Pellsons Perceivings

[Pellson]

Lovely summer here, amazingly lush and warm, and the forecast for the next few days is that the temperatures will peak at some 35 degC. That's very warm indeed to be in Scandinavia, and lots of people are already complaining. From my perspective, even with that sodding drain hose sticking out of my chest, I still love it. I'm a summer human, quite simply, and I find the non vegetational months pretty awful, to be honest.

Anyhow - the kids are out of school, and my eldest, the 14 yo lass, has started her first employment, as a farm hand at a nearby (well, some 12 km's) farm, and she's enjoying herself immensely. They are using her in several capacities already, feeding and herding the cattle, as a builder etc etc, and she's gaining a reputation for being hard working and reliable already. I'm ridiculously impressed and proud, obviously, and very very happy that it has turned out so well. It doesn't matter how well you as a parent think you know your kid, someone else's opinion will not be based on your knowledge and experience but rather in the kids own performance, and she's just so good! 
Anyway - ferrying her to and from work takes a stiff hour every day in total, but it's a good hour where I get to interview her about work and her team, and I envy her much. She's having a proper ball!

At home, there's some gardening, but not that much, and I'm a bit handicapped due to the impact on my right arm from that sodding drain pipe again, so I'm getting some time to actually tidy up the dreaded shelf of doom - as you have been able to see. Also, backstory writing takes time, so at this time, I'm actually having a few models sitting unpresented (i.e without project threads) due to lack of backstory. That's a new one! Usually it's the other way around, but tbh - I do have the odd model almost ready with a completed backstory waiting for it as well, so it's both ways, really. But still..
Coming up now is writing something inspired about the F-111K. Obviously I have one too, as I guess most of us do. And maybe as obviously, mine's built from the ancient and pretty awkward Airfix rendering, but in difference to the totally unusable Airfix F-105F, the Aardvark might not be good enough for an RW model, but I think it is good enough for a whiffed one. Much like the Hunter, methinks. Anyway - I added the final touch on the Merlin GR.2 this morning, so I'll see if I can scribble something tomorrow to facilitate a thread.

Tomorrow's also blood sampling day and this week, ultrasound imaging day, so tomorrow morning will be somewhat busy even without Merlins needing history. On the other hand, on Friday, I'm seeing the surgeon again, so I suppose I'd better sort him his data..

But now - kip time!

[NARSES2]

Glad your daughter is doing well, first job is "something special" for everybody 

Hope the hospital goes ok Friday

[Rheged]

Delighted to hear that Miss Pellson   is enjoying herself working hard  and gaining a favourable reputation.

Where's the "proud parent"  emoji.   We really need it!!

[kitbasher]

 

[Rick Lowe]

Glad you are improving, albeit slowly, and neat to hear the various Landie stories.
Good to know the next generation of Pellsons are continuing in their Parent's Ways - there is hope for the future! 

Hope your health issues continue to improve and you can get to your new, improved self.   

[Pellson]

Another tropical night incoming, and no thunderstorms in sight to relieve the heat. Today, a new temperature record was set just about an hours drive south of here and it's been well over 33 degC here today but windy, and for your average Scandinavian, it's been a bit like walking in a hairdryer.

Since last time, they took out the drain from my chest. While it in one way is a great relief, in another way, it's incredibly frightening. Now, it's solely up to the antibiotics to battle the infection inside me, and last time, that went so so. And the repercussions were dear. But as I'm no doctor, I have to take their advice and rely on their judgement, even when scary, and therefore, I run with it. I haven't any better option, or at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself.

Re the Landy - there's a saying that a Land Rover never is fully functional nor fully broken. My old mudbus has been suspiciously well working for a while, but yesterday, I noticed a slight wobble in the steering wheel. Being somewhat seasoned in the LR ownership, I know what to check and quickly traced the problem to two bad steering joints. No biggie - I have the parts in the shelf (another "seasoned LR owner" thing - you're ridiculously stocked up on spares at any and all times) and it's about half an hour's work, but I'll wait until more civilised temperatures before attacking it. It's nothing that'll leave me stranded any day soon.

As for modelling - well, the weather kind of precludes too much indoor sitting, but as I got my sick leave extended to end of August, I have loads of time and a good excuse to continue to build the Stash. 
I also read someone ranting about people being spoilt with new, incredibly well engineered and accurate kits, hence looking down on older, less well engineered and/or researched kits. I fully agree here. While I actually do find well researched rivet counters and their knowledge impressive, I'd prefer an affordable kit that looks good to an aggressively expensive but exact kit that looks better any day of the week. And, tbh, if the cheaper kit has somewhat easier plastic to work with, that's an even bigger advantage. Hence my love affair with old Airfix kits, I think. Like that F-111 from the other day. I have a Hasegawa as well, but whiffing that feels almost like blasfemy, and that does dampen the joy of redesigning and rebuilding to your heart's desire quite a lot.

