Chronic's Research and Aeronautics Project (C.R.A.P.)

[TheChronicOne]

I keep saying I'm going to start the lil BAC 111 but I haven't actually found a point yet in the F-15 build where I had to wait on something to dry before I could continue soooo....   yeah.

I do have a bit of a game plan in order today, though, unlike the last few days. All the fiddly bits are done on the F-15 so when I get home today the first thing I'm going to do is clean up, dip in floor polish, then mask the canopy. Once that is complete it's time to begin construction again. I'll glue in the cockpit tub then get the fuselage halves together. Once they are together there are some detail parts that go in the cockpit and some more interior paint work to be done.  After that, the canopy can be glued on I guess.

But anyway....    One thing I DID do yesterday was start to look at my PBY-6. The rivets are a bit ridiculous so I'm not going to worry about them. I'm not even going to worry about the ones on the wings. I just hope that after all the primer and paint that they aren't as "vertical" and won't cause problems for the transfers. That's all I really care about.... I don't care how they look and how inaccurate they are, I don't want them wrecking my transfers. I really need to get ahold of the Micro-sol/set system.

BUT, before I start anything on that, I will indeed try to get the BAC 111 going. 


So that's the plan for today. Who knows how much will actually get done. It's mother's day over here and while I have to work (I work on all days, doesn't matter if it is weekend, doesn't matter if it is Christmas, in fact, I worked the last two of those; I simply can't afford to NOT work a day) that shouldn't take more than 7-8 hours and I'll likely be home by 11AM. So anyway, depending on how the festivities go, I may or may not get all too much modelling done afterall. 

[TheChronicOne]

Heheheh....   


Remember the lot of stuff I missed out on a couple weeks back? The DC-10, Tristar, the 1/72 planes and the car model? Well, I made it a point to keep watching the sellers page and sure enough, the person who won the auction never paid for it so I sent the person a message this morning offer to pay $6 more than what the lot went for along with the shipping as well. If they havent already done something with the stuff I may wind up with it afterall!   


We'll see....

[TheChronicOne]

I've managed to do very little today in the way of advancing any builds because I've been busy with Mother's Day and in the in between time sitting on pins and needles waiting on ol' boy to get back to me. When I got home from work I saw he had messaged me back and agreed to sell me the stuff but I had to write back and tell him that if was amicable, he'd have to list it as a "or best offer" type deal so I could submit an offer and him accept it because I don't have any money in the bank!! I can't get TO the bank until Tuesday morning so listing it as "buy it now" wouldn't work unless we both waited until Tuesday and coordinated.  So..... I'm again awaiting a response and I've been checking it like crazy and have been so focused that I've barely gotten anything done.

That said, what I HAVE accomplished is valuable work for me because I normally view masking canopies with much anxiety and I've managed to get the entire windscreen masked and front and rear of the other two actual canopy pieces. Just need to do the sides and front of the front and back of the back. (I hope all that BS made sense    )

So, yeah, I'll be done with the canopy pretty soon here and if that is ALL I get done today, I still considered a very worthy victory.




I swear I'll have a less boring update at some point... I'd like to drag out the Cousteua PBY 6 and take some pictures of it all for everyone and I'm definitely itching to get started on the lil jet liner! !!

[TheChronicOne]

41958771


I need that number later, ignore it. Yeah, I'm using WIM as a notepad. 



Anyway... plans today are to continue on the F-15N. It's getting closer and closer to being painted. I think today I can go ahead and glue all the pain parts together aside from the fins. Check that out in the GB forum...


In other news I've finally started at least brainstorming on the BAC 111. This kit is a bit weird with how you are supposed to put on the cheat line. It's a solid transfer that goes over the windows and one is supposed to use a provided "punch tool"  (that seems to be missing, but I'm not sure... ) to punch holes in the transfer to open up the windows. I'm thinking of just masking and painting it on. I can still use some of the transfers where they wrap around the nose. Anything forward of the door can be used and the door provides a nice break point to help hide the fact that the colors might not be perfectly matched. That's another thing... I'll find some paint that matched the transfers.

