Avia B-71 - ICM 1/72

[CedB]

/rant on

Frustrated as hell this morning thanks to 'The Pension Regulator', or more accurately I guess some 'outsource outfit'. Trying to complete our online 'declaration of compliance' (bored yet?) and got an error. 'Help desk' says Apple Safari causes problems, use Internot Exploder or Chrome. Instal Chrome (they're tracking me) - same error. Called back - "Our agents are all busy". Surprise, surprise. Sent them a strongly worded email via their 'Contact us' page - that'll teach them! They promise to respond within 5 working days. Oh good grief. Don't put yourselves out chaps, I have plenty of spare time just having a small business to run...

/end rant

 

Following the Baronial advice I looked to the bench to calm me down. What's next? Engines and nacelles. Five parts, nicely detailed, with some locating pins.

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

Remember the advice from the 'master builder'? Tape everything first. Well, that sounds like a good idea but:

• you can only tape things when they're fitted together properly
• you can't see through the tape to see if the join is OK
• tension in the tape makes the parts wiggles (lucky parts) and fly apart, regularly
• Tamiya Extra Thin loves to get under the tape and melt the detail.

Frustratingly you can see that each individual join would be PERFECT, if only you could get two together at the same time. Perhaps, a bit like HHGG question and answer, they can't exist together in the same Universe?

 

 

See? When I put that on the bench the right hand join was perfect and the left mis-aligned; by the time I'd picked up the camera it has shifted. Not a lot. Just a frustrating amount. Frustrating. Have I said I'm frustrated?

 

At times like this it is wise to take a rest and relax, pondering on past glories, like getting the right screen to fit:

 

 

Turned out nice. See that nice detail on the frame? Nice innit? Wait, that middle top mask isn't straight... gaaaaahhhhhh  

 

Frustrated (did I mention that) of Bath

Calm, calm... 

[clive_t]

I feel your pain with 'TPR'... One of the contributing factors in my decision to cease the IT contracting game was the requirement to go through all this pain in spite of being a one man band. Total waste of everyone's time, particularly mine. I am now back to being Joe Employee, with paid time off, sick pay, oh and I've just gone part time so I can devote Friday to the compelling issues around sticking bits of plastic together in some semblance of order. Happy days!

[giemme]

13 minutes ago, CedB said:

Frustrated as hell this morning thanks to 'The Pension Regulator', or more accurately I guess some 'outsource outfit'. Trying to complete our online 'declaration of compliance' (bored yet?) and got an error. 'Help desk' says Apple Safari causes problems, use Internot Exploder or Chrome. Instal Chrome (they're tracking me) - same error. Called back - "Our agents are all busy". Surprise, surprise. Sent them a strongly worded email via their 'Contact us' page - that'll teach them! They promise to respond within 5 working days. Oh good grief. Don't put yourselves out chaps, I have plenty of spare time just having a small business to run...

And I thought that kind of stuff was only typical Italian ... looks like we're all in the same sh... situation   

 

Back to the model: in a situation like that, I often use (if feasible) blue tack to hold parts in place in the correct position, and CA if I need a fast setting bond; but I'm sure you already knew that, and it's probably just not possible in this case. My  

 

Ciao

[Biggles87]

The cockpit looks much better now, and the rest of it is coming along in leaps and bounds.

SWMBO recently became eligible for the UK State Pension and within two weeks of the first payment received a ' proof of life ' form to return to DWP! The mind boggles.

 

 

John

 

PS  early Spring here, a friend saw some Gru ( storks ) flying over yesterday which is a good sign and at 5PM today it was 19C in the shade. Just thought you'd like to know.

[bbudde]

6 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

 

 

PS  early Spring here, a friend saw some Gru ( storks ) flying over yesterday which is a good sign and at 5PM today it was 19C in the shade. Just thought you'd like to know.

Yes, what a day that was.

 

[rob85]

Nice work with that canopy! Very nice save.

