Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[NARSES2]

Progress continues 

The Maggister has been sprayed Fiat Broom (after the plant/flower ?) yellow. Hopefully mask for upper colours tomorrow.

The Gnat has had her undersides painted Aluminium. I'll add a couple of coats of clear latter today as I find Humbrol acrylic aluminium can be a bit fragile if unprotected.

I will be getting at least one other SH Gnat to do either in a light grey air superiority scheme or perhaps in a Middle East style scheme with those small pink/pale blue roundels ? Mind you there's also the special schemes worn by the Gnat F.5's during the Queen's 1977 Silver Jubilee review of the RAuxAF ? Might have to get two more  It'll be a nice kit to have around for when I want a relaxing build that gets you quickly onto decoration which is the part I like best. B.T.W. the Gnat F.5 was the version equipped with an in-flight refueling probe and sidewinders. Had a few more "lumps and bumps" as well but nothing drastic 

Did a little work on the Me 509 as well. The kit comes with two types of vertical tail which need to be attached to the appropriate fuselage half. I assume one type is the 309 tail for the unused fuselage halves provided in the kit ? Anyway I always fit these type of parts to the individual sides rather than as a completed tail to a completed forward fuselage. After about 10 mins of cursing a really bad fit I noticed I was trying to fit the tail on upside down  In my defence I mistook the nose wheel undercarriage bay for the cockpit opening   Anyway after mating the correct parts I can confirm they are a really nice fit  I called it a day after that.

[NARSES2]

Progress continues 

Thought I'd post this hot of the Maggister and Gnat side by side. Hard to believe there was only 19 years between these two designs (1936 and 1955) which both ended up as trainers in the R.A.F.

I just wonder how long the gap between them would have been without the impetus of W.W.II ?

[NARSES2]

Some progress on all 3 current projects but I've also made a couple of discoveries over the course of the last few days.

My carpet monster has developed a taste for gunsight's. It's had 3 1/72 scale ones in the last 2 days 

For the figure painters amongst you Humbrol 19 is the exact shade of fresh human blood ! How do I know ? I managed to cut/abrade a knuckle today whilst shaking a tub of Humbrol 19 (don't ask) and thinking the tub wasn't securely fastened noticed my knuckle. I then compared a dab of Humbrol 19 to the fresh blood and it was a perfect match 

[zenrat]

You should start a count.
Days building without drawing blood: 0

[rickshaw]

What I find interesting is that I'm just finishing a Gnat F.1 model - the Olimp Resin one.   Made a few simple modifications to it and painted it in an interesting scheme.  Just about to apply the decals.   

[NARSES2]

What I find interesting is that I'm just finishing a Gnat F.1 model - the Olimp Resin one.   

I forgot about that kit. I've built and got a few Olimp kits and they are gorgeous  Looking forward to it mate.

Haven't seen anything new from Olimp in an age. Are they still going ?

[NARSES2]

Individual progress is in the specific threads but a couple of general items.

I'm thinking of starting to model in a eye patch  Seriously ! My eye problems continues although one of the problems (the scarring) does appear to be getting better and strangely that is the cause of the problem. As it improves the focal length and blurring associated with it "moves" and my brain struggles a bit when doing close work. If I close it then my right eye seems to cope very well, my brain has even started to compensate for the original depth perception problems working one eyed caused. So "Pirates Away" ?

The other is a neat clean up solution I accidentally stumbled upon. (others have probably been there years ago) When I took the masking off my Maggister I had a couple of unsightly splodges on the trainer yellow. Now having used an automotive spray with this I was going to struggle getting a colour match for the touch ups. Then I remembered something that had happened a while ago whilst cleaning some brushes and so got the bottle of Humbrol acrylic thinners down from the shelf and some cotton buds. After some gentle rubbing with a thinner soaked cotton bud the splodges started to wipe away. For some of the more difficult ones I sharpened a cocktail stick into a chisel point and used that dipped in thinners. Worked a treat.

Now this almost certainly only worked because the base coat was automotive paint but it will be interesting to see what happens when I test the method on my usual acrylics with a couple of coats of Klear/Future to protect them. So by no means a panacea but a technique to remember.

[Radish]

Do we go "aarrrrrrr" when we greet you?

[NARSES2]

Do we go "aarrrrrrr" when we greet you?

