Moments of Zen

[DogfighterZen]

So, i guess my mind is clear enough now to speak about this... it's been almost two months gone by since me and milady found out we were expecting a child...
I'm finding it hard to write this but the reality is that life decided to strike a hard blow and took that away from us... I guess it could've been much worse if we'd found out at a later stage but that doesn't make it easier to deal with this situation.
What happened is that last week when she went to the doc for an echography, there was no heartbeat and the estrogen levels in her body had decreased so, there was no further development of the fetus.
Seems like it's been happening more and more to women in their first pregnancy, with studies showing that 2 out of 3 loose the first child during the early stages so, it's been considered "normal"...
What i think is that this is happening because of the damned pills... women take that stuff for so many years and i believe that their body does this because it "forgot" how to work normally. It's something that changes the natural process in their bodies and that cannot be a good thing.
Anyway, i have been dealing with the frustration of seeing her go through the treatment to clean her body on the inside and not being able to do anything to take away the pain... There's not much i can do other than be here for her for whatever she needs and try to comfort her throughout the whole ordeal.
I'm sure we'll manage to put this episode behind our backs... but it's been hard.

Obviously, i haven't been in the mood to do any modelling so, there's not much progress on any of the builds on my bench. I'm trying to keep my head up but sometimes it hits me pretty hard... Maybe if i try to get my mind busy, things might settle down a bit quicker but i'll have to dig deep to find the mojo.

In my name and Patricia's, i wanna thank all of you, for the support and kind words you've given us. We both appreciate it a lot.

[NARSES2]

There really is nothing I can say about this it's just so sad. Please, please just accept my deepest condolences and I hope the pair of you can be smiling again soon.

Chris

[PR19_Kit]

That's terrible news, and I'm sure our collective hearts go out to you and Patricia.

My eldest daughter had the same happen (twice even,....) before she managed to give birth to my eldest grandson, and he's 24 now, so all is not lost.

[Rheged]

Bridget and I would like to add our condolences to both of you   Michael

[Pellson]

My condolences, and those of my wife. We've been there as well.
May you find the strength to try again. I'm sure that sooner or later, you will succeed.

We did. Thrice. And whether that was a smart move or not depends on when you ask me.. 

[kerick]

My heartfelt sympathy on such a loss. My son and his wife lost two and now they are expecting a girl in a couple weeks. I know it's hard but it can work out eventually.

[zenrat]

Oh mate, I don't have the words.  I'm so so sorry to hear that.

[DogfighterZen]

Your words mean a lot, guys, thank you all so much! Patricia was moved and we're both very grateful for the support you guys give us. It really helps.
It's sad to know that so many people have to go through this, my heart goes out to all of them...
The reality is that we both were aware that this is something that has been happening more and more and that there was a big probability that it could happen to us, especially because of both of us being over 40 but, it's like Kit said, all is not lost.
We are both keeping a positive attitude and just concentrating on what's important now, which is her physical and emotional health.
Like i said before, i'm sure we'll be able to put this behind our backs and move on... and it does become easier to do so, knowing that we have good people by our side. We cannot thank you enough.

[Old Wombat]

My condolences to you & your wife, mate!

My wife & I lost our second child at 11 weeks into gestation under very traumatic conditions (for my wife, I was at work) & the midwife on the phone was very "Yeah, whatever. It happens."

And, yes, about 60% of fertilisations result in "spontaneous abortion", the vast majority in the first few days/weeks (most women don't even know it has happened) and, against your argument re: the pill, the statistics are pretty consistent world wide, all races, all cultures, all religions, including where the pill is not used/unavailable.

[DogfighterZen]

My condolences to you & your wife, mate!

My wife & I lost our second child at 11 weeks into gestation under very traumatic conditions (for my wife, I was at work) & the midwife on the phone was very "Yeah, whatever. It happens."

And, yes, about 60% of fertilisations result in "spontaneous abortion", the vast majority in the first few days/weeks (most women don't even know it has happened) and, against your argument re: the pill, the statistics are pretty consistent world wide, all races, all cultures, all religions, including where the pill is not used/unavailable.

Thank you, Guy! 
So sorry to hear that, it must've been quite a rough period for both of you. I guess it's just the way things go but it's not easy.
Interesting bit about the statistics on spontaneous abortion. But even if it's not related to that, i just see it as a necessary/practical evil.

