Quote from: scooter on January 01, 2025, 08:49:46 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 01, 2025, 08:41:09 AM

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMNYD morning heading down to breakfast I found myself squashed into a corner of a lift (elevator to some) by a bunch of cheerleaders about to head out to the parade.

How terrible for you Dave, but someone had to do it I suppose.   

 

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMWorse ways to see in the new year, I guess!

The terms 'HGV' and 'con funk' come time mind

Reminds me of the time when I was the mobile driver for Reliance Security West London Region. Part of my duties was to visit Ealing Broadway where the BBC had an office close to the railway station. It was new years eve and the intruder alarm had been activated. Having parked in the BBC car park next to the flower shop,  it took me the best part of an hour to walk to the entrance, so many ladies wanting to kiss me to welcome in the new year. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. It was about 2am before I could leave the building as the crowd had all gone home.

As you know I have attempted to build the Lockheed Starliner using a Super Constellation and the wings from a Boeing C-97 which didn't go too well. What about using the Heller DC-6B wings and a Constellation as a kitbash?
I know that I can't get away with just changing the tail fins but if the two kits are compatible maybe this could work. Another option could be a maritime surveillance version of the DC-6B , this be the PC-118 might have to change the name.

The ex-TriAng Midland Blue Pullmans will be getting a new paint scheme, as it's the year of the snake something along the lines of the Hogwarts House colours would work.

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMNYD morning heading down to breakfast I found myself squashed into a corner of a lift (elevator to some) by a bunch of cheerleaders about to head out to the parade.

That explains a lot 

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMFollowing a mooch around a drizzly London and heading back to our room I found myself squashed into the corner of a lift by a bunch of damp cheerleaders heading back to their rooms to get warm and dry.

I take it you immediately rushed to give them a cuddle to help them warm up ? 

Quote from: NARSES2 on January 02, 2025, 12:23:50 AM

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMNYD morning heading down to breakfast I found myself squashed into a corner of a lift (elevator to some) by a bunch of cheerleaders about to head out to the parade.

That explains a lot 

Quote from: kitbasher on January 01, 2025, 07:08:50 AMFollowing a mooch around a drizzly London and heading back to our room I found myself squashed into the corner of a lift by a bunch of damp cheerleaders heading back to their rooms to get warm and dry.

I take it you immediately rushed to give them a cuddle to help them warm up ? 

My supervisor would have taken a dim view of that!

Saturday 4th January 2025

It's a wet and chilly evening up in the Westend of London, I've been informed that I will be covering the February night shift as the security officer who has had surgery on his knees is still signed off work by his doctor due to complications after his operation. Not that I'm complaining I'm getting used to working nights and the other security officers are quite surprised when I turn up early for my shifts. Me thinks that they have had problems in past when it comes to the night shift.
It's not rocket science but there's the requirement for common sense and the 'what to do if this happens.........' Of course the odd person does wander in thinking this is the foyer of the Royal Society of Medicine, I mean how big does the Coca-Cola sign have to be before they see it?
I did make a suggestion for the security uniforms to have the Coca-Cola branding on them or lapel badges to be worn. All I do know is that my idea for signage around the building has been applied.

I see that Sanger provides a 1/72 multimedia model kit of the Be-12 Mail, which could be useful to me when I receive the Playfix Be-6 Madge kit as I can cast a few resin moulds for the turboprop engines, landing gear and M.A.D. boom. This depends on how brittle the pastic is, otherwise I can see myself utilising both kits.

Another idea whilst watching a few videos on the BAe Nimrod on YouTube in the early hours of Sunday morning, what if the RAF had insisted on using the Grumman Hawkeye system and layout on the BAe Nimrod. It would have saved some money in the beginning and could have been completed on time allowing it to be deployed during the Falklands War, upgrades would have been added in line with the Hawkeye or maybe a larger rotodome similar size to the one fitted to the Boeing E-3A. I know that the Eerieye AEW fits on the BAe Nimrod and could be made longer .
Another whiff could be a tanker version of the Nimrod or stick to the airliner minus the lumps & bumps.  VVIP Transport.

Monday 6th January 2025

The start of the year in Charlton Southeast London has had a heavy frost, high winds with rain and I think sleet at times. As for the fireworks the night sky was definitely lit up from 8pm until 2am on New year's day.
A bit more research into the Coca-Cola Group has revealed that they are into racing cars on both sides of the equator the only reference is a leather racing jacket which is on one of the displays up on the third floor of where I work in Wimpole Street. I think that they concentrate more on the bottles,  cans and drinking vessels although I have to admit that most of what I have seen isn't available in the shops at the moment. They do seem to keep a keen eye on their rival brands.
I can understand why they have difficulty keeping the night security officers during the winter months as there's a lot of gaps in the revolving doors, the insulation doesn't seal the doors allowing the air outside in, nor do the doors retract allowing access for wheelchair users. Some of the doors slide across on other buildings where I have worked. This doesn't seem to bother me but I can understand if the security officers in the past are reluctant to help. Obviously not trained in hospitality.
 I got all my washing done yesterday as the day shift officer was 40 minutes late which meant that my body clock got a second wind of staying awake. Sleep eventually came at around 3pm in the afternoon.
Things are back to normal, no more Christmas decorations as 12th night has passed,  if I had my way they'd stay up all year round. Maybe I'll start the trend next Christmas!.
My Chinese Money plant has five stems filled with flowers, either I have something that resembles a Chinese Money plant and only flowers for a few months or the plant only flowers when it senses good luck periods as last year the flowers were out during the London Marathon and later in September.
A bit of a lazy day today with some cleaning work after lunch.

