On models, whisky and other important things in life

[TomZ]

Last week of my winter holiday. Have to get back to work on the 8th.
My future probably holds a lot of work related trips to Sweden (Göteborg & Stockholm)  this year, so I'm not sure how much modelling I can get in this year. I hope that either I will be at home during the weekends or that I will be able to stay there for some weeks in a place where I can do some building.

So far it's perfect however. Time every day for some building activities. I'm working on the next instalment of the Bf-109s. I'm starting this year with the Czech Avia versions, the two-seater and carrier versions. This last series includes a what if Bf-109T-4, based on the F variant and one which has folding wings.
I expanded the build list with 43 Bf-109s in service with non Luftwaffe air forces in various variants of national markings.

I'm also working on a real world Dutch F-16 as a present for a friend. At least one model I can give away and I don't need to find a space for when it is finished   

And, oh yeah, I'm preparing the whiffie polls that will run in February.

On the whisky side: Highland Park 14 years old. Lovely soft and mild. A bit of sweetness and a bit of smoke.

TomZ

[Rheged]

Last week of my winter holiday. Have to get back to work on the 8th.

On the whisky side: Highland Park 14 years old. Lovely soft and mild. A bit of sweetness and a bit of smoke.

TomZ

I'm retired, so no work summoning me back!   On the whisky side, Bridget and I have just opened a bottle of Highland Park 10 year old we were given as a Christmas present.   As you say , mild with a touch of smoke.

[PR19_Kit]

What's this 'work' stuff of which you speak? 

[TomZ]

What's this 'work' stuff of which you speak? 

That is what we "young" people do to earn money to buy more kits.....
Well, younger.... Retirement is coming into view more and more.

TomZ

[Steel Penguin]

as a great man once said  " work is the curse of the drinking class" 

[TomZ]

Nothing wrong with work in itself.
It just takes up so much free time........

TomZ

[NARSES2]

What's this 'work' stuff of which you speak? 

That is what we "young" people do to earn money to buy more kits.....
Well, younger.... Retirement is coming into view more and more.

TomZ

And us old so and so's our pensions for which we are eternally grateful      Retirement is  fantastic as long as you choose to take it rather than it decides "it's your time". I'm of the lucky generation 

[TomZ]

Finally managed to get some modelling done today. Worked on a few Bf-109s and started the Unicraft Daimler Benz 609 engined fighter.
For a Unicraft kit it is actually pretty decent. Everything fits and clean-up is not so bad.



Also I started a Daimler Benz engined Spitfire and that meand that I have a spitfire spare nose and a lot of Bf-109 kits. Hmmmmm, what if..........

Apart from just being busy with work related stuff, I've been preparing for the whiffie votes and I think everything is all set now for the polls that will start on the 18th of February.
I hope we get a good turn out in the votes!

On the whisky side I have experimented with a Paul John whisky from India. It is quite good!

TomZ

[PR19_Kit]

LOVE a mid-fuselage propped aircraft! 

[NARSES2]

LOVE a mid-fuselage propped aircraft! 

Yup they do have a certain LOOK to them 

[TomZ]

It's been a while since I posted here. I've been quite busy with work (for all of you old geezers, "work" is the thing that eats all of your spare time and for which you are paid far too little money).
In the little time I have I have been building more 109s. I'm on a range of non-luftwaffe 109's. The counter for this collection sits at 60, (of course with a few what-ifs mixed in).
I've been designing a lot of decals for my builds of this year. The aim is to send the files of for printing next week.
Hopefully I can start airbrushing again in a few weeks and can start finishing models after the winter.
Also I'm playing with a Messerschmitt/Focke Wulf hybrid as the Messerschmitt Ta-309. (What if Kurt Tank joined the Messerschmitt company in 1942)

I am involved in the organization of the IPMS Nationals for the Netherlands. Registration has just opened for traders and clubs and the early birds are coming in.
This year we will have a special display honouring 50 years of F-16s. Everyone was invited to contribute to a F-16 display. So, of course I couldn't resist temptation and I had to enter three what-if F-16s. They will sport special scheme's for the 75th anniversary of Dutch military aviation. The guy organizing this is rather focussed on historical accuracy, so I wonder what will happen when he sees my models    .

