The bad news is that my blood cell counts remain stubbornly low and my GP and Rheumatologist think that I may be getting a build-up of blood somewhere inside my body. I don't have any obvious signs of blood loss when I go to the toilet, nor when I have had various tests so it is a bit of a mystery. Unfortunately, it means that I have to have another, more thorough, colonoscopy and an upper endoscopy too. The upper endoscopy appointment is on Wednesday, 6th March. Not sure when the colonoscopy will be but I'm not exactly impatient to get it done! Dave

Don't worry, the rules that say "Eligible subjects would be aircraft used operationally by Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Croatia between 1935-1945." Dave

Thanks for mentioning that. I didn't realise that was the case so I will be withdrawing from this GB. Dave

My thanks to @81-er and @vppelt68 for hosting this GB. I would like to take part in this GB with the Revell 1/72 Junkers Ju88 (H-113). I have only ever built one Ju88 of any make and that was in the early Seventies, when I was aged about 14 and built one of these Revell Ju88s. Due to a shortage of paint, I painted it with orange wings, metallic blue fuselage and red spinners! I thought about recreating that build for this GB but I have bottled out. The box artwork that brings back many memories: Instruction Leaflet Page 1 - Potted history of Junkers Ju88 and Painting/Decalling profiles: Instruction Leaflet Page 2 - Assembly Section 1: Instruction Leaflet 3 - Assembly Sections 2 & 3: Instruction Leaflet 4 - Assembly Sections 4 & 5: Decals are nicely printed but yellowed with age. Normally, I would be putting them under the UV lamp but for this build I will be using aftermarket decals instead: Parts are moulded in a very pale green plastic and there are quite a few ejector pin marks and seams to sort out: Runners have lost quite a few parts: The clear parts plus those parts that had fallen off the runners: I will be using aftermarket exhausts, propellers and wheels: I will be replacing the kit decals with some Spanish markings instead: That is all for now Dave

Here you go. I went into Google and typed "britmodeller: scratchbuilt railway carriage Queen". Dave

Latest update on my Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis situation. Two days ago I had a three-monthly Diabetes review and I was told that I am in remission, not even pre-Diabetic. As a result my medication has been reduced from three to one tablet a day. We will see how that goes for a couple of months and I could end up not needing the medication at all. Conversely, it could go the other way if I am a naughty boy and the medication has to go up. Despite the good news about the Diabetes, my Rheumatologist has asked me to take daily blood glucose levels due to concerns over my blood results (more on that later). More good news is that my cholesterol level is down again from 3.2 mmol/L to 2.1 mmol/L and in the last two weeks I have lost another seven pounds in weight. It is not all good news though. My doctor was furious that the hospital cancelled my endoscopy as my blood results are still causing him concern. He thinks that my kidneys may not be functioning at 100%. He had expected to see an improvement after I came off the Methotrexate but the figures are remaining stubbornly low. Thing is, the figures were low long before I started Methotrexate. He has again referred me for an endoscopy which I can expect to have in the coming weeks. All this malarkey with my blood results is having an effect on the treatment for my RA. I cannot start taking the Sulphasalazine until my blood results are stable. My Rheumatologist is expecting me to start on the Sulphasalazine on the 1st of March but that is dependent on my next blood test which is due on Tuesday. My RA symptoms haven't been too bad generally but my hands and ankles are still troubling me. Ironically, I have been very productive on the modelling front in the past few weeks and have managed to rig a few planes and done some very fiddly PE work on another model . The downside to all the fiddly work is that the following morning, my hands are almost useless, with very little grip strength. Modelling is then out of the question for a few hours but that has given me plenty of opportunity to go through every room in the house, clearing out the crap that I have hoarded over the years! That has been quite therapeutic but there is still a long way to go. Despite the concern about my blood results, things aren't as bad as they were. I am more concerned now about my 93 year old mother who has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She lives 380 miles away from me so I can't just pop round, but my nephew and one of my brothers live nearby and they keep an eye on her, do her shopping etc. I am due to go down to see her in April, a visit that was supposed to happen in October but due to my medical issues, it had to be delayed. Fingers crossed I won't have any reasons to postpone it again. Dave

I would like to take part in this GB with the Revell 1/72 Junkers Ju88 (H-113): I last built one of these in the early Seventies when I was aged about 14. Due to a shortage of paint, I painted it with orange wings, metallic blue fuselage and red spinners! I thought about recreating that build for this GB but I have bottled out. I will set up a build thread next weekend. Dave

Yesterday, I received a letter concerning a pension and some action that is going to taken to correct underpayments for a small number of people. Rather than say "those entitled [will receive corrective payments]", they have said "those in-scope for the remedy". Sounds really stupid and having had a colonoscopy two weeks ago, it brought tears to my eyes - again. 😖 Dave

My build of the Novo (ex-Frog) 1/72 Bleriot XI (F173) The rigging inside the fuselage was difficult because the fuselage sides and floor were moulded in one piece. If they had been separate then life would have been so much easier. Even so, it was a very satisfying build. Dave

I got fed up breaking the cheapo drill bits but now I use Proxxon drill bits such as these Proxxon 28255 Diamond Twist Drill Bits 0.8 and 1.2 mm. Not cheap but worth it in the long run . Dave

My build of the Hauler 1/72 Morris Mk.II (HLP72031) A nice little kit but it was fiddly, seeing as it is just over two inches long. I added stowage for some flimsies, added a gunner, added a brass rod aerial, and added an exhaust. Dave

Very sad news indeed. In the late '90s/early '00s I ran a Dad's Army website for over 11 years (called Whispers From Walmington) and met him a few times. On one occasion in 2002, I went to an RLSB "Evening with Ian Lavender" event in Sevenoaks where he signed some Dad's Army books and a Dad's Army audio tape for me to raffle on my website to raise money for The Royal London Society for the Blind, as well as making a donation: Such a lovely man. Dave

Thanks Rich. 👍 I also built one of them when it first came out in the Seventies. I have never made another MRCA/Tornado since then. Dave

Thank you @billn53. I used Prym Knitting-in Elastic (on the left): I bought 200m of it from a Haberdashery store for a couple of quid a long time ago. I sometimes use the invisible thread on the right although that is not elasticated like the Prym elastic which makes it a little more fiddly to use. Dave

Add me to the list, Rich. I will build the Airfix 1/72 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) (04019-6): Dave

Thanks everybody for your kind comments.😊 BTW, If some of you thought the Airco DH4 was small, I have just finished the Airfix 1/72 Sopwith Pup (01062-1): You can see the RFI thread for that build, here. Dave

My build of the Airfix 1/72 Sopwith Pup (01062-1) I had problems with the rudder decals and I ran out of patience with them and have decided to leave them as they are. Dave

Thanks Steve. I brush-painted Humbrol Enamel 29 Matt Dark Earth and then brushed some Tamiya Light Sand Weathering Pastel over the top. Thanks Colin. I used Prym Knitting-in Elastic (on the left): I bought 200m of it from a Haberdashery store for a couple of quid a long time ago. I also use the invisible thread on the right although that is not elasticated like the Prym elastic which makes it a little more fiddly to use. Dave