Desert Storms (1/72 Arma Hurricane IIc and I trops)

[Stew Dapple]

Interior Grey-green 'walls' and silver tubing  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[CedB]

I like the videos PC, even if they don't allow your sartorial elegance to shine  

 

Sorry to hear about the current woes - you do lead an 'interesting' life, don't you?

Looking forward to more updates, video or otherwise.

 

(BTW, for us 'Europeans', "French Press" = Cafetière. It's, like, French, innit)

[Quiet Mike]

10 minutes ago, CedB said:

(BTW, for us 'Europeans', "French Press" = Cafetière. It's, like, French, innit)

 

As an Englishman, our command of our neighbours language is legendary.

 

Thanks for these little windows of life outside of our own current box like existances.

 

Potpourri mon ami.

 

 

[Avereda]

On 3/30/2020 at 12:17 PM, CedB said:

(BTW, for us 'Europeans', "French Press" = Cafetière. It's, like, French, innit)

Disappointed, I was hoping a French Press would be something far more salacious

[Procopius]

Hullo chaps, and sorry for the long silence in posting. I suppose I've been a bit worn out lately. It's not so much work, and I've been getting probably more sleep than at any other time in the past decade, since my commute now consists of walking downstairs, but being at home with my kids all day can be amazingly draining, especially because they're constitutionally incapable of listening to a goddamn word I say, and because Mrs P's school has (belatedly) realized that if they refuse to provide pre-recorded and real-time video content for their students stuck in quarantine, their wealthy parents will stop sending in the cheques, she is frequently busy, and so I, as the higher-earning parent whose job provides us with our health insurance, need to take time out of my working day to supervise the kids. I also need to record the videos for Mrs P (and I set up her school's youtube channel, because that's the sort of thing I get paid real money to do in my professional life) since I know how to use a tripod, and she likes to do that during the daytime to take advantage of the natural light. The videos are only three or four minutes long, but if you're a wretched monster straight from hell one of my lovely children, that's far far too long to go without jumping on a table, overturning a rocking chair, punching your brother, or making a godawful thumping noise from upstairs that sounds like heavy artillery fire impacting. We did, I think, twelve takes to make three videos, and one of them was ruined by my desperately hissing "shut up", a phrase I try never to use, at the oldest fruit of our love as he waged his endless campaign for 110% of his mother's attention. I've tried to spend some quality time with him, building the excellent Bandai Star Wars kits, which need no glue and go together beautifully. So far we've built an A-Wing, part of an X-Wing, a 1/48 (spit) AT-ST, and a 1/144 Snowspeeder. The AT-ST, being the most elaborate, did not last long.

 

 

Unfortunately, Winston is an impatient little guy, and if you do anything fun or nice for him, he wants it continuously, forever. Maybe some paragon somewhere can provide this to a child, but after prolonged exposure to the purest expression of my love for my wife, I generally need a bit of a lie-down. 

 

I've coped to some extent by stress-buying DK Decals:

 

 

Because you never know. 

 

I've also made a little progress on the Hurricanes:

 

 

As you can see, I replaced the kit gunsight on both with resin Quickboost ones that come with a bit of clear acetate for the reflector sight pane.

 

 

 

The Hurricane I is as I remembered it, an excellent kit. Their Hurricane IIc is if anything easier to build and better-engineered. I will confess, however, to a slight sentimental preference for their earlier kit and it's somewhat more complicated construction, because I really love building it. That said, I certainly will be first in line if they come out with a Hurricane IIb (my favourite mark). I'm reasonably certain that a little crosskitting could net you a Hurricane IIa as it stands right now. There's some minor changes that would need to be made to the wings, but I suspect it would be a cinch. 

 

One issue I did run into is that it can be tricky to know where exactly the Vokes filter goes without a photo reference. I think I miffed it a bit on the Hurricane I, unfortunately. It goes much further back than one might think, almost up to the landing gear well. 

