Gondor's Grumblings

[Gondor]

The model inventory continues to grow, some weeks slower than others. So far the list has just topped 400 Kits and I know that there are at least another 25 on the same shelf that I have just be cataloguing that have yet to be added to the list. Six IKEA boxes are now packed for loft storeage, three still to go up there, and I am thinking of getting more in a couple of weeks time to help move very long term projects into the loft from both the storeage room and modelling room. Of course "El prometido" gets heaps of praise and thanks along with mugs of tea for the help she is giving me.

Gondor

[Rheged]

The model inventory continues to grow, some weeks slower than others. So far the list has just topped 400 Kits and I know that there are at least another 25 on the same shelf that I have just be cataloguing that have yet to be added to the list. Six IKEA boxes are now packed for Lost sotrage, three still to go up there, and I am thinking of getting more in a couple of weeks time to help move very long term projects into the lost from both the storage room and modelling room. Of course "El prometido" gets heaps of praise and thanks along with mugs of tea for the help she is giving me.

Gondor

This is very sound policy. Keeping one's partner (or potential partner)onside is ALWAYS a good idea.

[Old Wombat]

The model inventory continues to grow, some weeks slower than others. So far the list has just topped 400 Kits and I know that there are at least another 25 on the same shelf that I have just be cataloguing that have yet to be added to the list. Six IKEA boxes are now packed for Lost sotrage, three still to go up there, and I am thinking of getting more in a couple of weeks time to help move very long term projects into the lost from both the storage room and modelling room. Of course "El prometido" gets heaps of praise and thanks along with mugs of tea for the help she is giving me.

Gondor

Why are so many of your kits misplaced, mate?

And what is "sotrage"? I'm assuming it's what happens to heavy drinkers when they reach old age, so how does one lose it?

[Gondor]

speiling mistakes 

Gondar

[Gondor]

Progress has been made with the kit cataloguing, over 500 kits have been recorded so far and only have of the original storage boxes have been gone through 

Also realised that an item I ordered from eBay might take a while to get here, especially as the last tracking data said Hong Kong 

Also just ordered the following item

https://www.specialhobby.eu/index.php?cur=1&lang=1&cl=details&anid=sd6b6651a2ee6c3f15bff12c76240a82

which will give me four of these kits, when they arrive  with plenty of options to do them in as well as operators. Of course this will also mean several sets of exhausts which will be useful for whiffing other items too.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Will all the going on's in the big wide world, life for me mainly goes on as normal. The cat is manageing to do social distancing very well, not seen him for the best part of two days as he appears to be favouring other households at the moment 
No visits from "El prometido" for a while which is rather disheartening for both of us. Fortunately neither of us has caught the Covid-19 virus as our respective parents are classed as "at risk" and she does little pick up's for them of medicins and the like. I have managed to get my Eustachian tubes blocked  which gives me the feeling of my ears wanting to pop all the time. Fortunately a phone call with a Dr resulted in a course of treatment that uses a nasal spray which was prescribed to reduce my snoring which according to "El prometido" is ineffective 
This now means that I have the weekend to myself and the chance to get on with some modelling related stuff.  Cataloguing more of the stash as well as reorganising the modelling room so that there are less open boxes of started models/projects which I intend to move to a set of shelves as they will stack better there than on top of each other. I am sourly tempted to start one or two new projects, both Luft46, one a Ju-188 G-2 with a manned rear gun position and the other an Me 262B-2, I really should get on with other items I have on the go, some old and others older and then there is the fact that I have just found out that More4 has the complete seasons 1 to 11 of Time Team available which would also be very enjoyable to watch again.

Ho hummm choices, choices, choices.....

Gondor

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks for the update, bud. 

I feel you on the tubes thing. I think mine are messed up, too.

[Gondor]

Good news is that the tubes are almost back to normal. Not so good news is that I am now on a three week furlough 
While I have plenty of things to do/build that is also the problem. What to do !!
I have several fairly high priorities to work on, two  real world Harriers and I am also pottering about with some Spitfires, both real world and otherwise and mostly made from Airfix kits in some shape or form.
Lots of projects that I could also work on too. Hunters, Phantoms and Lightnings just being some of the aircraft types that I have already got ideas for and kits and parts put to the side for. I may even just work on the various HawkerTempest/Fury and Firefly projects I have, not the Sci-Fi Firefly.
Oh what to do, what to do.....

Gondor

[Gondor]

So evening of my first enforced Monday off work and what have I done?

Lots of playing Civilization 6 on my PC, so glad I managed to get a new computer tower earlier this year. Modelling wise I have been reorganising some of the stash in the modelling room so that part started kits can be put safely out of the way as well as helping to keep all the bits and pieces that are accumulating on my bench tidier, some of the margarine tubs I have are going to start storing the accessories I have so that I not only know where they are but they keep out of the way too.

