Kitbasher's blog: City slicker turned beach bum

[kitbasher]

For what feels like forever.....I've finished a build!!

Pics to follow.

[NARSES2]

Tease 

[Captain Canada]

lol ! Sounds good !

[kitbasher]

I've been pretty rubbish at keeping the blog up to date, certainly compared to others whom I could mention - there are several particularly interesting/entertaining blogs - but won't. 

Anyway the recurring new year's resolution is holding, that is to finally finish off the part builds that have been gathering dust over the last couple of years. 

First of these was my first ever sci-fi post (https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=47314.msg867795#msg867795), which took 15 minutes to build and 8 months to paint!  What's left to finish off can be seen in my profile at the bottom of this and every entry I make on the forum.

Two part builds stand out - the JP4 and the Phantom.  The former is a rebuild of the ancient Airfix JP3 that Has been complete bar a canopy for 20 years.  Have been meaning to plunge mould one  (or wait for a commercially-available vacform) but never got round to it. 

The Phantom is a Fujimi FGR.2 representing an FG.1, fully built but the painting is unfinished.  Again it has languished in that state for 20 years and I don't know why!

Meanwhile other stuff gets built and the stash grows.  Resistance to stash addition can be futile, but not always. For example, I'm loving the new red box Airfix stuff but other than a MiG-15 and a Bf109G haven't built what I have.  Have resisted the Victor and will resist the new Vulcan as I've had both Matchbox Victor and original Airfix Vulcan in the loft since forever.  Don't want a new Buccaneer as the built Matchbox + C Scale parts is fine and I've got Phantoms covered (just so you know, my principle real-world model making interest is post-WW2 RAF).

Meanwhile I'm curiously tempted by the new MiG-17 and the Beaufort has tons more appeal than the Vulcan.  And I keep looking at elderly, cheap kits as whif material.  For example, having sworn never again I've a cunning dH88 plan that requires an Airfix Comet.

Anyway, the JP4 issue will be resolved courtesy of Airfix's recent 79 Sqn markings version.  Mind you, I may yet make that canopy.

[kitbasher]

Such a long time since I blogged.

It's been a mad six months: work got busier and busier and then 17 March decided my team and I would work from home indefinitely due to Covid-19 uncertainties.  Beat the rest of the organisation and the Government to that by a couple of days.  Saved me four hours commuting each day plus longer in bed, which was nice, but the pace didn't let up.  Still, at least not furloughed or laid off so any problems were certainly of the first world kind.

Anyway, that's all sorted as I'd already decided to retire.  Final day was 12 June, hence my looking forward to this year's 1WGB.  No plans for the future other than enjoying it.

So where are we now?  Well, Coronavirus 'support bubble' duties right  now with mum.  She's 91, independently living but having to deal with (unsurprisingly) a few age-related health issues.  She'd coped well with lockdown but it was starting to impact.

Anyway.  I'm with here and my phone is my only internet access.  Keeping my 1WGB updates going but posting pics is a mighty fiddle!  This is why Brother NARSES2 posted a couple of progress pics on my behalf Earlier today.  All part of a prearranged 'Plan B', and Chris very many thanks for your support.

I plan to crack on with the builds but if I end up staying longer at mum's than planned I'll need to fathom out how to get the 'beauty shots' done before the GB ends.  Again, a first world problem.

Staying with the 1WGB end, I'll lock the completed builds thread once the deadline has passed.  Given the 'In the Navy' vote runs for two weeks I'm currently minded to hold off the 1WGB vote until the current vote is done.  Decision will be announced.

Anyway, hope all is well with all.

[kitbasher]

Anyone know what time zone the Forum is set to?

Looks like GMT -7 hours to me, which is a line of longitude through, for example, Denver Colorado.

[PR19_Kit]

Well your last post is dated 0758 on my screen, and it's 0801 now, so it looks like it's set to BST.

But isn't that a variable in your own profile?

[NARSES2]

Right this post is timed at 12:05 am, whilst I'm typing it at 8:05 am UK time.

However as Kit says you can set the Forum time to your own Time Zone, don't ask me how, but you can.

[kitbasher]

Didn't know that, Kit.  Looks like Chris and I see the sane time, so we're on the same setting.  Will delve.

EDIT:  delved, sorted, now showing my local time.  Thanks Kit.

[NARSES2]

Didn't know that, Kit.  Looks like Chris and I see the sane time, so we're on the same setting.  Will delve.

Not quite sure about the sanity of such time................but 

I'm obviously feeling a little better than I've been over the last couple of days, because I'm being flippant  Apologies.

[kitbasher]

Well done Chris, You spotted my deliferate mistake and therefore passed the test!

Good to note you're feeling better, let's hope it stays that way 

PM will be with you later this morning.

[DogfighterZen]

However as Kit says you can set the Forum time to your own Time Zone, don't ask me how, but you can.

It's in the user's profile account settings settings, Look and layout section.

[kitbasher]

However as Kit says you can set the Forum time to your own Time Zone, don't ask me how, but you can.

It's in the user's profile account settings settings, Look and layout section.

And it'll auto recognise what your local time is (at least it does when using a smartphone, not cranked up the PC this morning).

[kitbasher]

Best laid plans, etc....

So retirement so far is 80110ck5.  Popped up to Upnorthshire to see Mum as soon as 'support bubbles' were allowed, had last visited in mid-March just before lockdown.  She's not been in the best of health so it was a timely visit.  She spends a lot of time snoozing so it was a good chance to crack on with my 1-week GB entries.

Anyway, planned to see her again on the 6th of this month to take her to a medical appointment, etc.  Well I unexpectedly had to head up a week earlier and still there.  Not expected to be home for another week, need to get stuff sorted out for her in the home.

Took modelling stuff to pass the time, including potential 'prototypes GB' stuff.  Anyway....prototype 'Spitfire 25' can't progress much as I left some key bits at home, some plodding with a 'Hawker P.1104' factory mock up, and reasonable progress with a 'FrankenCOIN' mock up that appeared at a 1970s Farnborough display.

Will get round to posting GB threads when I get home, but for now:

'Spitfire 25' - wait and see!

'Hawker P.1104' - scrap Matchbox F-104 plus mostly leftovers from an old Airfix Harrier that haven't gone into the still-to-be completed 'P.1154(ish)'.

'FrankenCOIN' - bits from a Heller Bobcat Harrier T4, still more from that Airfix Harrier, bits from a Spiteful, a scrapped KP Spitfire fuselage and a pair of engines off a scrapped FROG Me262.  A case of plastic, resin, glue, filler, sand to shape!  I think it'll have to be Hawker Siddeley, which means it can't be later than 1976.  As I went to the 1974 show, it's probably going to be that one.

[PR19_Kit]

It's a three month GB Dave, so don't worry too much about it.

Well done for sorting out your Mum's issues anyway, we all need to keep a hold on stuff like that in these times.