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Chuuurles

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Posts posted by Chuuurles

  1. 16 hours ago, Procopius said:

    Hullo all.

     

    I managed to get the undersurface colour on several days ago, but have been too short of time to write anything about it here. At work I've been in charge of a large (for us, or at least, for me) procurement project to replace our social media scheduling tool (Salesforce's Social Studio -- and after three years of using Salesforce products, I hope they all die in a fire). Six weeks after I assumed we'd have the contract signed, and two weeks after I'd expected us to be all trained on the new tool*, we finally got all our endless purchasing paperwork completed. Apparently the lawyer from our general counsel's office had a bereavement and was out for a lot of this, but consider this: we are a professional association for lawyers. The organization is lousy with them. Surely a spare was available?  In any case, now the endless paperwork to get it integrated with our other intermittently working tool (we justified the purchase of the new one with the argument that at the end of the contract period for the tool that it was supposed to supplement, it will replace it entirely, also known as the "au pair method") begins now, as does setting up a training regimen, and, my cherished pet project, a re-organization of how we handle social media that's so banal and boring it would take your breath away. But three children are expensive and I want to be able to distract myself from how unhappy they make me by buying as many models as possible, and you can't do that if you lose your home, because USPS refuses to deliver to a cardboard box. Anyway, this means a lot of meetings, and some of them are the kind of meetings where you can't be disarmingly (some might say relentlessly) self-deprecating, and you have to act like you not only believe in what you're doing, but also that you think it will ever matter in any way if you do it perhaps slightly better or more efficiently. 

     

    At the start of this week, Mrs P found a lump in a private area currently monopolized by the baby, which necessitated a trip to the oncologist and a lot of stress on everyone's part; mercifully she is okay. Winston has been feeling poorly, and when he does, he becomes very diffuse, yet also extraordinarily bitchy, sort of like the world's meanest and most pedantic opium addict. Hopefully he feels better soon, or his mother and I may have to put him in a sack and pitch him in the lake. 

     

    We thought the baby was starting to smile this week, beginning the transition from fat angry sweating slug to cheerful wizened barf-goblin, but it turned out she was merely massively constipated, and after unleashing a torrent of filth, is both calmer and no longer "smiling". It must have been very trying for her, as she attempted to force her guts out of her lower intestine, to have us excitedly leaning in and going "HI SMILEY!" At times like that, all one really wants is privacy and a quick death.

     

    Anyway, a while back, I primed the model. 

     

    PXL_20221010_011631975

     

    Had to leave the quarterlights off, because Curtiss, whose sadism and cruelty knew no limits, painted the interiors there in the camouflage pattern. 

     

    I also airbrush the undersides Azure Blue.

     

    Today, I did some light tidying of the basement to exert a few ergs of control over my environment and reassure myself that I was not merely a pawn in the game of life, but a vigourous man of destiny. After that, I discovered that everyone else was out on a walk, which given how the boys had been acting that morning, must have resembled the Bataan Death March. I was feeling pretty down myself, but forced myself to do some modelling, and masked off the undersides and sprayed the Middlestone.

     

    PXL_20221030_203626248

     

    Maybe I'm getting back on track?

     

    I've been rewatching The Sandbaggers, and grimy, depressing 1970s Britain is, in a way, strangely uplifting in 2022. A Churchill quote that stays with me is one of the lesser-known parts of his famous "Finest Hour" speech: 

     

     

    I don't, normally, much like thinking about the 1970s, the messy decade that preceded my birth in 1983 (no doubt much of the violence that plagued that unhappy time was done by frustrated believers awaiting my birth), an inglorious era at best. But I remind myself that the problems of 1970s Britain, its political and financial instability, issues with its leadership...all of this seemed intractable and insoluble then. In 1976, in an article entitled "Britain at the Brink", the New York Times wrote:

     

     

    But Britain is still here. 

