Voyage to the Centre of the Lee - F..F..F..F..F..FINISHED!!!

[Cerberus]

23 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

My boat has a laser etched wooden deck and though that has advantages for me as a beginner, it looks awful because it's so very obviously created perfectly by machine. The totally accurate geometry overwhelms the woodiness of the material, contrasts with it too much maybe. I'm going to have to do something about that bit, maybe sand off the engraving and re do it in  pencil?

 

 That is a good example of what I was trying to say yes, I just went back to the build log to have a look at the decking, and to be honest, to my eye I wouldn't say it looks awful, but yes it does have that precise, maybe too precise 'done by machine' look to it, but having said that, again to my eye it just looks like the shadows around the nails in the planking is too big, too large in circumference, and too regular, which is making it look a little harsh, plus it maybe needs a few more plank joints? 

 

 I'm willing to bet that if you just toned down the shadows around all those nails (I'm assuming that they are nails) then you would like the decking quite a lot more than you do now, and might even be happy with it as it is, how you would go about toning down all those nail shadows is another matter though, but if you are not happy with the decking then I say have a go at redoing it yes, maybe re-scribing with a pencil would work yes, it would be very much trial and error though.

 

 In my way of thinking, the trick is that when you yourself are unhappy with something, then have a go at changing it, because you can't make things any worse, however, problems can arise when you are only unsure about something, because buried deep within unsure is a certain amount of satisfaction, and therefore you can make things worse.

 

 Anyway, I dropped you some likes while I was there 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Cerberus
Bud spelzing

[Bertie McBoatface]

2 hours ago, Cerberus said:

 

 That is a good example of what I was trying to say yes, I just went back to the build log to have a look at the decking, and to be honest, to my eye I wouldn't say it looks awful, but yes it does have that precise, maybe too precise 'done by machine' look to it, but having said that, again to my eye it just looks like the shadows around the nails in the planking is too big, too large in circumference, and too regular, which is making it look a little harsh, plus it maybe needs a few more plank joints? 

 

 I'm willing to bet that if you just toned down the shadows around all those nails (I'm assuming that they are nails) then you would like the decking quite a lot more than you do now, and might even be happy with it as it is, how you would go about toning down all those nail shadows is another matter though, but if you are not happy with the decking then I say have a go at redoing it yes, maybe re-scribing with a pencil would work yes, it would be very much trial and error though.

 

 In my way of thinking, the trick is that when you yourself are unhappy with something, then have a go at changing it, because you can't make things any worse, however, problems can arise when you are only unsure about something, because buried deep within unsure is a certain amount of satisfaction, and therefore you can make things worse.

 

 Anyway, I dropped you some likes while I was there 

 

Would you please post this and I'll answer it over on the boat build. It will make more sense to the others watching over there.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Bertie Psmith
trying to make it make sense

[Cerberus]

 Job done, I did consider simply posting over on the boat build, but was worried that cross talk might get confusing, you have wisely solved that problem 

[Bertie McBoatface]

15 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

 Job done, I did consider simply posting over on the boat build, but was worried that cross talk might get confusing, you have wisely solved that problem 

 

That proves that we are the biggest digressors here. We can't even keep a discussion IN the right topic, never mind ON the right topic. 😆

[Bertie McBoatface]

Lee  update.

 

 

Ooops! 

 

I've been working all ends to Saturday today; doing a variety of things with little planning just to get things moving along.

 

 

One issue was my use of sharpie, way back on page whatever, to show you where I was going to cut. I didn't remove it and it bled through the primer. I've seen this happen before in my short career as an interior decorator and I knew it would just keep on coming through so I've cleaned back to plastic with IPA.

 

That started me thinking about cutouts so I did some.

 

 

The driver's armour. This will reveal the back of the instrument panel which means I can wire it up which will be nice. 

 

The odd bit in the port side bottom corner is the blanking plate arrangement used to cover the holes for the two machine guns fitted in the early Lees. They were fixed, totally unaimable, totally useless. But leaving the blank there makes a good talking point is ever I can get anyone up here to look at it.

 

 

I've put two big holes in the roof. One above the driver and one behind the 75mm gun. 

