Gondor's Grumblings

[Gondor]

In the real world, the DH110 first flew in September 1951 but the Farnborough accident delayed matters considerably and so the first Sea Vixen squadron was formed in July 1959.................. but this is Whiffworld, and if you want, you could have Sea Vixens over Suez, supporting the RAF when the troubles began in Aden or even participating in joint naval  exercises with Uruguay and Paraguay over the River Plate estuary in the late 1950's as a veiled threat to anyone contemplating operations against the Falklands; or possibly even stationed at Port Stanley airfield in ,say, 1957  after the runway there had carrier-style arrester gear fitted.

I was thinking of doing my own take on an RAF version of the DH.110. Several have been done already and I thought why not do my own version which would be based on what became the FAW.1 for the FAA. No wing folding or catapult strop hooks, remove the underfuselage rocket packs and maybe add another hardpoint under each wing. So far just a rough idea as I have way too many things to do anyway.

Gondor

[Nick]

I'm now thinking about a Sea Vixen for the Royal Australian Navy. Have to think up a back story to make sure they get in service before 1960.
Less development delays and maybe no Farnborough crash should do it.

[Gondor]

I got around to ordering myself a set of funnels yesterday. I have been thinking about doing this for ages, they are for the car mostly, as pooring in windscreen wash invariably ends with a large quantity going everywhere around the opening for the reservoir rather than into it 
I also ordered a new set of speakers for my PC as I kept losing the sound for the right side which is not great when you want to listen to some good music like Supertramp or Allen Parsons Project. Being a member of Amazon Prime I ordered them yesterday evening and they were here early afternoon today.    The set of funnels work well, especially the yellow one which helped me fill the windscreen wash, the black funnel has a flexible hose on it and a filter in it so that is in the car in case I need to top up fuel from a source other than a petrol pump. The four much smaller red funels are in the kitchen for use there or around the flat. The speakers plugged into a USB port    which when I was looking at the choice of speakers was the first time I had heard of that kind of connectivity for speakers. They work and work well which is the main thing, they also didn't cost too much which is good too.
On the DIY front, grouting has been done, most of a quarter or more of the long wall has been done today, Friday/Saturday I removed 99% of the excess grout from the tap wall and the same will be done to the long wall once I have finished applying the grout to it. So far it's just the white tiles I have grouted. Once they are finished then it's onto the bourder of black and white tiles which will be fun..... not 

Gondor

[Gondor]

I had intended to say earlier that after a lot or reasons to be at home on a Friday afternoon I feel that I should be able to go swimming again on Friday, or the way I am doing it so far, the attempting to not drown and look like I am swimming.

Gondor

[Pellson]

Well - even dead fish float.. 

[Gondor]

Six weeks to the Nationals!!!

I suppose I better get a move on and finish something new for then 

Gondor

[Gondor]

On the way home the other day I was following one of the new Mini cars which had a pair of stickers added either side of the rear number plate.



I thought it was rather neat when I realised what it was 

Gave into temptation and bought another B-29 today. If I can remember/find out what I was going to build with the one I already have then this one will be the other of these two options, RAF Washington or a Tu-4.

Gondor

[Gondor]

No Swimming on Friday, I wanted to get more grouting done. I procrastinate or would do if I didn't keep putting it off. The weekend didn't start in a great way even though I got the car washed locally for a fiver, looks much better, brighter and shinier. The problem was I should have been fifteen miles away at the nearest Suzuki Car dealer as it had been called in for a recall and I forgot about it and I had also not set the reminder on my phone to go off before I left work 

End result was the car got to the garage a half hour late, but I did phone ahead to let them know, and I eventually got home way later than intended. Catching up on Britmodeller post's and watching new subscribed YouTube video's as well as wishing my mother a Hapy Mothers Day, snuggeling with the cat because he decided to come home than to visit my neighbour    and there goes the weekend  No enthusiasm for grouting now so I may end up doing some modelling instead!

So an order for a new kit happened, or rather the win of an aution on you know where, will result in another 1/72 B-29 arriving here at some point. So I decided that I had better check which version of the B-29 I was planning on building with the Olimp detail sets I have stored inside the box. Turns out that the sets are ORA 72--26 Gun detail set for the Tu-29/Tu-4, and ORA 72-36 4x ASh-73TK Engines for Tu-4 with Turbo-Superchargers & Props so I have put labels on the outside as with that set it HAS to be a Tu-4 which means the new kit will be a Washington, but at least I have managed to clear up what is what.

B-29A  to be built as a SB-29 using a Paragon Designes conversion set
KB-29P to be built as a Tu4
RB-50G to be built as per the kit
B-50D  to be built as a KB-50J
KC-97L to be built as per the kit
KB-29P to be built as per the kit

If it says "as per the kit" that does not mean the decals will be the same. I don't like doing anything straight out of the box, I prefer to change something unless it has to be a specific aircraft such as the TSR.2 at Cosford.

Gondor

[zenrat]

On the way home the other day I was following one of the new Mini cars which had a pair of stickers added either side of the rear number plate.



I thought it was rather neat when I realised what it was  ...

Did the driver have a goatee and wear more black leather than is usual?   

[Gondor]

Did the driver have a goatee and wear more black leather than is usual?   

I don't think she did 

Gondor

[Rick Lowe]

There was a message plate here, once (the ones where the surrounds have something printed on them).

The bit above said "If you go to"
the plate said "ZHADUM"
and the bit underneath was "You will Die"

Nice reference. 

[Gondor]

I have had another interesting idea to play around with the punters heads at model shows. When looking at the MPM/Special Hobby/Xtrakit Meteor F.8, I found a set of clear nose halfs for either an FR.9 or a RP.10. I am now wondering if they will fit onto the nose of a Hunter 

Gondor

[scooter]

There was a message plate here, once (the ones where the surrounds have something printed on them).

The bit above said "If you go to"
the plate said "ZHADUM"
and the bit underneath was "You will Die"

Nice reference. 

[scooter]

(Also SWMBO's favorite plot(s) in the ST canon; whilst I'm not necessarily a fan, I do, however, love ST:ENT's two parter In a Mirror, Darkly)

[Gondor]

Managed to get some motivation to work in the bathroom. The grouting has been fully applied around the large white tiles...... eventually. Tomorrow I intend to remove the excess or at least do my best to remove all the excess. This will just leave the grouting of the borders and finishing the wood work which has not been touched for an age 

On the modelling side of things I have removed the Olimp Tu-4/B-29 turret set from the kit box it was in as I am hopeing that a fellow modeller can help replicate some of the parts seeing that Olimp don't appear to exist any more.

Gondor