     

    The last five years have been hard on the UK, politically, nationally, and in human terms, but right now I miss it more than ever, with its too-small houses, roads more suited to marching legionaries off to fight the Celts than for wheeled traffic, its near-endless rain, its small armies of pensioners shakily running their errands on public transit, its thousand years of history crammed tightly alongside not quite enough space for anything, the breathtakingly green hills outside the cities, Asdas and Icelands, all of it. My greatest regret is that I never figured out how to go there and stay, to become a small part of its long and confusing history. There is almost invariably, at the micro level, a slight sense of orderly inefficiency to how things are carried out there, but even amidst the cruelty and venality of their politics, a lurking sense of great gentleness, just beneath the surface. Someday I will die, and if my will is respected and the vagaries of customs laws permit, my ashes will be scattered off the white cliffs to rest with those of my heroes, a self-issued honour I am entirely unworthy of.

     

    But that's too far in the future. I want to be there now. 

     

     

    * An idiot can do what I do, and these are not hard to learn -- when we finally did get our first kickoff call, I was busily already loading in our social accounts as the salesguy was telling us where in the tool to do so.

     My generations Bill Bryson, Keep it up! 

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
  2. Thanks for the kind words Opus! It probably did not need filler @ the wing root but I am really learning as I go here. Overall the kit went together extremely well in comparison to the Airfix 1/72 Lanc i abandoned..

     

    And on that note my Uncle just sent me these pictures! They show a map that my Grandfather used to plot his 33 sorties. I need to get over there ASAP and take a bunch of closeup photo's so I can really study this little piece of history! 

     

    AC52EA0C-F0F4-4C5E-A40C-8D1EC8AEB46C 86300370-41FE-4F8D-A5CE-6727AFD1108E

     

    • Like 4
  3. 1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

    Neat base, but not like anything I have seen on British BoB airfield...  this is likely meant to be for a Eastern Front/Russian forward strip. ....

     

    if you have a printer, and like playing with photos,  ther is a site, Geograph, that has photos of all of the UK,  I spent some time hunting for backdrop images,  and there are masses on here

    for example, I put castle Camps into search (used a satellite airfield for RAF Debden in 1940)

    this one https://m.geograph.org.uk/photo/3480710

     

    if you look for more sizes here https://www.geograph.org.uk/more.php?id=3480710   you can get high res images,  print out over a few sheets, trim the foreground,  a bit of grass matting, and a neat back drop

    I just stuck 'airfield' into search

    this is neatly neutral, and a good British summer backdrop 

    https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6479922

     

    or

    https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2443364

     

    you get the idea.   I've not around to getting some printed out,  you have seen  my 'hi-tech' background of faded card table and out of focus park/trees....  

    Just a suggestion

    HTH

     

    Was just adding the static grass as you wrote this, thanks for the info! My fear was correct haha. Anyways its very fun to work on so I guess ill just save it for a future build. I think I might try your idea next, with some static grass and a printed background. 

     

    94C7731A-8094-4245-B449-F6D56E691183

     

    • Like 4
  4. 10 hours ago, Jeff G said:

    I have no idea how I have missed this thread until now but it took a good chunk of my "kid is asleep, now I have free time!" time. Super job on all this, it's been great to see all the information and lessons learned. Also, what's your local hobby shop? Wheels and Wings? Sunward? Also if you're taking suggestions for your next build...you can never go wrong with a Lancaster!

    Ah thank you and glad u enjoyed the WIP! My local shop is Panther Hobbies, Sunward is a similar distance and a nice backup option, I have not made it to Wheels n Wings yet but its on the list. 

     

    On another note, i just found a sculpture supply shop around the corner from my shop, its fully stocked with Iwata products and is where i picked up the compressor.  

     

    The Lancaster is calling me, just worried I cannot do her justice yet.  

    • Like 1
  5. Picked up a base for the Spitfire 

    4362F52D-E287-4558-9157-32B8D8B0E555

     

    It was an impulse purchase, which has complicated my life. Anyways, fun times learning a new element of the hobby ( if this doesnt belong here pls delete) , No idea if this is accurate at all (wooden planks for dispersals ?) but i thought it looked neat and I might frame it. 

