Zeppelin !

[Martian]

52 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

And we're approaching Crimbo with loads of them around. What could possibly go wrong?

 You mean I might end up eating the parts?

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

To quote Commander Shore, 'Anything could happen in the next half hour!'

 

[hopkp]

4 hours ago, Martian said:

 You mean I might end up eating the parts?

 

Martian 👽

Or maybe find yourself in early January phoning any friends or family members to whom you gave a present of a tin of sweets.....and asking if they found anything unexpected in the said tins?

[Martian]

9 hours ago, hopkp said:

Or maybe find yourself in early January phoning any friends or family members to whom you gave a present of a tin of sweets.....and asking if they found anything unexpected in the said tins?

Right, so avoid giving sweets as presents and only eat traditional Christmas food then? I don't fancy having to sieve the contents of my toilet bowl and Mrs Martian says that I can do the proverbial, sideways, if I am expecting her to do it for me.

 

Cautious of Mars 👽

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Sorry, Alien diets are above my pay grade. But it sounds like a plan. Although a plan is just a basis for change. 

I'll just hold my breath until the parts get fitted to the model. That might help.

[Brandy]

59 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

I'll just hold my breath until the parts get fitted to the model. That might help.

That, or you will suffocate.

 

Ian

[Fritag]

On 12/1/2022 at 10:15 PM, Martian said:

The next thing that will help the build involves doing nothing (That got @Fritag's attention!).

 

Yet somehow you’re doing nothing seems to be so much more productive than mine!   And very elegantly so if I may make so bold.

[Martian]

Near the start of these builds, I showed how to make a small jig in order to hold the gondolas in place while struts were fitted and it was all a bit long winded. Having had more time to think about the process, I have come up with a much simpler solution to the problem which allows us to fit the struts towards the tail end of the build. The solution lies in the tubes that carry the controls from the gondolas to the hull of the ship. The one for the forward gondola is very fragile and is best replaced unless you want to keep repairing it over and over again and the one fort he rear gondola is conspicuous by its absence. It was while thinking how I was going to sort this out that the penny dropped. I drilled holes in both the gondolas and the hull to accept metal replacements and then reasoned that if I cut a couple of sleeves to the height of the aerofoil section conduit that is on the front gondola (5.5mm is the right height here) and then slipped them over the tubes that I had already fitted to the roofs of the gondolas, it would set the gondolas at the correct distance from the hull.

 

Towards the end of the build the gondolas can then be glued to the hull and starting with the rear pair of struts for each gondola and working forward, brass rod can then be cut to size and glued in place. This will avoid the struts getting bent or knocked off of the model and allow plenty of space for adding extra detail to the gondolas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully that is clear but please feel free to ask any questions or PM me if you are at all unsure about this process as the intention with this build is to make the building process easier for those wanting to tackle this kit.

 

You will notice that there is a lot of putty on the rear end of the hull. This is down to a very poor fit of the two panels that Takom supply for the ship's lower extremities. I can see why Takom have taken this approach but do wish they had taken more care to ensure a better fit. 

 

On my first two builds, I replaced the engraved bomb doors with slivers of plastic strip. I am now wondering if it is worth the effort involved, given that it will hard to see them at all when the ship is on its stand. I would however, stick some masking tape over the kit doors while the bottom panels of the hull are cleaned up.

 

 a final thing to do here is to remember to open up square holes in the roofs of the gondolas and the bottom panels of the hull at this stage and before the panels are fitted to the hull. If you recall, I did forget on my first two kits and created a whole lot of unnecessary hassle for myself.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

Fiendishly clever stuff. But then, Richard Burton said Martian brains were immeasurably superior to ours, did he not?

[Martian]

17 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Fiendishly clever stuff. But then, Richard Burton said Martian brains were immeasurably superior to ours, did he not?

Thanks Pete. Not sure about the Richard Burton bit but if he did make that quote, the he was clearly smarter than the average Earthling. Anyway, hopefully I am making these kits simpler for people and demolishing any excuses @Chief Cohiba might still harbour for not regaling us with the delights of his take on these kits. 

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds. It's part of the opening lines.

 

[Martian]

16 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds. It's part of the opening lines.

 

That explains an aging punk rocker's ignorance! 