 

We had a brief burst of heat when the temperature climbed to 25 C / 77 F the other day (it snowed today, though, that's April in Chicago for you) and Winston dehydrated himself running around outside and then was made physically sick by some Akan lacquers that had burst their lids in transit (Linden Hill, the supplier, very graciously replaced the paints free of charge), poor little guy. And in other, other news, I've received Mrs P's approval to spend some of my incoming stimulus money on either a vintage Webley or Enfield service revolver in .38/200 (which some specialty manufacturers still make) to use for recreational shooting when we're in Michigan, or possibly plinking the beastly hun if they decide to have a third go at it. 

 

I hope you're all staying as healthy and safe as possible. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CedB]

Hi PC!  

 

Pleased to see you're getting some, ahem, quality time with the family and that Winnie's modelling skills are progressing.

 

The Hurris are looking splendid - are you planning to use some of the new decals on them?

[Hamden]

 

Nice progress on the Hurricane's, the Star Wars kits look good as well.

Hope your staying safe

 

      Roger

[Stew Dapple]

Given the proven patience-testing abilities of your offspring, not to mention their equally well-proven capacity for mischief, are you sure having a real actual firearm within your reach is a good idea?  

 

Hurricanes are coming along nicely mate  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[bigbadbadge]

Good to see the videos, I like the well stocked mancave too. Great work so far, the Arma kits are lovely and I will have to invest in another, a mk I Tropical, when I have sent enough Brownie points to allow a further kit delivery as very hard to sneak models into the stash what with SWMBO being home !!!

The decal haul looks good as do the Hurricanes. Keep up the good work and your sanity, stay safe.

All the best

Chris

[woody37]

Lovely progress mate

 

[Riksbar]

Quote

 Mrs P's approval to spend some of my incoming stimulus money on either a vintage Webley or Enfield service revolver in .38/200

So I take it suggestions to move to 1/48th scale will in future be met with an offer of a bottle of whisky and the mess Wembley?

[Procopius]

8 hours ago, CedB said:

The Hurris are looking splendid - are you planning to use some of the new decals on them?

Hi Ced! Not on these builds, but I did order three more Mk Is and another IIc from Arma to be shipped when Polish Post reopens, so I'll have a total of five IIcs and six Is still in the stash; I magine some of the decals will see use there. 

 

8 hours ago, Hamden said:

Hope your staying safe

We are, thank you! I did have to go see my psychiatrist to renew my prescription, and I wore my ventilator mask for airbrushing and some nitrile gloves used when painting in happier times, and she still made me sit in a chair in another room as we yelled across to each other. Surreal. 

 

7 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

Given the proven patience-testing abilities of your offspring, not to mention their equally well-proven capacity for mischief, are you sure having a real actual firearm within your reach is a good idea?  

The ultimate plan is for it to live in Michigan, but I'll be storing the ammunition securely away from the revolver, and they can be remarkably tricky to load when under stress, so I think I should have time to cool down. 

 

6 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Good to see the videos, I like the well stocked mancave too. Great work so far, the Arma kits are lovely and I will have to invest in another, a mk I Tropical, when I have sent enough Brownie points to allow a further kit delivery as very hard to sneak models into the stash what with SWMBO being home !!!

 

In the new house, it's surprisingly easy to do, I've found, because Mrs P never checks the mail. Once I found that infuriating. 

 

4 hours ago, Riksbar said:

So I take it suggestions to move to 1/48th scale will in future be met with an offer of a bottle of whisky and the mess Wembley?

Just a fusillade of shots.

[dogsbody]

I wish it wasn't such a bother to purchase a handgun up here. I have to write a firearms test ( above the long gun test that I have already done ) just for handguns, then have the Federales check me out to see if I'm of a safe type to own such a weapon. Then you have a crap ton of paperwork to do when you find a gun. Then there are the restrictions on when and where you can actually use it.

 

I would like to get  Webley, but in .455 calibre.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Procopius]

2 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

I would like to get  Webley, but in .455 calibre.

 

Those seem to be much more expensive in the USA, and my memories of firing a .45 Colt M1911A1 are not pleasant ones, as I have slender, girlish wrists.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

5 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

I would like to get  Webley, but in .455 calibre.

 

 

Chris

Ditto ! I already own a 1911a1 in .45acp so another .45 calibre will do nicely. 

