I guess I lied. Mike's solitary emission for 2020

[Mike]

It's been a busy year, beginning with the compleete refit of BM HQ, followed by a slight pandemic, and ending with my mum needing triple heart bypass surgery, which she thankfully came through and seems to be making good progress.  I started a few projects on the QT, but haven't had much in the way of ability to keep going due to the various demands on my time, including this latest glitch in the matrix that's throwing up seemingly random 500 and 503 errors.  Anyway - that's the excuses over with, now for the picture... yes, one picture, mainly because Sputnik-1 is a ball, and balls tend to look similar from all sides.  There's a smutty joke in there, but I'm too tired to get it out.

 

After seeing one of our members' ball... Sputnik-1, I decided to treat myself to Red Iron Models cute little Sputnik-1 model in 1:35, which is a very short build that you can see here.  It still wasn't OOB though, as I replaced the copper antennae with a more resilient 0.3mm carbon fibre rod, which you can read about in the WIP thread linked above if you're interested.  Here's the finished article for your delectation:

 

 

Although the model is technically finished, I've left the cocktail stick glued to the underside until I can find my self-adhesive felt to finish it off.  It was here a minute ago, but seems to have gone into hiding

[bigbadbadge]

Looks great Mike,  great work.   Thanks to you and the other Mods for keeping things going on the forum. It has really helped our sanity.  I hope you Mum is recovering well.  

Stay safe

Chris

[Mike]

1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

I hope you Mum is recovering well. 

Thanks Chris She seems to be doing well, but we're having to keep contact to a minimum for obvious Covid related reasons.

[bigbadbadge]

Crikey yes, totally understandble Mike.  Hope you can both stay safe and have a better 2021

Chris

[stevehnz]

I like that Mike, it is one I could be tempted in. A very early memory for me (2 1/2) was standing outside at night looking for a thing in the sky with a funny name. I've no recollection whether we saw it ofr not but the memory remains, which would make this a bit personal.

All the best for 2021 & for your Mums recovery, thanks for your efforts on BMs behalf & our collective sanity.   

Steve.

[Mike]

2 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I like that Mike, it is one I could be tempted in. A very early memory for me (2 1/2) was standing outside at night looking for a thing in the sky with a funny name. I've no recollection whether we saw it ofr not but the memory remains, which would make this a bit personal.

Nice story    We often watch for satellites from our back yard, as we're a little out of town, so get decent star fields when the weather is good.  If this kit is on the small side for you (the ball is about 12-14mm across), RealSpace Models make a 1:12 kit that will be almost thrice the size.  I'm actually seriously tempted, and might pick one up in the future when I'm getting anything from them

[stevehnz]

2 minutes ago, Mike said:

RealSpace Models make a 1:12 kit that will be almost thrice the size.

Thanks for that Mike, I'll check that out too. Where do you get your carbon rod from, it is something I've not thought much about but it looks good on your Sputnik & it didn't take long to begin to think of things I could use it for in different sizes.

Steve.

[Mike]

Just now, stevehnz said:

Where do you get your carbon rod from

I mentioned it in the thread, but it's basically available in a number of diameters from eBay.  RC builders use them in construction, and as control linkages, so you can get it fairly cheaply.  I bought a bunch of sizes and keep them in a tube somewhere in the workshop.  Just be cautious if you sand them though, as the dust is sharper than a sharp thing, and can damage your lungs. 😷

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Nicely done Mike, remember its all modeling wether one or twenty. You have the Forum eating up a lot of free time I'm sure.