The Spadgent

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

and many more. I have missed you all a lot. Just been too ‘crook’ as they say in that land now far away, to be of any use at all.

I’m trying to catch up with Jerzy-Wojtchek but feel he may have changed his moniker. Hello @Mike and those that make this great place work.

I will now have a little look at all the great builds that I have missed.

Its lovely to be back in the U.K.. Just wonderful to be in Scotland too.

Just miss the wife. We do get very, very attached to them as we get older don’t we?

All the best and I would have mentioned everyone that I have missed, but my phone went a bit wibbly on me.

Best to all

TonyC

If you pay attention to the lyrics of Metal Machine, you'll  notice these are references to many songs but the ones from Iron Maiden hits comme first.

Plastic first, Metal second... or is it the opposite? Don't ask me to choose.

Not dead, just devoid of mojo and overworked. 

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

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

Hello all,

This public post function is useful  

My second attempt at this post as I can't find an 'edit' button.

Thanks for the nice messages following the last message folks , makes a big difference.

Just a quickie; after a few weeks of being a 'day patient' for various clinics, right now I'm an 'in patient'.

I have to say that this Canberra hospital is very good. I could probably write a bit of a guide on 'hospitals of the world' albeit limited to Europe, Scandinavia, the U.K. and the Commonwealth.

I'll give this one a food rating tomorrow. It's 3.18am and I have sampled their 'pesticide free' tea, and can vouch for it.

I personally gave up on 'Anthrax Blend' long ago, it was making my hair a little brittle .

I just wanted to apologise for the lack of comments on the Group Build and threads I follow. I'm allowed a mobile phone in here, and there's not a lot to do, so I may be able to catch up now.

If it goes quiet, please send me a PM, as they appear in email, and I'll scribble something back.

My Spitfire and Jak 23 are more advanced than the threads suggest, I've just been too tired to tackle the photos and text, but it will happen.

The Jak has suffered with Alclad black gloss coat 'crazing'. I'm sure that I put it on too thick. That product takes patience (and a good respirator ).

The Spitfire is in camouflage now. Many difficulties with spraying acrylics, and big differences in shade for the sane colour, from different manufacturers. Not good if one forgets with which manufacturer's paint one sprayed on  e.g. the first coat of 'Medium Sea Grey' .

I also resorted to a hybrid 'spray, then hairy stick' approach, to try to get a bit of depth, make it look realistic. I didn't resort to that because my airbrush work was abysmal. At all.

Cough.

Happy muddling folks and I hope to be around more soon to watch people making satellite catching aircraft, record breakers, lightnings, unusual early submarines, Spitfires, all manner of Glosters, De-Havilands and more.

Apologies again for the absence.

All best regards

TonyT

Hello all,

In the absence of other 'Social' networks that I would feel happy using, I think this BM personal activity feed suits me just fine .

"Suits you sir"!

This week I have been mostly unpacking boxes.

My aim has been to try to establish a new modelling/study/Mancave area.

As of this evening, it looks diabolically bad, but at least all the boxes are unpacked:

I've put these pictures here as, for my own sanity, I need to build something. If I focus on that, I'll clear the bench (self psychology going on here).

The thing is, understandably, I'm overwhelmed by all the kits.

I had alluded to this a little before. I have a few ideas but; looking at this pile of sh...  , sorry, kits, does anyone have a request for any of them?

I'll go along with it and do a WIP. 

My brain hurts just trying to decide.

All the best

TonyT

Hello all,

In the absence of other 'Social' networks that I would feel happy using, I think this BM personal activity feed suits me just fine .

"Suits you sir"!

This week I have been mostly unpacking boxes.

My aim has been to try to establish a new modelling/study/Mancave area.

As of this evening, it looks diabolically bad, but at least all the boxes are unpacked:

I've put these pictures here as, for my own sanity, I need to build something. If I focus on that, I'll clear the bench (self psychology going on here).

The thing is, understandably, I'm overwhelmed by all the kits.

I had alluded to this a little before. I have a few ideas but; looking at this pile of sh...  , sorry, kits, does anyone have a request for any of them?

I'll go along with it and do a WIP. 

My brain hurts just trying to decide.

All the best

TonyT

Hello people,

I wasn't sure if, or where to write this, but I thought; "Be sociable, why not?" .

After two months of hiatus, Mrs. T and I finally moved into our new home two weeks ago.

We were sleeping on the lounge floor until two days ago, when a very comfortable mattress was finally purchased from a certain Swedish outlet, also well known for splendid low cost meatballs with lingonberry jam and gravy .

I normally don't like the stuff from this outlet, but my opinion is changing. Rapidly. Sleeping on the floor with sunburn and no furniture can do things to a man's psyche (and his lumbar 2/3 ).

I have been extensively testing the mattress (behave, you at the back), for the last 48 hours, mainly studying the back of my eyelids at the same time.

It is a wonderful thing, the 'Hyllestad'. Both firm and springy at the same time, it is only for use on one side, with no unexpected lumps and a 25 year warranty (just how I like my women, in fact ).

I send my wholehearted thanks to Sweden, above all to Ingvar Kamprad 🇸🇪. "Kompakt leeving" indeed . Nice  .

Modelling should soon recommence after a very long break. Here are some pictures of the current state of the 'second bedroom' aka 'The New Mancave'. I'm very pleased with this space. The iMac will be on the same desk/bench, so spray painting will have to be tackled mindfully. Polite suggestions regarding organising this set up are very welcome .

