Gorby's Leap into the Dark Unknown - Scratch-Building Extravaganza (no refunds) – NOW WITH ADDED SLEEPERSERVICE!

[Getting Old]

Very nice work Sir 

[SleeperService]

I'm stunned by the speed and quality once again! I'm feeling quite inadequate now and close to despair. You seem to have omitted the contact details for the Counselling Line.

 

The rear stomper links defied three attempts to make something that looked like the real thing and had enough strength to hold together but I was a brave little soldier and threw it all in a box while I did some Patton STGB work and cleared my mind.

 

I've now cracked it YAY ME!!! Here is proof

 

 

I made new centre links overlength then punched out a hole so the following link was partly enclosed. Offsetting this new hole means one leg is slightly longer so that'll be the outside. Initial trials suggest an acceptable and sturdy result. It was quite fast to make them with my little multi-purpose jig but I'll be leaving the assembly until tomorrow.

 

Now that I know it'll work I can get on with the tuning fork thing that the rear wheel lives in. I wasn't going to mess around with that until I knew I'd beaten the stompers.

 

I'd like to Thank Sushi the Supercat

 

she's been next to me all day turning over about every hour, but that's better than the usual walking over the bench, making off with bits, and lying down on top of everything then demonstrating claws and teeth when I try to move her. As I write she hasn't moved and I took that photo about 30 minutes ago. It's a hard life.

 

Nearly forgot, brought a Panzer I turret another 48th model-maker had spare from a resin kit he'd converted. He did warn me it needed work but he was wrong. Less than five minutes after getting it out of the letterbox it was opened, evaluated, put down, cup of coffee started, looked at again with growing disbelief, thrown in the bin. Life is too short. 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

@Gorby Nice tanky thing. Well worth all that effort. My Blu tak rejected me, you lucky dog you.

Perhaps they camouflaged it to show that it wasn't a small but very slow asteroid?

[Gorby]

 

What's that cat shaped thing!? It wouldn't be a by any chance. I don't know, I only handed the thread over yesterday and it's already going to the dogs I mean cats.

 

13 hours ago, SleeperService said:

I'm feeling quite inadequate now and close to despair. You seem to have omitted the contact details for the Counselling Line.

If I can ,do it you definitely can. Nice jig by the way.

 

 

11 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

My Blu tak rejected me, you lucky dog you.

I had to ditch Blue Tak in the end. She was getting too clingy.

[SleeperService]

50 minutes ago, Gorby said:

 

What's that cat shaped thing!? It wouldn't be a by any chance. I don't know, I only handed the thread over yesterday and it's already going to the dogs I mean cats.

Despite appearances it is a cat and not a cunningly shaped cake. Unfortunately. Dogs are OK but I couldn't eat a whole one However she is in disgrace and possibly some litter tray related unpleasantness later. I have now found three of the 'D' link pieces and other bits of plastic with small fang marks in them I should get pretty good at them by the end with the third set about to be started.....

[Carius]

Great job

[Bullbasket]

That's a great looking model Mark. I like the way that the fur looks so real. Almost as good as the canine version. Oh, and the tank looks good too.

 

John.

[Bandsaw Steve]

Have greatly enjoyed watching this one Gorby and now that it’s safely completed can tell a true story regarding the dangers of A7V scratchbuilding...

 

When I were a lad an older family member -who will remain safely anonymous - decided to scratchbuild an A7V from wood, card, brass and so forth. It was in 1/32 scale as I recall.

 

One evening while sitting at the breakfast bar and toiling away fashioning a water-cooled machine gun for the tank, he developed an annoying itch on the inside of his ear. He then proceeded to use said machine-gun to scratch it. Unsurprisingly  this resulted in a pierced eardrum, a trickle of blood and other fluids from the ear and a trip to the nearest hospital.

 

Fortunately the ear-drum in question was 1/1 scale and the injury was only 1/32 .

 

We were greatly relieved when hospital staff informed that this was the only injury caused by a miniature WW1 German weapon recorded that evening.  I am happy to say that the patient made a full recovery - but remains as daft as ever.🤪

 

Next time I get home I’ll take a photo of the finished model and stick it in here - assuming you don’t mind! 👍

 

So dear readers; don’t stick sharp bits of brass in your ear. Especially not brass from the Kaiser’s own tank regiments. 

 

Steve

 

[Gorby]

On 29/04/2019 at 14:15, Bandsaw Steve said:

One evening while sitting at the breakfast bar and toiling away fashioning a water-cooled machine gun for the tank, he developed an annoying itch on the inside of his ear. He then proceeded to use said machine-gun to scratch it. Unsurprisingly  this resulted in a pierced eardrum, a trickle of blood and other fluids from the ear and a trip to the nearest hospital.

The horror the horror, war is hell. Does that make him the last casualty of WWI? Mine put a fight but the only injuries were the usual self-inflicted flesh wounds.

 

I'd love to see your dad's/older brother's rendition (as long as it's not as fabulous as mine of course, can't have someone showing me up now that I've got an inflated opinion of my own abilities).

[Bandsaw Steve]

5 minutes ago, Gorby said:

The horror the horror, war is hell. Does that make him the last casualty of WWI?

 

For now yes - but I am still to finish my Avro 504 and that bandsaw is looking hungry for fingers! 😱

 

8 minutes ago, Gorby said:

 

I'd love to see your dad's/older brother's rendition (as long as it's not as fabulous as mine of course,

Hmmm...not for me to say really but think you are safe on that count. 🤔

 

I only get back to NZ once a year by will make sure I get a photo next time.

 

It must have been built well because it survived the 11,000 earthquakes - yes 11,000 you read that correctly - that Christchurch has suffered in the last decade. 

[McNab]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 12:01 PM, SleeperService said:

If I told my medical professionals what I dream about sometimes I may find my circumstances changed for the more confined with no sharp or even metal objects

cor, glad I'm not alone in pretending to be normal then. Sometimes, I have to try so hard that it hurts. Then I scuttle back to the safety of my fortress and my modelling table and can let the tentacles loose again.