 

the blue tack sounds a good shout, failing that I like to glue things and hope for the best.... yes your right that is evident with my builds...

 

Rob

[TonyTiger66]

21 hours ago, Beard said:

 

You're an evil, evil man.

 

Oh dear. I've been rumbled .

 

I wouldn't actually wish the Roden(t) He-111 A to E on Ced chaps.

 

I have bashed one. I also enjoyed it. A lot. But it's quite masochistic and ludicrously slow progress (years). I'll maybe start a thread with the progress so far. There will be lots of pictures of sanding. Quite an unreal challenge, that series of kits.

 

Meanwhile this is coming together nicely  . The canopy looks fine now. 

 

Modelling is great therapy away from bureaucratic irritation. Soothing music (Chopin works for me) and a cup of herb tea, can also help one to forget the paper-pusher's desires.

 

Similar to your pension woes Ced, Mrs. T. and I are currently going through the process of 'self install broadband'. Another of those 21st Century challenges, involving 'no help' desks and being 'on hold' for vast tracts of one's life.

 

Life was much easier with the GPO for the telephone, and a coat hanger wire for the 'Grundig' 26" black and white cathode ray  TV picture tuning.

 

I'd rant about 'new curved' TV screens at thousands of $/£, but it's your thread Ced. Perhaps we need a new BM chat section:

 

Rants.

 

I had better start one of my own this weekend (so that I can rant), but I feel your pain with 'help desks'.

 

All the best

TonyT

[bbudde]

5 minutes ago, TonyTiger66 said:

 

Oh dear. I've been rumbled .

 

I wouldn't actually wish the Roden(t) He-111 A to E on Ced chaps.

 

I have bashed one. I also enjoyed it. A lot. But it's quite masochistic and ludicrously slow progress (years). I'll maybe start a thread with the progress so far. There will be lots of pictures of sanding. Quite an unreal challenge, that series of kits.

 

Hello Tony I would like to explain in german : "Willst Du Schmerzen in den Hoden, kauf'nen Bausatz dir von Roden!"

( Do you like to have testicular pain? Then buy a kit by Roden.) Cheers

[TonyTiger66]

5 minutes ago, bbudde said:

Hello Tony I would like to explain in german : "Willst Du Schmerzen in den Hoden, kauf'nen Bausatz dir von Roden!"

( Do you like to have testicular pain? Then buy a kit by Roden.) Cheers

 

Oooo. That hurts  !

TT

[CedB]

Thanks Clive - I have a friend in a similar situation... but he's 'pressing on regardless'. I think that 'they' think that they need to simplify all their processes to simple tick lists (here's a list of companies to tick off) so they produce a 'fool proof' system that they can then outsource to someone that employs, er, fools. But maybe that's just me being cynical?

Thanks Giorgio - BluTak! Genius. please feel free to remind me of these things; my memory's not what it was!

Thanks John - proof of life? What did you send - a finger perhaps? Spring is coming - great! Shan't 'cast a clout' just yet though.

Thanks Benedikt - crikey, music can really take you back can't it - great song. And thanks for the German warning - it rhymes!

Thanks Rob - your builds are looking good, you're too modest!

Thanks TT - don't start me on Broadband and IT 'help' desks! Most should just have a recorded message saying 'it's your fault', although there are some good ones. Some.

 

So what can I do that's not frustrating. Wings, they're easy...

 

 

 

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

Famous last words. Mold bumps on the ailerons, nice attempt to replicate actuators and strange step thing on the outer join all covered in flash. Weird. Right, leave the for later.

In better news the bomb bay cover is a lovely fit:

 

[Stew Dapple]

Jeebus Ced... ever had a day where you just wished you'd gone back to bed as soon as you got up? 

 

I'm glad you managed to find a little good in it with the fit of the bomb-bay doors

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[TonyTiger66]

What Stew said . 