 

The rest of today's work has been prepping parts and sub-assemblies for a big painting session later this week. I'm hoping that will be the last time I raise an airbrush to this kit. Afterwards, it will be old fashioned brushwork all the way because it will just be impossible to mask or avoid ruinous overspray if I freehand it.

 

 

Here's a nice little sub assembly. Almost everything inside the tank, including the guns, is painted white. Anything the airbrush can't reach will be a grey shadow. The details will be brought into view with capillary action (washes) and just a little detail painting.

 

Full steam ahead! Er, waggons roll!

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

I've worked four and a half hours on the Lee today (as well as some time on other modelling projects) and I'm done! Time to put the feet up and the alcohol down. But before I go, I have taken a couple of snapshots.

 

 

I've probably finished with the hole cutting, for which I am duly grateful. Now that they are done, I've become so well practiced that I can do them in half the time and more accurately too. Maybe I should start another MiniArt interior kit? I have one in the wardrobe...

 

No no no no no no no no! A thousand times, no! My next plastic project will be finishing a diorama which is currently paused and then I have a plan to do a quick build of a ..... ......... .... in ..... scale as a ......... ....  ...  with a ..... .. scheme and ... ...... WIP. Just for light relief, you know.

 

 

But I'm getting a long way in front of myself. Currently I'm still enjoying building up the main hull contents of the Lee. The 75mm is about done now. As usual it looks a bit shoddy enlarged like this but I'm fairly confident that some paint will hide most of my lapses.

 

Despite all the hours spent today, I really haven't anything else to show you. It's the same as it was last week on the engine - fettling components and making sub assemblies forever, until painting day when suddenly it all becomes interesting to talk about again. Perhaps I can get the hull done by the weekend, leaving the turret for the dessert course next week.

 

54:30 Total Working Time

 

(The kit retails for around £54 so the cost per hour of this entertainment just fell below a pound!)

 

 

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

'Ere lads. I've just had a great idea. Perhaps I should only post updates when there's something interesting to be said? That would be a bit radical for me but who knows, it might just work. 

[Jasper dog]

Holey M3 Bertie looks like your creating a lightweight Lee!

Gun breach detail looks good, as it should judging by previous posts.

 

18 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

'Ere lads. I've just had a great idea.

God loves a trier....

[Bertie McBoatface]

9 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

God loves a trier....

 

Are you implying that I simply can't ever shut up?

 

That, even if there's no moddelling to speak of, I will just ramble on about nothing?

 

Just for the sake of making a noise?

 

Well, that and the all powerful addiction that I have developed to....

 

LIKES!

 

Like me! Love me! Make me the queen of the May!

 

It's not my fault I have only the dog for a friend. It's a hard life here, all alone apart. My partner and only companion from another species entirely.

 

And then there's the drink...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Jasper dog]

7 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Are you implying that I simply can't ever shut up?

 

That, even if there's no moddelling to speak of, I will just ramble on about nothing?

Won't hear of it!

Wouldn't be the same without it!

 

9 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

It's not my fault I have only the dog for a friend. It's a hard life here, all alone apart. My partner and only companion from another species entirely.

 

 

 

And then there's the drink...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hang on 

 

I find the dog is anything but conducive to modelling progress,  such a demanding little chap. Came to the conclusion my attempts to tire him by longer and longer walks just made him fitter! 

 

Drink you say.....don't mind if I do! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

Just now, Jasper dog said:

Drink you say.....don't mind if I do! 

I don’t mind if I did! Hic!

[Bertie McBoatface]

My dog assists my modelling. After a couple of hours, she taps me on the knee and demands that I get out of my chair and away from the desk for a little while. For walks or play or feeding. 

 

Without this unrefusible reminder I’d sit there all day and then be unable to move at all! She keeps me just fit enough to wield a scalpel 

[PlaStix]

Good to see more progress Bertie. Good you have finished the cut out sections.

Kind regards, 

Stix

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, PlaStix said:Good you have finished the cut out sections.

I’m pleased about that too. That one on the stbd  side is huge and with light coming through the roof, will reveal all!

 

They were time consuming to do, but rather fun. 
 

If ever I do it again I’ll use random ‘organic’ shapes. Then I’ll not worry about making cuts straight and square and parallel to the structure. Even the rounded holes on the turret are placed parallel to the curves of the casting. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

My head aches this morning for some undetermined reason and the dog's been acting weird in the night. Apparently she threw all my clothes on the floor while I was asleep and I think she might have farted into my mouth while I was sleeping too. Life is strange sometimes...