I received my parcel it was the 1/72 Nu-Bee Be-6 Madge, so I read some of the reviews and searched on Google for some photos. Apparently there was 19 versions including the ASW variant. The Chinese converted theirs to turboprop engines as the parts for the radial engines became harder to come by.
I think that a fixed landing gear on my model would be ideal, the engines will be replaced (bodged job).

Thursday 9th January 2025

I took two buses to work this evening, Admiralty Arch is wrapped in white plastic with limited access by road and Trafalgar Square isn't square due to roadworks. I got to work with ten minutes before 7pm. What happened to the lights, taken down but not all the Christmas trees are removed as the one next to Wellington is still there.
2°C outside in Wimpole Street, I'm pleased with the way that the modernised 1/72 Be-6 Madge aka Shorts Swallow MR.1 has turned out. I will be using the Mach2 Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic kit and another Be-6 Madge which will be based on the Br.1250 concept but if that doesn't work then the engines, propellers, landing gear and M.A.D. boom along with the vertical tail fin will make a great kitbash.

I still have 23 started builds to finish, two a month should be within my budget to get them painted with decals that's if I don't get distracted although I did have to pass up the opportunity on eBay for the 1/72 Avro Lincoln B.2.

Another magical mystery tour on the number 453 bus which is on diversion, to save me some money I changed buses at the Elphant and Castle to the number 53, which stops outside Charlton House, it's a ten minute walk from there, twenty minutes at my pace. The size of some of the modern cars, they are enormous, some of them can't fit in the parking bays allocated outside the houses.

Quote from: McColm on January 09, 2025, 12:53:28 PMThe size of some of the modern cars, they are enormous, some of them can't fit in the parking bays allocated outside the houses.

Yup and most of the ones around my way either never seem to move or are only used to take little Timmy and Tammy the 500 yards to the local primary school. 

Quote from: NARSES2 on January 10, 2025, 05:20:00 AM

Quote from: McColm on January 09, 2025, 12:53:28 PMThe size of some of the modern cars, they are enormous, some of them can't fit in the parking bays allocated outside the houses.

Yup and most of the ones around my way either never seem to move or are only used to take little Timmy and Tammy the 500 yards to the local primary school. 

I used to walk to my primary school, there was a group of us. In the early 1980s things changed and kids caught a coach if they lived far away.

I was only ONCE driven to school, every other time I walked, caught the normal service bus or rode my bike!

That one occasion was when I was 18 and my Canadian friend Rob Johns and I drove to school on our last day there in his Dad's brand new, bright yellow (!) Vauxhall Cresta, the one that looked like a 1950s Chevy with FINS! Rob, being Canadian, already had a licence, and his Dad was going to take the car back to Canada so it was left hand drive! That meant that everyone thought that I was driving at first glance. 

Great times. 

Mum and dad never drove, so I walked to primary and got the bus or cycled to senior. Only time I drove was at the end of my 5th year when a mates brother who was in our "upper 5th" (O Level re-sits) drove me in his Bubble Car    Reverse locked off so you could drive one on a provisional motor bike licence. Great days 

I walked or cycled to both primary and secondary schools; it was 3 or 4 blocks (up hill, both ways, in 10 feet of snow ) until I got my first car; unless it was either raining of such biblical proportions that a drive was warranted, or Dad had something unique he was working on and wanted to road test it.  Until I got working papers at 16, I walked or cycled everywhere.

Field trips were the only times parents either dropped off or collected their children, the only time I caught the school bus was when we went swimming at the Acton Swimming Baths and then when they closed down the ones in Ealing Broadway.

The extra bank holiday has been cancelled by the British Government although the early May Day bank holiday will still go ahead and celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the ending of WW2 and VJ day are still planned but will take place over the weekend. Lost revenue for pubs,  hotels and catering establishments has been brushed aside no doubt there's an excuse or explanation that will be released in a future statement.

Trafalgar Square is now open until the next time they decide to dig up the road again which will be on the 23rd January 2025.
Just the weekend left to go, I have noticed that stocks of Cherry Cola have been replaced with the lemon and the push for nonsugar products in the fridges at work must be part of some promotional activities.

Which extra Bank Holiday has been cancelled?

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 11, 2025, 07:02:45 AMWhich extra Bank Holiday has been cancelled?

There was a RUMOUR last year of an extra BH to cover the 80th Anniversary of the end of WW2, probably around 30th June for Armed Forces Day which sits neatly between VE and VJ days.
A rumour based on the UK having had an extra BH on 3rd June 2022 for the Queens Platinum Jubilee and on 8th May 2023 for the Coronation.

That rumour has been quashed and the hospitality industry have their noses out of joint. Other industries are probably thankful at not losing a days work/production.
A Bank Holiday costs the UK approximately £2.4bn  https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05775/