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

[zenrat]

I saw this today and thought of you.

[TheChronicOne]

Ohhhhh yeaaaah! I like it!   

It's the C Fury! C for Cooba!!  Viva le Revolucion!

I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a Sea fury on eBay... when I find one dirt cheap it'll be on its way to my house. I want to make it some weird presidential escort.  Mega Patriotic Cuban Flag livery or something. 

[zenrat]

You got PM Brad C

[TheChronicOne]

Rec'd, thanks!

In other news.... Herky Bird arrived and as I suspected, NO GLASS!!     "Complete as far as I know!!"   Yeah, sure, you know damn well the clear parts ain't in there.....  I guess that's why no one else would bid on it. But, I couldn't tell if they were in that bag or not!! Next time I'll just ASK. So anyway, I won't raise a stink... I'll give them a good feedback rating and all that, but I need to stop just assuming things and ask questions. This has happened before... I get a great deal on a kit only to find I'm going to have to shell out on aftermarket stuff just to make them complete...   sometimes I would have been better off paying more on the front end.  Not sure, this time.. the kit was $8. Shipped was another $8.72.... so for less than $17 I have a 1/72 Hercules! Not bad and the kit itself has accuracy issues but I'm whiffing the thing anyway so I don't really care... it's just... THE GLASS!  I'll figure out something.. I'm not seeing any aftermarket things for this. I found some Eduard set that comes with a bunch of stuff and the picture shows the clear parts but........that doesn't mean they come with it. This is mainly like.... seats, seat belts, and painted PE so probably not.

Anyway.. to hell with the carpet monster, I want to meet this clear parts monster. I'm guessing, people take the clear parts and put them into another container of some sort then store them elsewhere then years later when the kits are passed along, the clear parts aren't with them. In my mind it doesn't make sense to separate things. I will generally wrap them in tissue and put them in their own baggie but I always put the baggie back in the kit box. :::SHRUG:::  I'm in no hurry to build this thing so I'm not too worried.. if there is an aftermarket option out there, I'll find it eventually. I may even get ahold of Italeri and or Testors to see if there is a way to order the clear parts sprue.

Oh well, I'm going to go start up a batch of fish and chips... well... fish and hush puppies, then I'm going to start on this Mitsubishi Nipples Go plane!!  I wonder where my paint is?!?!?!  Ohhhhhhhh I see, it's in Dallas. Well then, it'll be here tomorrow then. Or the next day at latest. Sweet! I can't wait to try that stuff.


 

[TheChronicOne]

Times like these my ADHD or whatever it's called these days really shines through. I can't seem to make up my mind about what to do next.  That's not entirely a bad thing because it means I have OPTIONS at least! 

SO ANYWAY, I decided to get under way with this Mitsubishi Nipples Go airplane but reading through the instructions (which are quite nice, for their time, but suffer hilariously through translation... I absolutely adore the funny mishaps in the instructions on these but it doesn't exactly help matters... . .. ) it would seem I need to do all kinds of sawing and drilling and all this mess so I'm contemplating, again, on doing something different. There's not a whole lot of this sawing/drilling, but then again.... ehhhh.... 

So, I came up with this plan...   I'm in the mood for cleaning up and organizing my living space and thus my kit collection and work area. I always say that the time to strike on this type of thing is when one is highly motivated to do so and it seems "fun." Cleaning and organizing doesn't always seem "fun" so when it does, may as well take advantage of it. SO, I think I'll spend a couple hours doing this.... and whilst I do so, I can keep my eyes peeled for another kit that would work with NMF. If I don't find one... it's back to this thing. OR, maybe I'll start on the Texan/Harvard?   We'll see!  Who knows, I may wind up doing neither and dedicating completely to the shelf of doom stuff.....

[TheChronicOne]

Well, got carried away with all the cleaning and organizing, and not done yet, so I won't be WORKING on any models today. That said, things are shaping up around here and that's well worth the time I spent. There will be other days to work on model kits and when I do, it will be pleasing to do so within nice surroundings.

