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Hi all! 2023 was, for me, a year with some periods where modelling mojo wasn't very high. I managed to complete 11 builds, still a pretty decent output but mainly because over half of those builds were either built in Blitzbuilds or were built in Blitzbuild style! Luckily, I did get some nice builds in for a couple of GB's, and I managed to finish a kit which was started a couple of years ago. And also, a build that I really wanted to do for some time. So, in summary, it's been quite a good year (I'm not complaining), with mojo definitely taking a turn for the better in the last couple of weeks with 3 builds completed. So here we go. In early January, I started Revell's 1/25 '66 Chevy Fleetside, an ideal kit for a quick build. I turned it into a farm truck, complete with sagging rear end. The rest of January was spent in Armoured Cars and Halftracks GB, for which I built ICM's 1/35 Maultier Ambulance. An enjoyable build of an interesting vehicle which was completed early February. Halfway through March I needed my first mojo booster, and entered Transports, Loaders and Carriers GB with a 1/35 M35A2 Deuce and a half, which I had left over from Vietnam GB a couple of years ago. Because I'd built 2 of these in that GB this one came together quickly and was finished in about 10 days. Next was a build of Revell's 1/24 Krupp Titan which was finished in early June. This one was also started for TLC GB, even before the Deuce, but took way longer, and there were some stretches where not much was done. But, I'd wanted to do a Titan tractor for some time so this was a conversion from the kit which is a dropsides flatbed. In the end, this is the build I'm most happy about. It's a monster! The chassis and fuel tank were shortened and it has scratch built hose rack, fifth wheel mount and fender mounts. Next over the line, in the first week of July, was Mitsuwa's 1/24 Mitsubishi Fuso from the original 1981 boxing. It was started way back in February for Big In Japan GB, but this one really dropped the mojo. The kit is really clunky and I had a couple of moments where I wanted to bin it, but I stuck with it and eventually finished it. It turned out sort of OK, largely because the enormous deck plate covers most of the chassis. I needed a mojo booster again, and built a MiniArt Lanz Tractor from their new 1/24 scale range. What a joy! It just fell together and I built it in a couple of days, finishing it halfway through July. The detail is so nice... MiniArt make these in 1/35, and these new larger scale kits are not just inflated versions of the smaller kits. New bits have been added which take advantage of the larger scale. Highly recommended. I had missed the first installment of Blitzbuild in May because we were on holiday then. So I was happy to join Nr. 2 in late August. I love Blitzbuilding 🙂 ... I took Revell's 1/24 VW Beetle, which is a really nice kit, and "barn finded" it. Then, taking advantage of the mojo restoration the Beetle provided, I dug out a kit which I'd been working on every now and then for a couple of years. It's Italeri's original boxing of the DAF 3300, a nice heavy duty truck from the '80's. I had some other projects on the go but really couldn't get myself to work on them. I spent about 2 months on it, in short bursts. It turned out really nice in the end. When I started I just wanted to get it over the line but as time passed I started getting into it and did some detailing as well, mainly for the interior. It was completed in late November. So then, a couple of weeks of quiet, followed by a burst of energy during which I built 3 kits in the final weeks of this year. December 20 saw this lovely Moebius Models 1/25 Ford F-100 with a service bed completed. Come to think of it, it's the only addition to the Van Dordt fleet this year. Finally, my favourite GB of the year started, the Blitzenbuild. This year, because of how Christmas fell, we had 4 days to get our 24 hours of build time in. Did I mention I love Blitzbuilding? 🙂 My first build was Revell's 1/25 first gen Ford Bronco, which I turned into a homemade rock crawler with raised suspension, big wheels (sourced from another kit), roughly chopped panels and a scratchbuilt rollcage. Mojo was soaring during this build, 2023 truly ended on a high. I finished it just within the 24 hour time limit. I even had a Blitzenbuild day left and since I was off work, it was raining, and I had nothing else that needed doing, I threw in another kit! This time, IBG's 1/72 Diamond T 968 Cargo Truck. I love these little kits, I've built a bunch of them, and the Diamond T's are definitely my favourites. It sits in the cabinet in good company. Looking back, I'm very happy with the builds I got over the line this year. It wasn't always easy to get stuck in, but the final months of this year made up for the slower periods earlier in the year. In 2024, I really hope to finish the VW Golf III conversion from a 5-door to a 3-door. Major surgery was done in 2023, but it's recovering nicely already! Thanks for watching!