Spey_Phantom's corner of solitude

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #187


very little movement the past 2 weeks due to various events such as airshows & trips with the missus.
there has been some activity however, mostly stash management.

the A330-MRTT has been put on hold for the moment, with work shifting into completing the first of 2 1/72 Seakings.
the first one is nearly completed and only needs the rotors. the other still needs decals and wheels.

meanwhile, the 1/72 Mig-15 ive started is also on hold for the moment, this will be a realworld east-german version.

the kits for the next projects have already been lined up, when the A330-MRTT is done, work will begin on either a Belgian AF A321 or an A300-MRTT. after the Seakings, there are 2 NH90-NFH's. other project in the line-up are a WHIF 1/144 CH-53D, various Mig's and Sukhoi's,....
im also about to start on designing new decals for future projects, such as Belgian WW2 aircraft in 1/144 (WHIF & Realworld), Ecuador AF P-47D, RAF F-104K, Cuban F/A-18C?,.....


more soon...

[Captain Canada]

Sounds good Nils. Love the heavies. Can't wait to see the Sea Kings. I feel like a Toronto Maple Leafs fan waiting to see them win the Stanley Cup lol. The CH-53 sounds great as well, combine all of my faves : heavy, helo, whif ! What is she going to be ? A Belgian Special ?

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #188


got the house all to myself tonight, so i hit the bench as soon as i got home from shopping.

first off, i FINALLY FINISHED one of the 1/72 SeaKings  (Hallelujah!).
second one will follow in a few weeks time, depending how much benchtime i can get.

ive also restarted work on the 1/144 RCAF A330-MRTT (CC-165T Manitoba). landing gear is now mostly done and the tires are painted, might post pictures later.
tomorrow im gonna start on the engines. i wanna get this finished so i can start on the next projects.
no progress on the Mig-15 i started 2 weeks ago.

meanwhile im just gonna start on decal designing for the next round of builds. this include as mentioned earlier, a Ecuador P-47D, Belgian F4F Wildcat, Belgian Navy Dauntless and new on the project list, a 1/144 Cuban F/A-18C Hornet.

there might not be any activity next week or the weeks after due to family visits, daytrips with the missus,....


next in line for building are:

-2 x 1/72 NH90-NFH (to be started as soon as the 2nd SeaKing is done)
-1/144 Embraer 195 in Citybird Livery (after the 1/72 Mig-15)
-1/144 Airbus A300-MRTT (to be started after the A330-MRTT)
-2 x 1/144 CH-53D Stallion (Belgian and/or Austrian)
-random 1/144 fighterjet, no idea witch one yet.


more soon.....

[Captain Canada]

What ? I'll believe that when I see it. Like I say, a Nils, without a pair of unfinished Sea Kings, cannot exist ! Ok, I stole that from Seinfeld lol. Greta list of projects too Nils !

[Spey_Phantom]

What ? I'll believe that when I see it. Like I say, a Nils, without a pair of unfinished Sea Kings, cannot exist !

ok, you want proof, here it is 

[NARSES2]

That's nice mate

[TheChronicOne]

Wow... I'm impressed.  She's glorious.   

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #189

no activity in the past week, might get some benchtime tomorrow.
on the list of things to do are:

-start first phase of painting for the CC165T (A330-MRTT)
-make progress on the 1/72 realworld 1/72 Mig-15
-make some progress on the last 1/72 Sea King
-make preperations to start on 1/144 Embraer 195 in Citybird livery.

ive been looking into some future builds and ive been doing some research.
for starters, this afternoon i think ive finally found a way to correct revell's horrible 1/144 Mig-31 Foxhound.
i found a diecast Mig-31 in a discount store for less then 1 euro, and seems perfectly to scale. since many parts are in plastic (such as the AA-9 Amos missiles, canopy and tailplanes), these can be removed and refitted on the 1/144 kit.

another new WHIF project ive been looking into, is a Belgian Air Force Tornado IDS. the Tonka was concidered in the 1970's as a possible replacement for the F-104G. at first i had no idea on how it would look if it was selected and in service today, but now ive figured out a way to build a current day MLU version with fitting markings. im gonna look into building a profile soon.

another realworld project im currently starting is a 1/144 RF-4E Phantom II conversion, i have a 1/72 version of the Luftwaffe AG52 "Black Panther" scheme, and ive managed to scale down the decals for a 1/144 version. i still need to testprint this out on paper to see how the fit goes, but fitting of the decals on a scanned-in F-4F sprue, it looks promising.

in 1/72, ive also been thinking of building a AS532 Cougar in Cuban Air Force markings, with a 2-tone or 3-tone blue camoflage and lightgrey underside. still need to work out the details but im thinking maybe a SAR or transport configuration.

more soon.....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #190

ive been stuck home since yesterday with a terrible cold, and since im not fit to work i can get some more benchtime.
this afternoon im gonna look at doing some more work on the A330-MRTT, perhaps apply a second coat before starting to paint the wings.

the 1/72 Mig-15 also needs some attention, aswell as a partially started 1/144 RF-4E conversion of an F-4F Phantom.

as for WHIF projects, im about to start on the Citybird Embraer 195 airliner.
kit, paint and decals are all here so im ready to begin once the A330 is done.

looking into the future, there are some interesting projects coming down the line. for 2017 i already have some ideas in the think tank, such as a 1/144 CF-105 Arrow (converted from a revell Mig-25), 1/144 Mitsubishi F-2A (built from a revell F-16A/C and F/A-18C). im also revisiting my Boeing 737 tactical tanker idea, perhaps with Israeli markings. there are many old projects that need to be looked at, such as the RAF Airbus A320, YS-11, F-104K and Vickers Vanguard AEW or MPA, Belgian Tornado IDS, DH Comet 4B, H135M, H665M Tiger,....if i can find another 1/72 SA365 Dauphin, i can plan to make a Belgian Navy version.

reading back on on my blogposts over the past years, there are many projects listed that never saw the light of day, i might have to revisit those aswell.

for the rest, there might be some more decal designing for future WHIF & realworld projects, but thats for another time.


more soon.....

[Dizzyfugu]

in 1/72, im researching how to turn the Italeri Mig-37 Ferrets into a more F-35-like fighter with increased internal payload.

I converted one a long time ago, with longer wings and two additional weapon bays (for a pair of Aphids) under the wing roots, wo that the two standard bays could take dirt movers.

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #191


little progress this week, full of ups and downs 

the RCAF Airbus A330-MRTT is making good progress, the main paintwork is mostly done, now come the trimming and detail-painting.
i expect it to be done by by the end of the week, if all goes well.

no progress on the Mig-15 or RF-4E, i should look into those of the next few days.

and now for a negative note:

i encountered a big blow this week, as on monday i was called in at the boss his office with the bad news i was going to be layed off (again). ive already been fired and layed off so many times over the past 11 years since i graduated, i gotten used to it. tomorrow i have an appointment for a new job, i really hope to find something now real fast, as i have rent to pay and a wedding to save up for 
i already insured the missus of one thing: "the wedding will NOT be postponed."

anyway, on a more positive note, i will have more benchtime over the next few weeks (months?) while i wait for better news and new employment opportunities.
ive also started making designs and plans for a very special project, not to be revealed until august 2017 

still to mcome, i need to look at what to build this year, and what projects will be moved to next year or later.



more soon.......

[NARSES2]

Sorry to hear that Nils, best of luck with the job hunt

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #192

the bench has been clearing up lately, with the A330-MRTT now done, only a realworld 1/72 Mig-15 and the last 1/72 SeaKing remaining on the bench. with pretty much nothing on the go at the moment, im gonna look at the idea list to see what project will be built next.

lately ive been looking at airliner models in the stash, one of the next projects imstarting with is either an Embraer 195 in CityBird livery, a RW Airbus A321 in Belgian AF livery, or a tanker version of the Airbus A300.
on the list, there is also an Airbus A320 in RAF Air Support Command livery.

there are a number of RAF aircraft on the list in 1/144, including the F-104K Starfighter F.Mk.3, a NAMC YS-11 (Super Andover C.5), Vickers Vanguard AEW.1 (with the radar of an E-2C hawkeye) and a few more.

there's also a Cuban Air Force F/A-18C on the planning for 2017, aswell as a 1/72 Cuban AS532 Cougar in SAR configuration.
in realworld 1/144 im looking to start on either a few F-16A/C or F/A-18A's.

but for today, im going to do some stash management.


but now, for a personal note:

its been a week of more down then ups on a personal level, the first week of jobhunting has been met with dissapointment, lies and idiots who run the employment offices these days 
and if that wasnt enough, my older sister has been diagnosed with skin cancer (possibly in a very early stage) after removing a birthmark.
when i turn on the TV or radio, all i ever hear is cancer, cancer, funeralplanning, cancer,.... its enough to make a man depressed 

this weekend, me and the missus are going to the seaside for a few days. although i was first planning to cancel the trip due to cost cuts following my jobloss, we can both really use some rest & relaxation and a change of scenery, so there migth be no activity in the next few days.

[NARSES2]

Enjoy the weekend mate and I hope your sister is ok. Mate of mine was diagnosed with early skin cancer and after a very minor operation he's had the all clear. So hopefully your sister will be 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #193


its been a slow but busy week on the bench, although i didnt have any building time the past weekend as i took the missus to the seaside on a weekend vacation.

modelwise, the bench is now clear enough to start new builds. with the finishing of the A330-MRTT and the recent completion of a 1/144 CH-53D+ (pics to follow later) i have started preperations for the next build project.

the next 1/144 builds that are about to start are 3 Super Hornets/growlers (1 RW EA-18G Growler, 1 RW F/A-18F in US Navy markings and 1 Whiff F/A-18E in USMC markings, there might be a USMC F/A-18F in the near future). still need to give the last 1/72 SeaKing and the Mig-15 some attention aswell.

im starting to run out of space on the stash shelves, so i might have to get started on some of the larger boxes to gain more space, or start on a mass production on various smaller boxes.

i still need to do some more decal designing this week, including  the ones for "the Wedding Project", i cant tell you anything about it yet, except for the fact that its gonna be a large model and its sheduled to be finished/revieled in August 2017.

other 1/144 projects that need decals are:

-Cuban F/A-18C hornet
-Belgian Tornado IDS
-RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (RW)
-RAAF AF-18A Hornet (RW) cancelled
-Belgian AF Boeing 727-100 (RW)
-???


more soon.....