Possibly, though I doubt I shall wear it in public 

My continuing saga of getting the most from the 40 years of National Insurance I paid continues. They are now looking at the hearing problem in my left ear (only been dodgy for 30 years or so second time around  ) so I'm booked in for some kind of electromagnetic scan on the bones behind the ear and a hearing aid compatibility test. Gord' bless the NHS

[kitnut617]

Do we go "aarrrrrrr" when we greet you?

Possibly, though I doubt I shall wear it in public 

My continuing saga of getting the most from the 40 years of National Insurance I paid continues. They are now looking at the hearing problem in my left ear (only been dodgy for 30 years or so second time around  ) so I'm booked in for some kind of electromagnetic scan on the bones behind the ear and a hearing aid compatibility test. Gord' bless the NHS

After being a steel fabricator welder for 45 years, my hearing is shot too (even with using all the provided hearing protection devices). Upside is when I went for a hearing test and after the audiologist looked at the results and then found out what I did for a living, said I had a good chance for a claim at the Workers Compensation Board. Papers were duly sent in and lo and behold, the claim was approved. I can now get free hearing aids for the rest of my life (new ones every five years) and all batteries are covered plus certain repairs.

[NARSES2]

Ah. My hearing problems go back to childhood. I was born with the problem and thus twice weekly visits to Great Ormond St for the first 7 years of my life until I was sufficiently old/big enough for them to operate. This was the 50's so no micro surgery.

They sorted the problem and everything was fine until my late 20's/early 30's when it started gradually to deteriorate. Problem confined to the one ear, other is fine, so no great problem.

[NARSES2]

Got to the point this morning where I thought I might need a fourth project on the go, so wanting something relatively simple and easy to build (I'd like to get the current crop finished before disappearing Up North for a couple of weeks) I had a look at the Hasegawa part of the shelf. Pulled a Dweotine D.520 off the shelf and found two kits in the one box 

Now I probably don't need a fourth kit upon reflection but I still had a think about it. So the options so far are :-

Real World - I haven't got a real world one.

Polish - Perhaps built under Licence ? To be part of my Poland 31/8/1940 scenario ?

Romanian - Again maybe built under licence or a captured machine sold on ?

Vichy French in Indo China in the short "War" with Siam as it was. Instead of the Ms 406's actually used.

French AF in North Africa. Standard RAF desert scheme but with full French markings. In my alternative WWII France fights on from the colonies.

Glad I've got two of the kits now 

[NARSES2]

Decided that if I do need a kit to work on before I go up North I'll build a real world Airfix Martlet. Built two of the previous incarnations (one real world one wif) of the kit but haven't got a real world FAA Martlet/Wildcat in the collection. So straight out of the box she shall be.

[NARSES2]

Not modelling related but an interesting excursion.

Up early with the lark, literally, for an early appointment at the hospital for a C.T. scan on my skull. They are looking at the bones that are to do with hearing (hammer, anvil and stirrup if my memories of 1968 O Level Biology are correct  ), but I assume they'll also confirm if the rest of the skull is empty or not 

Anyway it was my first C.T. scan and the whole experience, all 10 mins of it, was fascinating, very Star Trek, but the really interesting part for me was that the newest piece of kit is in the oldest part of the hospital built in 1863. In the corridors of this part of the hospital they have put up loads of old photos taken in it over the years. Some are before the First World War, but most are in the late 60's/early 70's going by the hairstyles the nurses are wearing in them. One of the current nurses saw me looking at a group shot and asked me if there was anything I was particularly interested in ? I just told him that back then I'd gone out with a few nurses/student nurses and was looking to see if there were any faces I recognised. He laughed but then I said "notice anything about these photos ?". When he replied "no", I said "all the nurses are female, no males nurses back then. Female doctors but no male nurses back then". he looked again and then at the other photos and said "I'd never noticed that, how times have changed". Yup, times have changed all right  And no, I didn't recognise any faces, or I don't think I did. 

[PR19_Kit]

They are looking at the bones that are to do with hearing (hammer, anvil and stirrup if my memories of 1968 O Level Biology are correct  ),

Dead right there Chris.

Are they thinking about swapping yours for plastic ones? I've had all six of mine done (it's called a stapendectomy apparently.......) and the right set works a treat, but the left set works ok, but it seems I'm the country's oldest patient with what's called 'Glue Ear' and the bones can't 'hear' the incoming sound without me using a hearing aid.