Spey_Phantom's corner of solitude

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry # 326

i made very littel progress since the last update, but i did take the time to clear up the workspace to start something new.
i just started building a Revell 1/72 EC135, im gonna paint it in the colors of our local EMS helicopter (already got a few requests to build extras and from people who want a decalset).

other projects, such as the 3 Belgian 1/144 P-51D Mustangs, are still on hold pending decals. my radial engined Bf110 is also been gathering dust.
i have a couple of older models that ive started stripping the paint off, im gonna look into restoring those at some point when the bench clears up.

also, last night i finished making me 7th video for my youtube channel 'Belgiums Flying Past" (see here). i also given the channel a whole new look.

i havent been feeling all to well mentally (again    ) and ive been home for over a week now, im gonna try to go back to work tomorrow.
it started last monday when i suddenly started to have a panic attack and got stressed out for no reason. (im still undergoing treatment for this btw).
the cold i caught isnt making thing any better either 


more soon...

[NARSES2]

Sorry to hear about the way you feel. Hope you can get over it ok 

[Geoff]

Hope you start to feel better soon. Take it one day at a time - it will pass. (I know sometimes it passes like a kidney stone, but it will pass.)

[Pellson]

Routing for you, Nils! You'll beat it! 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #327

its been another month since the last update, so here it is.

ive started 3 more 1/144 scale P-51D's, these are for the next chapter in my 1/144 alternate WW2 theme build series.
aside from the mustangs, i there's also a 1/144 Henschell Hs126 underway.

today, ive also printed out the next series of decals for the ongoing and future projects.
these are (all in 1/144):

-Bordurian Air Force Bf109, Me262, Ju.52 & Hs126
-Belgian P-51D's (as mentioned in the previous blog entry)
-*still classified* country P-51D's and Hs126
-ArabAir DC-3 (Khemed airline from TinTin comic "The Red Sea Sharks")
-grills for Revell MAN 530's (the trucks from the bundeswerh vehicles set).
-Bf110 "Iraqi Air Force (realworld).

was hoping to add more decals, but i ran out of space on the sheet. will have to put them on the next one.
regarding that "unknown country", im planning on building a number of both ww2-era and modern era aircraft for it, so stay tuned for more.


more soon....

[Old Wombat]

Busy! Busy! Busy!    

[kerick]

How's the EC-135 going? Sounds like you have customers placing orders for it! That's cool!

[Pellson]

Happy to see that you're carrying on! And while I'm really ;looking forward to see your builds, I'm even happier just to see that you seem fairly OK. That matters most!

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #328

its been a while since the last update, so i think its time for another.
it has been very quiet on the bench lately, deu to lack of spare time.

i thought the summer holiday might provide me with some bench time, but family priorities and vacations came first and i had no time.
lately ive been doing mostly planning, and finishing up the occational WIP builds and stripping paint off older models that are due for restoration.

still on the go are:

-2 out of 3 Belgian P-51D Mustangs (1/144)
-3 P-51D Mustangs of a classified air force (1/144)
-1 henschel Hs.126, also classified air force (1/144)
-Radial engined Bf110 (1/144, still on hold)
-various 1/144 models that are due for repair/restoration

there are still loads of other projects in the pipeline, including a mix of Bordurian Air Force aircraft.

unfortunatly, i hit a big problem yesterday, as my PC almost died (5th time this year) and lately have showed various technical issues.
i have decided to replace it with a new one, that is currently on order. it took most of my savings to pay it, so i will have to cut back on models for a while.
as im writing this, im currently making backups of everything as i have managed to get it working again for now (although at only 50% of its memory). hopefully she doesnt fail on me again, this thing came back from the dead so many times, its giving The Mummy and Captain Scarlet a run for theyre money.

lately, every piece of tech is failing lately, before the summer i had to replace my phone, now my PC and now my tablet is also starting to fail on me at times. looks like september is going to be an expensive month!

EDIT:
almost forgot to mention, im doing research and prepwork on a few diorama's, which would feature not only aircraft and buildings, but also ground vehicles.

more soon...

[NARSES2]

but family priorities and vacations came first and i had no time.

Families always come first Nils 

[Old Wombat]

but family priorities and vacations came first and i had no time.

Families always come first Nils 

And vacations can, if done right, boost your mental & physical resilience enormously!




(Of course, done wrong, they have entirely the opposite effect. )

[Pellson]

but family priorities and vacations came first and i had no time.

Families always come first Nils 

Seconded

And one has better months and worse months. It's life. And modelling.. well, I've found that I am a bit like an intermittent alcoholic. I can have months without any building at all, and then suddenly, I find myself having completed a few projects just like that. It's strange.
Also, planning is half the fun. 

[Spey_Phantom]

okay, got an "off the record" question regarding a future build im working on.

for a "temporary classified" fictional Balkan country (that neighbours Borduria and Syldavia), im looking at creating a roundel for the air force.
its flag will have tricolor, vertical stripes, with a crest in the middle. national colors are Blue, White and Green. at first im going to build some ww2-era aircraft with these markings, later i might build some modern era models with the same, but in full color and low-vis grey markings.

the problem? i cant decided what markings to use. im using a mix of both allied and axis style roundel designs.
these are the options i made so far....

[NARSES2]

Personally NIls I'd go for your Type 2a and 2b

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #329

only a small update this time, im slowly making progress in clearing the bench, main airbrush paintwork on 3 1/144 Mustangs and a Hs.126B have been completed, i just need to paint some minor details before putting them in dust-free storage until decals are designed and printed.

im also looking at building a few newer realworld builds too, mostly conversion builds (such as a Royal Navy F-4K/M Phantom FG.1 out of a 1/144 F-4E).
but im looking at more then just adding Spey exhausts and a new nosejob.

meanwhile, i have made a painfull decision to sell a large part of my stash, with over 500+ kits, im severly starting to run out of space.
model kits im planning to get rid of are the larger 1/72 scale kits that are unlikely to get build in the foreseable future (examples being a C-119G, XB-35, Noratlas,...). im planning to look into the sash over the weekend.

not just the 1/72s have to slimmed down, the 1/144 stash needs to shrink too.
over the years, ive managed to gather quite a lot of Mini Hobby Models kits from China, as they were cheap and easy to come by, but most of these turned out be beyond minimum quality standards, such as the F-4E Phantoms and F-20 Tigersharks (the CCLee boxings are much cleaner).

but im not planning to just throw these away, and im going to use them as a spare parts source or for simple fun kitbashings.

i hope to slim the stash by at least 1/3rd to make it manageable again.

more soon...