Got some other kits in. A Heller 1/72 Cloudmaster and a C-46 Commando by Williams Bros, also 1/72. How neat!!! Eyeballing a 1/72 Boeing 707 airliner but uhhh....  I need to try to sit on my hands and leave that alone. I want it so bad but I need to save my money in case I need to pay for an irrigation job. I have to buy all the parts and stuff, then send the bill, then finally get paid a month later. If I don't have the money on hand to actually pay for stuff, then I can't do the jobs, and then can't make any money. I just hope nothing breaks within the next couple of weeks.

In other news... anyone ever seen an NMF V-22 Osprey?!?!?      (still going through stuff)    Another thing I was wondering about... I'm trying to find a kit with recessed panel lines so that I can do a bunch of sanding going from coarse to very fine sand paper (the stuff I've been reading about achieving a good NMF suggests that getting a really nice smooth surface via sanding in this fashion helps a lot). Anyway, I have an old Heller f-86.... I even bought really nice after market transfers for it about 8 months ago.....  BUT, it has raised detail. I'm apprehensive about this because I'm not sure how to sand without either deleting some of said details or leaving gaps around the detail after sanding. Am I worrying for nothing? Is there I way I can sand on this if I'm careful and not erase the detail and also not leave parts of it un sanded near the raised areas???  Should I just go for it or what? I don't think I'm ever going to make my mind up on this. 

[TheChronicOne]

I've nothing better to do at the moment so I may as well come here and chat a bit.

I was following the eBay auction of that 707 I wanted (Heller 1/72 Boeing 707! )  . No doubt I was left in the dust, it finally went for just shy of $70!!!  Oh well, someone else can have it and I hope they build it!!  I definitely would build that bad boy but it would have been awhile I think, other projects on my mind.. . .. Either way, I wasn't going to pay no $70 or even $50 for it. If I could have picked it up for $30 or less then I would have sacrificed my hot dogs and nachos budget. (funny thing since I haven't had hot dogs in a month and it's been years since nachos.. . . )

Oh well!!!!  Piss on that noise.. I keep blowing money on this stuff and I totally shouldn't.      NO MATTER.   Even though it's egregious, I still have my eye on a few more kits....  I swear.....  once I get these auctions done with I will close the eBay tab and get back to reality..   I just can't pass these kits up!!!!!!!!!!!   I found a frikken HUSTLER TRAINER.  I also found a Cousteua PBY....... .. . a Stratofreigther....some four engined Japanese bomber, an Aurora Starlifter... , an E2A, etc...      There's not enough $$$$$ on the planet for all the kits I want to buy.

Probably going to let most of this stuff go by because I simply don't have the money, BUT,  I'm going to try to get some of these and I KNOW I want the Hustler Trainer....  Wow, this person that is listing all this stuff came across an estate collection....  the kits off in here.....    If I could only hit the lotto. .. .

[DogfighterZen]

Brad, re the clear parts for the Herc, there's the Testors clear parts cement and window maker, maybe you can give that a go. Although i've never tried it, i0ve read lots of stuff and it seems to be very good for that. Look it up and read some reviews or test articles about it to see if it could work for you.

[TheChronicOne]

Will do!! I've seen that stuff before at the store and considered getting some but I always just use PVA or the "blue" colored (less volatile) model cement to glue on my canopies.  I'll look into that this afternoon and see what I can dig up because I'm not really seeing much of anything in the way of aftermarket stuff, thats for sure!! 

In other news, still watching this estate sale.... Some of them went beyond what I'm will to spend so I closed the tabs on this but I'm still in the running for the cousteau PBY (man this thing looks cool.. )  and the Hustler... If NOTHING else I want the Hustler. I want it bad..   