[dogsbody]

I have fired a .44 magnum a couple of times. There is a shooting range at the West Edmonton Mall, in Edmonton, that I occasionally visit during some of my trips south. It was there that I have fired various calibres and styles of pistols. The first time I did the .44 mag. it was great, but the next day both shoulder areas were quite painful. The next time I used the .44, I had a better grip and stance and it caused no pain. As I'm only 5'4" and weigh about 160lb. I don't have much mass to hold back recoil, so proper grip and stance are important.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

10 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

have fired a .44 magnum a couple of times

Yes they're a bit of a kick i inherited a S&W 629 in .44 Magnum. The damn thing scares me as the trigger pull is about 3 lbs. just lifting and aiming the gun can cause it to fire from weight on the trigger. Im 420 lbs and 6’7” and still get knocked back when I shoot. Most ranges locally wont allow it unless everyone on the range say I can shoot. It scares to many and can cause damage to the range if not used properly.   

[hairystick]

Good to hear from you PC, I though things were a bit too quiet recently.

 

2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Yes they're a bit of a kick i inherited a S&W 629 in .44 Magnum. The damn thing scares me as the trigger pull is about 3 lbs. just lifting and aiming the gun can cause it to fire from weight on the trigger. 

Some years ago I was at the club range. A mate was shooting his  6" barrelled .44mag S&W. After one of his shots there was a pause, then muttering, since he was still holding the pistol BUT the barrel was now approximately 5 feet in front of him!

He was not pleased since the frame had split where the barrel threads into the frame, meaning it was not repareable and therefore a might hassle getting an import permit for a replacement firearm.

 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

38 minutes ago, hairystick said:

Good to hear from you PC, I though things were a bit too quiet recently.

 

Some years ago I was at the club range. A mate was shooting his  6" barrelled .44mag S&W. After one of his shots there was a pause, then muttering, since he was still holding the pistol BUT the barrel was now approximately 5 feet in front of him!

He was not pleased since the frame had split where the barrel threads into the frame, meaning it was not repareable and therefore a might hassle getting an import permit for a replacement firearm.

Sounds either like severe corrosion in the threads. Or more likely too much powder in the round. The over-shock cracked and expanded the casing and breech causing the failure. Sadly I've seen that happen with an semi Auto pistol and the person lost there hand from the fragmentation of the gun. You're friend was lucky he wasn't seriously hurt. 

[hairystick]

3 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Sounds either like severe corrosion in the threads. Or more likely too much powder in the round. The over-shock cracked and expanded the casing and breech causing the failure. Sadly I've seen that happen with an semi Auto pistol and the person lost there hand from the fragmentation of the gun. You're friend was lucky he wasn't seriously hurt. 

It was in very good condition and he didn't load full-house rounds since it was a competition gun. We did notice the steel was very thin due to the size of the barrel taking up more space. I'm guessing the frame was originally made for .38 calibre but "upsized" by a clever designer. The owner just had a perplexed expression, which eventually turned into "annoyed" at having his toy now unworkable (and valueless!).

A club member had some injuries from a glock blowing up on him. I haven't heard the full story directly from his mouth, so need to obtain 1st hand what occurred there. They are quite reliable normally.

[Procopius]

Managed to get a little more work in tonight while watching Double Indemnity and then The Lady Vanishes, the latter being one of my favourite Hitchcock films. Margaret Lockwood, a mere slip of a girl at the time, was a vision of loveliness in it (this is how I know I'm getting older, I notice these things). Quite interesting to see how different her voice was by 1980: 

 

She died relatively young, at 73, of cirrhosis of the liver. Sad. One always has the childish hope that actors whose performances charm us lead pleasant lives, but it seems to have been so rarely the case.

 

 At any rate, I got the wing lights in, sanded, and masked:

 

 

Also, the props and spinners:

 

 

For my money, the Mk I spinners are slightly easier to paint, but more fiddly to assemble, as on the Mk IIc, the prob blades are of a part with the spinner backplate, whereas of course with the MkI we have three separate blades added to the backplate with the spinner going over it.