Anyway, this won't be the end of this story, we'll just take it day by day and work with whatever life puts in our paths.

Well, modelling related news for a change!
I've found a bit of mojo and got back to work, although very slowly. Still, i've managed to get some work done on the final bits of the RF-5E.
Glued the main gear doors' support rods that connect them to the gear struts, also glued the nose gear main door and painted some small antennas and the RWR fairings on the tail.
Not much but it's something and there's not much left to do before i call it done.
I've also chosen my next 2 builds and as soon as the RF-5E is off the bench, there will be a kitbash in 1/72 and a 1/48 almost OOB build.
The kitbash will be for the Griffon powered Mustang, a simple affair, using the RS 1/72 P-51H and the Xtrakit Spitfire Mk.22's 5 blade prop, Griffon engine bulges and 20mm cannons barrels.
The almost OOB build will be of the Kinetic 1/48 F-16C Barak. This will not be Israeli, though... the operator and color scheme to be used are still in study, all i know is that i really wanna build a 1/48 Viper and the time has come! 
All this but i can't forget that i still have the PoAF Hunter and F-16W to finish before these two but i have a few days off work till after Xmas so, i'm going to try being more productive at the bench.

[DogfighterZen]

Ok, time for a small update...
So, the Moroccan RF-5E is done and it's time to move on to the rest of the stuff i have on the go at the mo.
Like i described in the previous post, i have the PoAF Hunter and the F-16W to finish but, i've been itching to build a 1/48 scale F-16 so the Kinetic F-16C Barak was the chosen one and  will be dug up from the stash today.
The RS Mustang H and Xtrakit Spitfire 22 have been at arm's reach right beside the bench, waiting for some paint on the interiors.

With these 4 projects, my list is more than full for the next few months, i believe... unless i get some kind of urge to just build and not care if i like the result or not... but i'm pretty sure that won't happen cause i value my kits too much and i'm not building for numbers, simply for my enjoyment and if i'm not happy with the outcome, i'll feel like i just wasted money, styrene and my precious time.

With that said, today i have the afternoon for myself so, let's see what i can get done.

[NARSES2]

Good attitude   

[DogfighterZen]

Good attitude   

Thanks, Chris! The fact is that i've been buying all these great kits and they're not exactly cheap so, i feel like it would be a waste if i'm not happy with what i do with them.

Well, yesterday i did manage to sand off the bad paint work on the Hunter's nose and a couple of other areas too. I'm gonna have to repaint those areas properly so i'm also going to have get the underside's white masked again to make the camo colors come down just a millimeter lower. The line i'd masked was too high from the intakes forward, all the way to the nose, resulting in a different angle compared to the rest of the line on the aft fuselage and i didn't like it so, it has to be corrected.

The F-16W... this poor guy just needs some panel lines on the H stabs and underside of the wings and work will move over to the intake area. This copy of the resin DSI must have shrunk a bit after being taken out of the molds as it does not fit perfectly where it meets the fuselage. There's a small step that i'll have to eliminate.

And for a new one on the bench, i dug up the Kinetic 1/48 F-16C Barak, although that didn't take too long, it was near the surface because it was bought just a couple of months ago.
This will be a similar build to the RF-5E as i'm using it to try new stuff i've never done and to get to know what it's like to build a bigger kit of the Viper.
I'm using this kit as training so i don't have as many chances of messing up the best kits i have when i build them.
This Viper will not be the Israeli Barak, of that i'm sure but, i still have to decide a few things before i can choose which markings it'll be getting. I'm thinking about keeping the Barak specific bits for another build, this one will be a more normal Viper.

The Griffstang... the RS kit of the P-51H will take a bit of work on a few areas and i can see where i'll probably have to rescribe panel lines and other details. It doesn't seem too bad, just annoying... Anyway, i've gathered all the bits i need for it and it's just a matter of actually beginning the build.

That's what i have on my bench and at the pace i've been building, they'll probably be around for a year... or two...

[DogfighterZen]

Well, well... it's been a few months since the last post so this will be a long one...
Nothing really major happening lately other than slowly working on the F-16W's ordnance, when there's enough energy left after work...
And work has been responsible for my lack of energy lately as the start of the 2023 season has been full of problems at the Yoga retreat and when you have a boss that doesn't seem to understand that money has to be spent to keep stuff running properly and that i can't make omelets without eggs and miracles of the sort, it's not easy...
Add that to the rest of the cleaning, washing, fixing, painting, planting, watering, pruning, feeding animals, cleaning their areas, etc., and the boss or his husband calling or texting every 30 minutes... every hour on my days off... it's really been cutting my mojo to shreds as i've been so tired that i'll fall asleep when i sit for a few minutes at the bench.
These last 3 months have been real busy because i'm the only one there doing everything other than room cleaning, changing bed sheets and towels, and kitchen work.
Don't get me wrong, i love working there, i get a good salary and i love the work environment with my workmates, who try to help as much as they can but, having to drive 65km everyday still takes too much out of the monthly budget to be sustainable on a long term so, i 've recently applied for a job at my local parish council and i got the spot! That means i'll be working for the state soon... although it means less money, i'll get all the benefits of healthcare and other stuff but, what makes it really worth it is the fact that it'll be a 2 minutes drive from home so, i don't even need a car to go to work, i can simply ride my bike or even walk! 
That alone means that i'll save the money i used to spend on gas, tires, oil and filter changes and everything else that gets worn down with the use... also, less risk of a crash, and adding to that, the hour and a half i wasted driving back and forth everyday will be reduced to less than 5 minutes a day.  

Ok, enough of that, back to models...
I've decided that my next build will be a 1/48 Viper but it won't be the kit i was thinking of previously which was the Kinetic F-16C Block 40 "Barak". Instead, i've opted to build the Kinetic F-16AM Block 20 i had in the stash intended to build as a real world PoAF F-16 but, it'll be painted it in the Have Glass V scheme.
This may very well become a real world build in the not-so-distant future if the PoAF decides to have their Viper fleet painted in that scheme like the Danish have been applying on theirs since 2021.
I really wanted to build a PoAF 1/48 Viper and at first i was thinking of a real world build but i already have a 1/72 one so i started wondering how could i do a real PoAF F-16AM but at the same time, make it a whif.
The only detail i'm still not sure of is if the PoAF's national markings should be low or high visibility... The Danes have theirs in full color and i get the feeling that the PoAF's would, or will, also be full color but i'm thinking of going full lo-vis on this one and maybe later i'll do a twin seater with the same scheme but with hi-vis markings.
That way, if the PoAf really does end up painting them in HG V and use the Hi-vis markings, my build will still be a Whif...
The idea can follow the lines of an upgrade to F-16V standard and having the HG V paint scheme applied at that time, sometime around 2025... By my current build speed, two years should be enough to get the kit ready for paint and by then we'll see if this idea turns out to be prediction or if the PoAF's Vipers will fly the rest of their time with no further upgrades and the same old scheme.
This is the one i'll be using as a base for the idea, the 15112...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eigjb/4195906938
AFAIK, this was the only airframe painted like this in around 2006/07 and after it went through the MLU program, it was painted with the full color markings again and the PoAF has never painted any others like it and i have no clue as to why.

Anyway, that kit will be brought out to the bench sometime next week as i'm going to Spain for the weekend with the Missus and Bob for some much needed R&R...

[Old Wombat]

I prefer the look of the hi-viz markings, personally, & they actually conform to the spirit of the Hague Conventions.

Nowadays, the determination of the character of the aircraft in contemporary air warfare
conditions is solely based on the radar signature. In light of such circumstances, the practical
role of the markings (as a method of long-range identification) is marginal.⁷¹
On the other hand, the state still observes the requirements arising from the HRAW
of 1923. In order to reconcile the conflict between the practical realities of the battlefield
and the legal requirements, many states decided to adopt a new type of insignia (generally
referred to as 'low visibility'). The markings are usually repainted in gray-scale (e.g. US)
or faded shades of colours (e.g. UK). Prima facie this practice is a violation of Article 13
of HRAW, which demands that the aircraft markings be 'visible'. On the other hand, as
observed by M Schmitt, no single state has protested against the employment of low-visibility
markings.⁷²

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347166663_The_markings_of_military_aircraft_under_the_law_of_aerial_warfare