On the whisky side of things: Just opened a bottle of Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish. very, very nice!
We (a colleague and I) are organizing a whisky tasting at work next week so that required a lot of tasting       
We've got some quite nice bottles for the tasting. All with a "peated" theme for this tasting, the final one being an Octomore, one of the most peated whisky's around.

[NARSES2]

It's been a while since I posted here. I've been quite busy with work (for all of you old geezers, "work" is the thing that eats all of your spare time and for which you are paid far too little money).

And pays our pensions, for which we are truly grateful 

[TomZ]

It's been a while since I had some time to work on my builds. Yesterday I restarted work on a few. I got home from a business trip too late to take part in the one-week GB. That would have become a 3-day build and that is a bit too much for me I'm afraid.

The KLM Concorde is almost finished, after about 300 coats of white. It's the Airfix 1/72 model. What a horrible kit this is. It doesn't fit, has no details at all and enormous ejection marks. But OK, almost there.......

Aside from that I'm working on a series of foreign Bf-109s. As with my series of 109 variants, it keeps getting larger. I'm now at 70! Most are real-world but of course a number of whifs are included as well.  I hope to post some pictures soon.

A third project is a series of USAF Vietnam strike aircraft. What if the Skyraider failed and the USA had to look for alternatives. Some US aircraft of course but also some UK models are included. More info soon, I promise.

So, enough to do this weekend  .

On the whisky side: Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish. A wonderful balance between the Laphroaig peat and the Sherry cask sweetness. Highly recommended!

TomZ

[63cpe]

Oh Tom, what a coincidence. Via my girlfriend I heard a Dutch pop-up restaurant "de Maaltuinen" is doing a diner inspired by Laphroaig for Fathersday.
Her their invitation:

De Maaltuin heeft leuk nieuws! De afgelopen tijd zijn we namelijk bezig geweest met het uitwerken van een wel heel toffe samenwerking, namelijk met Whiskymerk Laphroaig. Vanaf 13 september opent een bijzonder Laphroaig pop-up restaurant bij Fort bij Abcoude. Chef-kok Jaimie van Heije heeft een spannend menu bedacht en deed daarvoor inspiratie op in Schotland. Hij ging op zoek naar de smaak van Laphroaig en bezocht Islay, de thuisbasis van deze unieke whisky.

Hoe dat menu er precies uit ziet, moet je zelf komen ervaren maar we lichten alvast een tipje van de sluier op: de elementen vuur, zout en turf komen erin samen. Schuif aan en proef het door hem samengestelde Laphroaig vier-gangen diner; culinair en verrassend.

Fort bij Abcoude is een rauw fort aan de rand van Amsterdam. Een plek die het gevoel van Laphroaig en Islay maximaal laat beleven. De gerechten van Jaimie in combinatie met de spannende cocktails van Lewis Thomson, award winning Brand Ambassador van Laphroaig, zijn een beleving op zich.

Kom je deel uitmaken van deze bijzondere ervaring? Er is een beperkt aantal plaatsen beschikbaar, dus wees er snel bij.  Op 16 juni is het Vaderdag. Nog op zoek naar een onvergetelijk cadeau? 

Tijdens deze heerlijke avond uit nemen zowel chef Jaimie van Heije als brand ambassador Lewis Thomson je mee in het verhaal van Laphroaig door middel van heerlijke gerechten en cocktails die naadloos op elkaar zijn afgestemd.

Fort bij Abcoude is het ideale decor voor dit bijzondere avondje uit. Voor heel even waan je je in de magische hooglanden van Schotland. Met het pontje steek je de fortgracht over en kom je aan in de wereld van Laphroaig. Een eerste bite en spannend welkomstdrankje staan al voor je klaar..Sláinte!

https://laphroaigstrongcharacters.nl/product/laphroaig/

Cheers,
David aka 63CPE in Sunny Hunny.

[PR19_Kit]

The KLM Concorde is almost finished, after about 300 coats of white. It's the Airfix 1/72 model. What a horrible kit this is. It doesn't fit, has no details at all and enormous ejection marks. But OK, almost there.......

I'm looking forward to that Tom, is there, or will there be a build thread for it? I have one of those kits too, and have read awful reports of it's quality too.