Nick's Notes

[NARSES2]

Take care mate 

[McColm]

Take it easy and have plenty of rest.

[kitbasher]

Ouch!  Hope you get over it soon, Nick, and there's no 'long covid' after effects.

[Rick Lowe]

Wot they all said, stay safe and get well soon!

[Gondor]

It has been confirmed by the NHS that I have caught Covid and must self-isolate until 12th January. The only early way out is to have 2 negative tests this weekend.
It feels like having bad flu. I'm coughing and sneezing, feel tired all the time and my head hurts.

I was fortunate not to have the coughing or sneezing but the rest..... lots of fluids and stay warm mate.

Gondor

[63cpe]

Get well soon Nick!

David aka 63cpe

[Nick]

At last nights club meeting we held our annual Kit Swap Challenge. We each wrap up a kit, put it in a pile and then get given a different kit to build. Well hopefully. One guy put in a Yellowjacks Gnat and got the standard Gnat kit instead! 

The challenge: the kits have to be built Out of Box and painted with brushes - no spray cans or airbrush.

I came home with the only kit release from Model USA, an L-19 Bird Dog in 1/48. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/model-usa-0001-l-19-o-1-bird-dog--144387
https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/musa/kit_musa_0001.shtml

Not my usual scale and not my normal type of machine. But it looks like a good little build and seems simple enough. Just need to visit Hobbycraft for the right shade of grey paint which Tamiya do. No chance they'll have it in stock though! 

[zenrat]

Are you constrained by the box schemes or can you let your imagination run wild?

[Nick]

Are you constrained by the box schemes or can you let your imagination run wild?

You are allowed to apply new decals if the old ones are no good but it should be one of the options in the kit. Doesn't worry me as I will happily do it in the USAF scheme supplied.

It has weapons. Rocket tubes and... an M16. Captain Wilbanks earned his Medal of Honor for protecting a company of Rangers who were walking into a trap. After he ran out of rockets he flew low enough to fire his M16 out of a side window at the Viet Cong. Sadly he was shot down and killed on his third pass.

[Nick]

I have started another car kit. I must be going down with something 

We were on the clubs Zoom chat tonight and as our April competition theme is Civvy Street I pulled out an Attack Hobbies Tatra T-97 from my stash. The boxart and decals are for a German Staff Car but mine will be a civilian version in a fetching shade of red or blue.
Apparently the cars were so powerful and rear heavy they killed more German officers than any Czech sniper 

Did I mention that it's in 1/72 so it's about the size of my thumb? And that the seam line on the body is split along the roof top? 
In scale terms the steering column is about 6ft long and the gear stick is 4ft long 

It has fettled together quite well but I will need to be very careful with the bumpers. One has snapped on the sprue already and the gates are huge by comparison so snipping it off is going to be a nightmare. Might have to scratchbuild a replacement set if I'm not careful.

[Nick]

A few photos of the Tatra T97. I used Red Arrow red from a Humbrol spray can. Looks OK at arms length 

The windows were a pain to fit and needed several rounds of sanding and fitting. Still to do the silver bumpers and hood and fit the numberplates.

https://flic.kr/p/2nbAek2
https://flic.kr/p/2nbAek7
https://flic.kr/p/2nbxkQd

[PR19_Kit]

Tatras, don't you just love 'em! 

They hang a ruddy great V8 out the back, BEHIND the rear axle line, fit swing axle rear suspension and THEN they wonder why it oversteers!

Makes the original Corvair positively safe by comparison. 

We tested a Tatra 603 (obtained by some extremely nefarious means I was told.....) at Pressed Steel and it would oversteer in the garage with the engine switched off!

[zenrat]

Looking good Nick.

The closest car museum to me has a Tatra 603.  Lovely car.

[PR19_Kit]

The closest car museum to me has a Tatra 603.  Lovely car.

Have you seen the engine Fred? It's a Hemi V8, OK, only 4 litres or so and air cooled, but it's pretty impressive.

[Nick]

Here are some shots of the finished item. I've put up a post in the Cars section of Current Projects.