My thoughts and what's on the workbench.

[McColm]

Sunday 30th June 2024

June is almost over and I've been revising for my exams on Friday. It's in four parts that's if the Internet is working okay at Southwark College. Apparently last Friday the exams were scheduled to start at 10am but didn't with some students waiting until 11am to get connected. Which meant that instead of completing everything in two hours it was more like four hours.
I plan to do two mock exams per day otherwise I think that I will loose the information, keeping it fresh and trying to decipher what I wrote down in my notes, I do have a copy of the text book but the format is slightly different to the course notes.

I have been looking at the various configurations of the Convair and General Dynamics FISH & KINGFISH line drawings, there's a few that look very similar to the Lockheed F-117 and the Lockheed D-21 drone. I did have a go at kitbashing a 1/72 Convair B-58 and F-117, which didn't turn out as well as it could have. I think another go would probably be better using plastic-card, PSR and spare parts.

I picked up a few ideas to decorate my flat from the Southwark College Art & Design Department, a false window with brickwork. This will blend in with my Hogwarts Theme.
With the exams in July it could be October when I return to work. Wait and see what happens.

[McColm]

Monday 1st July 2024

Having woken up at around 5am each working day for the past four weeks, I find myself awake and keep reminding myself that I'm no longer at college. Getting back to the layins is going to take time.
Then there's the food,  breakfast was a cup of coffee. A free sausage roll and cartoon of milk, breaktimes chocolate or crisps supplied by my fellow students and the other half of sandwiches that they didn't want to eat. Some days I would be full up so another cup of coffee, otherwise a bowl of pasta.
I lost a lot of weight with all the walking and my sleeping improved. I still felt extremely tired at the end of the day.
So I have been catching up by reading your comments and seeing how far you have progressed with your projects. Sometimes delving into the past on unfinished builds, and thinking I could build that.
On a separate note, my unfinished builds all lined up for the next step. There's a few empty spaces left on the shelves but for the moment 32 started builds will do for now. There's one or two tweaks to make but the overall shape is there so what's it supposed to be, erm no idea.
I now have to get used to the peace and quiet, yes the traffic goes by and the trains, plus the occasional aircraft but it's peaceful in Charlton Southeast London.
I'm getting in two study periods during the day using the App GuardPass, the results are good averaging 80% on all four sections although the last two are causing problems in the use of holds and legislation dates.I haven't failed so far which is a good indication that I'm retaining the information however you'll need to be in a very rough club or venue to use those techniques. Courts and detention centres use different restraints.
Along with the Airfix 90th Anniversary Set minus the BAC Lightning, I bought the Dragon 1/72 YF-22 and a 24 hour Army ration pack, nothing too spicy but it has a breakfast,  lunch and a dinner, biscuits, sweets and tea/coffee plus a few other bits. Nothing like the ration packs of the past which came in a cardboard box with tins and white chocolate Mars bars that had gone off past their sell by date.
Got an eye examination this month and I have been wearing my glasses more often, the lenses could do with being a bit stronger. Fonts are getting smaller on labels and some things are smaller in size but have kept the same price.
Lots of cleaning to be done, feels strange. August should be a much better month, normal what ever that is.

Just a quick update, the maintenance chap turned up to replace the thermostats this morning and bled the radiators as well .Job well done 👍

[McColm]

Tuesday 2nd July 2024

I hit the wrong button on the Memorial Build GB , I only wanted to remove my started build and now I have locked myself out. Well the Eland engine was giving me a few problems, so maybe a radial engine might be a better option.
In the meantime I have been working on the 1/72 Dragon YF-22 Lightning II model. This is no longer a fighter/interceptor and now has the Sidetrack AEW wing pylons. The seat isn't an original part and there's no rear engine fans. The parts do fit rather well but there's a few gaps towards the front end. I'm on my third coat of acrylic white paint for the wheel wells and inside doors of the landing gear.
 I think that the fuse on my air fryer has blown as it doesn't seem to be working, worked okay yesterday.

[McColm]

Thursday 4th July 2024

The 1/72 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Eland is back on track, been drinking ginger tea and doing some revision for my exams tomorrow. Weatherwise sunshine with showers yesterday, today windy but dry. I've also been watching the leaves on my Chinese Money plant change colour, green on the upper leaf and red on the underside. With the sunlight the leaves look red all over.
The other two kits in the Airfix Anniversary Set will probably be started today but the BAe Tornado F.3 will be used for parts. I still have plans for a delta wing Tornado and a side-by-side version using the Hunter two seater.

My 24 hour ration pack menu 5 has just arrived: fruitful muesli with milk, sweet and sour chicken with rice, pasta bolognese, orange flavour cake & just fruit, pear,grapefruit and pineapple flavour powder drinks,  energy drink, hot chocolate powder drink, biscuits, cookies and cream flavoured bar,salted peanuts. Cheddar cheese flavour spread, tea bags, instant coffee, spicy red chilli sauce, chewing gum, sugar and whitener, wet wipes, water purification tablets, matches, spork and tissues.
I take it that the burner stand and lighting blocks come separately. In the Cold War days I could get all this in a cardboard box with instructions and a menu.
No chocolate bar, tin opener or wind proof matches. A lot can be substituted with pot noodles, salt and pepper and a bit of curry powder.
I must admit I miss the square sausages and fruit cake.

[McColm]

Sunday 7th July 2024

My exams are over so next week I will be receiving the results. Tough yes and I know that I have made a few mistakes but judging the pass marks for each module I think that I've done enough to get through.
Next week also has an eye examination at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill. Just routine, I know that I need stronger lenses for my glasses. Vision Express my opticians are very good and I think that I have a checkup in November. Hopefully I should be in employment by then and have the means to pay for the new lenses.
 I must say that the British Army Ration Pack menu 5 is highly recommended, it does fill you up although I haven't tried eating the pasta bolognese or sweet and sour chicken with rice cold.
I haven't used the matches and wet wipes yet. I think that I will be buying some more if I get a one man site or work nights. My cough has returned, its on going and I had it before being admitted to hospital back in May 2021.
With all the walking at college my leg muscles are improving and getting stronger, fingers started cramping due to the typing. I have to admit with all the studying my sleep has improved, so I think more reading is in order. A few more aviation related books and car designs as I have been watching a few American YouTubers rescue cars and get them running, a couple of them convert them into vehicles that they need around their farm or business rather than a straight forward conversion for a customer. This reminds me of the times back when I used to take fly-drives in Florida or Phoenix, walking into a car showroom and asking for a test drive. The 1960s Cadillacs were similar to steering a barge and the sheer size, like driving a single decker bus. Gas/petrol was a lot cheaper back in the 1980s and so were the flights.
 I think that the Airfix or Revell aircraft anniversary sets are a cheaper option to increase my stash, I would love to revisit a few of started but had to ditch them due to moving, good job I took pictures.
 The 3D printed jigsaw puzzle of Hogwarts Castle will definitely need a N gauge or TT scale layout running around it. The larger scale 3D puzzles are suitable for Ho/00 gauge.


Found a smidgen of putty/filler which has been used on the Gloucester Gladiator Griffon and Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Eland.  The landing gear is now in place on the Spitfire and there's an arrestor hook on the Gladiator.
The Lockheed YF-22 ADV has a combination landing gear and the An-2 Sea Colt AEW.1 now has the cockpit canopy glued in place.

[McColm]

Wednesday 10th July 2024

I'm still waiting for the results of my exams ,the college provides this service but it doesn't make much difference to me as the SIA usually sends out emails stating the process of the application.
I have an eye examination at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill this morning. It's routine and usually lasts all day.

I'm waiting for some putty/filler to arrive. I did try and build the Airfix 1/72  Sopwith 2F1 Camel 1918 biplane but it's too fiddly for me. I did have a go at adding the struts to the Gloucester Gladiator Griffon but they broke.
The Gloucester Gladiator Griffon now has a tail wheel and dingy. The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Eland has the exhaust pipes and underwing air filter. A little bit of filler has been used.
The Lockheed YF-22 Lightning ADV is a bit lopsided but has an arrestor hook to stop it being a tailsitter.
The An-2 Sea Colt AEW floatplane now has the bodged cockpit canopy glued in place. A new 6 blade propeller has been found. Alterations are in progress.

[McColm]

Friday 12th July 2024

Good news, I've passed the four part SIA Door Supervisor Licence Course exams. The results came in this afternoon, three students will have to take the exam again in September. Just have to wait for the certificates to arrive.
I sent an email to my employer to let them know and my Universal Credit Coach,so it could be September /October depending on when the college sends out the information to the SIA. I'm in no hurry to return.

A few new projects that I have read and think I can build them.
1) Anglicized Lockheed C-130 , replacing the Allison T56 turboprops with Rolls-Royce Tyne 20s from the C-160.
Yes I'm going to need two C-160 kits. It's not a straight forward engine swap, plenty of filler and PSR.

2) I was thinking along the lines of the Anglicized Lockheed P-3 Orion. Prices for the 1/72 kits are starting to climb, the Mach2  Bristol Britannia could be whiffed, no not the CP-107Argus. Or the Vickers Vanguard as there was several maritime proposals.

3) Lockheed Constellation MPA.Yes there was the Indian Air Force and the USNavy variant. I've tried to build the maritime Starliner and I will have another go, this time using turboprops. Lockheed did carry out trials with the T56, so the Tyne 20s could be a safer option with a weapons bay panier similar to the one fitted to the DC-6B for fire fighting.

4) Boaterhome.

[PR19_Kit]

That's good news, well done, and it was well worth your effort going on the course. 

[McColm]

That's good news, well done, and it was well worth your effort going on the course. 

Thanks

[NARSES2]

Really well done mate   

[McColm]

Really well done mate   

Cheers

[McColm]

Saturday 13th July 2024

I have withdrawn the two 1/72 Airfix model kits from the Memorial Group Build, I know that I can build something better and somehow the paint schemes that I have chosen don't seem to work. Maybe a private/commercial sponsor would look better. They will be moved into the Current builds topic.

Thanks for your support and kind words, completing and passing all the exams, both  multiple-choice, physical and written. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
No one in the group got 100% in each section but I surprised myself in getting a higher score than what I averaged in the mock exams.
Phew that's over and done with! Three years and a two day top-up  or one day that's if the security company brings in their own First Aid Trainer. Yes a lot can be done online but the physical parts still have to be video taped and approved.
I still wake up at 5am in the mornings,  yes I miss the free continental breakfast. Even more whiffery ideas and loads of places to visit.
 

[kitbasher]

Shame about the Memorial GB decision, but congrats regarding the exam results 👍👍

[NARSES2]

It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Know one in the group got 100% in each section but I surprised myself in getting a higher score than what I averaged in the mock exams.

That's what "Mocks" are there for    If held properly they can get you accustomed to the stress to be experienced in the real exams as much as anything else.

[McColm]

Sunday 14th July 2024

The Airfix 1/72 Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Eland has ended up in the rubbish bin but the Airfix 1/72 Gloucester Gladiator Griffon now has a Humbrol number 30 and 29 (green and tan/brown) experimental camouflage colour scheme. The exhaust pipes were also painted in the same acrylic Humbrol colour steel grey but one side looks darker than the other, can't really change it as I have applied the decals. I did try using the decals provided in the kit but they are a bit too glossy so I found some Revell decals which came from a 1/72 Fairey Gannet AS Mk1/Mk4. I did try to remove the seem running down the spine of the kit, hence the removal from the Memorial Group Build but I think that I will enter it again. You might think that I have missed some parts but that's down to weathering using a paint brush throughout the build.  Photos will be uploaded during next week, backstory and construction details.

The 1/72 Lockheed YF-22 ADV now has its wheels up and a display stand found. Pilot has been fitted, PSR continues.
The 1/72 BAe Marsh Harrier FGRA.1, now has the vertical tail fin from the Airfix 1/72 Tornado F.3. The box artwork says that it's a PANAVIA, whereas the paint/decals guide says it's a BAE. This also has the landing gear from the same kit plus the seats.

The 1/72 Westland Sea Hind HAS.2 has undergone another paint scheme and now has six torpedoes, crew steps and warning receivers. Some parts came from the Helix and Lynx, steps are from the Lockheed S-3A Viking, looks battle worn.

If you use the two part Milliput Black puty/filler, the black rubs off on your hands whilst you mix it together. My 1/72 Avro Shackleton MR.7 and the 1/72 BAC Wyton AEW. 2 are undergoing PSR. This not only has the FASS radomes and the prototype Boeing E-3 rotodome. The turboprop engines are undergoing an upgrade to turbofans.
Whereas the 1/72 An-2 Sea Colt AEW.1 floatplane is also in the process of PSR.

The V/STOL  Eagle Harrier might have been a bit ambitious for me to build but what if the F-15 Eagle was given VG wings, they tried it on the F-4 Phantom as a concept so it might work as I have the remaining parts from the Airfix 1/72 Tornado F.3.

Masking tape and rattle cans.