[TheChronicOne]

BAH...  Well, today is a wash. Typical BS at home...  Lost the entire day to depression.  Same stupid stuff I've been dealing with the last two years. If I had never decided to mow lawns as a living, none of this would happen. It takes up so much of my time and makes me so exhausted and in so much pain that sometimes the lawn here at the house gets grown up a little and not cut as often as would be ideal. Instead of understanding and support, I'm criticized and badgered to the point where I'm ready to just give up on everything. It's terrible. The rain comes and delays things further and there's nothing I can do about it. I have all these customers that need their lawns mowed and I always was under the impression that going to work, paying bills, and not being a lazy piece of garbage was the right thing to do but I'm learning that this is not so. Apparently I should just never do anything but mow this yard here at home and let the other people twist in the breeze.

The dumbass yard isn't even that bad.. just the fact that I haven't mowed it in about 3 weeks is too much to bear. To hell with the fact that I wake up at 2 or 2:30 AM then work straight with no lunch and no breaks for 9-10 hours in the heat, destroying my back. None of that matters. If I don't mow this stupid lawn here I'm Hitler all of a sudden. 

Oh well...       

So anyway. I'm just sitting around drinking and regretting going into business for myself because no amount of money on Earth is worth all this... but... whatever..   

YEah, anyway.... I'd like to do SOMETHING but I don't think it'll happen. By time I start "feeling better" I'll probably be too damn tipsy to do any type of decent work. Who knows, though?!

I have gotten a couple things in the mail, however, so I'll probably check that out. One thing showed up today but I haven't even opened it yet because reasons.  I think I know what it is, though..         couple other neat items so maybe I'll open that up and see if it is was I think It is then hit the Stash Thread to share my wares.

Hopefully at some point my mood hits a turning point and I can get back to work on something. MAybe start the BAC 111 or get back to work on the F-15.

[TheChronicOne]

I keep dropping this stuff on the floor.   



OK, I already need some help. The instructions are confusing me but I've managed to figure out most of it but I think I need some Humbrol colors.

11
53
64
85
130
166
171


I can deduce most of them from simply looking at pictures but some of them are for things that are harder to see and also some thing call for ratios of two of these. I suppose I could look it up.. it just occured to me... but I already typed all this garbage so I may as well leave it. Besides, I bet plenty of folks around here have the Humbrol numbers memorized so it's a good a place as any to ask. 

Any how... it calls for 10 grams of nose weight so before I get too carried away I guess I should slather some PVA around and toss some BBs in there. Gotta glue the doors on, too. It's pretty neat that Airfix gave the option to have the doors opened, stairs down, etc. I typically like a "buttoned up" model, though, so all that has to be closed.

Also, I've found the little punch tool the kit provides to impale the cheat line transfers. I think I'll give this a whirl and see how it goes. I imagine there will be some jagged stuff here and there but I can scrape that away and touch up with paint. I'm kind of interested to see how it goes.

This all said, I'm not feeling too great so I'm likely to box it all up and get back to just sitting here.. I'm trying, though.

[Old Wombat]

Hey, Brad, who's harassing you about your home lawn?

If it's family/house-mates remind them that mowing lawns is your JOB not your hobby, if they want the lawns mowed - do it themselves!

If it's your landlord/real estate agent remind them you get PAID for mowing lawns - anything more than once a month comes off the rent!


As everybody knows, a mechanic's car is the worst maintained.


I own my home (with a mortgage similar to a small nation's national debt) & have for 17 years. The lawn's sh!t (drowns in Winter, bakes in Summer) with a sheet of clay 4" to 6" underneath it, I've only just found the time & inclination to try to fix it. The "nature strip" around the front of the house has been bare dirt for as long & I've just added organic compost to it (clay again) & planted some clumps of runner grass to do something with it - plus a big patch of Agapanthus on one side. The "nature strip" is owned by the district council but it's my responsibility to maintain it, they've been bugging me about it for over a decade.

I do have a bunch of mostly native trees & bushes out the front (which usually looks like a small jungle), & fruit trees in the back (which product more fruit than we know what to do with), & I've been building a fernery for the last 16 months (can't do much with wet wood, so I have to pause every Autumn(Fall)-to-Spring).


Money, time & inclination all have to align for these things to happen. If other people don't get it, they can do it!


↓↓↓ From my print-out of the Humbrol colour sheet ↓↓↓

11 - Silver (metallic)
53 - Gunmetal (metallic)
64 - Light Grey (matt)
85 - Light Olive (matt)
130 - White (satin)
166 - Light Aircraft Grey (satin)
171 - Antique Bronze (matt)

Any how... it calls for 10 grams of nose weight so before I get too carried away I guess I should slather some PVA around and toss some BBs in there. - I always add an extra 25%-50%

[TheChronicOne]

Salute!  And about damn time. . ..   