Started to paint a single seat Firefly that has been sitting on my bench for what seams like forever with only the underside painted. When I had a look at the right hand side while masking for the upper surface colour I noticed that the fuselage was not as smooth as I thought it was, mind you if it's positioned with the front left towards the punters no one will notice unless they are behind the table at any show it's at    The paint was a pain too, old tin that had formed a thick skin and didn't cover very well.

Three kits have had filler applied to them. A recent mold Spitfire Mk. IX, an AZ models M>B>5 has had another round of filler applied to the fuselage seam line and the front part of the spinner has had a sink hole filled in. Lastly so far, a Revell BAe 146 has had additional filler applied in various places but mainly over and around the fuselage windows as I need them nice and smooth because any windows will be decals if and when it gets to that stage.

Still thinking of other projects to start and or progress.

Gondor

[Gondor]

After adding filler to areas of several aircraft requiring additional putty I have now taken the majority off 

According to a certain Mr Buonarroti: "The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material." or in this case, the correct profile was always there, I simply removed the excess filler/putty to reveal it. 

So with work on the BAe 146 progressing I can start to think about painting parts of it such as the air intakes for the engines which I am thinking of using white for with a nice lip to the intakes in bright Aluminum or something similar. The exterior colour is another question as the aircraft is to be the ship borne AEW proposal so should probably be Extra Dark Sea Grey all over.
Also happy with how my M.B.5 is progressing, cleaning out of the panel lines tomorrow followed by rescribing of the fuselage as required. I can then assemble the wings and sort out where the pins will go as the wing to fuselage joint is a butt jointand that will not hold water as far as I am concerned.

Work on a Sword Spitfire Mk XIVe has stated. I am wishing that I read the reviews about the kit, what a mess the instructions are! Also having a little difficulty with the wheel well but will manage to fettle them to get the wings to go together some how 

Gondor

[The Wooksta!]

The fuselage goes together with little effort.  Wait until you try putting the wing on!  For some reason, it works better with the c wing than the e - I had to fight to get that on.

I'm curious to know if the spare wing uppers from the forthcoming Airfix Spitfire Vc will fit the spare Sword 14 lowers.

[Gondor]

Oops, forgot to say earlier that the side of the Firefly was bothering me so much that I just had to make it nice and smooth. The fact that I will now need to paint that area is not a problem as the one wing that will be folder also requires some remedial paint work due to similar problems where the under wing tank would go so no real problem.

Gondor

[The Wooksta!]

Work on a Sword Spitfire Mk XIVe has stated. I am wishing that I read the reviews about the kit, what a mess the instructions are! Also having a little difficulty with the wheel well but will manage to fettle them to get the wings to go together some how 

Gondor

The wings are soooo much easier if you just ignore the stupid wall things that Sword put in the Spitfire kits.  You can't see them anyway and they interfere with the fit of the wing.  It's the same in ALL of the Sword designed Spitfire kits, from their tooling for the Xtrakit 12, their Spitfire Vcs, mk IXe/XVIe, Seafires and the 14. 

Virtually every build thread that starts with a Sword Spitfire over on Britmodeller has the poster electing to ditch said parts.  AZ used something similar but as one simple piece that did for the whole wheel well bay and that *DID* fit.  I really should get round to making a mould of it.

[Gondor]

Found out how to make all the parts fit in the wings of the Sword Spitfire kits 

First off swap the parts that are supposed to be either at the front or rear of the wheel bay and align the ribs on the added parts with the ribs on the underside of the wing. When dry trim the end of the rear part so that it is slightly inside of the moulded "lump". Hope that makes sense 



Decided that a picture paint's a thusand words. The end of the white paint brush is pointing at the area described above the picture.

Gondor

[Gondor]

The Curious Case of the Missing Undercarriage

This is the second time I have lost the undercarriage for my old Airfix Fairly Firefly 

I realised yesterday that there was not much point in finishing painting the airframe if the undercarriage was not painted as well. So que me this morning trying to find thee undercarriage and their doors as I am worried that the Hu90 is a little thin and will require several coats to get a really good coverage so best to start as early as possible, only that's not happening.

I had previously though the same thing, but was only worried about the doors, this time the legs have gone walk about too. I had previously fount the parts after deciding to make replacements using one of the Special Hobby kits I have in the stash only for the original parts to turn up.

Obviously I have put them somewhere safe..... just too bloody safe to find them 

Oh well.    I had hoped to finish this build in time for the Virtual Scottish National SIG display 2020, starting next weekend but it looks like no chance now 

Gondor