This is not "dim", the other way up it's "WIP"   :

Glad the Starsky and Hutch mirror didn't get broken, priceless it is, priceless (and tasteful):

There's s nasal hair trimmer in there somewhere. Very important .

Here it is again,near a book with a pertinent title and a cover that may bring back memories for many of us:

Here's hoping I can dream up some half decent models in this room, and get all these boxes empty asap.

Happy modelling in whatever is your cave or space, feel free  to share pictures of it here .

All the best

TonyT

Hello everyone and a belated happy new year! 

I hope to be lurking around on fantastic BM again. A mere 505 notifications to catch up on  !

Yours truly still a bit 'blurgh' so if I'm type slow with replies, my apologies .

Thoroughly looking forward to catching up.

All my 'thread WIP's' are packed in boxes, so I may have to start something new. I only have three resin kits with me, so it looks like being one of those.

I've not completed a resin one yet (he said, as if he has actually completed any I/m in the last decade  ), so it'll be fun trying (I hope).

Happy modelling and here's to 2017 thoroughly kicking 2016 into oblivion for good!

All the best

The Frostie Muncher (thanks for that Miggers ) 🐯 

Wishing all fellow BritModellers a very happy Christmas  !

I didn't compete a model this year, but got quite close with four; two LaGG 3 an I-16 and a UTI-4.

It was fun trying and great BM friends made the year very special, a lot more fun and really helped with modelling encouragement and advice  

.

Everything is packed now ready for a change in location South, to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.

The move happens on the 27th.

Happy Christmas, eat, drink, be merry and I hope Santa has put something special in your sock! 

All the best

TonyT 🐯 

I know a few of my BM compadres are Moon spotters, Eclipse people and skygazers, astronomers.

The Super Moon is here tonight in the Southern Hemisphere already.

I only have the iPhone and the moon really is ludicroudly bright.

Here is a rough picture so those a few hours behind me know what they're looking forward to:

Any advice on how I could have taken a better pic with the phone is welcome, but I hope it gives an idea of how bright it is .

Best regards

TonyT

I feel a little bad that there have been no updates on any of my threads  . I wish to apologise for this.

A week of hospital visits; physio, scans, x rays has for some reason completely scuppered my mojo. 

Whinging isn't big or  clever, so I won't indulge in it. Well. I might, a bit.

The main thing that's deflating my balloon is the lack of a diagnosis or plan of action. They have found a lump of just under 1cm in size in my liver, but beyond that aren't giving me any useful information. 

This is after some 2-3 months of completely unrelated spinal stuff, so all in all, I just wish it would all beggar off and I could get up and about and dance a jig!  .

Oh well; why not have a moan, it's an 'activity' isn't it?

In other news I bought a fairly hard to find Revell Focke-Wulf FW-200 Condor (passenger) from an Evilbayer in the US. Huge postage costs.

It was sent thoughtfully packaged in:

An old brown envelope.

No bubble wrap, no card,just a flipping envelope. Much crushing.

As a result I have a one nicely broken and warped fuselage half, one just warped:

Examination of the rather 'not straight' lines of the bottom fuselage edge is interesting  :

As are these cracks:

This plane is to be done in a silver finish, so it will take a lot of work to rectify this to a good standard.

I messaged the seller and he said in reply "the mail office must have been rough with it".

Grrrrrr! Well a bit of bubble wrap or cardboard usually helps doesn't it you pikelet  !

Ah well.

In other evilbay news a Matchbox kit of a Phantom from the UK has gone missing. Indeed, it is now a 'Phantom kit'. No tracking was provided, even though I paid for it.

I could go off evilbay, I really could.

Oh, and I finally said goodbye to the Volvo I paid $4800 for 18 months ago:  :

A nice scrap merchant took it away for me on his truck:

How grateful I was of the $40 he gave me for the car. Less than the price of one tyre. . You see, I get the feeling it hasn't been an uplifting week overall  ?

Tomorrow is the Halloween parade here in Manly and it's usually quite a good shebang. Being a 'pommie barsteward' I don't really 'do' Haloween, but Mrs T. and my stepdaughter have got me more enthused in this strangeness over the years.

I usually take part and throw (yes, throw) sweets at the children lining the street, normally dressed as a vampire or some such.

I won't be able to do that this year, but I hope to occupy a stool at my favourite local haunt 'Celtic Corner', indulge in a cool Guinness or three and take some film and/or photos.  .

Lots of classic cars and motorcycles usually take part .

Therefore, tomorrow's 'status update' may be a little more cheerful.

Marvin signing off.

Thanks for indulging  

TonyT

Just to thank people for the kind comments  .

I didn't have to stay in hospital, but it was a long and uncomfortable wait, so once home a lot of sleep ensued!

Another scan and abdominal X-ray next Wednesday.

Still none the wiser, the doctor is not completely fixed on a diagnosis yet.

I'm still sure it's acute Anthrax of the Clamp  !

Happy modelling

PS: The GPW GB gallery really is impressive!  

I'm off for a CT scan of me innards tomorrow morning (about 18 hours from now).

If it shows something they don't like (e.g. an Alien 👽), I might have to go back in to the hospital.  .

The mobile network has little coverage there. I think they blank it out for machines in some areas.

So if I vanish for a bit, I'll be enjoying the company of pretty nurses, listening to 'Strategic Rug's Greatest Hits'.  .

Hope not, Hope to be back home this time tomorrow.

May the farce be with you

Best regards

TonyT

Hey, Spadgent, thanks for following me. That is very kind of you.