After over a decade, I'm sure they'll be more than happy with whatever improvements you make and the satisfaction of it being done will be worth it. Just make sure you keep up with trying to get it and keep it established. That's one problem of mine and that I see with others....  it's easy enough to get it started... it's another to keep it going.  I'll throw some seeds in the ground, water them, and walk off for the next two years.

Clay. It's a problem around here as well. I've seen clay so thick that someone digging out a hole with a backhoe .......   turned the ditch walls into mirror like surfaces. The bucket polished the clay to a point I could see myself in it. 


Family. I live with my mama but I have another that will give me grief from time to time as well that does not live here. Mama is 86, so help take care of things. Problem is, she worries to death over things that have never happened. She thinks the local government will swoop down and give her tons of fines because the grass is 5 inches tall. It creates WAY, WAY, WAY too much drama and strife.

I've had my family act as if all the back problems and ailments I have (the only reason I went back into business for myself is getting on disability takes YEARS) are just made up.... that I've lost work, been fired, been utterly broke and miserable.. ON PURPOSE... that "there's no reason" I can't do heavy labor and kill myself in the heat, although I've told them on numerous occasions about it all. About the medications that forbid me from being in the heat and sunlight, about my screwed up lower back and sciatica..    It's been a constant nightmare ever since I got back doing the lawns (about the only thing I can do, but means I'm wasted after a long day of it). I've tried and tried to reason with the family but they simply won't have it. I can't change them, so, I'm close to giving up all the mowing so I can be at home all the time and can mow the lawn every time they want me to. Funny, because it was drilled into my head when I was younger that "goofing off at the house" wasn't as important as "going to work and paying bills. "  Now that I'm doing exactly that, but on my own terms, the tables have turned.     I almost think that since I created this business and thus created this schedule that I'm being given poo-poo for it. I guarantee you, if I was punching a clock and these hours and work loads were from me working for some company that I wouldn't be catching as much flak.

[zenrat]

I don't know what to say mate.  Families are tough.  You can't choose them.  Mine are 12,000 miles away and our relationship is all the better for it.

Hang in there, don't let 'em get you down and watch your back.

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, bud. I'll manage, I guess. I'll stop mowing lawns if I have to. Then when people start complaining because I'm not handing out money all over the place and actually having to ask for it instead I'll remind them of all this.


Good news is, I found some inline insurance!!  $70 cheaper than the idiots that think I live 1,600 miles away in a different state. Phew!! That's a load off. I don't like driving around with no insurance and since I couldn't renew my tag, it was expired, too. Now both problems will be handled.

I'll get back to me builds tomorrow. Today is my rest day. I think I've done enough of instructions reading and brainstorming to get started on the lil BAC 111 now so that's good. I'll have two builds going again for the first time in a while. Can't believe I was up to 4 back in the winter! Now I can barely keep on top of one and am cancelling the lager ones. Sorry Mr. Cousteaus, yours be built in the Autumn after all the work eases back again. 

I get to dig around the in the stash, now, though, and contemplate the next stuff after the BAC 111 and F-15. Emphasis on things that won't take 10 years and things that won't drive me insane with having to fix things. Bonus for being small but I can't just sit here and build lil WWII fighters all summer long.     

[TheChronicOne]

If things don't go all to hell, I plan on getting back to work on the F-15 again. I took a nice break from it so I'm more eager than ever to work on it. Also really looking forward to getting started in earnest on the BAC 111. I'll be gluing in the nose weight and doors first thing off then it's just a matter of following the steps I think. Certain parts of this have already been completed by previous owner. The two main engine pieces are glued together as are the wings. The wings were even sanded smooth so no seams on those but I'll need to do the engines myself.

Also, brainstorming continues on the NEXT build or two and also, isn't the one week GB coming up soon? I'd like to find a really simple, easy building kit that I can put a single color scheme on to. I was thinking of doing my Moo-Cow P-47 or Blue and Yellow P-36 but uhh... nah. I want something even simpler.

[TheChronicOne]

Good Lord, I've already scheduled 11 lawns this week and people are still calling. I also took on another customer. It's directly adjacent three others I do right in a row so I couldn't say no.      