In fact all those fuselage and wing joins are looking very tidy.

 

It's going to look great very soon .

TonyT

[AaCee26]

I was thinking that my mileage vary when Ced said this one painless in the beginning... Anyway, as this might be also on my desk some day thank you for this trip!

BTW - has anyone tried to fit the Falcon canopies for this one?

Cheers,

AaCee

[TheBaron]

I'm admiring your grace under pressure on all counts in the last few posts Ced. Remember what Churchill is supposed to have said (no, not  'Oh Yes!'):

 

 

[CedB]

Thanks Stew - getting out of bed is always an effort but there's no rest for the wicked!

Thanks TT - your confidence is much appreciated and I'm hoping so too.  

Thanks AeCee - I think it's good to share the build like this - I certainly learned a lot from other BMers doing 'step by steps'. Hopefully it'll help others avoid my errors!

Thanks Tony - keep going I will!

 

More tomorrow - those wings and nacelles won't know what hit them!

[CedB]

Well I've done nothing today, apologies.

 

I have a check colonoscopy tomorrow so not eating is making me really grumpy! Not worried, this is my third (thanks to my poor sister's past history, I'm being 'monitored').

I've also just taken the, er, cleansing solution so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be around to post... the instructions are interesting; apparently I can go to bed tonight "when I stop going to the toilet". Good tip.

 

Hopefully I'll be back to the bench on Saturday. Cleansed. And fed.

[Spookytooth]

Oh dear Ced , not agent Picolax by any chance.

If so, you will probably read this tomorrow evening.

 

All the best for tomorrow mate.

 

Simon.

[Procopius]

17 minutes ago, CedB said:

I've also just taken the, er, cleansing solution so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be around to post... the instructions are interesting; apparently I can go to bed tonight "when I stop going to the toilet". Good tip.

 

My father, who is incredibly reticent about such things (normally a stern disciplinarian, he would recuse himself from the table and lock himself in his room if we talked about poop at the dinner table) had to do the same for his colonoscopy. Almost the instant after he'd downed the draught, a man knocked at the door and informed him that they were turning off the water to his street to do mains repairs. 

 

At times of great inner turmoil, we often experience our own actions as if witnessing another. In a voice devoid of emotion, my father replied flatly "that's not possible." 

 

Oh, but it was. 

[Stew Dapple]

Oof, can't give that a 'like' Ced, in case it gives the impression I think your day tomorrow sounds like fun...

 

Hope it goes quick and easy  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew 

[rob85]

I liked it but not because a colonoscopy sounds like a good day out, more for you safe return to the forum once done.

 

good luck!

 

Rob

[bbudde]

Oh, "die große Hafenrundfahrt" (The great habour cruise) so called here. Better to do this from time to time at the age over 50 ( or earlier,if something seems to be wrong at that part of the body). Some men are too shy to do this or speak about it, but that's a kind of cancer, which is painless as usual and the sort of killing you, while you skimp around with it !!!!!!!!!!! So,

Edited February 16, 2017 by bbudde

[TheBaron]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

the instructions are interesting;

Sounds like your nacelle will be requiring attention Ced. (The like was for your spirit of resolve, not the ordeal requiring it)

I'd give you a  but that might be misconstrued under the circumstances...

Tony

[keefr22]

28 minutes ago, Stew Dapple said:

Oof, can't give that a 'like' Ced, in case it gives the impression I think your day tomorrow sounds like fun...

 

 

Ditto, could never give a like to a colonoscopy....

 

All the best for tomorrow Ced.

 

Keith

[The Spadgent]

Hope everything goes well dear boy.

 

Jont.

[Brandy]

I gave you a like for the humour, not the promise of what's to come. I had one about 14 months ago. The surgeon was a friendly sort of guy (I guess you have to be..) and just before I went under I remember saying "just promise me you're not using an iPhone and a selfie stick and we're good"........

 

Ian