In other other news..... it's time to get back to modeling!!!!! I'm not entirely finished organizing my kits and stuff but.... I've lost the motivation and I'm not one that's into forcing myself to do something I don't want to do. I am, however, ready for the challenge of BUILDING!     But where the hell is my paint?!   lol    I was hoping it would be here this morning but it's not.. so I suppose it will be here tomorrow... not like I need it right now.. just kind of funny because I want to get it to... I guess.... hold it or something. Whatever.   

Oh crap, you know what, I just realized I forgot the other half of the paint equation....  the gloss black. I'll stop by Wal Mart Thursday and grab some. While I'm there I can play "spot the crackhead" and pick up a few groceries. 

[TheChronicOne]

WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN. 

I'm pretty certain I'm just going to stick with what the instructions say, but, I keep looking at pictures and other models of this plane and no two seem to have the same color of wheel wells and gear doors.. lol    One has them white, the instructions say to use green, another has them blue..... .... . ...       Sometimes I wonder why I bother with research at all, I should just make a paint color dart board and throw darts at it. 

Looked at the some stuff on the window maker. Looks pretty handy but I'm not so sure it's up to the task of bridging the huge gap in the face of the Herky bird. The windows and glazing are all one piece so there's just a big open void in the plastic... so...     going to have to come up with another options. I just won't be able to make it stretch across the void and also won't have much luck creating the frame work.  I had a bit of an idea... it might take months but I bet, eventually, I could probably find a junkyard lot of old crappy model kits in disrepair and I could probably come across a C-130 eventually then I might have the clear parts I need! 

Last but not least, I'm working on the kit! Painting interior and the pilots and stuff. 

[TheChronicOne]

I have completely lost track of my smart phone that I take pictures with.     I've looked all over the place... I don't have a clue what happened to it.  I'm ready to show you all what I've been working on, and I've gotten a lot done today, but I guess I'll have to try to use my ancient flip phone. It has a camera that does decent but it doesn't put out very large pictures (large enough though, I think!!) and I have problems syncing it with my computer. I'm going to try though.

This kit is going together well! The one thing I lament, however, is that there is no way to put the clear parts in later so I will have to MASK all these windows.  Oh well, I'll view it as an opportunity to get better at it so what the heck, why not!    I might be able to do the main cockpit glass at the end however... and that will save a lot of time.

The fitment on this thing is nice!!  What a great little kit.... I haven't had to perform any surgery yet to get things together. No flash on anything (aside from the pilot figures) either. The TIRES are molded in black plastic!! Brilliant!! I'll have to see how well the tired halves go together, I may not even have to do anything to the seams and may not have to paint them at all.

Anyway! I'll be back soon with pictures.  (or.... at some point) 

[TheChronicOne]

I'm having a ton of fun blogging right now....    sometimes I ain't got builds going on or I'd rather talk about what's happening on eBay. It's so cool that WIM has this blog section so we can just talk about stuff.

Anyway..... here's the current goings on!! I decided against using my flip phone for photography at this time. Why is that, you might ask? It's my business phone and at the moment I AM CLOSED FOR BUSINESS. If I turn that damn thing on it means I will have to read, listen to, and respond to all the crap on it. I'm on a day or two break right now and I'll have none of that. I made my schedule and contacted everyone I need to.... only people that would call or text me now are ones that either will have to wait or they are simply full of crap. Like ol' boy that owes me money. If I had a dollar for every excuse from this dude about my money I wouldn't worry about money. I'd be rich. Anyway....

The reason I am here now is to warn people about their model kit stash. Either this thing came along with one of the kits I purchased recently, or, he was hiding in MY stash the whole time.. but... I unearthed a Fiddleback spider today (brown recluse) and them things ain't nothin' to toy with, jack. Creepy part was I was all hunkered down and digging through this area a couple hours prior..only to come back and see this fiddleback just chilling on some bubble wrap I had laying on the floor.  NOT COOL.  Anyway, my public service announcement is to be careful looking through old stacks of kits that may have been sitting for awhile... a prime location for things like a brown recluse spider. Get bit by one of those and it's a guaranteed trip to the doctor in the least and at most people have died, lost limbs, etc.  I ALREADY don't like spiders.. then to find this thing today... GUHHHH...