     

    Here it is out of the box and then through the painting process. 

    3158E703-A966-4C4F-8849-F5D2AC4D2DC8

     With a coat of MSF 1500.

    2F28962C-F45C-464D-B091-87A2913E5A3B

    Then i spent a few hours spraying different wood colours, messing with the tint's and trying to add highlights to low and high spots...

    B39D484B-A0E6-43D3-B77B-EE83E517FB0C

     This morning i sprayed a dark earth/mud colour for where I will apply static grass.

    3A6FA55A-714D-41DA-996A-329D1C026470

     

     

    Oh, I also picked up this UNIT yesterday. Hesitate to post it after reading the thread about spoiled hobbying (me=lots of the gear and no idea) but I am mostly a mechanical person and this thing is sooo nice. I broke my cheap badger compressor, so it was time for an upgrade. Nice having a tank, no weird pulsing. 

    C31D2EDA-F7B0-44BE-9175-5CD0FEF544EF

     

    • Like 9
  6. 22 hours ago, Ngantek said:

    Eyyy, it's back! I admire your self control being so close to the finish line. Looking forward to the RFI. Still so crisp I dunno how you do it!

     Straight on to the massive lanc or going with something else?

    Thanks to you and @AliGauld
     

    regarding what to build next wwyd, 1/32 Spit or Lanc ?? 
     

    Side note, found the wife struggling with an inflatable pool, badger and white tac to the rescue 🙃

    6D50BC8E-C90A-46FC-BEDF-D41AD3B82EB6

     

    • Like 3
  7. Have been procrastinating hard on glueing up the main landing gear for two weeks. Decided to just do it today. I also painted some port and starboard lights (doesn’t show up in picture) and the red underbelly light. She has mostly been marinating these last few weeks, but I guess it’s basically done now..

     

    75940DBF-91F5-4C49-8BCB-D4D4D29EB313

    RFI soon. Thanks for all the help and support. 

    • Like 9
  8. 2 hours ago, Crossofiron1971 said:

    Hi all,

    Quick update for you...

     

    I unpacked the clear parts this morning (C1 & C2 Sprues) and found some damage to the parts;

     

    p?i=b782e5cf4a63ae8b63a3c3b94f5ab305

     

    p?i=bcb3825105593cf93a6eae039368c46b

     

    p?i=eaeb6e8d34640c1f02f264a7c564fd43

     

    I have emailed Border Models directly and will let you know what happens...

    All the broken bits were the most prominent parts on the sprue and these clear parts were mid way down the box

     

    The only plus point is I have enough un-damaged glass to continue with the turrets.

     

    Some plus points however for you;

     

    You get THREE types of Bomb Aimers Glazing Blister (helps with the Dambuster version)

     

    p?i=bf010ede7745a04ff02e2fad580531f6

     

    You also get the a full H2S Radar setup;

     

    p?i=3f6a985998bf6c616bd750c90e98e4af

     

    Thanks for looking!

     

     

     

     

     

    Very similar damage to my kit, replacement parts are on their way to me. Good luck with the triple build, that’s insane! 

    • Like 1
  9. 5 hours ago, Ngantek said:

    Long time no see! Another very busy few weeks and so this has had to take a back seat. I did get one evening in which I had a bash at chipping with some water and a glass fibre brush. It was something of a disaster! Of course having left so much time, the paint didn't want to come up. I'd hoped that just meant I'd need to put a bit more elbow grease into it, but all it resulted in was smearing a lot of paint across the demarcations. I got a bit of nice chipping in places, but mostly it just made it messy and occasionally went through to the plastic. 