Still prowling the shelf of Doom, I think next candidate for completion is the first really rebuilt whif I ever made. It's my take on the thin wing Javelin, very much not according to drawings but rather to what I had to build from. But I like it. Always have. Even if I've never gotten round to arm it, which is why it's sitting where it is.
My main problem is that I feel that it needs cooler missiles than the Sky Flash. Even if I rewrite them to be Active Sky Flash, they're pretty tiny and almost insignificant on such a big and powerful interceptor. I really would like something beefier, with longer range and higher speed. Having looked at the Red Hebe and rejected it because I'm probably too lazy to scratch eight missiles (four for the TWJ, and four for its FAA partner in crime, the Super Sea Vixen. Yes, there is such a build on the SoD as well) but scavenging my weapons supply, I find massive amounts of AIM-54's. And from them, maybe I could build something reminiscent of air launched Sea Darts, that is ramjet driven thingys. Then again - getting eight of them to look similar enough to sit next to each other... ah, well..  Maybe Sky Flash is the way to go after all..

Another project staring at me is the tanker Valiant. It's still waiting for it's second hemp coat. The reason for holding back here is really even dafter. That colour takes AGES to dry, and I really hate the odour it's giving off in the meantime.
But painted it will be. Sooner or later. 

Speaking of colour - camouflage preferences. As you can see, I like wraparound schemes, but that's also, I think, an effect of me really feeling that peak war preparation was at the very end of the Cold War. By 1989, Europe was more in arms than ever sooner or later (this far, obviously) and the focus was to fight a very well prepared, competent and technically reasonably advanced enemy - and doing so in your own backyard. Also, this was before most of these fancy sensors that effectively had rendered camouflage when on the ground all but useless, and also, perhaps even more significantly, just before the stealth technology really took off, making everything looking like an overused soap. Hence, no time or place for cheap or fancy slimmed-down paint jobs. Rather musty schemes, really aimed to keep you out of sight at your operating altitude.
Accordingly, air to air assets should be grey, but ground attack and low level reconnaissance machines should blend in against your average north European landscape. And multi role fighter bombers, like the Phantom, the  Eurofighter or the F-16, really should have something in between. Even if it doesn't work well in reality. There's very few real such schemes, but a really good example there, I think, is the German Norm 81 scheme. It has marvellous colours even if really too dark to go on fighters.  So maybe those schemes perhaps weren't that successful in hiding the asset they were painted on, nevertheless they look really good. So I think my Bundesluftwaffe Eurofighter will fly in Norm 81. Just because I can. When I get to it.

Well - kip time again. At least, I won't freeze this night either.

[Old Wombat]

I, personally, think 33^oC is extremely civilized.

[NARSES2]

I, personally, think 33^oC is extremely civilized.

On a beach or in a beach bar yes, in a typical UK office block without air-con, NO  Also trying to play football as some in the Euros were yesterday in it looked downright dangerous.

[NARSES2]

Since last time, they took out the drain from my chest. While it in one way is a great relief, in another way, it's incredibly frightening. Now, it's solely up to the antibiotics to battle the infection inside me, and last time, that went so so. And the repercussions were dear. But as I'm no doctor, I have to take their advice and rely on their judgement, even when scary, and therefore, I run with it. I haven't any better option, or at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself.

Glad to hear it's been removed, but also understand how unsettling things like that can be, best of luck 

Speaking of colour - camouflage preferences. As you can see, I like wraparound schemes, but that's also, I think, an effect of me really feeling that peak war preparation was at the very end of the Cold War. By 1989, Europe was more in arms than ever sooner or later (this far, obviously) and the focus was to fight a very well prepared, competent and technically reasonably advanced enemy - and doing so in your own backyard.

It's always at it's darkest just before the dawn. I wouldn't disagree with your timing. 

[Rheged]

Since last time, they took out the drain from my chest. While it in one way is a great relief, in another way, it's incredibly frightening.

Re the Landy - there's a saying that a Land Rover never is fully functional nor fully broken.  It's nothing that'll leave me stranded any day soon.



Still prowling the shelf of Doom, I think next candidate for completion is the first really rebuilt whif I ever made. It's my take on the thin wing Javelin, very much not according to drawings but rather to what I had to build from. But I like it. Always have. Even if I've never gotten round to arm it, which is why it's sitting where it is.
My main problem is that I feel that it needs cooler missiles than the Sky Flash. Even if I rewrite them to be Active Sky Flash, they're pretty tiny and almost insignificant on such a big and powerful interceptor. I really would like something beefier, with longer range and higher speed. Having looked at the Red Hebe and rejected it because I'm probably too lazy to scratch eight missiles (four for the TWJ, and four for its FAA partner in crime, the Super Sea Vixen. Yes, there is such a build on the SoD as well) but scavenging my weapons supply, I find massive amounts of AIM-54's. And from them, maybe I could build something reminiscent of air launched Sea Darts, that is ramjet driven thingys. Then again - getting eight of them to look similar enough to sit next to each other... ah, well..  Maybe Sky Flash is the way to go after all..

