Gondor's Grumblings

[DogfighterZen]

I have a spreadsheet on which I enter each addition to my stash along with any build plans.
Then, when i've built the kit I look back at the entry and think "so that's what I was going to do with it"...

That's VERY organised!  ...

You'd think so wouldn't you?
However the system falls down when I either forget to add new stuff or forget to move a kit from the "stash" sheet to the "built" sheet when I finish it.

I really find Scalemates very useful for that purpose, that's how i found out i had more than 100 kits in my stash...

[Pellson]

You'd think so wouldn't you?
However the system falls down when I either forget to add new stuff or forget to move a kit from the "stash" sheet to the "built" sheet when I finish it.

...and that's why I keep everything on one sheet, recoding it along the process. That way I can select "show all" and not lose sight of anything.

All this said - the only reason this works is probably because I build so slowly that I easily can keep up..  🙄

[Gondor]

Not much to add here other than on Sunday I managed to get my first Quarter Peal of the year successfully rung at my local church, not that I go there for anything other than the bell ringing.

Modelling wise I managed to get some construction work done of my C-16B and added as well as removed filler on both the Tempest 1B and Single seat Firefly. In the last couple of days I have also managed to adjust the fuselage join on my MB5 so once the seam has been tidied up I will be sorting out the propeller and wing to fuselage pinning.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Seams!

I always seem to have problems with seams 

Recently it was the first of my AZ models M.B.5 kits. at least two, and probably three attempts at getting both fuselage half's to fit well on all the joint surfaces after I had got the fore aft alignment out  A couple of attempts later and I gave up having got "close enough" that a small amount of filler would help the situation and my sanity.

Next my Roden VC-10 which is to be the C-18B. Looks great on the top and the forward fuselage is good on the underside as well. However when you go further back all is not quite right! What does not help is that the tail cone will not fit as either the internal diameter of the cone is too small, or, the locating step at the rear of the fuselage is too large. Couple that with the fact that there are only two locating pins, one at the nose of the fuselage and one at the rear and I am very lucky that I have go so much of the fuselage to line up in the first place!
I think I will split the rear of the fuselage open and then attempt to realign it again with a reduced size step for locating the tail cone. Then perhaps a lay down in a darkened room for a while.

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

I think you're not alone with the seams issue on the MB5 Alastair, my Monsoooooon was just the same and needed lots of 'adjustment' and PSR to clean up the surfaces. I had it easy as I re-did the entire upper fuselage of course, and you can't do that to a stock airframe.

[NARSES2]

To be honest I didn't have much of a problem with my MB5 but then also to be honest perhaps (more likely probably) my level of expectation is not as high as yours ? I get to the point where I have to balance enjoyment and achieving a better seam and enjoyment wins I'm afraid. Perhaps it's because I was an office wallah and never really good with my hands....ask my old metal work master 

[Gondor]

The seam issues seem to be sorted now on both the M.B. 5 and the VC10. Got bored this afternoon so I started another build. As if I don;t have enough started or in progress at the moment. This time its an AWACS, an early concept version with TF34's rather than TF33's under the wings.

Gondor

[Gondor]

I am thinking if building a late Mk1 Hawker Hurricane but am unsure if Airfix, my preferred choice of purchase, make a non rag wing Mk1? Can anyone help?

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

They did at one stage Alastair, but not as well detailed as the fabric winged version.

I planned to use some metal wings of one for my stalled 'Turricane', but I never got as far as attaching the wings to the fuselage.

[Gondor]

Would converting a Mk XII wing to eight guns work? If so I could swap around parts from the "Operation Torch" set to build a connon armed vrsion from the box and use the spare wings for the Mk 1, or would I be wrong in thinking this is workable?

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

Why not?

That's what Hawker did in reverse to make the Mk XII anyway, and it's a lot easier to just leave four guns out from a plastic one. 

[Gondor]

Why not?

That's what Hawker did in reverse to make the Mk XII anyway, and it's a lot easier to just leave four guns out from a plastic one. 

Because I don't know Hurricanes as well as some others may 

I did look through my Modellers Data File on the Hurricane and it looks fairly easy but time will tell. Now to get me some 303 Sqn markings so I can replace the the old Revell kit which still has its "globe" stand.

*Edit*  After a little research I have come to the conclution that I could perform a little Lease-Lend to the USSR for the aircraft in the Operation Torch box, naimly the Firey Swordfish, could be sent to the USSR for anti Submarine operations along the Baltic Coast, thus enabeling me to enter another build into that particular Group Build 


Gondor

[Gondor]

Not been doing much modelling other than coming up with ideas or sorting out stuff for ideas due to my private life getting a bit more hectic.

One idea that I am proceeding with is to take the idea I had with A little Rhinoplasty which showed the subject aircraft as it entered service. I am expanding on the idea with A little Rhinoplasty Pt2 which will show the same aircraft in the last years of its service live.

As both the models in the above builds are the same aircraft at different times in its life, I realised that I could "ring the changes" with RAF F-4M camouflage and configurations and produce a third option, again in Grey/Green/Grey but with Tactical Red/Blue roundels and fin flash and the RWR fin top as well. So after a quick search to find out what XV462 did after it left 17 Squadron I found that it appears to have served out it's time with 92 Squadron including in the Grey/Grey with pale blue/red roundels. However in my version of events that part of it's life changes after getting a major update/refit which of course is covered in  A little Rhinoplasty Pt2.

Modeldecal happen to have the Grey/Green/Grey but with Tactical Red/Blue roundels and fin flash and the RWR fin top option I wanted in set 64 which will only need the last two digits of the serial number changed to represent XV462 machine so jobs a good 'un especially when I realise I can use a Fujimi F-4K to make an F-4M as I will be replacing most of my real world F-4K/M builds with the new Airfix kit once that comes out.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Not been doing much modelling again, just the odd bit here or there. Progress is slowly being made on My Tempest Mk1. Undercarriage is on and the aircraft itself has been painted. It still needs a few corrections and touch ups on the camouflage as well as details added such as the whip aerial and pitot tube with the windscreen almost ready to be attached too.

I have also started work on the current Airfix Swordfish with the idea of adding that to the Soviet Group build. No reporting name as they were not in service for long.

Tempted to start work on even more builds such as the Sea Typhoon, that's the Hawker P.1009 Sea Typhoon, not the Bae Navalised Typhoon.

Bell ringing has been busy for me this week too. Two quarter peels in two days! The first was ringing treble for a set of doubles methods while the second was ringing cover for Plain Bob Trippels.

Talking of which, off to my local bell tower for practice night.

Gondor

[TheChronicOne]

Wait.. hold on.. Bell ringing?  I don't pretend for a second to understand them words you were speaking there at the end, although, they reminded me of music terminology. Are you tasked with ringing a bell in a church tower or something? A band?  I know there are actual bells and then "bells" which was like a keyboard xylaphone ish thing (that I've actually played many years ago).

Or am I yet again thinking way too much for my own good?

In the case that I'm somewhat on target, I'd like to mention the local church about 3/4 mile away.  Used to be it was done by hand but I learned in recent years that now it's all electronic somehow and the bells that would go off on the hours are now automated and even when they play music (at noon I guess, or whatever) that was all automated now. Come to think of it... I haven't heard these in about 5 years...           I hadn't even thought about it until now but hearing the bells and hearing the "music"-bells at noon was always pleasant and now I'm realizing I haven't heard it in years.

Oh yeah, and... models and stuff.....