[Martian]

Just a quick heads up before the next proper update: I have found that replacing my 35 years old Tamiya scriber with a new one and gently pushing the scriber around the circumference of the hull where we want to mark where the frames are, forces the scriber against the masking tape used to mark them out. Having done this, it is  a lot easier to drag the scriber back along the lines and reduces slippage of the same. There will probably still be a few scratches that need filling but a lot less than on my first two attempts. I have found that a CA and bicarbonate of soda mix to fill the scratches gives a texture not unlike the kit plastic and allows for a much easier time touching the frame lines up.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Martian 👽

[Galligraphics]

41 minutes ago, Martian said:

That explains an aging punk rocker's ignorance!

Aren’t all punk rockers ageing these days? Sadly…

[Martian]

1 hour ago, Galligraphics said:

Aren’t all punk rockers ageing these days? Sadly…

I gave a sad reaction because it would appear that you are correct. Still, that won't stop me growing older as disgracefully and outrageously as possible.

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

It seems to have worked so far,

[Galligraphics]

6 hours ago, Martian said:

that won't stop me growing older as disgracefully and outrageously as possible.

All the evidence appears to corroborate your claim... 

[general melchett]

Quote

But then, Richard Burton said Martian brains were immeasurably superior to ours, did he not?

 

He did Pete but then he also said...

 

'If you're going to make rubbish, be the best rubbish in it', so I don't know what to make of the chap or his blasted quotes....

 

Great developments on gas bag number three Martian, you are a true gondolier.

 

Quote

Yet somehow you’re doing nothing seems to be so much more productive than mine!   And very elegantly so if I may make so bold.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself Steve.....

[Navy Bird]

On 09/12/2022 at 06:51, Martian said:

...gently pushing the scriber around the circumference of the hull where we want to mark where the frames are, forces the scriber against the masking tape used to mark them out. Having done this, it is  a lot easier to drag the scriber back along the lines and reduces slippage of the same...

 

That is exactly the process I use. That is, whenever I feel the need to scribe which, thank the Martian Goddesses, is not very bloody often.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Terry1954]

On 12/9/2022 at 11:51 AM, Martian said:

Just a quick heads up before the next proper update: I have found that replacing my 35 years old Tamiya scriber with a new one and gently pushing the scriber around the circumference of the hull where we want to mark where the frames are, forces the scriber against the masking tape used to mark them out. Having done this, it is  a lot easier to drag the scriber back along the lines and reduces slippage of the same. There will probably still be a few scratches that need filling but a lot less than on my first two attempts. I have found that a CA and bicarbonate of soda mix to fill the scratches gives a texture not unlike the kit plastic and allows for a much easier time touching the frame lines up.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Martian 👽

 

Another great tip for the dreaded scribing process that I so want to be better at!

 

T.

[Martian]

5 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

That is exactly the process I use. That is, whenever I feel the need to scribe which, thank the Martian Goddesses, is not very bloody often.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

Believe you me, I wouldn't be doing it if I could get away with not!

 

Long Suffering of Mars 👽

[Martian]

Sorry about progress being a bit thin on the ground this week but, during a dinner given by a friend for my Birthday, I experienced an ever increasing pain in my left ankle. Upon removing my shoe we were able to see the ankle rapidly swelling up and Mrs Martian said my Achilles tendon felt rather mushy. A consultation with my GP led to a diagnosis of an inflammation of the tendon, some drugs to reduce the swelling and orders for plenty of bed rest. Having had a snapped tendon before and not wanting to have my leg in a plastic boot for three months again, I feel it is best to do as I am told for a change. As a result, I can only sit at my bench for a very limited amount of time before the pain gets too much. It hurts: a lot. Therefore progress on my builds will be slower than a glacier that is out of condition and has a pronounced limp while trying to carry a heavy bag of shopping, until we can get the swelling and pain levels down.

 

Sorry about this but I amas frustrated as those of you who follow my builds.

 

Hacked Off of Mars 👽

[AliGauld]

I hope that you get the tendon sorted out, but take your time and make sure it's healed before you do too much.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Brandy]

Good decision to follow instructions. Achilles issues are not to be taken lightly!

We can wait, I just hope you're in a suitable condition for downing a few with Christmas dinner next week!

 

Ian

[Dave Slowbuild]

3 hours ago, Martian said:

A consultation with my GP led to a diagnosis of an inflammation of the tendon

I hope that earthling doctors can make a correct diagnosis of a Martian ailment. Anyways, take care, rest up and don’t rush it!
 

Dave