Firstly, congratulations on having the drain removed.  Yes, I know it's a bit worrying  being unplumbed  but (in my case having two groin drains removed)  it makes you feel less like an android.

As a former L/R owner, I understand exactly where you are with that problem. As you say, they go on and on  despite glitches and if the worst happens, there's usually a local blacksmith can fix it to get you home.

I'm really looking forward to the  Super Sea Vixen and thin wing Javelin appearing here.  Don't worry about a uniform weapons load,  perhaps go for  multiple load  pylons with a couple of  "Improved Sky Flash" on each,   and a pair of "Sky Darts"  on the Vixen.  A full Phoenix load on the Javelin sounds reasonable, or perhaps paint it RAE Raspberry Ripple and hang a weird mix of stuff  on it.

Hope you get your thunderstorm soon............and when you have finished with it, can I borrow it for a couple of hours, please?

[Pellson]

Statistically, there seem to be a lot of drains in this little society. Maybe we should have a think about why. Or maybe it's just because we're originally physically designed to die at 45, having spawned at 20, so we just might have to put up with it.. 

The LR.. Well, it's a way of living. Annoying and rewarding at the same time. The more sensible car is lovely (a Jag, old enough to feature "the plank" but new enough not to have to be ridiculously maintained) but it isn't at all as fun riding in it.

The thin wing Javelin is actually coming along nicely. I have fretted a bit over it just not looking right, just lacking something. Earlier in the week, I realised it needed more drop tanks (after all, it's supposed to keep the vast GIUK gap clean of Russian carrier group hunters) but I have been struggling to find a tank setup that looked right. Yesterday, however, I think I cracked it, and now she's sporting three 2300 litre tanks, so I just need to paint a little.

Having read up a bit for the backstory, I think I can make it work with actual unmodified Phoenixes, provided that I add some delay in the validation process of the aircraft itself. And that shouldn't be a problem, considering how long some fighter developments have lasted. We'll see. Backstory writing is fun in itself and you learn surprisingly much just by doing the research for it.

The Super Sea Vixen may just tag along on that Phoenix track. I'm not there with that timeline yet, but we'll see. Also, the engines I found, and that work oh so nicely visually, might be a bit problematic to write in, but we'll see. In time.

Now, I have to do a little work. It's nice - it's not that often these days consider my health, so I'm looking forward to it, actually.

[NARSES2]

Statistically, there seem to be a lot of drains in this little society. Maybe we should have a think about why. Or maybe it's just because we're originally physically designed to die at 45, having spawned at 20, so we just might have to put up with it.. 

An argument I once presented many, many years ago whilst attending a management training course. At the end of the 3 weeks we had to give a "illustrated" presentation on a slightly controversial subject of our own choosing. Still a point of view I press occasionally.

Now, I have to do a little work. It's nice - it's not that often these days consider my health, so I'm looking forward to it, actually.

Yup, felt the same way myself after I returned to work after my heart issues, don't push it to hard, but it can be enjoyable. Best of luck 

[Pellson]

Life is intervening, but it's OK. Modelling wise, I've only written and rewritten the Thin Wing Javelin backstory again, but I just won't get it right it seems. Sod it, you might think, but as I'm certain Mr Rheged would agree, getting the storyline right is actually almost as pleasing as getting the model itself right. Ah, well - I dived deep in reference material today and now I think I know how to get there, but it means basically going back to a clean sheet again. But if that's what it takes..

And I really should be sleeping, but for the very strange size/snore ratio of the little dog. He's not even 15 lbs, but he sounds like a tuned-up marine Perkins. The little (very naughty word).

[NARSES2]

Some dogs really are astonishing regarding the amount of noise they can make compared to their size. My niece has a Great Dane and a Chihuahua/Miniature Poodle cross and I'll give you one guess as to which one can keep you awake at night 

[Pellson]

This is a miniature schnauzer. Is his race standards, among other things it says:
"Likelihood for snoring: Low to very low"

He hasn't read his own manual, the bearded little rat..

Nearly there with the Javelin backstory. Some touchup painting, maybe some extra detailing, if I feel motivated enough, and then a Matt varnish layer before hanging missiles. And Phoenixes it is. I just couldn't be arsed to modify them, so I made the backstory work them in.