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

TheChronicOne · July 10, 2018, 02:08:46 AM

That's always the funnest part. It's usually funner to just start building, too. Don't come up with any sort of solid plan, just a vague idea, and start building.

So any how... today looks to be a nightmare. I'm having multiple equipment issues but no time to put any of it in maintenance. I have no help so if I don't do it, it doesn't get done. I just hope this stuff holds together for the 3 properties I have today. Any how, point being, by time I get home I'll probably be wiped out so I'm not planning for much today but I'd like to finish painting the Spitfire. I started on it the other evening but didn't even make it all the way through the brown color before I gave up. I was too tired to get much real work done. I did little odds and ends on a few builds but over the span of say, 6 hours, I was lucky to get a solid 30 minutes worth of work done.

BUT, if I somehow hit my stride and all the painting works out, I can gloss the Spitfire and put the transfers on it, gloss it again, then do some weathering. I'm not good at weathering so practice will do me good and this is a good one for it. Gonna get me some good ol' exhaust stains, oil, and lube leaks. I don't know much about these, I don't think there's any hydraulics in one. Also, I think the plane is made out of metal, right, aside from the control surfaces and maybe frame work?? Or was this early thing still made of wood?? Once I get all this figured out I can decide if I want to make chipping somehow with silver pencil or paint.

kitnut617 · July 10, 2018, 05:26:35 AM

Brad, like me you like aviation and Lego ---- well Airfix has just the thing for you

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/by-brand/quick-build.html

I used to have a huge Meccano set too, mostly inherited from My Dad but add quite a bit to it myself. Now, that's got me thinking --- what the heck happened to all of it ---

NARSES2 · July 10, 2018, 06:35:01 AM

Quote from: kitnut617 on July 10, 2018, 05:26:35 AM

I used to have a huge Meccano set too, mostly inherited from My Dad but add quite a bit to it myself. Now, that's got me thinking --- what the heck happened to all of it ---

I've still got some of my Meccano bits and bobs, it was the fate of my train set that always puzzled me

Then one day, many years latter, when I was having a pint with my dad he admitted that when he left my mum (and by inference me as well) he took it with him

His excuse was that I'd got to the age where I was more interested in beer and girls and anyway I was into modelling rather than trains

kitnut617 · July 10, 2018, 07:47:04 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on July 10, 2018, 06:35:01 AM
Quote from: kitnut617 on July 10, 2018, 05:26:35 AM

I used to have a huge Meccano set too, mostly inherited from My Dad but add quite a bit to it myself. Now, that's got me thinking --- what the heck happened to all of it ---

I've still got some of my Meccano bits and bobs, it was the fate of my train set that always puzzled me Then one day, many years latter, when I was having a pint with my dad he admitted that when he left my mum (and by inference me as well) he took it with him His excuse was that I'd got to the age where I was more interested in beer and girls and anyway I was into modelling rather than trains

One time in my early teens, I explored the attic. I had found a door which I never knew about because it was hidden behind a huge dresser at the very top of the stairs. I found a train set there of my Dad's, very large one of mostly clockwork powered engines and such. The rail gauge was about 2" IIRC. Now after your comment, it's another thing I'm wondering what happened to it too ---

TheChronicOne · July 10, 2018, 09:35:56 AM

I have seen those!! I like all the ones I caught a glimpse of but really like the WWII Fighters. Pretty sweet, I can't wait to get a couple. I'll have to, though, until I re-stock the bank account.

My discretionary money evaporated this morning at 6AM when the power steering pump started howling and then again when I got home and learned of the AC problem.

When it rains, it pours. -- OK, so I'm having my business equipment break down and have only just "patched" some of it so I can press on and complete jobs but I really need to take this stuff "off the line" and properly repair and tune it. Money and time. Now all of a sudden my power steering pump is going out on my truck (or it developed one hell of a leak this morning), then to top it all off I get home and the air con is out!!!! No Bueno, it's too hot for all that!!! Might not be no kits of NOTHING around here for awhile.

So anyway.... no telling what's going to happen in the way of builds as I find myself suddenly having to move things like refrigerators and boxes so that there is easier access to the inside half of the AC system.

TheChronicOne · July 12, 2018, 01:28:13 AM

3:30 AM so you know what that means.... try to come up with a modeling plan today.

Won't be much of one. I'm in the cleaning mood now from all the stuff I did the other day and since I got so much done doing that, I'd like to keep going and get caught up on some of my other monthly type chores like vacuuming the stairs and trying to get things further organized up here. It's going to be a pain but if I take my time and keep at it I should be able to free up more floor space around here. Like playing Tetris for real.

After that, however, it's time for the big push on the Spitfire. I'll work on it after I get the Yak-53 primed because it's silly to not have something drying while I work on other things. I consider it a waste of time not to do so.

No plans after that, really, but I'll find something to do. I also plan to work on a LEGO kit but I'll get into that later.

TheChronicOne · July 12, 2018, 07:09:40 PM

All this went out the window. I did indeed spend a good amount of time with the clean-up re-organize of my storage spaces in and around the AC unit. Good stuff! I had piled up lots of "I'll sort this later" and now I've finally done it.

But anyhow.... I DID manage to prime the BAC 111. I forgot to monkey with the nose but it needs more sanding on the wings anyway.