Anyhow, the eBay stuff!!!  Sure as anything, the KC-97A I was watching went for a fair amount more than I was willing to spend, but then I turned around and got an E2A Hawkeye for $9. Same dude with the estate sale with the Hustler I want...  there's a couple others, too, so I plan to win at least a couple more to get cheaper shipping. I want te Cousteau thing and the Hustler at least....

[NARSES2]

The reason I am here now is to warn people about their model kit stash. Either this thing came along with one of the kits I purchased recently, or, he was hiding in MY stash the whole time.. but... I unearthed a Fiddleback spider today (brown recluse) and them things ain't nothin' to toy with, jack. Creepy part was I was all hunkered down and digging through this area a couple hours prior..only to come back and see this fiddleback just chilling on some bubble wrap I had laying on the floor.  NOT COOL.  Anyway, my public service announcement is to be careful looking through old stacks of kits that may have been sitting for awhile... a prime location for things like a brown recluse spider. Get bit by one of those and it's a guaranteed trip to the doctor in the least and at most people have died, lost limbs, etc.  I ALREADY don't like spiders.. then to find this thing today... GUHHHH...

Glad you avoided it

[TheChronicOne]

You're tellin' me!! The only thing worse than seeing a spider like that is NOT seeing a spider like that.

[TheChronicOne]

MAaaaaaan... I wake up this morning and instantly and broadsided by more and more excuses from this douchebag that owes me money. This stuff really hampers my day. I'd rather this dude shove off instead of having me in a perpetually anxious and stressed out state....  every time I get another round of excuses, I know it's likely to be BS, but I'm obligated to TRY to recover my money so that means more sitting around, waiting, back and forth on the damn phone, and just a general over all feeling of frustration and wasting time. It's not just the loss of my money now but the loss of time and the hundreds of texts and found calls are costing me money, too..... just ridiculous. I so damned tired of it.

Anyway.. I hope I find my phone today. I have a failing memory in some instances and I can't recall where I last had it. I last remember grabbing it to take to work with me and haven't seen it since. I'd think it was floatin' 'round in my work truck somewhere but I've looked a few times already. Starting to think someone "nicked" it or something or..... something.. I dunno...      I've also been trying to so clean up around here so it could be sitting off in a model kit box somewhere or something.       Oh well, I'm going to give my other one a chance later. It's just, last time, it seemed to take an act of congress to get my lapttop to recognize it long enough to transfer files. 

The eBay safari is still under way... the 228-200 and the B-54 bother went out of my price range but I was able to get the TB-58A Hustler trainer.  That's the one I wanted most!   Looking at two more, with two alternates. One is some 4 enginged Japanese bomber... called a  Renzan.. the other is the Jacques Costeau PBY. Seeing as how ol' boy won't pay me my money and I've already dipped into my overhead I haven't been able to get nearly what I've wanted to get but oh well! Being broke kind of sucks so I'm not too torn up about it.   

I have to mow my gargantuan lawn today but I'm hoping work and all my errands run long today so that I have the excuse to skip it. Going to be about 100 degrees and it typical takes 4 hours on average (not counting breaks and stuff that I have to take to keep from killing myself.... add a couple hours for these) so there's no way I could finish it without being in the heat anyway. I may compromise and just do the front or at least spray some weeds. I have a few areas that I don't cut, I just kill... so I could at least do that then I can say, "Well, hey, I got started on it at leasst!"  Point being is I'm lookiing forward to gettting back to work on the Nipples Go. I got my paint in yesterday, too!!  Going to be doing some readin and research and stuff. I need to go buy a can of primer, gloss black, and a bunch of sand paper. 

TTYL!