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

Remember this photo from page one? That was the contents of the MiniArt box. 

 

 

This is where I've go to so far. All the rest of the parts are either attached to the main hull, built into sub-assemblies or prepared for painting. Most of the remaining parts are the turret. 

 

 

Today I've sectioned an idler.

 

 

I wired up the instrument panel in an impressionistic kind of way.

 

 

But you won't see much more than this at the end.

 

 

After ages doing tons of little fiddly pieces revealed by a sweep through the instruction manual I finished by sectioning a sprocket, which is more interesting than the idler but note how I've glued it to the hull without cleaning the sprue attachment points properly. That error told me that I should pack away for the day. Five and a half hours at the moddelling bench is a little bit too long for me to maintain concentration.

 

If I worked this hard and long for the next three days, I could present am RFI on Monday.

 

"IF" 🤣

 

Maybe the Monday after?

 

Sixty hours elapsed!

[Hewy]

Very interesting Bertie, this looks a refreshing project, smashing bit of work so far 👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

People, please go here on my boat build and read the best update I've ever written. NB: Don't read it while drinking a beverage.

[psdavidson]

3 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Don't read it while drinking a beverage

I could have done with seeing this before the boat build update 💦

[Bertie McBoatface]

Just now, psdavidson said:

I could have done with seeing this before the boat build update 💦

 

I know you aren't supposed to find your own jokes this funny but I could barely type for giggling and couldn't see the screen for tears. 🤣 I am such an infant and I don't care!

[tonyh]

Ooh! You are awful!

 

But I like you!
 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 minutes ago, tonyh said:

Ooh! You are awful!

 

But I like you!
 

 

It’s only rude to those who have already lost their innocence. 🤭

[psdavidson]

10 hours ago, tonyh said:

Ooh! You are awful!

 

But I like you!

That came to mind, but I was also thinking

"It's all done in the best possible taste"

 

/P

[Bertie McBoatface]

Six more pinging hours today! And that's a very appropriate adjective too. But look what I've finally achieved.

 

 

The last big blue box is empty and waiting for the next project. At times during this build I have had TWO big deep boxes and TWO shallow ones full of General Lee. Now I'm down to this single shallow one.

 

 

Where did all of those pieces go? In here it would seem.

 

There are those pesky tracks and I'm so glad I build them first. Then there's the rest of the inside of the hull, with some really interesting things to paint like the 75 and the radios. The outside of the hull will be interesting given that half of it isn't even there anymore. 😁 The turret, which I thought would be so easy I saved it for the end, turned out to be the worst part of the kit with many tiny and badly distorted components.

 

I've spent 66 hours over almost two thousand years, with barely a day off on this pinger. The majority of that time has been spent cutting badly moulded and microscopic bits from sprues, fettling the offset mouldings as well as I could, removing the five or six attachment points (on average) from each piece. I've done a lot of building and painting sub assemblies too and of course cutting holes in a lot of them. I'd like to say that it's been an unalloyed joy throughout. Yes, I'd like to say that, if only it was true.

 

To be honest, 80% of this build so far has been horrid. The other 20% has been ok and I've a huge sense of achievement getting this far. @PlaStix, you didn't think I'd make it, did you? Well, barring catastrophes or dogastrophes, and with a month or two remaining, I'm now fairly confident that it will be finished well before the deadline. And that it's going to be fairly enjoyable from now on. Hurrah!

 

All I need now is: two days off; a day spraying the sub-assys;  a week of detail painting and assembly and then it will be done and I'll never, never, ever build a MiniArt full interior kit ever again....

 

 

Apart from that one, of course. 🤣

 

Now that would make a tasty abandoned rusty wreck, wouldn't it? 

 

 

 

 

Sixty-Six hours total time elapsed. (Two thirds of the number of the Beast!) 

[PlaStix]

Hi Bertie. 

50 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

you didn't think I'd make it, did you?

Of course I did, I never doubted for a second....

 

Fantastic progress and I hope you do get chance to enjoy the rest of your build!!

 

Kind regards, 

 

Stix