I took a pic the other night of my Yak-53 now that it has tailplanes on. I also brought back my lil friend since he wound up on the desk as a part of cleaning things up.

Speaking of, I put some filler along the seams where the tailplanes hit the fuselage. I also put a small dab on the main wings where I missed some. I can sand this whenever I'm ready then it's ready for primer.

DogfighterZen · July 13, 2018, 12:49:50 PM

I like what you've got going but E.T. simply rules!!!

TheChronicOne · July 14, 2018, 02:08:31 AM

He's the best part and about all I have to show for the last week. I've done next to nothing on any builds in 4-5 days at least now. lol

Probably will be the same today. I'm still working on "spring cleaning" around here so no telling what'll happen. I'm finding myself worn out a lot, too, which makes it difficult to do anything. But......... I would LIKE to try to to go for the gusto on the Spitfire. I didn't work on it any at all the other day like I said I would. All I did was prime one thing and put putty on another.

I need to sand the wings on the BAC 111 .... AGAIN. Getting tired of this. I'll have to break out my sanding sticks again to get in close to the fences. That's where the problems lie.

NARSES2 · July 14, 2018, 02:16:21 AM

I make my own "sanding sticks"

I've got loads of double sided "padded" sticky tape from my local £ store and i can use one side to stick this to a coffee stirrer or cocktail stick etc and then cut it to whatever width I need and then stick various grades of emery paper, again from the £ store, to the other side. You can get them very narrow on the cocktail stick mounts.

Nice and cheap, the stirrers are borrowed from the coffee shop

, and very effective.

TheChronicOne · July 14, 2018, 02:37:00 AM

Dude, I'm going to have to try that. That's one thing I've noticed about my nice, good, store bought sanding sticks. They do fit into places well, opposed to say, a nail file type sanding stick but some places and shapes just won't go. I'll often cut slices of sand paper into a tapered V shape or what not for in between twin fins or something but have been needing this in stick form so your idea sounds like just what I need.

I ought to go into business making custom sanding sticks. . . .. . . .. to hell with these lawns.

TheChronicOne · July 16, 2018, 02:35:40 PM

10 days since I've done any real work of any note. I got about an hours' worth of stuff done the other night, though. It's been quite some time since I've had such a lull in building activity.... perhaps way back to 2016 when I first arrived here!

That's not all, my other hobbies have gone out the window completely. I've played a total of... oh... one hour of video games in the last two months. Just so much to be done. Any free time I have I use it to work on models but now I'm not even finding time for that.

I HOPE to get back after it again today but I'm still working on "spring cleaning" which has now transitioned over to normal weekly chores, as well. So, I'm going to spend a few hours doing that and getting everything nice, neat, and organized then try to jump right back into it. Right now, I'm having trouble for the simple fact that I have 6 builds going and there is "stuff" laying around all over the damn place. It doesn't LOOK bad but when it comes time to find certain things that go in certain places it's beginning to take too long to find things. I'll save time in the long run by stopping and getting things re-organized. I normally don't do this until I finish some builds instead of right in the middle of them but I'm not to abide this messiness any longer!

......ooops!! Forgot I was typing this up!!!

Two hours later.....

@$^$%&#%& OOOOOh!

I just vacuumed over my foot and the roller ripped a tear through the middle of the nail on my big toe. It's only 2/3 attached now and hurts like hell.

I think that's a sign to hang up the house chores for today and start working on model stuff. lol I've already started, somewhat, on the organizing bit. I think I'll get started on that again. I only really want to get the desk here organized and the little shelf behind me organized. It has turned into the "old project remnants" catch-all and has random parts, boxes, and transfers sitting around all needing slotted into their respective places. I'll do that and the desk then I can get back to the REAL work.

TheChronicOne · July 16, 2018, 08:34:49 PM

Well, alright! 10:30 PM and I'm done with all the stupid cleaning and organizing. Everything looks great. Fantastic!!! Now it's time to build..... OH WAIT, It's late and I'm tired.

Oh well, next time I sit down to mess with it all, I can just get back to working on builds. It'll be damn near two weeks since I did anything other than a bit of sanding and spraying a couple coats of primer. So.... "about time."

"Good night, and good luck.."

NARSES2 · July 17, 2018, 05:58:10 AM

We all have similar spells mate, it's just part of the cycle of life. Trick is not worry about it

TheChronicOne · July 17, 2018, 06:34:55 AM

Thanks, bud. S'pose yer right.

I don't think it'll be long now and I'll be back in the swing of things. I consider myself fortunate that the year had gone smoothly until this point, it's just, bam, -- all at once! I'd rather these things that are breaking down, for instance, to do it, like... a couple weeks apart, instead of just days apart.

Oh well, the very welcome side effect is that making room for the new air con work has forced me into a very productive bout of cleaning and organizing the house, or at least a good chunk of it, so I'm pretty happy about that.

ANYWAY, had a strange thought about a.... well, strange, W-shaped twin fuselage twin boom aeroplane. Rear jet engine in the middle. See, I see twin boom planes and twin fuselage plane and even the ones with swept wings have a straight middle section between the tails or fuselages. I got to wondering what it would look like if this was also swept. Well, it makes a flying W but does it look cool? I'd like to investigate this and see.