Spey_Phantom's corner of solitude

[Captain Canada]

The CDN MRTT needs to be updated as it would have RCAF titles now 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #132

"you can't polish a turd, its still a turd!"

Actually the Mythbusters proved that you can   

Gondor

so they did, but even if you can polish a turd, its stil a turd 


Blog Entry #133

Work has begun on the 1/144 Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, i finished the main assembly last night, so that project is gona take up most of my time this week.
meanwhile, ive been sorting through the stash last night, mostly throught the nautical its and placed a number of ships/boats into temporary storage.
on the other side of the stash pile, is a sh*tload of aircraft kits, from various era's, with little room left over for new additions, i thought about tackleing the biggest stash problem first, being the bigger boxes (large airliners, bombers, transports, 1/72 fighters....). once these are out of the way, it would leave open room for more projects, but at this moment, i thinki have more kits then i can build in my lifetime 

the first thing im gonna do this morning, is sort out some paperwork (including my taxes  ), then im gonna start re-organising the workbench. i found out my current system is inneffective, the bench is always cluttered and needs cleaning. im gonna move some things arround in order to improve the workspace. might be looking for some new desktop forniture (drawers) for decals and paint storage.
i need to make the bench/desk more efficient 

this afternoon, i have an appointment with my shrink, first time im going to a psychiatrist to talk about my stress/depression, its been a while since ive talked about it, but as i have been at work for the past month and a half, ive kinda had something to occupy my mind.
i still have a few thoughts, as i noticed the last few weeks i have been having problems getting motivation and joy  out of my modelbuilding hobby, its something ive been strugling with for some time. there was a time i used to build and finish something every weekend, but now it takes over a month to finish even the simplest model. i even have been starting to lose my motivation to get a steady and fixed job (not the temporary interim job i have now). i would like to get my life moving again, get a steady job, move out of my parents house so me and Jessica can get a place of our own, get a car/drivers license,.....

but the financial crisis and the crisis in the jobmarket are making it very hard to realise those dreams.
ive been thinking about it last night and im thinking of moving out and find a place to live with Jessica (who also still lives at home with her parents). job or no job, i might have more luck in another region.

this weekend, im spending it with my GF, her parents are gone for theyre hoenymoon and we got the house to ourselves.
were planning on going to the zoo on saturday, she's been talking about it for some time now. might be good to have something to get my mind of off things 


more soon......

[NARSES2]

Nils we all have more kits then we will ever build, it's just normal 

As for the psychiatrist. When I was suffering from stress I found a chat with my doctor and a psychologist one of the best things I did. As an old UK advert used to say "it's good to talk" and as the proverb says "a problem shared is a problem halved"

[Captain Canada]

Good stuff. Enjoy your weekend off and away Nils !

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #134


its been over a week since my last blog entry, thought i would post an update.

there has been little movement on the bench the past week, as i have found very little time to do anything.
but this weekend im gonna look into doing some building as for the first time in over a month i have a weekend largly to myself, so im gonna take this opportunity to sleep out (as i am very exhausted the past few days) and do some fun things.

on the shedule for tomorrow is a trip to Brugges to go shopping for modelling tools, supplies and additions to the library.
then in the late afternoon/evening, its time to break open the toolbox and do some modelbuilding work 
as for sunday, its going to be modelbuilding most of the day 

on the bench at the moment is a 1/144 Boeing Stratocruiser, witch i wanna get finished ASAP, same goes for the 2 1/72 SeaKings and a partially started 1/144 SA330 Puma.

ive been getting into the mood to build some Russian stuff lately, so as soon as the bench clears, im gonna break open a couple of Mig and Sukhoi kits in both 1/72 and 1/144 scale.
still on the waiting list are 2 1/144 Airbus A330-MRTT's, for witch the decals still need to be printed. i also got loads of Realworld models on the waiting list, and of course some WHIFs, including the Su-47S, an upgraded version of the Su-47 Berkut, with some Su-35 features.

as for next week, its going to be busy again, i took 3 days off from (temp) work to do some jobhunting (for a more permanent job).
on monday i have to be in Brugges to see about a job as a conventional miller/cutter, on tuesday, i have be be in Brussels to take an exam for a job at the railway, and on friday im going to Semmerzake to visit the Belgian Air Force Air Traffic Control Center (ATCC), there's going to be loads of helicopters there and numerous (old and new) aircraft will fly by 

im hoping the trip to the latter will gekindle my inspiration, as i havent been feeling my modeling mojo in full effect lately.
must be the lack of free time 


more soon....

[Captain Canada]

Good thing you took a week off you're going to be a busy man !