 

Mrs P has made Easter baskets for the boys and set up an egg hunt for tomorrow; Winston informed me tonight that "I'm up kind of late for me, so tomorrow you need to come in my room and wake me up by making a lot of noise [this is how Winston wakes me up] so I can run downstairs immediately to get the eggs and bring them back up to your room." Always has his eye on the prize, that boy. I dread tomorrow morning.

 

 

[Cookenbacher]

Those are some nice Hurricanes PC, I can't wait give the kit a try, and plan on making up for lost Arma time during the Procopian led BoB GB.

Good luck tomorrow morning my friend.

[CedB]

Nice work PC.

 

I second Cookie's wishes for the egg hunt PC and for a peaceful Easter with chocolate fuelled children…  

[Procopius]

Hullo chaps,

 

I awoke at 6 AM to Mrs P shouting at Winston for waking up and methodically moving through the house, locating as many plastic eggs as he could find, extracting and eating the contents, and, since like the Huns riding out to sack Chalons in 451 AD, he is illiterate, discarding her painstakingly written rhyming clue cards enclosed along with the goodies in each egg, somewhat complicating efforts to find all of them. Eventually the situation was retrieved. Since I spent most of yesterday in blissful, relaxing slumber, Mrs P was dead set against me doing so again (fair enough, I really only spent about five hours awake between 6 AM and 6 PM), so strategically opted to take a nap of her own. Mrs P, however, doesn't like to go upstairs to our bedroom to nap (too far) or even to close and lock the door on the ground floor guest bedroom* (too much work), preferring instead to lie supine upon the bed while her small children, drawn to her like a shark to chum come in to provide her with all the aggressively clumsy boney love small children can offer, which is a lot. I don't think Winston has ever managed to climb into my lap without inadvertently(?) stomping on my groin like it's a wah-wah pedal, which in a way, it is. In any case, this is always my fault, but I'm not the one who wanted two of them, and they split up. Anyway, I eventually locked the door for Mrs P myself and threatened my children into the tandem stroller (which has lost so many accouterments in the last three years that it now looks like something out of the second Mad Max film) and set off on the two mile walk to my parents, where my desire to keep my parents from dying from COVID-19 warred with my mom's casual disregard for the very finite limits of what remains of her autoimmune system and her strong desire to hug my children, a sentiment not encumbered by knowing them like I do. Eventually Mrs P woke up and was mad at me for leaving her in the house all alone and for getting to see my mom (who she doesn't even like!) because she hasn't gotten to see anyone except delivery people and four squad cars worth of cops who busted one of our neighbours for reasons yet unknown last night. So she rode her bike out to nip at my heels in person, and we all beat a retreat before my mom was able to smother my children with kisses and thereby set out her own casket. On the plus side, on the way bag, the local army base had their M4 Sherman out, and Winston and I took a slight detour to look at it up close.

 

 

Winston was suitably impressed. 

 

When we got home, Winston punched his brother straight in the face, but otherwise the day was more or less uneventful, and I finally made it down to the grotto to watch Powell and Pressburg's 1945 film I Know Where I'm Going! Raymond Chandler, who I think one of the finest writers of all time, loved this movie, as does Martin Scorsese, who I can take or leave, but it didn't really speak to me too much.

 

Anyway, I also did some work on the Hurricanes, getting the canopies on and masked and sprayed interior green, and clear-coating the props, only to then realize I'd blundered. Bert Houle's Hurricane IIc BE643 had a white spinner, possibly with a red tip (I can't find a photo--DANGER DANGER DANGER--only colour profiles). I've painted my spinner all red. So I may have to prise it apart so I can repaint the lower half, or try and get clever (dangerous) about masking it, or just throw up my hands and do a Hurricane IIc with an all-red spinner, like The MacRobert Fighter. I welcome your suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*AKA the Ced Chamber, when he visits.

[CedB]

Another great post PC - you really should gather these together in a book!

 

1 hour ago, Procopius said:

…stomping on my groin like it's a wah-wah pedal, which in a way, it is.

 

1 hour ago, Procopius said:

*AKA the Ced Chamber, when he visits.

Doesn't look like it'll be this year, does it?