Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

Typically the post where I realised I had hit the ton was actually the one where I rolled over onto 101...

Well, as you can see i'm back.  Doing a clean install of a new operating system didn't cause any major disasters.  Well, not ones I have discovered yet anyway.
Hopefully this will stop the random restarts I have been suffering from.

Yakkety Yak is very close to the end.  Just some like of paint, a photo shoot with her sisters in the PDRV Republican Guard and some lies to be written.

The shiny one is also pretty much done so as that leaves me with only two planes on the go I have pulled an ACE models SU-25 out of the stash (acquired from Old Wombat).  I had to ponder for a while which Frogfoot to build.  I have a UBK one which is crude but is the only two seater of the four.  I have a Hobbycraft one which in their usual way is really lacking in the undercarriage bay department and which I decided to keep for kitbashing.  That left the newly arrived Zvezda and the ACE.  The Zvezda is marginally better looking in the box but what really put the ACE in the lead was the fact that the strip of card stapled across the box to keep the parts in place has Yak 38 and a picture of a Forger printed on it.
In my usual way I will leave a decision on colour scheme until later.  Either a RW one from the Global Rook decal sheet (a two seater only scheme obviously to make it a whiff), a South/Latin American scheme (Mexican in NMF?), PDRV Republican guard or something entirely different and off the wall.

[Rick Lowe]

Su-25 in NMF sounds cool. 

[zenrat]

It would certainly be unusual.

Another option that has just occurred to me is a zenrat industries seismic testing aircraft (airdropping seismic test charges saves time and if occasionally you get confused and hit civilisation...) in SEA camo.

[Old Wombat]

Nice to see she's being put to good use!

[zenrat]

I've got to build one of them - running out of room in that section of the stash.

[Rick Lowe]

Now that's a much better method of stash reduction... 

[zenrat]

I don't sell kits very often.  In fact i'm more likely to give them away.

Last week Mrs z caught me looking in one of the cupboards in the shed that I wasn't aware she knew contained stash.  She's said nothing yet but I have my "I spend less than I used to on cigarettes" argument ready.

[Old Wombat]

but I have my "I spend less than I used to on cigarettes" argument ready.

I wish I could say that because;
a) I've been back smoking for 5 years (but so's Mrs W), &,
b) at the moment, I'm actually spending more on kits than I am on dhurries

[Rheged]

but I have my "I spend less than I used to on cigarettes" argument ready.

I wish I could say that because;
a) I've been back smoking for 5 years (but so's Mrs W), &,
b) at the moment, I'm actually spending more on kits than I am on dhurries

I have several acquaintances who are experts on giving up smoking, having done so several times.

I was most impressed with the way my dad did things. one day, he put down his pipe (he never smoked ciggies) and said "I'm not giving up, but I've decided not to smoke tomorrow"  He carried on saying the same thing for 51 years... the rest of his life.   He kept a pipe, tobacco and matches handy, but continued on the one day at a time approach.   

As for me, I never could afford to start. At University I had to put diesel in my share of a Landrover, colour slide film in a camera and quantities of  port and lemon in a selection of dubious girlfriends.....I couldn't afford any other luxuries!

[zenrat]

Port & Lemon!  That's alcohol abuse.
Bad luck that when they were sharing out the Landrover you got the part with the fuel tank.  Sucks!

Starting smoking (at 16) was the stupidest thing I ever did (and i've done a few).  Quitting was the hardest thing.
After many short lived attempts with patches, gum and will power I turned to drugs.
Champix gave me weird dreams and no real sleep for 12 weeks (it messes with your brain chemistry and one of the side effects with me was I was in REM sleep all night - no real deep sleep) but it did the trick.

[Rick Lowe]

"Better Living Through Chemistry", huh? 

[NARSES2]

I never started smoking, which was very unusual for my generation, mainly because both my parents chain smoked and I saw the problems first hand. Never bothered me that others smoked but it was noticeable that ladies of my acquaintance tended to smoke far less when we were out together than they did in the group, because back then it really was a group activity in the pub where every one offered their ciggies around. Things have really changed and none of my mates now smoke, a fair few of their wives/girlfriends still do though. Seems to be becoming more prevalent among the female sex for some reason ?

[zenrat]

"Better Living Through Chemistry", huh? 

Through Pharmacology might be more accurate.  But yeah.
I never did have any will power.
Only after I quit did I realise how the need to allow for smoking meant that my whole life was organised round it.
I'm now the worst sort of ex smoker - the nag.

[Rick Lowe]

Through Pharmacology might be more accurate.  But yeah.

I'm now the worst sort of ex smoker - the nag.

Hey, whatever works 

[zenrat]

I got Apocalypse Post closed up today.
Wheels still need painting.
Apocalypse Post WIP 13-01-18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

I also finished putting this back together.  A Revell 1/72 Spanish Galleon.  It was built by Mrs z's nephew when he was young.  He was a security guard who was murdered 13 years ago.  His mother had it and asked me to repair it.  Most of the sails were off and the rigging was trashed.  The trick was to fix it up in such a way that it looked like it was done by a 12 year old.
I used black cotton, superglue, cocktail sticks and one section of ratlines from a Revell Jolly Roger Glow in the Dark Ghost ship (the rest of which is now free to become the hull of a sky pirates airship).
20180112_115334 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
20180112_115358 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr