Moments of Zen

[NARSES2]

. But actually being so is another matter...   

And that applies at times no matter what age we reach 

[Old Wombat]

My brain is still 25 going on 15 but my body is, well & truly, 60 going on 160.  

[zenrat]

Just down the road from our temporary accommodation is a magnificent Morton Bay Fig tree.
Walking past it the other day I was pondering how 40 years ago I would have climbed it in a flash (it would be a very easy climb - it's that sort of tree).
But now?  Apart from the physical side of things (lacking - my knees would be the biggest issue) i'd be pooping myself about falling out of it.

[DogfighterZen]

So, tomorrow i'll be spending the day with fellow modellers for a change and this will be a first for me so, i'm hoping it'll be fun... 
Going to one of my "local" modelling club's "Day at the bench" meeting, some 75km away from where i live so, i'm going in the morning to make the most of the day with the guys.
I was having a hard time choosing what i should take to work on during the day because i've been working on the F-16W but i also have the Hawker Hunter waiting for some paint touch-ups so, for the first time going there and not being sure of what conditions are like in the club house, that's what i'll be doing.
It's not much but i imagine that with all the catching up to do, i'm pretty sure we'll all spend a good amount of time just waffling about without really doing much...
I'll be happy if i manage to finish painting the Hunter, that way it'll be ready for a gloss coat when i get back home.

 

[kerick]

So, tomorrow i'll be spending the day with fellow modellers for a change and this will be a first for me so, i'm hoping it'll be fun... 
Going to one of my "local" modelling club's "Day at the bench" meeting, some 75km away from where i live so, i'm going in the morning to make the most of the day with the guys.
I was having a hard time choosing what i should take to work on during the day because i've been working on the F-16W but i also have the Hawker Hunter waiting for some paint touch-ups so, for the first time going there and not being sure of what conditions are like in the club house, that's what i'll be doing.
It's not much but i imagine that with all the catching up to do, i'm pretty sure we'll all spend a good amount of time just waffling about without really doing much...
I'll be happy if i manage to finish painting the Hunter, that way it'll be ready for a gloss coat when i get back home.

 

My club just had one of those and it was fun. Some people got something done but I tended to wander around see what others were doing.

[Wardukw]

I'm afraid the amount of building I'd do at a meeting like that would be very little to even less than little 🙃
I'd just follow Kerick around and yap with the other guys ...that would work great at destroying any chance of those guys doing anything as well 🙄 😀
Problem wise, Zen mate it would be the same as yours..no idea what to take or how much crap to take ...ive got a ton of tools and man choosing what to take from that lot would be a nightmare 🤔 😅

[DogfighterZen]

Yep, that's probably what's going to happen there...

[DogfighterZen]

Well, well... the club meeting was much more fun than i imagined...

The day's crew waiting for food...


And here we're in the club house... with me acting like a fool flying my Hunter for the pic in the background (obligatory "Wooosh" sound applied)...  


And i even got some work done on the Hunter, besides flying it around the room to and back from the next room in which we had the painting area set up...
Next event will be another Plastic model trade fair. We do it as a small fair in a public park, with tables set on both side of one of the walkways in the park so, people not directly involved with the club can buy stuff from us. The only one i attended was lucrative as i sold out 2 kits for a fair price to a guy with a couple of kids that were just walking by and took interest in the models.
Next time i'll take just a few kits cause i don't have much in the stash at the moment that i don't want to build so i probably won't make as much money this time around. And that's just fine cause i go there to hang out with the guys and if i get any deals done, that's just a bonus.

So, the Hunter has had it's nose resprayed and the rest of the detail painting finished today so it's ready for a gloss coat and markings.
The F-16W sits as was since last update as i haven't touched it again but tomorrow i'll have plenty of time to seal up the decals with a gloss coat and give it a panel line wash later in the day... we'll see if that really happens...

[Old Wombat]

Wine bottles look interesting!

Looks like a good crew!

The bloke to your right in the lower pic appears to have been doing the same as you but is now looking down to find out what just went "plink" on the table.*  




[*: Don't ask me how I know this. ™zenrat Industries]

[zenrat]

I think that for a build day like that i'd grab a fresh kit (a simple one with good fit) I intended to build OOB, and the basic tools.

Looks fun.  Any converts?

[Wardukw]

That does look like just good ol plain fun ..group of blokes just having a good time   

Yeah I think I would have enjoyed that Zen mate 😄

[DogfighterZen]

Wine bottles look interesting!

Looks like a good crew!

Wine bottles!?!? No, sir! We make plastic model aircraft so we have our wine brought to us in jugs! 
I didn't have wine though, i have to drive 75km back home so i have to keep it cool... i just had a liquor with my coffee after lunch.
Yep, great mix of guys, we have a guy who builds paper models, a couple who build trains, one who builds balsa ship models, a few more who build mostly cars and other wheeled vehicles... you get the point, right?

The bloke to your right in the lower pic appears to have been doing the same as you but is now looking down to find out what just went "plink" on the table.*  

[*: Don't ask me how I know this. ™zenrat Industries]

Fortunately, nobody lost anything during the session... and he could never have gone "swoosh" as he was building a high altitude Spitfire so he could only go "vroooom"...  

I think that for a build day like that i'd grab a fresh kit (a simple one with good fit) I intended to build OOB, and the basic tools.

Well, i knew i wouldn't have time to get much done so i figured it was better to take the Hunter to do some hand brush painting but i ended up taking my compressor too and did a bit more, which was a bonus. I did think about the same idea but i don't want to start new models before i finish the Hunter and the F-16W so that thought was put aside.

Looks fun.  Any converts?

Nope, no converts... yet!
The closest is José Paulo, the club's coordinator and co-founder, who's a WWII aircraft modeller but, i guess can call him a what-if modeller as he loves all the prototypes and one offs, as well as Luft46 type stuff so, i guess i couldn't have met a better guy to start this club with.
He's the guy who's on the left of the guy directly in front of me at the opposite end the table at lunch. He's been building a vacform 1/72 Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose and i'm pretty sure i'll be learning some good tips on how to build vacformed models which will help me with the Rareplane 1/72 Spiteful that Lee offered me. I've always been curious about these kits and seeing him work on his model yesterday made me wanna start mine...

That does look like just good ol plain fun ..group of blokes just having a good time   

Yeah I think I would have enjoyed that Zen mate 😄

I'm sure you would!   
I know i had fun and everyone else has been sharing lots of pics on our FB group chat. I think that this will only get better from now on.

So, today i'm home with me dog, the missus is up north with a friend of hers on a shopping&tatoo trip to Lisbon so, after a walk with Bob, i'll be doing some quick house chores and then it's bench time for the rest of the day till i go pick the missus up at the train station tonight.

 

[NARSES2]

Looks great fun, glad you had a good time 

Wine, whether in bottles or jugs, and scalpels ? Dangerous mix 



 

[DogfighterZen]

Looks great fun, glad you had a good time 

Wine, whether in bottles or jugs, and scalpels ? Dangerous mix 

Yep, normally it is a dangerous mix but nobody got hurt yesterday.
Thanks, Chris! I did indeed have a good time and everyone else seemed to be having fun, too. And the plus side, everyone seemed very open to every type of modelling, real or fictitious, and that was very satisfying. I'd say we have a good thing going there.

[NARSES2]

Looks great fun, glad you had a good time 

Thanks, Chris! I did indeed have a good time and everyone else seemed to be having fun, too. And the plus side, everyone seemed very open to every type of modelling, real or fictitious, and that was very satisfying. I'd say we have a good thing going there.

That's the important thing, people don't have to embrace every aspect of the hobby as long as they are open to them