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #135


bench progress is going well, the 1/144 Stratocruiser is nearly finished, all it needs are the decals, landing wheels and props (currently drying). again, no progress on the SeaKings  

its been a very busy week so far, and its not over yet. yesterday i had to go to Brugges for a job interview, witch ended in zero result.
today, i had to go to Brussels for my railway exams, went pretty good IMO, should expect the results soon.

furthermore, it continues to be busy, on friday im going to Semmerzake (as noted in the previous entry), on saturday i heve to go to my nephews baptism, on sunday the inlaws are coming back from they're honeymoon (we're decorating the house) and on monday, me and Jess are going House Hunting for the first time, we found a nice rental home in the town of Oedelem, price is decent, looks newly refurbished,...only thing i hope is that the second bedroom is big nough for a hobbyroom/mancave  

im currently very tired, im hoping to get some rest and relaxation time after this 


more soon....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #136

with the B377 Stratocruiser recently finished, i thought i would take a break from the bench for a while, before continuing with other projects. the main reason is the heatwave we are expierencing at the moment, with temperatures reaching 32°C and higher.

and now a small (modelling related) announcement.

me and my girlfriend have started looking for a house of our own. looking at something with at least 2 bedrooms (one to become the "Modelbuilding room" or "Mancave"   ). yesterday we went to see our first possible home and were impressed. its quite fair, rent wise, and its very energy friendly and looks great. if all goes well, we should move in there from september the 1st. this however, will all depend if we are allowed to get it, with my current job situation, the landlord could opt not to let us rent the place. for this im going to get information from my union (who pays out my unemployment benefits) if there would be any changes. at the moment i have been at work for the past 3 months, but the job is only temporary, and i expected to end after July 17, when the summer holiday begins and the factory closes for 2 weeks.

what does this have to do with modelling, simple, if im moving, to ease the workload, i am putting on hold all larger sized builds as of now, until after the move (including the 2 planned A330-MRTT's, larger Luft'46 models.....).

this weekend there will be no bench activity, as my girlfriend is coming over fort he weekend and were going to a Fly-In on Saturday.


more soon..........

[Gondor]

Congratulations, apart from the job 

Gondor

[NARSES2]

Yup, hope all goes well Nils

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #137

not finding any inspiration for a next whiff project, im planning on going on another WHIF sabbatical, so im gonna focus on some RW builds for a while, hoping to find some new ideas on the way  
ive been thinking of taking on some Luft'46 models, as ive been getting some ideas on that field lately.
as for RW, i now have a1/144 Revell SA330 Puma on the go, other projects on the list to start are a pair of Soviet Russian Mig-29A's and 3 Panavia Tornado's.

as for the civilianise/militarise GB, i was thinking of convering a 1/48 Arado Ar.234 into a 1/72nd Airliner with 4 Jumo 004 engines under the wings. although the project is in doubt as the 1/48 model isnt all that big, might be better to wait until a 1/32 version comes out (i know about the FLY kit, but im waiting for something more affordable and easier to find).

with the move getting closer, im gonna start some serious stash management soon, kits that are coming with me will be put in boxes, some other kits, witch i dont really plan on building or are in surplus, might be put up for sale.

Personal news:

ive put all larger sized modelprojects on hold, after the possible move out in September, me and Jessica have found a place and today we put our names on the candidate list to rent it. however we found out the possible future landlord is kind of a (very naughty word), as he apparently didnt want to rent it out to couples where 1 is either a temp worker or unemployed (IMHO, as long as he gets his rent at the beginning of the month, he has no right to complain and/or discriminate!).

today we started shopping for various items were gonna need soon, like steakknives, forks, decorations, bedsheets.....and we also started looking for furniture. with the summer sales now on, we hope to find something nice ammong them, we already found some things we like.
ive also been looking at what i call a big stash storage closet (mostly a cheap large dresser). all in all were getting there, and even if we dont get the house, then we have at least done some preperations, there are still plenty of homes out there that will suit us.

more soon........

PS: you can now also find me ScaleMates, i will mostly be posting realworld projects there.
https://www.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=20365

[Captain Canada]

Sounds like you're growing up Nils !

[NARSES2]

Best of luck with things Nils 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #137b: Breaking News


we interupt this Blog to bring you a breaking news report!

i have good news! 3 hours ago, i got a call from the realestate office, theyve spoken to the landlord of our potential home and can now officially say, "We're moving in, september 1st".

so its time to start making plans for "Mancave 3.0", there's not much room (3 x 2.5 meters) so im gonna have to make the most of the limited space, i got 3 high straight walls, so im thinking DIY shelves all arround the room, with a desk on 2 sides


more details soon.....

[NARSES2]

Congratulations mate. All the best to you and your lady