     

    So today being the first chance I've really had to have another go at it, most of the morning was spent restoring the paintwork back to where it was. I wrestled with the idea of using a darkened shade to make the repairs, but in the end suspected that it'd look rubbish (the rest of the build is too monotone), so stuck with the same colour. On the plus side it gave me a chance to tidy up the antiglare. A lot of messing around with the props, wheels, cannons and whatnot too, so not a lot of visual progress today, but lots of little things that needed doing. Somehow lost one of the short cannon barrels, so had to replace it by cutting back one of the 'longer' earlier mark ones included on the sprue, and shaping it down. I have a suspicion that the instructions have the propeller blades labelled incorrectly, but more likely I just got them mixed up somewhere through the process. I hope I've got them the right way now. 

     

    Finally a thin coat of GX100. It's not what you'd call a smooth gloss, I'm trying to minimise the layer. I'm hoping that will be sufficient for decals, and I can level the surface properly afterwards.

    20220624_162739

     

    20220624_162757

    bugger, I stuck the gloss on the stand in a couple of places. I'll have to see how well that repairs.

     

    Nice to get the chance to build again. Decals next I think!

     

    Cheers,

    Andy

    Glad you managed to get some modelling time in! I miss the gang here but life comes first.. 

     

    I love the propellers on this aircraft, so menacing 😛  Have you tried the Alclad aqua gloss recommended by to me by Procopious? Excited to see some decals! 

    • Thanks 1
  10. On 6/23/2022 at 11:25 AM, Troy Smith said:

    I presume they should work very well...   I have not tried them, or even seen them personally, so I can't add anything else.    

     

    I have two sets of pastels I bought, some cheap chalk earth colours, and some I got in the supermarket that look a bit better quality, but have not experimented with as yet. 

     

    My experience is what I have linked in various threads, and it's not extensive.

       Applying them with lighter fuel is just something I experimented with, and found worked.   My best wonder what will happen is still getting Vallejo dark grey to curdle and separate in a light grey and black pigments, which made for a very simple way of making track bed gravel.... 

     

    Part of the reason for some of the detail in my posts is very often modelling products are something else sold for a premium in little packets labelled 'modellers' ... and if you know what those products are, you can find them cheaper...

     

    Hence some time in the past some lateral thinking modellers realised that acrylic floor polish was a self levelling acrylic varnish.....   but instead of being charged £3 for 50 ml,(as modelling product)   you'd get 500 ml for £1.50....  as it was for floors....

     

    I did find the safety data sheet of Tamiya Extra Thin posted,   I could make 2 litres of the stuff for about £20 ...if I needed 2 litres of TET!  

     

    Some cheap stuff is just that...cheap stuff,  but I just  bought a packet of brushes from The Works (a UK chain which sells stationary and art supplies, toys and cheap books ..occasionally kits...)  pack of 10 so for £3,  and this has got me several flat brushes,  which are what you need to paint acrylics successfully, and good for varnishing,  and a bunch of others,  cheap enough for me to abuse doing oil washes... 

    A set of flat brushes fro humbrol is about £8 for 4, and has sizes I don't want. 

     

     

    Note, applying pigments with lighter fuel will ruin a decent brush,  so cheapies are worth having in.   I don't know what kind of discount stores you have in Canada, but in the UK I get various items from the,, like multipack of 3g tubes of superglue, (my main superglue) but other bits and pieces turn up... and it it is poor,  your not much out of pocket.

    Cheap toys are worth looking for paint mules for example,   I got some built armour kits from a school jumble sale that have been handy for testing out techniques on... 

     

    I got  pack of bamboo food skewers, which are very handy for a variety of uses.....  Always worth looking in these places with modelling scavenger frame of mind....   the tools section has things that are not much use as proper tools, but cheap flat screwdrivers are handy for mixing and applying filler (cheap SG and talc...) and for stirring paints,  I have some small cheap pliers that can be handy for various jobs, my files I got lucky with, they seem  be decent quality, and they cost £1 for 10  about 20 years ago when where I live used to have cheap bits and pieces place....  

     

    Not that I'm a cheapskate or anything :whistle:

     

     

    Thanks Troy. The lighter fluid technique sounds interesting and I cannot wait to play around with with it. I applied the Tamiya white pastel to the exhausts and it seemed to go on ok, adds a nice little extra detail. 
     

    • Like 1
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