Trying not to hire anyone but I'm going to have to revisit the idea. I know one thing... I won't be paying daily any more and I won't be giving people repeated chances to show up to work. Miss a day, you get scolded, miss another, you can go work somewhere else. Dealing with this nonsense last year almost killed me.  HOWEVER, if I can by some miracle find a worker that isn't a lazy piece of garbage maybe I can get back to taking on new customers. I turn down or ignore 10-15 new jobs every week. Just imagine If I could say YES to all of those instead of NO? When it comes to lawn mowing, the rate of return business is HIGH.  Any time I go cut a lawn for the first time, there's more than a 75% chance they'll want me back over and over again. 10 one-time lawn cuts turn in to 7-8 permanent repeat customers. I could go from paying bills and buying model kits to paying bills, buying model kits, and buying computers and cars and stuff.  ------  IF I COULD ONLY FIND SOMEONE WILL TO ACTUALLY ShOW UP TO WORK.

I must be the stupidest man on Earth, as well. As recently as a day or two ago I was contemplating folding up the mowing completely because of all the trouble it causes and now here I am thinking about expanding.      I dunno... man...  I just don't know.


ANYWAY.........  I'm currently looking into the re-fueling probe business on the F-15 build so go check that out in the Cold War GB forum if you want to watch me repeatedly change my mind and/or attempt to make things out of random parts of stuff I have laying around the house.     

Otherwise, I'd LOOOOOOOOVE to finally get to work on the BAC 111! I got this airliner fever and I need satiate the addiction so if I don't get SOMETHING done on it soon I'm going to start hurling things out the window!  ( )

Lastly, some junk showed up in the mail today!!!      I open it all up and ruminate about it later. I need to get started on something or I might just keep sitting here like a lazy bum and sometimes that "mode" is hard to break free from. 

[TheChronicOne]

OHH  YEAH!!   That's right!!! ^^ 


Time to open that stuff!   

I know what most of it is but I can't recall what the little box is. That's always nice to sort of forget about something so it's a bit of a surprise again. (or I have memory problems    )

But anyway... after that... It's BAC 111 time! I'll put the nose weight in then file/sand away the seams on the engines then I'll decide what to do next. Often times simply getting started on something is the best thing to do then the following steps become clear.



Preliminary look at the wares:

[NARSES2]

I must be the stupidest man on Earth, as well. As recently as a day or two ago I was contemplating folding up the mowing completely because of all the trouble it causes and now here I am thinking about expanding.      I dunno... man...  I just don't know.

No, your'e just an average small businessman  I can't give much advice I'm afraid as fairly obviously U.S. employment law is going to be a load different to the U.K.'s, however just make sure that any prospective employee has the terms and conditions in writing (they don't have to be complicated) and then they can't say "you didn't tell me that ?" Best of luck 

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, Chris. I'll need!  After going through the two bums last year I was ready to rip my hair out. I'm not going to make any hasty decisions, that's for sure. I'll ruminate on it for a couple weeks.  ----- Risk going mad or try to grow the business again? Weigh the pros and cons..........   ehhhhh........ then go from there. 


So, I worked on the BAC 111 last night... finally.  (Is this another plane that never really had a name? I'm calling this one the Leprechaun until I'm done because it's OIRISH). So I worked on the Leppy's engines and got them smooth out the best I could. These are not in great shape. There's factory sink marks in them and also a couple spots where it looks like the plastic was pretty thin so when the former owner glued the turbofans in it kind-of dimpled the skin a little bit like what happened when I dumped a huge gob of model glue into the nose cone of my 737 and turned it into a dimply mess. Also, the cowling rings weren't in too good shape. I started working on them but didn't get totally finished. They're so small, though, it's hard to get anything inside!  I need to roll up some sandpaper and twist the hell out of it in there to get the insides of them rings shaped up.

I also started putting nose weight in. The instructions call for 10 grams!!!  10 grams?! OK. I'm going to have to put more in there after I assemble the fuselage halves but I at least I have a foundation going.


My thoughts now turn to a future project.



This was the little package that showed up yesterday. I didn't know what it was because I JUST ORDERED IT two days prior. I wasn't expecting it to get here so fast. It came from 1700 miles away, too.   

Anyway, the plan is to build it and use the kit decals as they are BUT... make it a whif by changing the paint job to one copied from a Micro Machine toy that I like and played with as a wee lad.



I'll do better for a picture later but this will do for now.